SPOILERS: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE LAST CRUSADE Finally Reveals Why Bruce Wayne Quit As Batman
It's a story which has been thirty years in the making, and today's The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade finally revealed why Bruce Wayne ditched the cape and cowl and decided to retire...
Today saw the release of Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, and John Romita Jr.'s The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade, a prequel to the classic story which picked up with a Batman who had long retired. So, why did he give up being a hero? Well, upon realising that his age is catching up to him, Bruce comes to the conclusion that new Robin Jason Todd (who takes way too much satisfaction in hurting criminals) is still a long way off from being able to take over as Gotham City's new protector.
After The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum, a critically wounded Batman pleads with Jason not to go after the Clown Prince of Crime, but he disobeys his mentor and is brutally murdered as a result.
Honestly, there's a lot more to The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade that we've told you about here as if provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between Batman and Robin, showing us that breaking down and the consequences the rift between them has. It also strongly implies that The Joker did a lot more to Jason than just have his henchmen beat him to death, something which further explains why Batman gave up the cowl and ended up savagely beating the villain many years later.
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