Opinion: The Dark Knight's Next Step

Opinion: The Dark Knight's Next Step

WARNING: There be SPOILERS for The Dark Knight Rises ahead...

The Dark Knight Rises hit cinemas on Friday, reeling in an estimated $249million in its opening weekend alone. The reviews have been generally positive (you can read my own one by clicking here), even if, on reflection, the plot has a few gaping holes that one would not expect from a Christopher Nolan film.

Still, we're not here to look back anymore. It's time to look forward, and here are some possibilities in which Batman could continue with or without Nolan and his vision of Gotham:

John Blake Becomes Nightwing (Probability: 3/10)

 

So the big reveal at the end of The Dark Knight Rises was that John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) had not actually been using his full name. "You should use your legal name," says the woman dealing with Bruce Wayne's will. "Robin."

Aha! So despite Nolan and Christian Bale's rants that Robin would never appear within this version of the Batman story, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's young, optimistic detective is actually Batman's true sidekick. It makes sense, as Blake's function in the movie was as an operative for Bruce, feeding him and Commissioner Gordon information and assisting in the smaller yet essential parts of his plans. At the end of the movie, just when emotions are soaring high, we see Blake enter the Batcave. Stepping on a platform, we see him rise upwards as the screen goes black.

The idea:

Did Blake's ascent into the Batcave imply he would wear the Batsuit? Or perhaps a different alias altogether - Nightwing. For those who don't know, Nightwing was the guise adopted by Robin in the comics after he was dismissed by Batman. However, after Bruce Wayne's apparent death, Nightwing took up the mantle of Batman. 

A Nightwing movie would be nothing short of awesome if, and only if, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was on board. It wouldn't necessarily need Christopher Nolan at the helm - in fact, I would prefer a slightly more lighthearted change of direction for the character Amazing Spider-Man style - darker than the original Spider-Man movies but cleverly staying away from the morbid origin story of Batman Begins. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the perfect actor for the role, as he has proved in the past he is no stranger to action or emotionally engaging story arcs. His performance in The Dark Knight Rises was the highlight of the movie for me, and I'd enjoy seeing him continue in the same universe.

The storyline? Blake starts out as Batman, but quickly finds he is in way over his head. Some of the public idolize him with the belief he is carrying on Batman's work, but most feel that he is spitting on the caped crusader's grave by impersonating him weakly. Meanwhile, envious cop Edward Nigma becomes obsessed with the Batman's detective work (which would involve some kind of organised crime ring) and lays traps for him. Blake realises he can't be Batman - only Bruce Wayne will ever be that hero. Modifying the suit, painting it blue (referencing his past life as a cop) and getting rid of the bat ears, John Blake will find his true identity as Nightwing, taking down the Riddler and proving that Batman's legacy lives on: 'anyone can be a hero.'

Justice League (Probability: 6/10)

 

After the mammoth (ha) success of Marvel's The Avengers, I can imagine the conversation in the DC headquarters went like this:

"So..."

"Yeah."

"We should probably er..."

"Yeah."

"Justice League?"

"Justice League."

Those unfamiliar to the Justice League universe will be un/interested (delete as appropriate) to know it's basically The Avengers for the DC Universe. Characters already established in their own storylines merge their paths together. Batman teams up with the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Green Lantern to fight evil such as The Joker and Lex Luthor. The Justice League movie is rumoured to be released in 2015 (which is incidentally also the same year as Avengers 2). 

The idea:

Man of Steel is set for release next year, so with Justice League following only two years later I'm expecting this to set up an Avengers-style post-credits trend which will merge each movie into the next. Batman is rumoured to be getting a reboot shortly too, which could either lead into the Justice League movie or follow immediately after. Perhaps have Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman carry out their adventures in Justice League, then in that post-credits scene introduce a new Batman. Still, I have a nagging feeling that whoever portrays Bruce Wayne in future films will have a damn hard time matching the standards of Christian Bale's brilliant performance.

Games (Probability: 10/10)



Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequel Batman: Arkham City are two absolute triumphs of gaming. Mixing detective work and mystery with action, and a plot so full of twists and turns it's like drink driving in the Batmobile, the Arkham games are fantastic to play and are just as good as the movies themselves. Almost all of Batman's foes come together to take down the caped crusader, including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Doctor Strange, Two-Face, The Riddler, Mr Freeze, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow. Plus, with cameos from Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman, the games are really a playpark for any Batman fan. The third game in the series has been announced this week, with developers Rocksteady informing fans that the storyline will be a prequel to the first game. We will see how Batman met Joker, and how their psychological battle of wits and warfare progressed up to the point of Joker's capture leading into Arkham Asylum.

Overall, the Batman universe is nowhere near finished yet. Nolan's trilogy opened and closed like a perfectly bound book, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character certainly has huge potential to break out from those bonds and run the show. Whether or not this will ever happen is anyone's guess for now. Some might even say it's a Mr. E. 

By Dean Johnstone

Man of Steel is released June 14th, 2013.
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City are available on PS3 and Xbox 360.
The Dark Knight Rises is in cinemas and IMAX now, and you can read my full review by clicking right here.