Entrega Final Editorial

GOTHAM issue 37 Sept/Oct 11 $4.99

By DC Comics

THE MANY LOOKS OF

THE JOKER BATMAN VILLAINS & Casting Speculation

BATMAN ORIGINS

BATMAN BATMAN CONTENTS

TMAN

BATMAN PG.4

BATMAN ORIGINS

GOTHAM BATMAN PG.6 BATMAN PG.8 BATMAN BATMAN GOTHAM CITY

BATMAN BEGINS

Photography

Daniella Amador

BATMAN EDITION

Daniella Amador

PG.10

WHY SO SERIOUS? The Many Looks of THE JOKER

BATMAN

BATMAN BATMAN BA ADVERTISING

Daniella Amador

DESIGN

Daniella Amador

BATMAN ART DIRECTOR WRITERS

Martha Rodriguez Internet Users

PG. 16

BATMAN VILLAINS & Casting Speculation

BATM

NEW Batman Movie: The Dark Knight Rises

PG.20

PG.18

The 25 GREATEST Batman Graphic Novels

BATMAN BATMAN ATMAN BATMAN WEB DESIGNER

Daniella Amador

HEROES Take Flight, AGAIN

PG.28

PG.22

Old Batman VS. New Batman

BATMAN

BATMA

PG.30 BAT ATMAN BATMAN Should Two-Face and The Joker Return in Batman 3?

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GOTHAM EDITION DC Entertainment is the most successful company of comic books publications. It was founded in 1934, and its first super hero created was SUPERMAN, followed by BATMAN, WONDERWOMAN, GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH and many others. This time, we will be focused in one of the most loved heroes of all.

After many years of seeing him in his many looks and stories, we have decided to guarantee an edition in which all those fanatics can enjoy the exquisite whole story of the incredible super hero, BATMAN. It includes a variety of information that demonstrates the extraordinarily mind of this double identity man, including his many villains, his city, his history, etc. We hope you fulfill all your expectations after reading this edition, and we invite you to continue saving all of our special editions.

Thank you, Daniella Amador.

BATMAN BATMAN

is the superhero protector of Gotham City, a man dressed like a bat who fights against evil and strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere. In his secret identity he is Bruce Wayne, billionaire industrialist and notorious playboy. Although he has no superhuman powers, he is one of the world’s smartest men and greatest fighters. His physical prowess and technical ingenuity make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. He is also a founding member of the Justice League and the Outsiders.

Real Name Bruce Wayne Current Alias Batman Aliases Insider Matches Malone Relatives Damian Wayne (son), Dick

“

Smit,ometimes, I adI think of Bruce

as a man in a costume.

Then, with some gadget from his utility belt, he reminds me that he has an extraordinarily inventive mind. And how lucky I am to be able to call on him.

-- Superman src

”

Grayson (adopted son), Tim Drake (adopted son), Jason Todd (adopted son), Cassandra Cain (adopted daughter), Martha Wayne (mother, deceased), Thomas Wayne (father, deceased), Alfred Pennyworth (former guardian), Simon Hurt (ancestor), Wayne Family

Affiliation

Batman Family, Batman Incorporated, Justice League, Outsiders, Wayne Enterprises, Club of Heroes

Base Of Operations Batcave, Stately Wayne Manor, Gotham City; Hall of Justice, Justice League Watchtower

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ORIGINS EARLY LIFE As a young child, Bruce Wayne watched his parents murdered before his eyes. Thomas and Martha Wayne were walking home from the theater one night with their son, when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger who demanded the pearl necklace that Martha was wearing.

When Dr. Wayne refused to surrender it, both he and Martha were shot dead in the streets. The killer was a criminal known as Joe Chill. Fortunately, physician and social worker Leslie Thompkins was making a house call that night, and arrived to give loving comfort to the traumatized Bruce. He was then raised on the Wayne Manor estate, with help from the wise and loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce had very few friends during his childhood.

TRAINING Bruce Wayne swore an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents’ lives. He spent his youth traveling the world, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learning a variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, disguise, and escape artistry.

At age 14, Bruce Wayne began his global sojourn, attending courses at Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and other European universities. However, he never stayed long and would often drop out after one semester. Beyond academia, Wayne successfully acquired various “practical” skills. While abroad, he studied and recieved training in multiple martial arts under various instructors and in different countries, man-hunting under Frenchman Henri Ducard, stealth and reconaissance under the Japanese ninja Kirigi and other certified shinobi, hunting under the African Bushman (the Ghost Tribes of the Ten-Eyed Brotherhood, among others), traditional healing disciplines under Nepalese monks and even ventriloquism under skilled practitioners [3]. His knowledge of so many varied disciplines has made Wayne an unconventional and unpredictable individual. At age 20, he attempted to join the FBI,

-Batman, DC Comics

GOTHAM The birth of Gotham City is one shrouded in both mystery and mysticism. Millennia ago,

an evil warlock was buried alive beneath what would one day become the central island of Gotham. It is alleged that while the warlock laid in a state of torpor, his evil essence seeped into the soil, poisoning the ground with his dark, corruptive touch. By the warlock’s own reasoning, he claims that he fathered the modern spirit of Gotham City and has even taken to calling himself Doctor Gotham.

The territory surrounding Doctor Gotham’s burial spot was also the home of an ancient Native American tribe known as the Miagani. The Miagani inhabited the Gotham islands several centuries before European explorers ever crossed the Atlantic. The Miagani tribe is no longer in existence, and there is much speculation as to their final fate. One posited theory suggests that a shaman named Blackfire came to them, proclaiming to be a holy messenger. Within short order however, Blackfire took control of the Miagani and proved to be a cruel and evil tyrant. The Miagani chieftain Chief Paleface demanded that Blackfire leave the tribe, but the shaman would not be silenced, and he struck down Paleface with his staff, killing him.

The other Miagani revolted against Blackfire.

They shot him with their arrows and tied him to a pole to die. Blackfire didn’t die though, so the Miagani sealed him inside of a cave. They erected a totem in front of the tomb as a warning sign of the evil that resided within. Some sources cite that Shaman Blackfire emerged from the cave and used his power to cause a blight across the land. As such, the Miagani had little choice but to abandon their homes in search of fertile ground. Two days into their journey, a rival tribe came upon them and slaughtered all of the Miagani. Some legends however, say that it was actually Shaman Blackfire who murdered them.

“THE BIRTH OF GOTHAM CITY IS ONE SHROUDED IN BOTH MYSTERY AND MYSTICISM.”

OR

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S IGI N

CITY

-Batman in Gotham City

BATMAN

BEGINS

Wayne discovered the answer late one night while sitting in his manor. He recalled his fear of bats as a child after a large one crashed through one of the windows; he ultimately decided to theme his appearance off of a bat.

B

ruce Wayne returned to Gotham City after many years of study and training with his body and mind developed to perfection. Despite having all of the skills and methods to fight crime, he felt that he was still something missing to complete his physical and psychologocal arsenal. Wayne discovered the answer late one night while sitting in his manor. He recalled his fear of bats as a child after a large one crashed through one of the windows; he ultimately decided to theme his appearance off of a bat. Wayne designed himself a costume equipped with experimental technology

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and set out against the crime and corruption that thrived in Gotham City.

Wayne’s tactics to oppose crime as a vigilante at night proved successful leading him to become an urban legend in Gotham City. He would reveal himself at a dinner of the most influential and corrupt figures in Gotham City promising them all that their reigns on the city would eventually end. Wayne’s first ally is assistant district attorney Harvey Dent. Most of the Gotham City Police Department is sent in force to capture him. He gained his most powerful ally when he met police officer James Gordon, one of the few honest cops on the force. The two developed a working relationship operating outside of the law when they needed to.

Bruce Wayne looking at his other identity through the mirror.

Batman and the Joker in the movie “Batman Begins�

WHY SO SERIOUS? The Joker’s character has gone through some significant changes in interpretation over the years.

He began as a homicidal foil to Batman in the 1940s, then transformed into a goofy and mischievous prankster in the 1950s and ‘60s, before finally reverting back to his original murderous and maniacal form in the 1970s.

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-Illustration of The Joker best representative: Heath Ledger

THE MANY LOOKS OF...

THE JOKER Throughout his years as one of the most iconic and recognizable villains in pop culture, Batman’s greatest nemesis has also underwent some significant changes in appearance, a visual evolution that includes a variety of different artistic interpretations of the character.

Sure, the basics have always been there: The Joker’s maniacal grin, his green hair, red lips and purple suit.

With that said, like any character that’s been around for so long, the Joker’s look and feel has changed with each writer, artist and director that has handled him. With The Dark Knight arriving on DVD Decemeber 9, IGN Stars updates our popular Many Looks feature with more of the razor-scarred Mr. J.

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Name of Look: 1960’s Television Joker

First Appearance: Batman #1 (1940)

First Appearance: Batman, Ep 5, S 1 (1966)

THE LOOK:

THE LOOK:

While the Joker’s overall facial and body structures have changed since his first appearance in the debut issue of Batman (the Dark Knight had appeared exclusively in the pages of Detective Comics until then), his specific facial features – white skin, ruby red lips and green hair – have remained a trademark of the character, as has his signature purple suit. Although writer Bill Finger remains officially un-credited for his role in creating Batman (as well as the Joker and a variety of other iconic Batman villains), the story goes that he gave artist Bob Kane a picture of actor Conrad Veidt in the silent film The Man Who Laughs, based on Victor Hugo’s novel, and Kane combined the actor’s pale face and eerie grin with the basic look of a joker playing card. Thus, the most iconic villain in all of comic book history was born. It would take years, however, until the Clown Prince of Crime would take on the lankier, awkward body structure that has become standard.

When the Dark Knight was brought to life on ABC’s campy and ridiculously zany Batman television show, starring Adam West (flabby physique and all) in the title role, alongside Burt Ward as Robin, it didn’t take long for this popular villain to get the small screen treatment.

In the fifth episode of the first season, entitled “The Joker Is Wild,” actor Cesar Romero stepped into the role of the Clown Prince of Crime. Romero’s appearance as the Joker did not differ much from his comic book incarnation at the time, with one strange and rather baffling exception: Romero refused to shave his mustache for the role. So in each of his eighteen featured episodes, the Joker’s white face paint was applied directly over Romero’s ridiculous facial hair.

-the beginning of the joker

THE JOkER

Name of Look: Golden/Silver Age Joker

Name of Look: 1970’s Joker

Name of Look: The Dark Knight Returns Joker

First Appearance: Batman #251 (Sept,1973)

First Appearance: The Dark Knight Returns #3 (1986)

THE LOOK:

In 1973, as legendary comic book writer Denny O’Neil and his longtime collaborating artist Neal Adams began ushering Batman stories into a new, darker age, away from the 1960’s camp, the Joker likewise underwent some significant changes, in both personality and appearance.

While Denny O’Neil abandoned the Joker’s previous modus operandi of committing exceedingly goofy and mischievous crimes and began writing the character as a gruesome murderer, Adams transformed Joker’s rather normal body structure into the gangly, long-boned figure we see in comics today. The effect was striking and unsettling, with his trademark murderous grin taking on a far more terrifying look thanks to his new extended jaw. The look was later adopted by legendary artist Marshall Rogers, who added a long overcoat and fedora to the Joker’s wardrobe.

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THE LOOK:

In1986, Frank Miller boldly reimagined the Batman and his world like never before in his opus, The Dark Knight Returns, arguably the most influential and celebrated Batman work of all time.

Miller set his story in the near future, when a crime-plagued dystopian Gotham landscape forces a fifty-something, alcoholic Bruce Wayne to return from retirement and continue his war on crime. The Joker, who remained in captivity within Arkham Asylum during Batman’s retirement, also returns to his old ways, as his nemesis reappears as Gotham’s defender. Miller’s visual take on the Joker was as starkly different as his dark and haunting conceptual approach to Batman; Miller abandoned the lanky frame of previous Jokers, giving him a more muscular and bulky physique.

At the same time, he gave the Clown Prince of Crime a distinctly feminine appearance, even adding the notion that the Joker’s ruby colored lips are the result of lipstick. It’s a testament to Miller’s abilities as both a writer and artist that this drastically different Joker was somehow scarier than ever before.

-Illustration of the Villain

First Appearance: The Dark Knight Returns #3 (1986) THE LOOK:

Name of Look: The Killing Joke Joker First Appearance: The Killing Joke (1988) THE LOOK: Just two years after Frank Mill-

er turned Batman’s world on its head with The Dark Knight Returns, writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland set out to explore the origin and psychological makeup of the Dark Knight’s greatest foe in the pages of their seminal graphic novel, The Killing Joke. Together, Moore and Bolland humanized the Joker for the first time, showing how one bad day turned a lowly stand-up comic into a homicidal maniac. Thanks to Brian Bolland’s beautiful artistic approach, the Joker’s personality wasn’t the only thing that became more realistic and believable; Bolland drew the Joker far more anatomically correct than his predecessors, and in doing so, breathed a sense of terrifying realism into his homicidal grin. There was an unmistakable insanity behind the villain’s grin, and the visual composition of The Killing Joke continues to haunt readers to this day.

In1986, Frank Miller boldly reimagined the Batman and his world like never before in his opus, The Dark Knight Returns, arguably the most influential and celebrated Batman work of all time.

Miller set his story in the near future, when a crime-plagued dystopian Gotham landscape forces a fifty-something, alcoholic Bruce Wayne to return from retirement and continue his war on crime. The Joker, who remained in captivity within Arkham Asylum during Batman’s retirement, also returns to his old ways, as his nemesis reappears as Gotham’s defender. Miller’s visual take on the Joker was as starkly different as his dark and haunting conceptual approach to Batman; Miller abandoned the lanky frame of previous Jokers, giving him a more muscular and bulky physique.

At the same time, he gave the Clown Prince of Crime a distinctly feminine appearance, even adding the notion that the Joker’s ruby colored lips are the result of lipstick. It’s a testament to Miller’s abilities as both a writer and artist that this drastically different Joker was somehow scarier than ever before.

THE JOkER

Name of Look: The Dark Knight Returns Joker

BATMAN VILLAINS

& CASTING SPECULATION

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-Batman against his many enemies

A

s The Dark Knight mounts its record-breaking box office run, talk of future sequels has already reached a fever pitch. But which foes might Batman face in a potential follow-up? Following in the footsteps of Heath Ledger’s terrifying turn as the Joker would be an unenviable task for any actor, but the real challenge could lie with director Christopher Nolan and his brother/writing partner Jonathan. A peek at the remaining adversaries in Batman’s legendary “Rogue’s Gallery” reveals a less-than-appealing cast of cartoonish, overthe-top characters ill-suited for the darker, more realistic vision of the Caped Crusader established in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Here’s a list of foes with a shot at making the cut.

LIKELY SUSPECTS

The Riddler:

A smooth-talking misanthrope with severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies, the Riddler taunts his pursuers with puzzles and devises elaborate deathtraps for his victims.

PREVIOUSLY PORTRAYED ON-SCREEN BY: Frank Gorshin, John Astin, Jim Carrey

COULD BE RE-MADE IN THE NOLAN MOLD AS: a modern-day version of the Zodiac Killer.

POTENTIAL ACTORS: Guy Pearce, Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling

The Penguin:

A smooth-talking misanthrope with severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies, the Riddler taunts his pursuers with puzzles and devises elaborate deathtraps for his victims.

PREVIOUSLY PORTRAYED ON-SCREEN BY: Burgess Meredith, Danny DeVito

COULD BE RE-MADE IN THE NOLAN MOLD AS:a dapper, diminutive mob boss with a serious bird fetish and a Napoleon Complex.

POTENTIAL ACTORS: Jack Black, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Poison Ivy:

A smooth-talking misanthrope with severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies, the Riddler taunts his pursuers with puzzles and devises elaborate deathtraps for his victims.

PREVIOUSLY PORTRAYED ON-SCREEN BY: Uma Thurman

COULD BE RE-MADE IN THE NOLAN MOLD AS: An environmental zealot turned eco-terrorist -like the Unabomber, only more creative.

POTENTIAL ACTORS: Hilary Swank, Angelina Jolie

Black Mask:

A powerful mob boss with aristocratic roots similar to those of childhood friend Bruce Wayne, his trademark fashion accessory is a mask carved from the ebony coffin of his mother.

PREVIOUSLY PORTRAYED ON-SCREEN BY: Nobody

COULD BE RE-MADE IN THE NOLAN MOLD AS: The Black Mask is rumored to have made an appearance in early drafts of The Dark Knight, as a would-be industrialist who turns to crime after his company is absorbed by rival Wayne Enterprises.

POTENTIAL ACTORS: Viggo Mortensen, Russell

NEW BATMAN MOVIE,

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Begins Filming in Los Angeles.

Acclaimed director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN recently wrapped the Pittsburgh, PA, stage of The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) production, a shoot that yielded a bumper crop of revealing “spy” photos and videos — Bane’s (Tom Hardy) full costume, Batman (Christian Bale) fighting Bane, Marion Cotillard in a possibly plot-revealing costume, Anne Hathaway’s “Catwoman” stunt doubles riding and then crashing a Bat-pod, Batman’s new ride, Joseph Gordon-Levitt acting suspicious — and he’s already set up shop in Los Angeles for the next stage of the shoot.

A

ccording to a notice that went out to local residents, filming would begin along Manhattan Beach Blvd. on Friday, August 28th, and continue through Thursday, September 1st. The notice did not reveal what actors might be involved in the shoot, but it did reveal that “Simulated Flood scenes” involving the use of “Tip Tanks and Water Cannons” were going to be shot at the location.

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The Dark Knight Rises was written by Jonathan Nolan from a story conceived by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, the writer of both of Nolan’s previous Batman movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Returning cast members include Gary Oldman as Commissioner James Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Sir Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, and Nestor Carbonell as the mayor of Gotham City. New additions include Josh Pence as a younger (or mystically rejuvenated) Ra’s al Ghul, Juno Temple as Holly Robinson, and Matthew Modine as Nixon. Alon Aboutboul also stars as an unidentified “mad scientist” (possibly the hostage seen in the Bane speech video). Christopher Judge, Tom Conti, and Joey King also star in as-yet-unspecified roles.

-”The Dark Knight Rises”

N

o comic book character has been blessed with as many must-read stories as the Batman. In forming a list of the 25 greatest Batman stories ever told, I read and reread well over 100 books, slowly narrowing the list down to the essentials. These are the books everyone should read; the can’t miss home run tales of the Dark Knight.

There are dozens of others I simply didn’t have room for on this list.

Six years have passed since I created IGN’s original 25

Greatest Batman Graphic Novels list. And in that time a number of

other tales of the Caped Crusader have hit the shelves.

The 25

GREATEST Batman

Graphic Novels There are great Batman stories that didn’t make the list. I love Grant Morrison’s Batman and Robin run, Scott Snyder’s Detective Comics tales, and Jeph Loeb’s early Batman/Superman stories.

Their exclusion, and the exclusion of numerous other great reads, doesn’t reflect on the quality of those books. Only 25 could make it.

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Some of those deserved consideration for inclusion, though few actually made the cut.

More importantly, our perception of “classics” change over time. I wanted to reread the books already on the list and see which stood the test of time.

As you’ll see, one or two fell and one glaring omission went from “off the list” and jumped into the top 10.

The Dark Knight returns to stock your bookshelf with good reads.

-Batman First Graphic Novel

HEROES TAKE Some readers may be drawn in by its cover depicting revised incarnations of Superman and Batman, or a story line that tells of a tense first meeting between these costumed characters before they became allies.

But DC is betting that more potential customers will be attracted by an insignia that boldly declares this to be issue No. 1 of Justice League; never mind the hundreds of chapters that came before it.

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“

I certainly wouldn’t buy a DVD series of a hit show and start at Season 7,” Mr. Lee said. “I would want to go back and start from the beginning”.

When the latest issue of Justice League is released on Wednesday

by DC Comics, it will be scrutinized like no other installment in the 76year history of that publisher of superhero adventures.

FLIGHT, AGAIN S

tarting on Wednesday, the publisher is resetting all 52 of its continuing series, including venerable titles like Action Comics and Detective Comics that introduced Superman and Batman in the 1930s, at issue No. 1, and using the opportunity to revise or jettison decades of continuity in the heroes’ fictional lives.

Within the DC universe, this new status quo is the result of efforts by the fleet-footed Flash to alter the course of history. But in the real world it is a last-ditch plan to counteract years of declining sales throughout the comics business.

The success or failure of this plan will have far-reaching implications: it could alienate longtime fans for the sake of new readers. And it could portend a more widespread exhaustion with film and television projects that are adapted from comic books and that are constantly starting over from scratch.

In an entertainment industry that is perpetually looking to breathe new life into old properties, and that has planned several years of movies and multimedia projects about back-tobasics superheroes, this revisionist strategy could determine “whether or not DC Comics, as a comic-book publishing company, will continue in the future,” said Rich Johnston, a blogger who cov-

ers the comics business for the Web site Bleeding Cool. “There’s an awful lot at stake here, and that’s why they’ve thrown everything and the kitchen sink at this.”

DC, which is owned by Time Warner, has long lagged behind its rival Marvel Comics, the Disney-owned publisher of Spider-Man and Captain America, in market share if not audience enthusiasm. Its latest company-wide overhaul has been almost a year in the making, devised in October at an editorial retreat where staff members were trying to create a love triangle for Superman, who wed Lois Lane in 1996.

Once the team decided it did not have to be bound by this marital detail, “we started talking about a lot of crazy, what-if situations, and out of that openness came the idea of renumbering the entire line,” said Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics and an illustrator of the new Justice League series.

The publisher says its streamlined storytelling efforts are aimed at its existing readership as well as at new or lapsed comics buyers, but acknowledged that an issue labeled “No. 1” was particularly inviting to first-timers.

“I certainly wouldn’t buy a DVD series of a hit show and start at Season 7,” Mr. Lee said. “I would want to go back and start from the beginning.”

OLD BATMAN VER When film director JOEL SCHUMACHER took over the Batman franchise, fans didn’t know what to expect. Some were excited that new blood was injected into the series and that certain characters such as Robin would finally appear on the big screen. By the time “Batman and Robin” was released into theaters in 1997 however, anger and resentment boiled to the surface. Fans were irate that a director would inject so much camp and kitsch into such a beloved franchise.

-Batman Begins Scene.

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RSUS NEW BATMAN A

s time went by, the love for the two Tim Burton Batman films starring Michael Keaton - “Batman” and “Batman Returns” - began to increase. After all, how does Tommy Lee Jones’ Two Face compare to Jack Nicholson’s The Joker? How can Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze measure up to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman?

BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED. That

something, of course, was 2005’s “Batman Begins.” Starring Christian Bale in the title role and directed by Christopher Nolan, fans fell deeply in love with the dark Gotham City and brooding caped crusader. With “The Dark Knight” set to hit theaters on Friday, the love for the Burton movies is fast becoming extinct. But before these two movies are placed on the endangered species list, an examination is needed.

-In the picture, Batman and The Joker.

Should Two-Face &

We here at Screen Rant recently asked the question, What

Will

Batman 3 Be About?

The third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise is easily one of the most anticipated sequels ever – as evidenced by the HUGE outpouring of reader reaction our article is STILL receiving.

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- In The picture, The Joker and Two-Face

The Joker Return In

BATMAN 3?

THE PROS AND CONS OF BRINGING THESE TWO BACK AND WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES. We here at Screen Rant recently asked the question, “What Will Batman 3 Be About?”

The third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise is easily one of the most anticipated sequels ever – as evidenced by the HUGE outpouring of reader reaction our article is STILL receiving.

Out of the 350+ comments left by you Batman fans, two clear points of debate raged longest and hardest throughout the thread of discussion. After seeing the sparks of that debate, we thought it only fitting that we should fan it into a brush fire. So, without further ado I now ask:

Should Two-Face and The Joker be brought back for Batman 3?

One of the things I really appreciated about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was that it was clear with both films that scribes Chris and John Nolan and David S. Goyer all truly understood the character of Batman and the universe that he inhabited. More than that, the writers also had a keen eye for what made all of Batman’s supporting characters and (most importantly) the

villains in his rogues gallery tick. If I have one criticism of Burton’s Batman films, it’s that the villains were mainly evil foils for Batman, there more for (wonderful) theatrics rather than any sort of pointed reason.

In Nolan’s films, the villains (for the most part) have carried much more dramatic weight.

Certainly that’s true for The Dark Knight: The Joker wasn’t just there for show of a trademark smile (cough, cough), he added actual thematic meaning to the story, as did Harvey/Two-Face.

And for that matter, so did Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins (Bruce Wayne twisted by anger).

There has been some debate about whether Batman 3 should position itself as a direct sequel to The Dark Knight, or perhaps as more of a standalone story, set long after TDK. In either case, if Nolan is at the helm you know that whatever villain(s) go into the script will only be in there if they add weight and meaning to the story. And while it would be a novel kick to see a few new villains rolled out for a flashy sequel, if Batman 3 is to be set directly after Dark Knight then there is still a lot of narrative weight still hanging on both The Joker and Harvey/Two-Face.

SO DO YOU BRING THEM BACK?