Thanks for the read!!! Open to critique.
“My parents’ killer was never brought to justice. I cloak myself in the very shadows the gunman used to hide his face from me. I'm known as an urban myth, a frightening creature, and the bogeyman. It is not a life I would wish on anyone.”
--BATMAN
Shadows are hidden from the light. It’s an obvious actuality. Light epitomizes many things: good, truth, purity and innocence. Dark, evidently, is the opposite. Shadows being illustrative of darkness mean that it shares the same qualities. Shadows are the unknown, and signify danger hence the association with evil. Anyone who stays in the shadows becomes one with it you could say. What does that do to someone? What do years of maneuvering in the shadows create within an individual?
Batman is a dark and shadowy figure. He has used the darkness to infiltrate the criminal underworld and bring it to its knees for years. He’s immersed himself in the very world that once destroyed his own. He’s had a long and storied history that’s full of battles, war, and tragedy. As the DC cinematic universe begins to take shape with Batman V. Superman coming next year, along with other films to follow, Batman will defiantly be a strong mainstay. He seems as if he will be the glue that holds everything together. For example, there’s already been confirmation of him being in Suicide Squad. We are getting the old and seasoned crime fighter Batman in this new universe. This means he has a large and storied history he’s left behind him.
The FOX TV series Gotham has explored the Batman mythos way before Bruce Wayne ever donned the mask and cape. What I’m suggesting is more connected with the current films. Our new DCCU Batman is middle aged and has seemingly been active for almost 20 years. That’s two decades of breaking bones and scaling rooftops. That’s twenty years of going toe to toe with Two Face. Joker, Ra’s Al Ghul and many other rogues. That’s 7304.84 days of being cloaked in the shadows. This is a fascinating time to explore in Batman’s history. Prequel films delving into Batman’s previous twenty years of duty opens the door to countless stories. Audiences would get to witness how we arrived at the weary warrior that is Batman in a way more detailed that flashbacks. Warner Bros seems to be averse to having TV connect to its films but maybe they could embrace it just for The Caped Crusader. Either way, films could work too. Here’s why DC should do this:
The past is always being distinguished for influencing the future. Those common phrases concerning the past always maps out the future are receptive and overwhelmingly obvious. But, it’s very much true. Batman has reached a point in the current timeline of the DCCU where he’s tired but tested. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how he got there?
Batman V. Superman is taking a lot of in terms of mythology from the classic Batman graphic novel ‘
The Dark Knight Returns’. Batman has been going on for a long time now, so we just assume that all of the villains hate his guts. We know why they hate Batman obviously. But, you’re watching a world that obviously has had a lot of effort put into it. Every scene in the current DCCU probably has a little Easter egg that a knowledgeable fan will go mad over. Those Easter eggs are indications of a bigger story that may have happened in the past. As a fan that enjoys going more in depth with stories, a prequel can explore what those Easter eggs mean in terms of Batman’s past. What stories they’re linked too. A certain and specific event that occurred between Batman and say Penguin would explain a reference Penguin may make towards Batman for example. It would add a bit more shape to the character, rather than having a lazy background story or quick flashback. Personally, I think that would be precisely what the fans would want from a prequel.
Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds (at least for Batman)
Batman’s heroic mission is not only chockfull of triumph but also tragedy as well. He’s been through the ringer more than almost any other superhero or crime fighter out there. If you know the character and have read up on him, you know Batman’s wounds physical and primarily mental don’t really go away. His parents murdered before his eyes, his sidekick taken from him by and adversary, countless lost loves and the plight of going out on those blood filled streets every night. The toll it must take on Batman’s psyche must be grave. The quote displayed atop this editorial is a key reminder of Batman’s tragic mind. He’s only a hero so much as he is an angst riddled man with a martyr complex. Years of fighting the never ending war have probably pushed that angst over the edge to almost teetering on insanity. Not to mention that his defeat of supervillains mainly, is like rinse and repeat. He captures them, sends them to Arkham and then they get out, kill more people and the process repeats. A prequel film could really delve into how slowly Batman’s psyche, will and mission have been ruptured over the years.
An important part of the thinking behind a prequel is the idea of Batman and his rogues gallery meeting for the first time would make for an intriguing story. As an audience, we know how the Joker will gravely influence Batman. In the current DCCU, Batman and Joker are already well acquainted. They’re like Magic and Bird after years of countless battles. What it would be like to see Batman encounter the Joker for the first time?
The Dark Knight film already gave us its own perspective on Batman and Joker meeting for the first time. But this universe is different and this Batman and Joker are different. It’s a lot more comic accurate from the looks of it. A first encounter between these two could make for some very intense cinema. My favorite thing about the Joker is the idea that no one really knows where he came from. He just rocked up into Gotham one day and started causing havoc for the fun of it. Seeing Batman deal with that for the first-time, as a young vigilante, would be very exciting. Not only Joker, but all of his rogues’ gallery. First encounters with Two Face, Penguin, Bane, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Catwoman, Poison Ivy etc. This new DCCU seems to be very faithful to the comics somewhat in relation to Batman. A prequel displaying his first meetings with these villains could be right off the comic book pages.
Batman is Bankable
Batman films have grossed an enormous total of $3,700,015,594 at the box office. He’s one of the most bankable film characters in Hollywood history. He’s a superhero who has successfully endured and grown in Hollywood. Even his terrible films like Batman & Robin were financial successes. This point I’m about to make is purely financial and would most likely concern studio head honchos. Batman is a big draw at the movie theaters. In my opinion, any movie put out with him in it, will make a ton of money. It’s that simple.
Interchangeable Role (James Bond technique)
Jams Bond is a role in which many actors have taken up the mantle. The character is essentially immortal. Basically what it comes down to is coming to terms with the universe of comic book movies, being similar to that of the comic book world. We can have multiple iterations of the same hero, but we don't necessarily need a new origin story. Everything is basically canon and the actors can be changed without the annoyance of the complaints about new actor, new story. I think this allows for more stories, prequels in this sense, to be told. A younger Batman, as well as younger actors playing his supporting cast can work well. It allows for more depth of character to be explored. A different actor can really create their own character when portraying them in the past and shape how they got to their future.
A Different World
FOX’S
Gotham has displayed a Gotham City that’s reminiscent of an old noir locale in a 1940 detective film. It’s dark, gritty and sinister. Gotham has always been like that but there are still different iterations of the sinister metropolis. The city has always been like a character in Batman’s world. The streets, locales, and people are illustrations of what they city is. I’ve always been a fan of Batman comics form the 1980s. I like the artwork and how it showed a 1980s Gotham that was a grimy, gritty, gothic and graffiti-scattered city. It had this very distinct look. With Batman being in maybe his mid-40s in BvS, a prequel film could have him operating in a vastly different looking Gotham. Obviously, the prequel would probably take place in the nineties, but visuals and style can easily make the world evocative of the 80s atmospheric Gotham City from the comics. The DCCU seems to be very grounded in the real world but I think a stylized Gotham would be great. What Snyder did with New York City in
Watchmen, is what I’d love for a Gotham from 20 years ago in a prequel. The
Watchmen NYC was definitely eighties, but it had an almost stylized distinctive look to it. It was like it represented the essence of a gritty crime ridden city no matter what era. Evn the Arkham Game Series Gotham City is a distincive way to display Gotham. It has a dark and gothic landscape that make sit present a stranege atmosphere. Assuming the Gotham City in the current DCCU is very modern and real world, an old school, gothic and crude Gotham would work well for a prequel.
Conclusion
Prequels or no prequels, the DCCU seems to have a lot of plans on the way. Batman is definitely the backbone of this universe and more development and showcasing of him could spell success in multiple facets for this burgeoning cinematic world.
LET IT MARINATE!!!