Three posters have surfaced that were created to publicise The Dark Knight Rises but never used.
The images were unveiled by Trailer Park, alongside several other posters that were selected to form the basis of the marketing campaign.
They look pretty different from the ones that were eventually released; two of them consist of moody greyscale shots of Batman and Bane respectively, while the final one hints at a viral marketing tactic based on Bane's mask that was considered.
You can check out the posters below.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and wept like a child at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.
The Dark Knight Rises' Tom Hardy may star in the crime drama Animal Rescue, based on a short story by Shutter Island and Mystic River author Dennis Lehane.
Variety reports that Michael Roskam (Bullhead) will direct the Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment project.
The film reportedly "follows a lonely Boston bartender who rescues a puppy from a garbage can and becomes the target of the dog's abusive and mentally unstable former owner, while simultaneously getting caught in the middle of a criminal conspiracy playing out in his mob-controlled bar."
Starz have released the first trailer for Da Vinci's Demons, the upcoming series from The Dark Knight's David S. Goyer. The series is expected to debut in the spring, as Spartacus comes to an end. Check out the trailer below.
You can also watch our recent interviews with Goyer and Da Vinci's Demons cast members from New York Comic Con:
With The Avenges now out on home video (review here), the inevitable Blu-ray and DVD announcement of The Dark Knight Rises is just around the corner.
A few images from the UK release of The Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray and DVD, as well as some images from a Batman Trilogy box set, have already started popping up all over the internet today, courtesy of ComicBookMovie and DCU Movie Page. It's unclear if these are official or fan-made just yet. Some of the images look fairly legit, while others are a little more questionable. Take a look and judge for yourself:
Meanwhile, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, out promoting Looper (review here), spoke with Collider and shot down any hopes of seeing those rumored deleted scenes from The Dark Knight Rises. "Every movie has a longer cut which gets edited, and deleted scenes implies that there’s whole chunks of the film missing. It’s not that, it just gets tightened up in the editing process."
It's certainly possible Joseph Gordon-Levitt simply doesn't know about the deleted scenes, but his statement feels fairly definitive. We should know more in the coming days. The Dark Knight Rises is tentatively slated to come home December 3, 2012. Expect an official announcement from Warner Home Video very soon.
The Dark Knight Rises' Tom Hardy is in early talks to star in director Doug Liman's period adventure film Everest for Sony Pictures.
Deadline reports that the actor would play George Mallory, the 1920s climber who tried three times to scale the world's highest mountain. After disappearing on his third attempt, it is still unknown whether or not Mallory ever reached the top.
The film was adapted by Up in the Air scribe Sheldon Turner from Jeffrey Archer's book Paths of Glory.
Liman will direct Everest once he's completed shooting Tom Cruise's All You Need is Kill for Warner Bros.
Good news for gamers outside Japan who are eager to get their hands on Rhythm Hunter Harmo Knight, the first full 3DS title by Pokémon developer Game Freak. In a recent IGN interview with Pokémon bigwig/Harmo Knight producer Junichi Masuda, he stated his desire to bring the game to North American and European audiences.
“In terms of a North American or European release, it's definitely something we'd like to do, but we're working out the details with Nintendo now and seeing what would be the best way to get that to players,” he said.
As for how this distinctly non-Pokemon game came to be, Masuda said it was conceived by James Turner, a British national who works at Game Freak. He and his team of 25 people have apparently been working on Harmo Knight for about a year and a half.
“Within Game Freak, we've implemented a kind of new system where employees can come up with original ideas for their games,” he said. “If they can find at least three co-workers to jump on the project and say they want to do it together, then they'll be able to proceed with that project.”
This company policy isn’t just to encourage the creation of cool, new IPs - it’s also meant to improve the quality of the Pokémon series. “One of the nice things about smaller projects like that is... since it's a project that you really wanted to do, you've kind of signed on to do that project. You're really interested in it,” he said. “There's also very few people and a short schedule, so everyone has to work on multiple aspects that they might not normally work with. So by doing that, you really build up experience, which translates back into the Pokémon games.”
For more from my interview with Masuda-san, as well as Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 director Takao Unno, head to this link. And, as always, stay tuned to IGN for all things 3DS.
Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can follow her wild adventures on her IGN blog and Twitter. Game on!
Following The Avengers’ American re-released over the Labor Day weekend, the film added a further 2.2m to its total gross, hitting the $620m mark domestically.
And as of Monday, it had made $1.502 billion worldwide.
Ignoring inflation and the higher price of a modern-day or 3D ticket, The Avengers is now the third most successful film in history, with only the James Cameron one-two punch of Avatar and Titanic ahead.
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and saw The Avengers a grand total of twice. His idle chit-chat can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.
The Dark Knight Rises reached a series of box office landmarks over the weekend, outgrossing its predecessor The Dark Knight while at the same time becoming only the 13th film in history to pass the $1bn mark.
The Dark Knight grossed $1.003bn worldwide, and as of Sunday, The Dark Knight Rises has made 1.005bn.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, TDK did bigger business domestically than internationally, whereas TDKR made more money internationally. The Reporter suggests that may be down to the Aurora theatre shootings.
Whatever the case, The Dark Knight Rises now has Alice in Wonderland in its sites in the all-time box office list, while it will have to surpass The Phantom Menace to make the top 10.
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and still can't quite believe that many people went to see Alice in Wonderland. His idle chit-chat can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.
Harmo Knight is the new Nintendo 3DS title from Game Freak, the team behind the Pokémon series.
The game was announced by Satoru Iwata during today's Nintendo Direct livestream. From the footage released, it looks like a hybrid of a traditional side-scrolling platformer, replete with a Mario Bros-style world hub, and a rhythm action game. The game's hero charges through levels, from verdant hilly landscapes to city rooftops, collecting musical notes and swinging a quaver like a battle axe/golf club. Presumably, you have to execute your attacks in time with the game's music.
Official logo
The game is scheduled for release in Japan on September 5, 2012, priced at ¥1,800. No word on a Western release date.
Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.
The remake of Total Recall wasn't powerful enough to wipe the memory of The Dark Knight Rises from audiences' minds. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy capper topped the domestic weekend box office for the third straight weekend.
The Dark Knight Rises' current domestic total is $354.6 million. It's made almost $25 million more overseas so far to bring its current worldwide cume to $733 million.
With The Dark Knight now risen, we thought it a fine time to collate the best bits of the Bat, from West via Keaton, Kilmer, Bale and beyond – even Clooney gets a look in.
Beware of spoilers: read only if you've seen ALL the Batman movies...
We all know the death of Bruce Wayne's parents set him on the road to fighting injustice, but it was Liam Neeson's Ducard (okay, fine, he's Ra's al Ghul – if you haven't seen Batman Begins yet then you're reading the wrong article) who first sows the seeds of what Batman will become: "If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely... a legend, Mr Wayne." Has to be said, that kind of backfired on old Ra's a little in the end.
24. "So that's what that feels like..." (The Dark Knight Rises)
Batman finally gets a taste of his own medicine after years of performing his own vanishing act. Up high on a Gotham rooftop with Selina Kyle discussing tactics, Batman's attention momentarily shifts to The Bat behind him, only for him to turn back around and discover that – poof – she's gone. There's a beat, then the classic line: "...So that's what that feels like." A great gag, and proof that Batman talks to himself in his growly Batvoice.
23. "At least tell me your name..." (Batman Begins)
Batman doesn't tell any old hobo his secret identity (although by the end of The Dark Knight Rises, even Alfred's brother's milkman knows), but the moment Bats lets Rachel Dawes in on the gig is one to remember. Rather than blurt out "I'm Bruce Wayne! OMG, amirite?", Batman reveals his alter-ego subtly, by way of his ethos: "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." In retrospect, the moment is somewhat ruined by the knowledge that Katie Holmes just saved the life of the little boy who grew up to be that asshat Joffrey from Game Of Thrones.
22. The Joker's home video (The Dark Knight)
We already know The Joker is extremely devious and quite possibly insane, but when video of him abusing a wannabe Batman vigilante is broadcast on the news, Bruce Wayne finally sees how dangerously deranged he is. The moment he barks "LOOK AT ME!" is when the scene flips from 'downright creepy' to 'drop-your-popcorn terrifying' in a heartbeat. The Joker signs off with his trademark cackle, before horrifying screams are heard and the video cuts out abruptly. Not so funny any more, is he?
21. All of Batman & Robin in condensed YouTube form (Batman & Robin)
The last person to watch Batman & Robin in its entirety was probably being tortured under a tyrannical regime – that's how painful it is to sit through. However, when watched in truncated form on YouTube, with all the best – or, let's face it, worst – moments edited together in quick succession, it's actually rather entertaining. For all the wrong reasons, but still – there would probably be no Chris Nolan Batman movies without it.
20. Back-up (Batman Begins)
Bruce Wayne's relationship with his favourite flying rodents comes to a head in the scene where he's surrounded by cops in Arkham Asylum, with seemingly no way out. Except, y'know, he's The Goddamn Batman. Pushing a small button in his heel, Batman engages his sonar, which causes a cloud of bats to swarm the building, providing him with the perfect cover to escape. The moment Bats sends his winged army down the stairwell and jumps down among them is a total visual Batgasm.
19. The Penguin's last act (Batman Returns)
We thought we'd seen the last of Oswald Cobblepot when he fell into the toxic waters in his lair, but it wasn't to be his final curtain. While Batman is distracted trying to find the body of Catwoman, The Penguin emerges from the deep, half dead and barfing black stuff down his chin, before accidentally picking a "cute" umbrella with which to kill Bats. "I'll murder you momentarily, but first, I could really use a cool drink of ice water," he coughs, dropping dead where he's treated to a funeral march by his beloved penguins. Aww.
18. "Holy sardine!" (Batman: The Movie)
The feature-length outing for Adam West's caped crusader wasn't exactly aiming for gritty realism, but the moment Batman emerges from the ocean with a rubber shark hanging from his legs surely eclipses even the most ridiculous moments in Batman & Robin in terms of unexpected lunacy. After thumping it senseless and kicking it in the head for a bit, Batman has the good sense to use his shark repellent bat spray, which – with the benefit of hindsight – would have been the first thing we'd have tried.
17. Enter Batman (Batman Forever)
"Batman! Ehhhh!" screams an extra who we hope was well paid, as Val Kilmer's caped hero makes a vertical entrance through the skylight into Two-Face's lavish neon party – making sure to thwomp a couple of goons once he's landed. "Your entrance was good," ribs The Riddler, "His was better." It's a rare moment in Forever when Batman is actually a fearsome spectacle and not just a berk in a rubber suit.
16. Dark side of the bat (Batman Begins)
The Scarecrow's toxins play havoc with one's fear centre, meaning the irony is especially delicious when the erstwhile Dr Crane gets a taste of his own medicine and sees Batman in a whole new light. As if an angry Christian Bale in a claustrophobic rubber onesie wasn't threatening enough, the hallucinating Scarecrow sees Batman as a grotesque, snarling beast; the kind that would be rejected from HR Giger's nightmares for being "too freaky". Somehow, that 12A rating didn't seem high enough.
15. The heist (The Dark Knight)
It's possibly the most finely tuned and elaborate character introduction in modern movie history: our first glimpse of The Joker, as played by Heath Ledger. The Dark Knight's opening bank heist, shot in IMAX for added glamour, is meticulously plotted and filled with great single-serving character moments (William Fichtner's badass bank manager for one). Ultimately though, it's an unforgettable intro to Batman's eternal nemesis, who sets out his stall early: "I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger."
14. Batman vs Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)
It's the showdown we were all waiting for ever since we saw the first trailer for The Dark Knight Rises: the moment Batman finally fights an opponent who is physically superior to him. Bane is more than a match for Wayne, mushing him to a pulp and smashing his cowl while the treacherous Catwoman looks on, appalled. Finally, Bane scoops up Batman like a rag doll and brings him crashing down on his knee, breaking his back – and, momentarily at least, his spirit. That's one Dark Knight that won't be rising for a while.
13. The Joker vs The Batwing (Batman)
"Come on you, gruesome son of a bitch... come to me!" Jack Nicholson's Joker stands firm when faced with the incoming sight of the Batwing, zeroing in on his target. Instead of running for cover, the mentalist formerly known as Jack Napier simply pulls a ludicrously long-barrelled pistol from his purple trousers and takes a pot-shot at the cockpit, sending Batman's frazzled craft flying over his head where it crashes at high speed. All that hardware at his disposal and it was brought down by a pop-gun.
12. Batman in mourning (Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm)
This animated Batman movie written by Paul Dini is easily the equal of the Burton/Nolan films, examining as it does the division between Bruce Wayne and his crimefighting alter-ego. Bruce's most vulnerable moment comes when he visits his parents' graves, torn apart by guilt that he no longer grieves for them like he did and that falling in love has seen him stray from the path he chose. "I didn't count on being happy..." That's Bruce Wayne in a nutshell.
11. The Bat (The Dark Knight Rises)
Lucius Fox's most gnarly bit of kit gets most of the money shots in The Dark Knight Rises. The first reveal in the alleyway is a real crowd-pleaser and the scene where he gives Catwoman a lift is cool ("This isn't a car...") but the final aerial chase is astonishing, as Batman pilots The Bat through Gotham's skyscrapers while attempting to halt Talia al Ghul's plot to destroy the city. And you thought the Tumbler was Batman's most badass method of transportation.
10. Flippin' truck (The Dark Knight)
This muscular car chase through the underground tunnels of Gotham is the action-packed centrepiece of The Dark Knight, with The Joker and his henchmen firing all sorts of high-end weaponry at the SWAT van carrying Harvey Dent. Ledger's clown seems to have the edge on the GCPD, particularly when he brings down one of their choppers, but Batman takes the spoils by jettisoning his destroyed Tumbler and flipping his adversary's truck in jaw-dropping fashion with his two-wheeled Batpod. The final wall-ride/axle spin flourish is insanely cool and impossible to watch just once.
9. "How about a kiss for Santy Claus?" (Batman Returns)
It was The Joker who said "If you're gotta go, go with a smile," but it's Christopher Walken's character, ruthless industrialist Max Shreck, who really dies with a smile on his face. Despite unloading all his bullets into Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, Shreck runs out of lead before she runs out of lives and receives a very literal kiss of death when Selina Kyle sticks her tongue – and her taser – in his gob. Walken is burned to a crisp, but we bet it was totally worth it.
8. "SWEAR TO ME!" (Batman Begins)
You might have giggled to yourself when you first heard Christian Bale's gravelly Batvoice, but the moment he uses it in action – when threatening mob goon Flass, who's hanging upside down and six stories up – it clicks into place. "Where are the other drugs going?" Bats barks. "I don't know. I swear to God!" comes the terrified reply. "SWEAR TO ME!" growls Batman, who clearly means business. Honestly, we felt chills.
7. The birth of The Joker (Batman)
Heath Ledger won us over and Mark Hamill proved there was life after Luke, but for some, there is only one Joker – and it's Jack Nicholson. Before his toxic makeover he was Jack Napier, but after taking a swim in a vat of goo, he became the Clown Prince of Crime. Burton expertly sells the moment The Joker descends into madness, who turns tears into laughter when gazing at his newly-mangled visage in a mirror. That's one sick joke, but nobody else is laughing.
6. Catwoman's face lick (Batman Returns)
Clad in figure-hugging black leather and speaking with a flirtatious purr, Catwoman injected sex into the Batman movieverse back in 1992. With Batman prone at her mercy, she straddles the caped crusader and moves in for the kill. "Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it," says Bats, apropos of nothing whatsoever. "Ah, but a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it..." replies the fine feline, leaning in to smack one on Batman before sensually licking his face like the cat that got the cream. It's the moment an entire generation of teenage boys starting getting 'special' stirrings they couldn't yet understand.
5. From hero to zero (The Dark Knight)
The true tragedy of The Dark Knight isn't the fall from grace of Harvey Dent, but the sacrifice made by Batman to maintain Dent's squeaky-clean image, taking a murder rap and becoming a fugitive in order to keep Gotham from imploding. Jim Gordon, who's just seen Batman save his family, gets suitably poetic on our asses: "He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight."
4. "I'm Batman!" (Batman)
It's odd to think that the idea of Batman being a gothic icon could seem so alien to movie audiences, but before Tim Burton brought the character to the big screen in 1989, the campy Adam West incarnation was the most popular incarnation. Burton and Michael Keaton had other ideas, however, and made Batman a fearsome physical presence; the first time we meet him, he's hanging a crook off the edge of a building. "I'm not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favour. I want you to tell all your friends about me," he tells the quivering crim. "Who are you?" A pause, and an answer: "I'm Batman." You are now.
3. "Wanna see a magic trick?" (The Dark Knight)
If you ever want an example of The Joker's sick sense of humour, here it is: the perfect blend of unconscionable violence and childlike humour. Having just gatecrashed Maroni's get-together, The Joker senses his audience needs some light entertainment, promising to "make this pencil... disappear." The mystery doesn't last long, as a goon approaches him and has his head viciously slammed into the table – and by extension, the pencil – with only The Joker's "Ta-da! It's... gone!" as an epitaph. The Joker is no longer available for children's parties.
2. The end (The Dark Knight Rises)
Even divorced from the sad fact you're watching Chris Nolan's last few minutes of a Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises' ending is incredibly emotional, thanks mainly to a stellar piece of on-the-spot sobbing from Michael Caine's Alfred ("I failed you!"). Thankfully, Nolan knows better than to bury the Batman, and in a neat last minute one-two punch, we see Alfred catch a glimpse of a very-much-alive Bruce Wayne dining in Florence with Selina, while John Blake AKA you-know-who discovers the Batcave and what lies within. It's a hugely satisfying ending to a near perfect trilogy.
1. Intimidation game (The Dark Knight)
Batman's finest moment features no fisticuffs or gadgets or theatrical swooping – just an interrogation. The subject? The Joker, who's stashed away Bruce's squeeze Rachel and Gotham's "white knight" DA Harvey Dent in a sick and twisted game of hide and seek. This is the scene in which Batman realises his brute strength means nothing against The Joker's evil cunning – how can you threaten an enemy that doesn't want to kill you but wants you to kill him? It's this fascinating clash of opposing ideologies – justice versus chaos – that underscores The Dark Knight and outlines the two iconic characters perfectly. The chemistry is electric and you can't take your eyes off either one of them.
First, this is a good-natured jab at The Dark Knight Rises, a movie we gave a positive review to so please don't take the following feature as some sort of attack on Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie. But it's been mentioned to us by a few people now how TDKR reminded them of a Rocky movie, specifically Rocky III. Here's a breakdown of the (admittedly superficial) similarities between TDKR and some of the Rocky sequels. Be advised that this article contains major SPOILERS for all the films mentioned!
The Physically Superior Villain
In Rocky III, Rock was pitted against a brutal thug of a fighter named "Clubber" Lang (the one and only Mr. T). With his signature hairdo and feathered earrings, Clubber was a visceral force of nature who pummeled Rocky to win the belt. Rocky had become soft from celebrity and wealth, and his defeat at the hands of Clubber -- and Mickey's subsequent confession that Rocky hadn't really been pitted against "real" contenders for his title -- shook Rocky's self-confidence. Rocky had to hit his lowest point in order to ... wait for it ... RISE and defeat his seemingly unstoppable foe.
Rocky IV gave us Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a towering Russian so badass he killed Apollo Creed in the ring! The robotic and relentless Drago has come to America to defeat its champion, Drago would admire Bane's single-minded dedication to destroying the decadent American city of Gotham and its famed protector. Both men challenge the people's long-held notions (Drago and his Russian handlers denounce American exceptionalism, while Bane reveals the truth about Harvey Dent). Drago is also seemingly invincible, a beast who Rocky doesn't seem capable of beating. Bane breaks Batman and tosses him aside like a rag doll, a comment that's also made about Drago at one point. Oh, yeah, and both Bane and Drago have exotic foreign babes on their side: Bane has Talia Al Ghul (Marion Cotillard) and Drago has his wife Ludmilla (Brigette Nielsen).
Terrifying Trash Talk
Bane and Rocky's scariest nemeses, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago, are as good with poop-inducing trash talk as they are with their fists:
Losing the Old Man
Rocky III sees Rocky's grizzled, elderly trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) die after threatening to quit Rocky. Mickey told Rocky he wasn't strong enough anymore to beat such a physically superior foe and didn't want to be a party to his destruction. Sound familiar? Alfred said much the same thing to Bruce when he wanted to become Batman again to fight Bane. But instead of dying from a villain-induced heart attack, Alfred simply quit and went away on holiday. In both cases, the hero was left without his father figure/mentor/conscience to guide him in his ultimate battle.
Broke, Broken and Bearded
Spiritually and physically beaten, their self-confidence rattled, and finding themselves in a remote land far from home, both Rocky and Bruce must repair and retrain themselves physically and mentally in order to defeat their physically superior adversary. This requires time -- long enough for both of them to grow scruffy beards -- and lots of unorthodox exercise routines, whether it's doing chin-ups and pushups in your prison cell, scaling a rock wall to climb out of your literal pit of despair, or jogging through the woods, lifting carts full of your loved ones, chopping wood, and '80s montage-ing your way back into peak physical condition. Rocky V saw Rocky Balboa lose his entire fortune due to a shady accountant, forcing him to go back to his roots in order to once more face his demons. In TDKR, Bruce loses his family fortune due to the criminal activity of John Daggett and Bane, but a penniless Batman is still a capable one.
The sixth film, Rocky Balboa, finds the old champ widowed and basically living in the past until he's drawn out of retirement for one last bout. TDKR finds a physically incapacitated Bruce retired from being Batman and still mourning the loss of his beloved Rachel Dawes. He lives in hermit-like exile within Wayne Manor until the arrival of Bane and Catwoman prompt him to step back into the ring as it were.
Local Heroes
Batman and Rocky Balboa are their respective hometown heroes, symbols of hope to The People. Philadelphia loved Rocky so much they gave him a statue of himself he could visit whenever an ego boost or wistful moment was needed. Gotham City only erected a statue to Batman after he "died" saving the city from a nuke.
After four years of waiting, Christopher Nolan's final Batman film has hit theaters. The Dark Knight Rises serves as the final part of a trilogy that explores the rise and fall of Gotham's greatest hero. And unlike last time, Nolan has made it clear that he won't be coming back for a fourth outing.
WB has yet to announce what the future holds for Batman's Hollywood career, but it seems almost certain that they'll reboot the Caped Crusader and deliver a new take that moves away from the gritty realism of Nolan's movies and towards something that allows for team-ups with Superman and the Justice League. Does that mean we've seen the last of Nolan's Batman in any medium?
It doesn't have to be that way. Just as DC has continued the Smallville saga in Smallville: Season 11, the potential exists for a comic book-based continuation or spinoff of Nolan's Batman. Mind you, there's been no announcement or rumors to suggest such a thing is happening, but we thought it would be fun to explore the possible angles a Dark Knight Rises spinoff might take. In this feature we break down five ways that DC could expand on or continue Nolan's storyline.
One more time: Spoilers ahead.
Bruce Wayne's Global Adventures
Perhaps more than anything, what set Batman Begins apart from the various Batman films of the past was its in-depth look at the journey Bruce Wayne took to becoming Batman. The first half of the movie follows his childhood trauma, his intensive training with the League of Shadows, and the formative events that shaped him as a hero. Bruce doesn't actually don the Batman costume until the second hour of the movie, and there was nary a complaint from fans.
Even so, we feel there's plenty more material to explore during this flashback time period. A Batman isn't made in a day, or even over the course of a few months. Bruce already showed himself to be a pretty competent fighter during the opening prison sequence. No doubt he trained with other teachers and mentors before throwing his lot in with Ducard. Perhaps there's a good story worth telling about a more inexperienced and less worldly Bruce. This could even be a way of introducing other DC martial artists into Nolan's universe, such as Lady Shiva or Richard Dragon.
Regardless of whether it's actually set in this particular Bat-verse, we really would like to see a comic devoted solely to exploring Bruce's pre-Batman travels. The comics have been less interested in mining this material than you might think. Detective Comics #27 essentially suggested that Bruce lifted a lot of weights and poured some chemicals back and forth between beakers until he evolved into some sort of mutant hybrid of Achilles and Sherlock Holmes. Even dedicated Batman origin stories, like Batman: Year One and Batman: Earth One, tend to gloss over this portion of the saga and skip to when Bruce returned to Gotham.
We almost got a live-action TV series devoted to this concept, until WB canned the idea in lieu of Batman Begins. We can't complain about the outcome, but that doesn't mean there aren't still good stories to tell in Bruce Wayne's chaotic early years.
After Batman Begins
There's a better part of a year separating the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. In that time, Batman continues waging his war on crime while Harvey Dent rises to power as Gotham's new D.A. Surely there are at least one or two interesting stories worth being told in this time period. The Gotham Knight animated DVD attempted to fill the gap. Unfortunately, nothing about the segments in that collection particularly felt like Nolan's version of Batman. They could just as easily have been new episodes of Batman: The Animated Series with unusual art design.
We wouldn't mind seeing a comic that strives to explore this murky time period and chronicle Bruce's early struggles as Batman. Despite his early victories over Carmine Falcone and the League of Shadows, Batman has a long road ahead of him gaining control of the streets and spreading his legend. As we saw from Christian Bale's scarred body in The Dark Knight, plenty of mistakes were made along the way.
This approach would also allow the creative team to induct new Batman villains into Nolan's universe. Gotham Knight introduced Deadshot. Perhaps there are other minor rogues who would fit well into this period – Black Mask, KGBeast, Ventriloquist, etc. Whatever the case, there's far more worthwhile material in this period than Gotham Knight was able to mine.
After The Dark Knight
As is made clear from the first shot of an aging, hobbling Bruce Wayne, eight years have passed between the conclusion of The Dark Knight and the opening of The Dark Knight Rises. As far as the latter film would have you believe, nothing much transpired during that long stretch. Batman took the fall for Two-Face's murders, the Dent Act kept organized crime off the streets, and Gotham enjoyed eight years of relative peace.
That said, eight years is a long time. And as one of the characters pointed out, there were no “confirmed sightings” of Batman during that time. That doesn't mean the Caped Crusader couldn't have undertaken a few stealthy missions. Perhaps the aftermath of Joker's rampage left Gotham vulnerable to crime sprees. Maybe a new villain or two cropped up before the Dent Act took effect and took its giant bite out of crime. Maybe there's a more significant story behind Bruce's leg injury than just him suffering the toll of his battle with Two-face and Joker.
One potentially interesting story to explore involves the Joker himself. The Dark Knight gives viewers almost no insight into who this villain is, where he came from, or what sort of life he led prior to ripping off the Gotham mob and beginning his reign of terror. Joker was a man who somehow managed to exist completely off the grid, without even fingerprint or dental records to offer some clue as to his real identity.
That being said, no one in the 21st Century can live their entire life without leaving traces. Furthermore, we know Joker was active at least as far back as the conclusion of Batman Begins (and based on the “Joe Kerr” name tag, he may even have been disguised as the cop to whom Gordon handed the evidence bag in that final scene).
With Joker in more permanent custody after The Dark Knight wraps, the opportunity is there for an intrepid detective to dig into the character's past. What if Batman's final mission before his self-imposed retirement is to investigate Joker's life? The book could offer framing sequences set in the present, with flashbacks that shed as much or as little light on Joker's past as the creators deem necessary. Maybe fans could finally learn how he actually got those scars.
Obviously, there are a few problems with this approach. Joker has rarely been given an origin story in any medium. For many, the character's mystique is inevitably more interesting than whatever actual details might be revealed about his past. The other problem is that an attempt to further explore the specific version of Joker seen in Nolan's films could be seen as disrespectful to the memory of Heath Ledger. We doubt Nolan himself would lend support to the project given his insistence on keeping Joker's presence out of The Dark Knight Rises. DC would need to maintain a delicate balance with this option.
But whether or not Joker is a factor, the murky post-Dark Knight time period leaves ample room for new stories of some sort.
The Origin of Bane and Talia
Nolan hasn't been afraid to make significant alterations to iconic Batman villains in these movies. One of the more notable changes introduced is the linking of Bane to Talia and Ra's al Ghul. Comic fans know the story of how Bane was born in prison and doomed to serve out his father's life sentence. But in The Dark Knight Rises, Talia is the one condemned to this fate, while Bane is her loyal protector and, later, her enforcer.
Bane and Talia's harsh life in the Pit was conveyed through a series of brief flashbacks. We'd like to see this story more fully explored in the form of a comic book mini-series. The series could open with Ra's al Ghul youthful dalliance with Talia's mother and continue up until her ascension as leader of the League of Shadows. Readers would see more of the bond between Bane and Talia. They would learn what sort of role Bane played in the League of Shadows and what exactly caused him to be excommunicated.
One of the more common complaints regarding The Dark Knight Rises is that Talia's betrayal came too late in the film and thus, she wasn't developed well enough as a villain. An origin series could go a long way towards rectifying that flaw and fleshing out the surprisingly tender relationship between her and Bane. Meanwhile, Bane can always use a quality comic book appearance in general. Gail Simone's Secret Six aside, the character has often languished in the regular DC Universe since his heyday in Knightfall. Maybe the solution is to offer readers an entirely different version of Bane.
John Blake's Batman
One of the big mysteries surrounding the Dark Knight Rises was Batman's final fate. Would Bruce Wayne be killed in his final battle with Bane? Would John Blake or another Gothamite take up the mantle in Bruce Wayne's stead? The answer to both questions proved to be yes (from a certain point of view). The film ended with Bruce and Selina seeking happiness in obscurity while Blake confronted his new destiny in the Batcave.
A comic book follow-up could address the many burning questions still remaining from The Dark Knight Rises. Will Blake become Batman? Robin? Nightwing? What sorts of challenges will Gotham's new protector face as he establishes his reputation? How will characters like Gordon, Alfred, and Lucius Fox react to the idea of a new Batman? Do the deaths of Bane and Talia mean the end of the League of Shadows, or could a new foe emerge to continue Ra's al Ghul's work?
Blake's journey would no doubt be an interesting and chaotic one. The Dark Knight Rises established that he has the childhood trauma and the drive to be Batman, but not necessarily the training he needs to survive the worst Gotham has to offer. Will Blake embark on his own worldwide journey of study and self-discovery or just throw himself into the job and learn through experience?
And for that matter, what role would Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle have in a sequel? These two characters are nothing if not restless, and they may both realize that peace and quiet aren't all they're cracked up to be. Their globe-trotting adventures could offer a nice counterpoint to Blake's trials in Gotham. We could even see a situation where Bruce quietly returns to Gotham and mentors Blake in a Batman Beyond-esque dynamic. Another option is for the comic to draw in Barbara Gordon. Now a young adult, Barbara could move to Gotham to live with her estranged father and subsequently join Blake in his nightly escapades.
Perhaps more than anything, a true sequel to The Dark Knight Rises is the most obvious route to take if Nolan's films are to make the jump to comics. While there's always the possibility that WB would pursue an actual movie sequel with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead, it's more likely the studio will opt to reboot the Batman franchise with a more colorful, Justice League-friendly approach. A comic book follow-up could be the only way to see this particular take on Batman continue.
What would you like to see in a theoretical continuation of The Dark Knight Trilogy in comics? Sound off below!
Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and various other IGN channels. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.
While he wasn’t even mentioned in The Dark Knight Rises movie, it seems The Joker has been name-checked in the film’s spin-off novelisation.
According to the book, Gotham’s criminal fraternity were moved from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Prison following the creation of the Dent Act. All but one that is, as the novelisation explains…
“The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumour had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really even sure. Not even Selina”
The page itself can be viewed at MTV, while Nuke the Fridge originally spotted the mention.
So would you like to have seen The Joker name-checked in TDKR? Let us know below.
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and has only read one novelisation - Back to the Future. His idle chat can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.
As is often the case with a big summer blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises has its very own novelization that not only tells the whole story of the movie, but offers some new perspectives on events through some side characters that don't always get their due in the movie. The Dark Knight Rises adaptation is on sale today from Titan Books, and to celebrate, we've got your exclusive look at the first chapter -- the introduction of Bane!
If you haven't seen the movie (or watched the IMAX prologue way back in December in front of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), then obviously there are spoilers here.
CHAPTER ONE - SOMEWHERE IN EASTERN EUROPE
A land cruiser sped over a rugged mountain road, past rocky slopes devoid of human habitation. Scraggly patches of scrub and greenery dotted the barren gray hills. The cruiser had the road all to itself as it raced to make its rendezvous before the sun went down. It bounced over the rough terrain beneath a gloomy, overcast sky that was almost the same gray color as the hills. A keening wind whipped through the desolate peaks and canyons.
A bad omen, Dr. Leonid Pavel thought. The middle- aged scientist sat tensely in the middle of the vehicle, flanked by grim-faced men armed with automatic weapons. More soldiers guarded the prisoners in the rear of the cruiser: three silent figures with hoods over their heads. They sat rigidly, their hands cuffed, under the watchful gaze of the guards.
Pavel squirmed uncomfortably, feeling more like a prisoner than a passenger. He ran an anxious hand through a mop of unruly white hair. Sweat glued his shirt to his back. Am I doing the right thing? he fretted. What if I’m making a terrible mistake?
Other sounds began to be heard. Just when he had convinced himself that he should never have accepted the Americans’ offer, the cruiser arrived at its destination—a remote airstrip overlooking a war- torn city. Artillery fire boomed in the distance, the reverberations echoing off the desolate hillsides. Sirens blared. The sounds of the conflict, which had been going on for months now, reminded Pavel why he had been so eager to flee the country for a safer, more civilized location. This was no place for a man of his intellect—not anymore.
The cruiser squealed to a stop, and the guards hustled him out of the vehicle. An unmarked turbojet airplane waited on the runway, along with a small reception committee consisting of a bland-looking man in a suit and a small escort of armed guards. Although the soldiers bore no identifying uniforms or insignia, Pavel assumed they were US Special Forces, probably from the CIA’s own secretive Special Activities Division. The elite paramilitary teams specialized in sabotage, assassination, counter-terrorism, reconnaissance...and extractions. Pavel hoped he could trust them to keep him safe, especially after his recent narrow escape.
His driver shoved him toward the man in the suit.
“Dr. Pavel?” The man smiled and held out his hand. “I’m CIA.” He did not volunteer his name, not that Pavel would have believed him if he had. The anonymous American agent handed a leather briefcase over to the driver of the land cruiser, who accepted it eagerly. The briefcase contained more than enough funds to make this risky delivery worth the driver’s while. He gestured behind him.
“He was not alone,” the driver announced.
The CIA man spotted the hooded men in the back of the cruiser. He frowned at Pavel.
“You don’t get to bring friends.”
“They are not my friends!” the scientist protested. Indeed, he wanted to get as far away from the hooded men as possible. You don’t know what they’re capable of doing!
“Don’t worry,” the driver told the CIA agent. “No charge for them.”
The American contemplated the prisoners dubiously.
“Why would I want them?”
“They were trying to grab your prize,” the driver explained, smirking. “They work for the mercenary. For the masked man.”
A look of excitement came over the CIA agent’s nondescript, unmemorable features. He gave the prisoners a closer look.
“Bane?”
The driver nodded.
“Get ’em on board,” the CIA agent ordered his men, swiftly revising his plans. Clearly this was an opportunity he wasn’t about to pass up. He extracted a cell phone from his jacket. “I’ll call them in.”
Pavel swallowed hard. He didn’t like the way this was going. He shuddered at the memory of the attempted kidnapping, and at the very mention of his attackers’ infamous commander. Bane had become synonymous with atrocities, at least in this part of the world. Had it not been for the militia’s timely intervention, he would now be in the killer’s clutches.
Given a choice, he would have left Bane’s men far behind them.
Within minutes, they were in the air, flying low over the remote mountains in an attempt to avoid detection. Special Agent Bill Wilson checked on Dr. Pavel, who was safely tucked into a passenger seat, before turning his attention to their prisoners. Beneath his cool, professional exterior, Wilson was thrilled at the prospect of finally getting some reliable intel on Bane. To date, the notorious mercenary had defied the Agency’s best efforts to neutralize or even co-opt him. They didn’t even know what he looked like beneath that grotesque mask of his. The man was a mystery— with a body count.
Forget Pavel, Wilson thought. If I can get the 411 on Bane, that would be quite the feather in my cap. There might even be a promotion in it for me. Maybe a post in Washington or New York.
The hooded men knelt by the cargo door, their wrists cuffed behind them. Special Forces commandoes stood guard over the prisoners. Wilson grabbed the first captive at random.
“What are you doing in the middle of my operation?” he demanded.
The prisoner kept his mouth shut.
Fine, Wilson thought. We’ll do it your way. He hadn’t expected the man to crack without a little persuasion. He pulled a semiautomatic pistol from beneath his jacket and placed the muzzle against the man’s head. The prisoner flinched, but remained silent. Wilson decided to up the ante. He raised his voice so that all three prisoners could hear him even through their hoods.
“The flight plan I just filed with the Agency lists me, my men, and Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you.”
He threw open the cargo door. Cold air invaded the cabin as the wind outside howled like a soul in torment. Wilson grabbed onto a strap to anchor himself. He nodded at the Special Forces guys, who seized the first prisoner and hung him out the cargo door. The wind tore at his hair and clothing, threatening to yank him out of the paramilitaries’ grip. Wooded peaks waited thousands of feet below.
“First to talk gets to stay on my aircraft!” Wilson shouted over the wind. He cocked his weapon. “So... who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?”
The men remained silent. Bane’s goons were loyal, Wilson would give him that. He would have to push harder.
Time for a little sleight of hand...
He fired his weapon out the door, the sharp report of the gun blasting through the wailing wind. The SAD guys yanked the stubborn prisoner back into the plane, and then clubbed him with a baton before he could make a sound. In theory, the other two prisoners would think that their comrade was dead and thrown overboard.
Maybe that would loosen their tongues.
“He didn’t fly so good,” Wilson lied. “Who wants to try next?”
The Special Forces men shifted to the second hooded prisoner. Moving with practiced efficiency, they hung the would-be kidnapper out the door, high above the mountains. The drop was enough to put the fear of God into just about anyone.
“Tell me about Bane!” Wilson demanded. “Why does he wear the mask?”
Only the wind answered him.
Frustrated, Wilson placed his gun against the second man’s head. He was getting fed up with the prisoners’ stubborn refusal to cooperate. Did they think he was just joking around here? He cocked his gun again, but still . . . nothing.
“Lot of loyalty for a hired gun!”
“Or,” a new voice interrupted, “maybe he’s wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of an airplane.”
You've seen the films. Now we want to know who your favorite is of these two Batman movie villains: The Dark Knight's Joker or The Dark Knight Rises' Bane? The former is the Caped Crusader's ultimate nemesis, while the latter is the only villain to ever break The Bat!
"Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community.
I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime.
The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me.
Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
A gunman, reportedly masked and dressed in body armor, opened fire today at an early morning screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, killing 14 and wounding roughly 50. Several children were among the victims, including a 9-year-old girl. Police have the suspect in custody. The gunman is said to be in his 20s.
The Denver Post quotes survivors and witnesses as saying the man entered the theater dressed in body armor and carrying a canister that released gas. Initially, not all audience members realized they were under attack as they believed the sounds of gunfire were part of the movie.
Associated Press reports that the gunman "stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crowd about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a multiplex theater in a mall in Aurora. 'Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire,"Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference."
The gunman is not believed to have had any accomplices and no motive for the crime has yet been reported. Police also checked a local apartment searching for explosives, reportedly based on comments made by the suspect, whose identity has not been revealed.
10 victims are said to have died at the theater and four at hospitals. The youngest victim is said to be 6-years-old being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where 10 victims were taken.
President Obama released the following statement on the shooting: "Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come.ople of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors."
The Caped Crusader. The Dark Knight. Batman has been reinvented many times since his creation in 1939, having at times represented all that is goofy about comic book characters and then all that is dark and serious about comic book characters.
With the super-mega-off-the-charts anticipated The Dark Knight Rises opening in theaters, we figured it was time to take an updated look at the history of Batman on TV. The character has been the focus of a huge amount of animated series that have been wildly divergent in styles. And of course, he’s also appeared in live-action on TV, including in a series that remains one of the most iconic comic book adaptations ever. Hey, that sounds like a good place to start!
Batman (1966)
This show holds a complicated place in the history of both Batman and comic book adaptations in general. Batman was a hugely popular series, and it's the reason Batman became one of the most recognizable and popular comic book characters in the world. Beyond that, it also made icons out of several Batman villains – The Riddler was an almost forgotten character until Frank Gorshin's gleeful portrayal and thanks to this show everyone soon knew who The Joker, Catwoman and Penguin were.
Of course where this show causes problems for modern fans is the tone – the epitome of camp, Batman, didn't take the title character, his "chum" Robin, or anything else in Gotham City seriously. While Batman was played with mock seriousness by Adam West, this was clearly a very jokey, very tongue in cheek series. Let's put it this way: is there any other incarnation of Batman where the Caped Crusader and the Joker are in a surfing contest with each other?
Because of this show and its popularity, comic book heroes would be perceived by many in the mainstream as very silly creations, something it's taken years to undo – and there are still articles about Batman that can't resist a "Holy something, Batman!" or "Bam!" joke in the headline.
The thing about the 1960s Batman though is that it's a very well done and very funny show. The show was intentionally played a certain way, and in that respect, it's a success. There are some completely hysterical, wacky sequences throughout this show, which is very much a product of the '60s, in all its trippyness. We all now know Batman as The Dark Knight, and that's how it should be these days. But this series showed that if you did play Batman for comedy, it could be legitimately funny. (Unlike, say, Batman & Robin).
The Batman/Superman Hour (1968)
With the Adam West TV series making Batman a household name, an animated series was the next natural step to capitalize on the Caped Crusader’s popularity. And while the Superman segments of this series were previously produced, the Batman segments were brand new – and featured many of the villains familiar to viewers of the live-action series, such as Joker, Penguin and Riddler, plus some like Scarecrow who never appear on the West series.
Batman and Robin were voiced by Olan Soule and Casey Kasem – and it wouldn’t be the only time famous radio personality Kasem would play the Boy Wonder. Ted Knight provided several voices again – again reflecting the live-action series – Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl had prominent roles.
The Batman segments of The Batman/Superman Hour would be repackaged many times on their own, including under the titles Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder and The Adventures of Batman.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)
The New Scooby-Doo Movies was the second series starring the ever-popular paranormal investigating dog and his human friends. The episodes were an hour long – certainly unusual for a cartoon, though still a bit questionable to be called a "movie." On this show the Scooby gang teamed with a different guest star each week – some were real life celebrities, some were fictional characters.
An example of the latter is when none other than the world's greatest detective teamed up with Scooby-Doo. It's a bizarre pairing, and it actually happened twice – Batman and Robin were among a handful of repeat guest stars on The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
In both episodes, the villains were Joker and Penguin, both now widely known thanks to the Adam West series. That show's influence is certainly still felt here, as Batman & Robin don't act that dissimilar to the Adam West/Burt Ward incarnations.
Obviously, viewed now this is all ridiculous – It's Batman teaming up with Scooby-Doo! Of course, if you're a little kid, this is kind of the best, most amazing thing ever - It's Batman teaming up with Scooby-Doo!
Super Friends (1973)
For years the general public's main perception of Batman came from the Adam West TV series and this Saturday morning animated show. Of course, both portrayals of the Caped Crusader were just about as far removed from the popular Dark Knight incarnation of today as you could get, and yet the cheeseball, kindly, father-figure style Batman remains near and dear to many a viewer's heart for those of us who were a certain age when Super Friends aired over its long run, from 1973-1986.
Featuring an eponymous version of the Justice League called the Super Friends, because, you know, these guys are all friends, the show starred Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and Robin, the latter of whom the show's creators apparently felt was inseparable from his mentor. Debuting in 1973, the program was no doubt barely tolerable for adult comic-book fans -- and this in a time when superhero programming was much harder to come by -- but the kids loved it. Variations on the program would air with different titles and an ever-widening range of heroes and baddies, including some infamous inclusions like Wendy, Marvin and the Wonder Twins.
Many of Batman's enemies found their way onto the show, including the Penguin, the Scarecrow, and the Joker. Adam West voiced the character in the final two seasons of the show, though Olan Soule (reprising the vocal role he originated on The Batman/Superman Hour) and his stentorian-yet-gentle delivery handled the vocal chores for the bulk of the show, with Casey Kasem again voicing Robin.
The New Adventures of Batmn (1977)
This Filmation-produced animated series had Adam West and Burt Ward revisiting their roles as Batman and Robin. The Dynamic Duo were joined by Bat-Girl (voiced by Melendy Britt, who would later be the voice of She-Ra) and a completely bizarre character named Bat-Mite (voiced by Lou Scheimer, who would go on to voice many characters in Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, such as Orko). Bat-Mite was an annoying little creature from another dimension who considers himself Batman's biggest fan, sometimes helping him but most often just getting in the way. Not appearing in the series at all is Alfred (Bat-Mite probably drove him away).
Featuring a lot of the same campy humor and cheesy dialogue as the live-action 1966 series, The New Adventures of Batman is a far cry from The Dark Knight of today. Did we mention Bat-Mite had a prominent role!?
This series would be another that would get repackaged and integrated into other series in later years, with segments appearing in The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, Tarzan and the Super 7 and Batman and the Super 7.
Legends of the Superheroes (1979)
Some Batman fans hate the 1960s Adam West series for its campy nature. Well, if you don't like that show, you might well implode when watching this. Adam West and Burt Ward donned the tights one last time for this bizarre pseudo-variety show, which does for the DC heroes what The Star Wars Holiday Special did for that franchise. And yes, that means horror beyond imagination.
Batman and Robin are joined here by a large group of other DC heroes and villains here, for what could be seen as the first-ever live-action incarnation of the Justice League. Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Huntress, The Flash, The Atom and Black Canary all got their live-action debuts, joining Captain Marvel on a show that for some of the above is still their only time to date appearing outside of comics and animation.
But don't get excited, because Legends of the Superheroes, which only aired two episodes, is truly, mind-numbingly awful. It's all played as broad, pun-filled comedy and not a lick of it works. There's one groaner after another, and seeing West, Ward (way too old to be playing "The Boy Wonder") and Frank Gorshin (back as the Riddler) doing such terrible material, it only elevates the legitimately funny '60s Batman series they appeared in more.
The first episode is at least watchable in a train wreck sense, as the heroes go outside and into action to try to stop a team of villains -- including Riddler, Solomon Grundy and Sinestro -- from their plan to blow up the entire world… a plan which the villains don't seem to have thought through, all things considered.
The second episode is even worse and watching it may cause harm to your soul. The episode is all contained on the shoddy set of the show, with a seemingly never-ending superhero roast, featuring Ed McMahon as MC. We only wish we were making this up.
How bad is this show? Well, there's a black superhero featured on the second episode, who goes by the name of Ghetto Man. Yes, really. Bad, stupid and offensive! It's a superhero trifecta! This would be the last time Batman would be seen in live-action until Tim Burton's first film – much like Batman & Robin, a long rest was greatly needed for Batman after this disaster.
Continue to Page 2, as Paul Dini and Bruce Timm create perhaps the greatest Batman adaptation of all time...
