The Dark Knight Returns

Fear not, Fair Mantlers, I have returned! After a long hiatus, I have returned to the Into the Mantle blogosphere to address a very important issue facing the world today. Yes, you guessed it. Batman 3. This is a long one kiddies, so strap in.

We are now one week from the DVD release of The Dark Knight, reinvigorating the world’s love for one of the greatest superhero movies ever made (and believe me, it is a short, but exclusive list), but also the re-emergence of a few things that have been put to the side since the summer. Namely, Oscar buzz and prospects on the next movie, which I will refer to from now on as The Dark Knight Returns, because, hell, that is the way Frank Miller would want it.

Plenty has been said as far as the academy goes, so I will be brief in putting out my nomination for Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor and The Dark Knight as Best Picture. That’s right, I said it. Granted, I haven’t seen Australia yet, but I haven’t seen a movie that compares this year. I know, I know, the superhero movie genre isn’t exactly known for showing up on Oscar’s radar, but I figure if Return of the King can win it, why not The Dark Knight? And, though it has been beaten to death, I can’t help it. Ledger was awesome. In fact, when I heard he would be playing the Joker way back when, I scoffed. I thought he would ruin everything Batman Begins had rebuilt. Boy, was I wrong. And I have never been happier to be wrong in my life.

Good, that is out of the way and now we turn to the future. Now, we all know from past experience that the third movie is usually where everything goes wrong. From a fembot and wise cracking Richard Pryor in Superman III, to a darker Parker disco dancing through the streets of New York, by the time the writers get to number three, they are pretty much out of ideas. Which is stupid. These comics have been reinvented so many times over the course of half a century, you would think Hollywood could sort through the canon to find some gold. Or at least bring in Brian K. Vaughn, Warren Ellis, or Grant Morrison to pinch hit. As much as I would like this next movie to be focused on the progression of Bruce Wayne as Batman, what it means to bend the law without breaking it, facing a corrupt police force save Commissioner Gordon, and dealing with personal demons, all the hype is going to be about the villains. The choice of the right villains is what will make or break The Dark Knight Returns. So, here, I offer argument for and against the new rogues gallery.

The Joker and Two-Face - Unfortunately, some of the best Batman comic storylines ever written involve these perennial foes. Ledger’s untimely death ended the possibility of bringing The Joker back, don’t even talk to me about recasting, and SPOILER ALERT, to give the ending real weight, they killed off Harvey Dent. This wasn’t a mistake, it was a brilliant move. Too often in superhero movies the villain is disposed of just to get rid of them, but the death of this character had purpose, just as the death of Ra’s Al Ghul did both times in Batman Begins. Aaron Eckhart has said he would reprise his role in a heartbeat if the asked him back, if that is the case, I hope it is merely in flashback and as Harvey Dent, not Two-Face. Nolan and Goyer have done a fantastic job creating this realistic world where these characters exist. Let’s not cheapen it by bringing someone back from the dead.

Clayface, Killer Croc, Mad Hatter, The Ventriloquist, Man-Bat, The Killer Moth, Mr. Freeze and Assorted Others - No. No way. This is the Batman of the real world, these mutants and freaks of nature will ruin that continuity. The last thing I want to see is Christian Bale growling a pun back at Mr. Freeze. The abortion that was Batman and Robin was plenty, thanks. And a quick note on that. Bale said he would bail (heh) if a Robin was brought on board. Good on you, man. Bats doesn’t need him.

The Penguin - I hate to say this, after my initial adamant argument against Ledger reprising Nicholson’s Joker, but Burton and DeVito nailed it the first time around. They took this comic relief squawking Burgess Meredith caricature and turned it into what a real world Penguin would be, with real pain. real motivation. Now, the plot execution of Batman Returns can be argued to death, but the character execution was right on. I liked the end of that Penguin. Let’s leave it, shall we.

The Riddler - Eek. Has this character ever been portrayed in a real way? If someone has the story arc buried in their long box somewhere, I would love to see it. Even the comic writers got bored of him and turned him into a good guy, well, sorta. Sure, there may be rumors of Johnny Depp playing him, but I personally don’t want to see that. If Depp is in for TDKR, then I would rather see him in a different role, which I will get to soon.

Catwoman - I would want the cat burglar Selina Kyle, master thief. That is all. Selina and Bruce wouldn’t have a relationship, but Catwoman and Batman have always had frightening natural chemistry. It would be a good opportunity to use the character to balance the light and dark of what Batman was forced to become. Plenty of opportunities to use this character if she isn’t turned into this zombie crazy with nine lives and then punched in the gonads by Halle Berry and Sharon Stone.

Poison Ivy - Strong maybe. This is a good character, just another sad casualty of Batman and Robin. But, she is also the likeliest to toe the line between reality and comic goofiness. She would have to be a biochemist, perhaps even for Wayne Enterprises and at night, a murdering psychopath that works with natural poisons. No power to make plants grow. No full toxic immunity. Amy Adams would be perfect. But, again, she would fit into my bigger picture.

Bane - I know most fanboys out there weren’t very happy with the Knightfall storyline, but I loved it. Everybody who loves Batman, loves him because he has no superpowers, he’s just an ordinary guy, but if he is, in fact, just an ordinary guy, then something’s gotta give. Bane broke the Bat. This character was slotted into Batman and Robin for no reason whatsoever and I think he has the opportunity to be reborn. If Goyer and Nolan can make Scarecrow’s toxin believable, they could do the same for the Venom Steroid. This is one character that could really be given a chance to breathe in the right hands. Again, as part of the master plan.

Zsasz - Our favorite mass murderer was actually introduced in Batman Begins, played by James front man, Tim Booth. He actually made a small appearance in Kevin Smith’s new book, Batman Cacophony, and I liked the idea of a plain old psychotic murderer without any goofy gimmicks. Bring him back.

Which leads me to who our main villain for The Dark Knight Returns should be.

Hush.

Dr. Thomas Elliot is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. He has no “powers”, he just just a surgeon, has martial arts training and is an expert marksman. But, he also has one greater power. Manipulation.

Hush isn’t a flashy gimmicks character, leaving people gassed and laughing, or laying riddles about for Batman to find. He manipulates other people to do his bidding, people like Bane, Poison Ivy, or Zsasz. He also hates both Bruce Wayne and Batman, giving the story a much needed boost as far as Bats’ constant identity crisis goes. He even has origin ties to Jonathan Crane, bringing it all back around to the world of the reinvented Batman. Hush destroys Bruce Wayne, doing plastic surgery to reconstruct his face to take his place and frames Alfred for Murder. Batman has to recruit his nemesis, sometime lover, Catwoman to help him set it right. Did I just write the new script? No, there are way too many rogues involved, it would be a waste to use up all that potential, but that is just a rough brainstorm I came up with by just pulling a bunch of elements from different comic story lines. Hey Goyer, and, A-HEM, Heroes writers, are you taking notes? Go back to the well, it is there for a reason. And if somehow that does become the plot for The Dark Knight Returns, I want full credit. Unless it sucks, then I want nothing to do with it.

So, tell your friends, blog to the ends of the earth, and if you have a personal connection with the Batman creative crew, send a little wink their way. Hush is the man of the hour. Make it so.

Hal Gardner, signing off.