As promised, here's the outlines/synopsis for movies 1 & 2 of my Batman Reboot to coincide my fancast! Without further ado, here's film 1:
Batman: The Caped Crusader
The movie opens with the Dark Knight & Nightwing as the established protectors of Gotham city. The villains are the Joker, Two-Face & the Penguin. We are introduced to Barbara Gordon, who would become Batgirl towards the end of the film.
Throughout the movie we see flashbacks and the characters talk about their origins- Heroes & villains alike and why Robin became Nightwing. In a twist, it is revealed that Dick shed the Robin persona not because he turned 18, but because of one fateful night. While trying to save DA Harvey Dent from the criminal underworld’s leaders brought together by a certain Clown Prince of Crime, Batman was shot by the Joker while diverting Dick from the line of fire.
In all of the confusion, Harvey got free and ran for freedom, only to be stopped by the very man who caught him- clad in his trademark dark purple suit. The shadowy form remains in the dark, but the devilish smile reveals him to be none other than the Joker. Always the one who has to have the last laugh, the Joker sprayed acid from his trademark flower on his suit jacket all over the left side of Dent’s face; maniacally laughing, the Joker leaves the disfigured DA screaming in agony. Not only did Dick fail as a hero to save Dent, but he also failed Bruce as his ally to have his back and remain vigilant. Dick brought Bruce home to Wayne Manor to recover. Although Bruce never blamed Dick for what happened, Grayson still felt he failed and became disgusted with his Robin suit. He decided he had to become more than Batman’s sidekick to redeem himself in his eyes; he had to become Bruce’s equal. Thus Nightwing was born. Dick struck out on his own to make Gotham well aware that even though Batman wasn’t on the streets, there’s more than one guardian of the city the underworld will fear. Now with Batman fully recovered and impressed with his partner’s development as a crime fighter, the duo once again fought side-by-side as equals.
Harvey is now Two-Face and is determined to kill all of those responsible for current condition- starting with every crime lord involved with his abduction that night. Nightwing, tormented with the thought that Dent’s current state is in part his fault, and Batman, devastated to see his good friend this way, must stop figure out how to stop Two-Face and take down the now divided crime-lords battling for dominance over Gotham. Amidst the chaos, happily watching from the sidelines of the circus he created is the Joker; waiting for the crime lords and Dent to destroy themselves and move forward with his plan to take Gotham for his own. As mentioned before, Barbara Gordon becomes Batgirl and joins Bruce & Dick as the protectors of Gotham.
The movie ends with the Penguin reveling in his stronghold; with Rupert Thorne dead at the hands of Two-Face & both Dent & the Penguin now committed into Arkham Asylum by Batman and his allies, Cobblepot is finally the sole ruler of Gotham’s underworld, or so he thought. A maniacal laugh is heard echoing through his office as a bullet rips through Oswald’s heart. Out of the darkness once again steps the Joker still silhouetted in the shadows saying the true ruler of Gotham has finally arrived, and that ruler is the clown prince of crime.
And now, the second film...
Batman: Gotham Knights
It’s been a few months since the chaos that ensued in the first film; Bruce, Barbara & Dick successfully apprehended and committed former DA Harvey Dent AKA Two-Face into Arkham Asylum to receive the psychiatric help he desperately needed. In addition, the Penguin has disappeared- Bruce believes he’s trying to lay low for now and pick up the pieces of his criminal empire. Gotham’s underworld took a serious blow, and organized crime seems to be virtually non-existent for the time being. In this film, we are introduced to the troubled Jason Todd in Crime Alley who is brought under Bruce’s wing and becomes the next Robin with Dick’s blessing to take up his previous mantle. After helping train Todd alongside Bruce, Grayson decides this is the time to make a name for himself in another city and departs, promising he’ll return home soon. The villains are Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc & Catwoman with yet again the Joker lurking behind the scenes.
We see Dick Grayson has ended up in Bludhaven after hearing there may be some truth to the urban myth of ‘killer alligators in the sewers’ after several people have been found mauled to death by entrances to the sewers. Unfortunately for Nightwing, it’s not killer gators that are lurking in Bludhaven’s sewers, its Killer Croc. After several heated battles, he finally beats Waylon and gains the public’s trust as a hero. Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne is introduced to the lovely Selena Kyle, whom he later learns is Catwoman and finds himself for the first time torn between his duty as Batman and his feelings for Selena as Bruce Wayne. In the end, Barbara brings him back & Catwoman is apprehended. We also see the birth of Mr. Freeze, his rampage through Gotham for revenge & battle Batman & Batgirl. Later we see Jason Todd in his first outing as Robin. In the end Freeze is defeated and placed into Arkham, where he’s promised by Batman himself he’ll do everything in his power to cure his terminal wife, Nora Fries.
The movie ends in Bludhaven, with Nightwing out on patrol and responds to an explosion followed by fireworks in a near-by building. When he arrives he finds the area covered in a thick green smoke- and the survivors running out laughing as if exposed to a concentrated nitrous oxide. Wearing an oxygen mask & fearing the worst, Dick hurries to save the victims still inside. To his horror the people in the building are all dead-with eerie smiles permanently left on their dead faces; confirming his worse fear, the Joker had followed him to Bludhaven. In the center of the room lies a green & purple box wrapped up like a giant present with a large tag that reads ‘To the big bad Birdbrain’. Dick cautiously opens the box by throwing one of his ‘Wing-Dings’ to find simply inside pictures and a playing card. Written on the back of the playing card is: ‘Hurry back home soon for some fun! We’re gonna have some laughs! Kindest Regards’. Dick flips the card over to reveal it’s the Joker card. He reaches back into the box to see what the picture is of. The color drains from his face as the pictures are of Batman, Batgirl, the new Robin & Commissioner Gordon with red ‘X’ s over their eyes and red smiles drawn over their mouths. The final picture reveals the Penguin shot dead in his office with a jester hat on his head. It was time for Dick Grayson to return to Gotham.
There ya have it! Check back every day for each of the following films:
Tuesday- Part 3 Batman: City of Chaos
Wednesday- Part 4 Batman: Knight of Vengence
Thursday- Part 5 Batman: Knightfall
Friday- Part 6 Batman: Dark Knights
Be sure to tell me what you think so far & come back Tuesday for Part 3!
Till next time!
-Your UFNSM