Constantly retiring or occasionally murdering?

[Batmannerism]

^I think it adds to the grounded approach Nolan took though. It actually makes more sense. He was active for two years in which he effectively crushed organized crime and made a huge impact on the city, and then he disappeared. When the city needed him again, he returned to save it. While his career was short, it was hugely influential and ended up with him becoming a clear symbol for the city. I also really really love Blake's line about the Batman in TDKR,

Nolan's Batman managed to have the aura of an urban myth while still accomplishing everything he set out to do.

Compare that to Batfleck, who apparently has been active for 20 years, yet hasn't accomplished anything except becoming a depressed and twisted man. He hasn't influenced his city, other than creating fear in good people as well as criminals. And he doesn't feel like he's done anything either, what with him lamenting to Alfred that for 20 years he's just been cleaning weeds.

And of course Nolan's Batman managed to just about destroy his body in the process (he probably has the knees of a 70 year old). TBH if anyone, even someone wearing body armour, athletically gifted and trained in fighting arts to the degree Batman was, got into serious fist fights a couple of times a week over a couple of year, he would be pretty messed up.

I thought the magic knee brace was a bit dumb (heavy painkillers would have actually made more sense) but the underlying message, that Bruce Wayne was very mortal and human under the suit, was great.

I mean, look at the injuries he receives in one outing, at the start of TDK. A couple of years of that and your joints would be knackered.

Yeah, this is off topic, but oh well - and once again, murdering is way worse - as I said above (and my other learned friend mentioned) not all killing is murder, but to me Batman shouldn't kill except in the most extreme circumstances.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

My problem is that in the Nolan Batman timeline, Batman retired after TDK (in his rookie year, after fighting The Joker for the first time). That is what I think diminishes him a bit. He never has a prime. He goes from rookie to broken down legend without the middle portion needed to make it work.

Goyer was trying to ape Frank Miller's Dark Knight but what made that work was Batman had a rich history before he disappeared for ten years and came back. Nolan's Batman never got to have that rich history.

 

[Awest66]

Nolan's Batman never got to have that rich history

How exactly could Nolan's Batman have had a 'rich history" set in the confines of this stand-alone film series?

 

[AndrewGilkison]

How exactly could Nolan's Batman have had a 'rich history" set in the confines of this stand-alone film series?

By waiting until at least his six Batman movie to try and adapt Miller's Dark Knight Returns, instead of trying to do it in his third.

 

[Awest66]

By waiting until at least his six Batman movie to try and adapt Miller's Dark Knight Returns, instead of trying to do it in his third.

Well that was never in the cards.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Sucks they adapted some of TDKR for BVS. What a waste. Should've just done a straight adaptation.

BvS was a f***up. Should've been a straight forward World's Finest film. Could've saved Death of Superman and TDKR stuff for later.

I love BvS don't get me wrong but Public Enemies should've been the basis for that movie

 

[metaphysician]

Well that was never in the cards.

OTOH, they *could* have left more "offscreen adventures". Maybe have his TDKR retirement occur five years in the past, with three years of unshown "outlaw" heroics before the Dent Act finally brought peace.

 

[Brother Jack]

OTOH, they *could* have left more "offscreen adventures". Maybe have his TDKR retirement occur five years in the past, with three years of unshown "outlaw" heroics before the Dent Act finally brought peace.

That's kind of my head canon. It's based on the line about Dent's death being the last "confirmed" sighting of Batman, implying that there were other unconfirmed sightings, and other things like the cave being completed and Bruce keeping all the tech. I can easily see a scenario where Bruce went back out as Batman in secret while the Dent Act was just getting started. It would've taken a while for it to come into full effect and for Blackgate to be built. Then once all the mob affiliates were off the streets Bruce shifted focus completely to the fusion reactor. Within the eight-year interim between films, the really pertinent span is the last three wherein Bruce became a hermit after Batman became irrelevant and his attempt to help the city as Bruce Wayne failed.

 

[wnjcwjkk]

My mom tells me that Batman '89 was the first film they took me to with my older brother (I was 3). It must've made a huge impression on me

Going back before I can remember, I was obsessed with superheroes, particularly Batman and Superman. I would go through anything I could get my hand on, the films, comics, games, I loved the Animated Series. Still to this day, that is IMO the greatest cartoon series, right in front of X-Men. I had my own Batman and Superman outfits, with cape (and cowl) that I wore everywhere, even underneath my civilian clothes


As a teen, my interests switched to other things. But then Dark Knight and the Watchmen comic reignited my love for the characters from an adult perspective.


I don't mind the killing or the retirement so much. To me, they are just different interpretations, but


My personal idea of the Batman I would tell a story about, if I were to write a Batman story: He is tormented and obsessive. There is no way he could hang up the cowl for too long. He always keeps his ear to the ground, and if he were to learn of murders or horrors committed to people, that he could have prevented, it would eat away at him. He couldn't help himself but to go back out into the night.


He's not okay with straight murder. He has a strict code that he adheres to. But he looks at it like a war, in which there are acceptable casualties. He knows realistically he can't subdue every single bad guy and drop them off at the police station, where they will be arrested because the police just take his word for it, and tried and actually convicted. No defense attorney worth his salt would allow that to happen to their client.

You can't just swoop in and beat up the bad guys and they will just put their head down and go back to living a civilian life. He does what he can, he's willing to help people genuinely turn their life around. He always goes the non lethal route when possible. If somebody dies by proxy or it's just unavoidable, it will still bother Batman, when he is alone with his thoughts, but he also has ways of justifying it in his mind, because his top priority is always the innocent

 

[wnjcwjkk]

By waiting until at least his six Batman movie to try and adapt Miller's Dark Knight Returns, instead of trying to do it in his third.

4 films would've been pretty tight. A Riddler film with Leo DiCaprio in between DK and DKR where Batman is being hunted by the police at the same time, and the Riddler is working on the riddle of "Who is Batman?" Possibly even a blend of The Riddler and Hugo Strange, like they are the same person, and do an adaptation of the Prey storyline, where Batman is the hunted

 

[hafizbat]

That's kind of my head canon. It's based on the line about Dent's death being the last "confirmed" sighting of Batman, implying that there were other unconfirmed sightings, and other things like the cave being completed and Bruce keeping all the tech. I can easily see a scenario where Bruce went back out as Batman in secret while the Dent Act was just getting started. It would've taken a while for it to come into full effect and for Blackgate to be built. Then once all the mob affiliates were off the streets Bruce shifted focus completely to the fusion reactor. Within the eight-year interim between films, the really pertinent span is the last three wherein Bruce became a hermit after Batman became irrelevant and his attempt to help the city as Bruce Wayne failed.

I like that

Makes sense especially that all of his confirmed sightings were very high profile, such as his Tumbler run in BB and the Joker's antics in TDK. He could have easily continued to clean up Gotham as he did between BB and TDK.

Furthemore, it makes sense that the Dent Act had a little outside help in eradicating organized crime...