The Dark Knight Rises Ideas For Incorporating Characters Into the Nolanverse

HOW does this read to you all??

Bruce will struggle hard with the consequences of being Batman and will vow to give up, he must first replace Harvey Dent himself or find someone that can do it and support them both as Wayne and as Batman. Bruce begins to shift more of his focus on cleaning up Gotham from a humanitarian angle using Wayne Enterprises and his wealth to fight the good fight in the public.(Similar to his father Thomas Wayne) Things take a turn for the worse when Wayne Enterprises is accused of violating labor laws and economic scandal. Bruce will have the fight of his life as he is challenged as both Batman and Bruce Wayne by Roman Sionis a.k.a. Black Mask and his False Face Society a ruthless gang of disfigured members who have all been tortured and brainwashed and control the illegal crime activity in Gotham City. As well as the fact the Batman is now public enemy number one. Reese, The employee from TDK who found blueprints for Tumbler (BATMOBILE) is found murdered, and Batman is framed, thought to be trying to protect his identity. This leads to an even greater pressure from the city for Gordon to capture Batman and Gordon himself now doesn’t know who to trust, even Batman himself.

A new and mysterious female assistant D.A. emerges Talia Head and sparks the interest of Bruce Wayne and she is secretly Talia al Ghul (Despite not appearing in Batman Begins, where Ra's al Ghul is the main villain, she is mentioned in the novelization when Ra's writes to his daughter in Switzerland and al Ghul's character biography in the DVD special features.) She is a complex character, not quite heroine nor villainess but more of an anti-hero. Talia has brought a team of the remaining League of Shadows Warriors to Gotham City to hunt down the Batman and force him to join them or pay for her father’s death. The League is fully aware that the city has been under siege from the Black Mask and his False Face Society for years.

The Black Mask is an older man, very rich, and a rogue member of the league of shadows. After leaving the League he formed the False Face Society whose first member was the Joker. Black Mask's most important weapons are fear and intimidation. He is known for his brutal and sadistic torture techniques, especially on the face. He sees the Joker’s purpose was served as he drove the Batman from hero to vigilante in the general public eye, and needs to dispose of the Joker before his identity is revealed. He recants on his offer to the Joker and plans his assassination while in Arkham. The Black Mask is secretly also a wealthy business man and has the pull to push around Bruce Wayne and also fabricate documents and information. His Intel is unparalleled, he nearly completes a hostile takeover of Wayne Enterprises, and he is a master criminal strategist with vast amount of resources. He was the crime lord of Gotham city for many years as an undercover businessman and was the original target of Ras al Ghul and the League of Shadows. The Scarecrow is forced to give up his secret on how to weaponize the Blue Flowers to the False Face Society and Black Mask also uses his connections to gather information on his enemies, and then hits them at their weak points, such as family and friends. (ties to Thomas Wayne, and his death) The Black Mask infiltrates Wayne Enterprises and in an attempt to take over the building and kill Lucious Fox, who he sees as the brains of the executive board. Black Mask sets up and commits a series of murders designed to frame Batman. This plan is complicated by the escape of Joker. Joker finds and seeks revenge on the Black Mask exposing his true identity and scarring him in the process. The False Face Society and the League of Shadows Hunters led by Talia go to war in the streets of Gotham.

Gordon discovers he must find a way to get info out of the Joker, while in Arkham he is receiving treatment from a new doctor Dr. Harleen Quinzel who turns out to be an operative of the Black Mask. The Black Mask is determined to kill the Joker to conceal his identity but the operative does a double cross, and frees the Joker. He then kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and taunts him with enlarged photographs of his wounded (family member), in an attempt to prove that any normal man can go insane after having "one really bad day." The Joker ridicules him as an example of "the average man," a naïve weakling doomed to insanity. Again giving an explanation of the scars on his face to Gordon with a knife pressed to the inside of the Commissioner’s mouth "something like that happened to me you know...I'm not quite sure what it was. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another. If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" The Joker knowing the true identity of Black Mask and his intent on taking over Wayne Enterprises destroys the Wayne tower to announce to Gotham that he is again free and that terror has returned to Gotham.

Climax would be Joker now destroying what’s left of the mob and taking over the reins of The False Face Society. He holds the city for ransom by revealing he has a plan to detonate another bomb similar to what destroys Wayne enterprises.

Batman has to take down False Face Society and stop the Joker while struggling with the conflict of continuing his life as both Batman and Bruce Wayne or accepting the offer from Talia who is determined to have Bruce lead The League of Shadows. Talia ends up stepping in front of bullet meant for Batman as her heart has changed after she has witnessed all the destruction caused by her own fathers hand and that of their followers.

By the end of the movie the citizens of Gotham realize that Batman is the only one who can level the playing field against the powers of the criminally insane and the corrupt powers that be in Gotham City.

Again, the more you work on it the less I like it. :csad:
 
How when the False Face Society is a band of disfigured insane people who want to terrorize Gotham???

First off, your taking the story back even before Batman Begins. Second, by making The Joker part of the FFS your removing something that made him great in TDK. Third, your giving The Joker a backstory that's not needed.

Why are your holding on to that part of your story so tightly? Maybe it's time to go in a different direction. :yay:
 
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The joker does not have an origin, he cannot. It would ruin the mystery and the character.
 
I had an idea for a plot/villian story the other day the other day. A couple things I was thinking:

*The problem with following the joker as a villian isnt that Batman dosesnt have memorable villians. Its that most of them arent as thematically appropriate as the Joker. A plots got to have an overarching theme an its hard to top the jokers chaos vs batmans order thing.

*the Nolan films have deviated quite a lot from the comics where they felt like it. TDK never showed the batcave and smashed up the batsignal. I would be comfortable with them introducing entirely new stuff if it worked right.

*One the themes of when grant morrison writes of batman is how he inspires other people. A lot of Batman stories have him fighting other crimefighters, Mask of the Phantasm, Knightfall, the current comics plotline with Jason Todd as the Red Hood.

So I think a great setup would be batman fighting another crimefighter. My ideal third film would go something like this:

The film opens with Batman intercepting a copycat vigilante in another city fighting crime wearing a blood red hood and cape. The guy turns out to be ex-league of shadows and consequently knows bruces real identity. They fight to a standstill and Bruce concedes that as long as the guy stays in line and in seperate cities they shouldnt have a problem.

Back in Gotham things have gotten worse since TDK and several joker inspired supervillains are now attempting to take control. Eventually to even the odds Batman ends up bringing the other vigilante to Gotham to tackle a known big name villian like Riddler or Killer Croc or someone and they succeed. This makes up the first 2 acts of the film.

At this point the film is hinting and the audience is basically assuming that this guy in red is going to turn out to be the Nolan version of Robin, the twist is it's really more the films a version of Azrael. The third act and finale is Batman taking on what turns out to be an overzealous, potentially homocidal wannabe Batman for the mantle. Affirming that despite all the darkness and moral ambiguity of TDK Bruce is still realy the only man with the integrity to fight crime like he does and not go too far.

The character himself could be Jean Paul Valley as the leage of shadows origin is pretty close to his origin anyway, or if you were willing to mess with established cannon more dramatically and REALLY wanted to **** with people it could even be Jason Todd himself. Batman vs Robin, hows that for a hook?
 
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Actually, for those who say Mr. Freeze is not realistic, listen to this. Apparently the idea of a gun being able to freeze things is not radical, as their is a gun that can shoot chunks of liquid nitrogen to freeze things. This one was developed for fighting wildfires while another gun has been shown to shoot literal ice bullets. ICE BULLETS. Besides, if we want to talk "realistic", BatBale's cape couldn't become a parachute nor could the fire burn only "half" of Harvey's face. They take liberties with science, but nothing that is blatantly impossible.
 
It burnt directly on the gasoline, the heat burnt his face, it was put out quickly, this can be done, cover half of your face with light fluid, then light it up, you will see what happens.

Mr. Freeze is kinda realistic, only a sadistic person would use a gun to freeze people, nitrogen kills, it freezes so cold it literally burns, it is also very impractical. Freeze could suffer nitrogen poisoning(requires fresh oxygen, with no pollution), and the accident could give him loss of pigmentation and hair. He would have to love his wife more than air, and be a complete psychopath.

Bale's cape although unrealistic is something minor.
 
Yea Freeze would be sadistic if he was killing people, but he doesn't actually have to kill. Besides, he also doesn't need the extensive disfiguring the comics give him.

And in terms of Robin, why can't he just be some kid Bruce adopts after his parents are killed? He doesn't have to be in a fighting suit, nor should he fight criminals. Robin is, and always shall be, an integral part of the Batman story, and shouldn't be thrown away because of small details
 
I don't think a tie in to the League of Shadows would be wise, seeing as how Nolan likes to take sequels and make them stand out in a way. They're different enough to the point that we are still interested in the story. The next movie should be a sequel, yet be able to stand on its own. So, no mob stories, fellow ninjas, or chaos seeking maniacs.

The Riddler: Egotistical and thrill seeking Ed Nashton dreams of figuring out who Batman is, enticing him through clues at various crime scenes he indirectly caused.

Mr. Fries: Cryogenics scientist and husband, who loses his wife to a laboratory accident. Steals money to further his research and pay criminals as assistants. Would love to have him, but is too similar to TDK Harvey Dent.

Ivy: Pamela Isley is a young eco-terrorist and very skilled in plant based weapons. Kills of any she sees as attacking the Earth through poisons and toxins she creates herself.

Calculator: Noah Kuttler is an information broker, giving out information for $1,000 dollars per question. Could also see this being merged with the Riddler.

Onomatopoeia: An assassin who speaks only the sound of what he is going to kill you with. If he is going to shoot you, he says BANG, or some variation of that.

Bane: A latino prisoner who was exposed to several varieties of steroids that were fast acting. Works as a mercenary.
 
I had an idea for a plot/villian story the other day the other day. A couple things I was thinking:

*The problem with following the joker as a villian isnt that Batman dosesnt have memorable villians. Its that most of them arent as thematically appropriate as the Joker. A plots got to have an overarching theme an its hard to top the jokers chaos vs batmans order thing.

*the Nolan films have deviated quite a lot from the comics where they felt like it. TDK never showed the batcave and smashed up the batsignal. I would be comfortable with them introducing entirely new stuff if it worked right.

*One the themes of when grant morrison writes of batman is how he inspires other people. A lot of Batman stories have him fighting other crimefighters, Mask of the Phantasm, Knightfall, the current comics plotline with Jason Todd as the Red Hood.

So I think a great setup would be batman fighting another crimefighter. My ideal third film would go something like this:

The film opens with Batman intercepting a copycat vigilante in another city fighting crime wearing a blood red hood and cape. The guy turns out to be ex-league of shadows and consequently knows bruces real identity. They fight to a standstill and Bruce concedes that as long as the guy stays in line and in seperate cities they shouldnt have a problem.

Back in Gotham things have gotten worse since TDK and several joker inspired supervillains are now attempting to take control. Eventually to even the odds Batman ends up bringing the other vigilante to Gotham to tackle a known big name villian like Riddler or Killer Croc or someone and they succeed. This makes up the first 2 acts of the film.

At this point the film is hinting and the audience is basically assuming that this guy in red is going to turn out to be the Nolan version of Robin, the twist is it's really more the films a version of Azrael. The third act and finale is Batman taking on what turns out to be an overzealous, potentially homocidal wannabe Batman for the mantle. Affirming that despite all the darkness and moral ambiguity of TDK Bruce is still realy the only man with the integrity to fight crime like he does and not go too far.

The character himself could be Jean Paul Valley as the leage of shadows origin is pretty close to his origin anyway, or if you were willing to mess with established cannon more dramatically and REALLY wanted to **** with people it could even be Jason Todd himself. Batman vs Robin, hows that for a hook?
i like this idea
 
So how would Nolan take each of Batman's villains and do his take on them? We can see the changes he did to Joker and TwoFace so how would he do the rest?

Penguin- I'd see him as the arms dealer he is. Sort of like someone doing business with criminals and corporations alike. Wealthy and egotistically smart. He would be portly but not disfigured. The umbrellas would still be his thing but not in a cheesy way.

Riddler- TAS version all the way.

I'll let you guys fill in the rest.
 
Here are some ideas I have that I think would fit in nicely with what Nolan has already done.

Black Mask - This would be very hard to do and maintain a PG-13 rating, but I think it would be possible. Black Mask would be the new crime boss to come in and fill the void as main crime boss in Gotham after the events of BB and TDK. He would wear a black mask (maybe to keep his identity unknown) but it wouldn't be fused to his face like the comics (a bit unrealistic for Nolan). He would come to power and maintain control over the underworld through a reign of terror. He is also sadistic and likes to torture (this is necessary to keep true to the comics, but would make it push the PG-13 rating to the limits). Batman may use his "Matches Malone" identity in a plot involving Black Mask.

Penguin - There are two versions that would work: (Either way he is not the main villain.)
1) He runs a nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge. He is portly, not disfigured, and not involved in very serious crime. He lounge is frequented by the corrupt politicians and government officials and cops. It is also frequented by the upper mob bosses. They frequent the lounge because of the gambling and high class "escort" service penguin provides. Penguin also probably is engaged in fencing stolen goods and blackmailing some people. Since, he isn't involved in murder, drugs, or guns, Batman tolerates him as a source of information, and to spread rumors Batman wants leaked.
OR
2.) Penguin is a portly (not disfigured) English gun runner new to Gotham. He is secretly dealing guns to all the new gangs and mob bosses vying for power.

Deadshot - Could be a mercenary, bounty hunter, or spec ops soldier. Comes into Gotham to hunt Batman. (Could be hired by mayor, but I think works better if hired by a mob boss). Also starts eliminating other villains 9maybe B-villains form comics) because he enjoyd thrill of the hunt.

Riddler - Edward Nigma is a narcissistic Private Investigator with a reputation for hunting serial killers across the country. He is hired by the mayor to figure out who Batman is and hunt him down (because Gordon is obviously not doing his job of catching Batman). He becomes obsessesed with Batman after he realizes how hard is he is to catch and that he might be smarter than him. He develops the Riddler persona in secret with the obsession of seeing if he can pull off crimes without being caught by Batman. The irony is that Edward Nigma is having a tough time catching Batman, and Batman is having a tough time catching the Riddler.

Bane - This would be similar to the Knightfall storyline, but maybe Batman would defeat him and not get his back broken. Bane is a genius, not a stupid goon. He doesn't have tubes running into his head, but he doesn't inject by needle a "super" steroid called venom. He is obviously an impressive physical specimen. He engineers a jailbreak of Arkham, and lets Batman wear himself down fighting villains. you could do a lot of smallervillains in minor roles here. You could bring scarecrow back for another short fight sequence, and I would love to see Batman vs. Zsasz. Batman must face Bane in the end.

Zsasz - He is obviously already in the Nolanverse. He could be a secondary villain, or maybe even the main guy with the right story. Obviously he is a brutal serial killer only driven by the need to kill.

Mad Hatter - This could actually be done if he was only a minor villain and not the main guy. The mind control plot would not exist or be alluded to. He would probably be released form Arkham in the Bane storyline or some other way. He would be a child molester (like in Arkham: A Serious House on Serious Earth) that maybe kidnapped some kids and Batman would have to stop him. These movies are for kids too, so it would only have to be alluded to in a indirect way (no way it would be appropriate to come right out and say it or anything like that). That way, an adult would get the idea of what's going on, but kids would miss it.

Firefly - He could show up in a minor role, probably without the ability to fly or glide. Maybe as a part of an Arkham breakout.

Deacon Blackfire - A lesser known villain that could really carry a film. A religious fanatic and leader of a cult. It consists of mostly homeless people and he declares war on the city, quickly leading to anarchy.

Lock-up - Probably a secondary villain who takes over Arkham and starts murdering inmates and guards.

Joker - He could be recast.....MAYBE. In the comics, he is constantly changing (different backstories that may or may not be true like in the Killing Joke) A different actor could try to pull this off being similar, but unique to Ledger's performance. This would definitely be more difficult to pull off than any other interpretation and I probably don't recommend it.

Two-Face - The movie did not make it clear that he was dead, though Nolan has. The good thing is, he they did bring him back, it wouldn't really contradict the movie, since it could be interpreted that he might still be alive.
 
And it was an awesome scene!
"Poor Edward. You see I'm both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not because i have to be. Now, because i choose to be!"

I really want to explore Batman's psyche a bit more. I felt I never really got to know him in TDK. In Batman Begins,yes. But he was just for show in TDK,as the tough guy. I never really cared about him,because he can take care of himself. But with Keaton and Kilmer,I connected with them,because it delves into their minds. You get the subtle scenes and they reflect on Bruces past tragedy. If they focus more on Bale in 3,and make him vulnerable,then I can connect with him. The thing about Batman is,he may appear tough,but he always has that vulnerability that shows everywhere he goes.
 
I think there will be a lot of emphasis on Bruce's guilt in the third one. The guilt over not saving the love of his life and Harvey. Which will maybe bring those feelings back of guilt over his parents death.
 
I think there will be a lot of emphasis on Bruce's guilt in the third one. The guilt over not saving the love of his life and Harvey. Which will maybe bring those feelings back of guilt over his parents death.

Good point. I mean surely after the events of TDK and his life in general,somethings bound to haunt him. I never saw that in TDK. He was too macho minded for me to connect with him.

Wow, macho. Ill probably be saying "swell" next,lol.
 

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