From THE LONG HALLOWEEN To DEATH OF THE FAMILY: The 6 BATMAN Storylines Fans Want To See Made Into A Trilogy
Matt Reeves has previously indicated that while he has ideas for a Batman trilogy, he simply wants to focus on one film at a time. 'Luckily for Matt', we're doing a bit of research for him.
Last month, during the promotional tour for War for the Planet of the Apes, Matt Reeves simply couldn't escape questions about The Batman. A lot of them were centered on Ben Affleck's involvement and enthusiasm to remain in the DCEU but there was lone subject that sparked our interest- whether Reeves has planned out a trilogy or if he's taking things one film at a time.
Reeves responded, "I have ideas about an arc, but really, the important thing is just to start… you have to start with one. You know, you have to start with a story that begins something."
Well since Reeves is being cautious about a new Batman trilogy, we asked our followers on Twitter and Facebook to pick a storyline from the comics that they would like to see Reeves and Affleck tackle. Of the nearly 3,000 votes, here are the top 6 stories picked.
6. The Rise of Damian Wayne
Coming in last place was the 2006 Batman and Son story arc from Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert's run on the title. The series introduced the Caped Crusader's biological son Damian Wayne, the byproduct of an ill-conceived tryst with Talia al Ghul. Raised by his grandfather, Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins, Damian was trained to be a lethal killer from the moment he could walk. His Punisher-esque ideology often clashes with the "no-kill" rule of Batman.
Merciless and unrelenting, Damian Wayne would actually make a perfect sidekick for the cinematic version of Ben Affleck's Batman (unless he's changed his murderous ways in the aftermath of Batman v Superman). It's plausible the DCEU could skip Tim Drake and jump straight to Damian but based on the poll results, Damian isn't the Robin fans want to see.
5. A Serial Killer Runs Batman Through A Mental Gauntlet
However, there was not much else lifted and the larger developments around the Holiday killer, Calendar Man and Two-Face were largely left untouched. In this setting, Gotham is firmly in control of the crime families and it's the various villains of Batman's rogues gallery who are in their employ (and unlike The Dark Knight, they never upset this balance). With Reeves previously stating that he wants to depict a noir, detective-driven version of the Caped Crusader there's no better example of this than The Long Halloween.
4. The Joker Loves Batman And Can No Longer Tolerate His Infidelity
The Joker ultimately fails to carry out the exact intent of his plan but ultimately drives an irreparable wedge between Batman and his allies, symbolically "killing the family." With the DCEU establishing that Batman has had a falling out with any potential allies, a prequel that tackles Death of the Family would be one entertaining way to depict such a split.
And if you think that story's crazy the follow-up arc, Batman: Endgame gets much weirder as Snyder introduces the notion that the Joker is immortal and has been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Batman for decades out of boredom.
3. The Batman Story That Blindsided The Industry
On paper, the plot of Hush reads as if it drew inspiration from One Life To Live but it has endured in the 15 years since its debut as one of the most cerebral Batman stories ever written. Comic book fans have been fantasizing about seeing Ben Affleck's real-life bestie Matt Damon play Thomas Elliot ever since Affleck was first announced to be playing the role of the Caped Crusader. While Affleck has ceded creative control to Reeves, perhaps he still has enough vested interest to put Damon in the role if that's where Reeves is headed?.
2.They Watch You At Your Hearth, They Watch You In Your Bed
In the final issue, Snyder puts a bow on his epic tale with the reveal that Thomas and Martha Wayne secretly had another son and that he was the mastermind behind much of the attack on Bruce and the rest of Gotham. If time reveals that Ben Affleck does indeed want out of the role of Batman, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where the roles have been switched and Affleck is the Court of Owls member and the real Bruce Wayne has been locked away somewhere.
1. You Want To Stop Me? You're Going TO Have To Kill Me.
However, Todd eventually returns in 2005, thanks to Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit (lets just ignore Superboy Prime punching the fabric of reality) and he's hellbent on getting revenge against the Joker and working through his disappointment that Batman didn't immediately avenge his death by killing the Clown Prince of Crime himself. The series also has ties to our #3 entry, 2002's Batman: Hush where seeds are first planted that Todd may still be alive.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice strongly hints that there's already been a Robin who's paid the ultimate price protecting Gotham and it doesn't appear to be Dick Grayson as there's a Nightwing movie currently in development. That logically leaves Jason Todd as the likely identity of the fallen Boy Wonder. Such a film adaptation could easily redeem Jared Leto's Joker and expand upon one of the many (seemingly random) allusions to events that have occured prior to what's been shown on film thus far.
Do you agree with the list that our social media followers have ranked? Let us know in the usual spot below.
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