Cinema has done a fine job presenting Batman in a way that is enjoyable for all audiences. West showed us the man with morals, Keaton showed us the hero, Kilmer showed us the bizarre, Clooney showed us everyone makes mistakes, and Bale showed us The Dark Knight in a real world. With each performance, a mainstream audience got a different feel for Batman, and each (well, most, anyway) succeeded in giving the world all sides of Batman…
…save one.
What happens when Batman doesn’t just “not save the day,” but allows for horrible things to happen? Sure, we saw Rachel Dawes blow up in The Dark Knight…but considering that was the work of The Joker, that was a fairly painless and quick death than what comic book readers have experienced. What happens when The Caped Crusader truly experiences something horrific? When his response is not to prevent, but rather to avenge? What happens when Batman breaks bad? Continue reading