Unsurprising news from SDCC about Marvel's upcoming slate of movies. The expected sequels for their big three and the long rumored announcement of the Ant-Man movie. The latter makes a lot of sense, as it gives them a chance to introduce Hank and Janet before the Avengers sequel. (Aside: I'm seriously pushing for an introduction of Carol Danvers to replace Coulson as the thread that pulls these movies together). There's also the oddball choice to do a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, (I am super digging the concept art they showed off). Guardians isn't a name that most people would recognize, so it feels a bit of a weird choice it first. It does give them a chance to do more with space and, I would assume, Thanos, before the next Avengers movie comes out. Plus, people will love the shit out of Rocket Raccoon.
I tweeted about this, (follow me), but it just seems absurd that Marvel has just announced their third super-team franchise (X-Men and Avengers being the first two), and DC is still struggling to figure out Justice League. Even more, Marvel announced five movies that will be coming out in the next couple of years. DC has Man of Steel and... that's it. So far, there hasn't even been a hint that Man of Steel will be more than a one-time thing. The one thing DC has going for it is the Batman franchise, and that is coming to an end this weekend. Sort of, anyway.
Now obviously I am writing this before seeing The Dark Knight Rises, but I came up with what seemed like an interesting idea for what's next. Christopher Nolan has given DC a gift with his Batman movies. He's delivered a well-crafted series that challenges, much to its success, the stereotypes and generalities of superhero movies. This Batman franchise is a far more "realistic" take on the existence of a vigilante hero. It works for this series. It works for Batman. It works for, and because of, Nolan. Take him out of the equation, and it stops working. Furthermore, this formula cannot be applied across the whole of the DCU. You can't take a character like Superman, the ever-do-well extraterrestrial with powers beyond imagination, and ground him in the same sort of real-world scenario as Nolan's Batman. Just the idea of Superman conflicts with the world that Nolan created. The greatest mistake DC could make is to attempt to duplicate what Nolan has done. Either with future versions of Batman, or with their other heroes (assuming other heroes even make it to a feature film).
It seems obvious that DC is going to continue Batman without Nolan. Those Batman movies are making bank like whoa, and it would just be stupid to not attempt to capitalize on that. Now, again, I don't know where Nolan's final Batman film leaves off. In the end, it doesn't matter. Whether Nolan kills Batman or leaves him on a desert island or sends him to the far ends of space... DC has to do another Batman movie. It is their only movie franchise with any traction and bankable credit.
DC is faced with a couple of problems continuing the Batman franchise. I'm sure the idea of another reboot is at the top of their minds, but do we need that again? For as much as I enjoyed Amazing Spider-Man, I didn't need that reboot either. Nolan's movies have made Batman ridiculously popular. Everyone knows who Batman is. We don't need to be told again. Which brings us to problem number one.
How do you relaunch Batman without rehashing what was just done?
The second issue relies on the assumption that DC wants to make a Justice League movie. Considering there is mad dough to be made there, I'll just assume a JLA movie is in the tubes. Somewhere. At some point. Which brings us to problem number two.
How does Batman fit into the Justice League?
I think we've all come to a point where we accept Batman as a superhero and his inclusion in the Justice League as a given. But in all seriousness, why the fuck would Batman join the Justice League? Take what we know of Batman, especially as it has been presented to us in Nolan's franchise, and his membership makes zero sense.
Bruce Wayne is, for all intents and purposes, certifiable. Dude is a fucking nutjob. He is obsessed with cleaning up Gotham and making it a safer place to live. He's not obsessed with saving the world. He's not obsessed with being a hero. He's not promoting world peace or stopping criminals in Metropolis. He's protecting Gotham. Check out Batman Begins. He travels all around the world to learn how to become Batman. Learning to fight. Learning to be a ninja or whatever it is Ra's Al Ghul teaches him. He goes around the globe to learn all these skills so that he can go back to Gotham. If Batman was interested in saving the world, or interested in stopping crime in general, he could have done that anywhere. He could have done that in ANY of the places he traveled to. He did not. He went back to Gotham and he stayed in Gotham. After all, Bruce Wayne is loaded and could conceivably travel wherever he desired. Anywhere that had a problem with crime. Yet he stays in Gotham.
So here's this dude who is concerned with the well-being of Gotham above all else. He has dedicated his life, his very being, to this cause. To saving Gotham. You can't take a man with that kind of mindframe, and give a valid reason for him joining the Justice League. Even if you propose a threat of galactic proportions, and you convince me that Batman would care enough to help stop this threat (if the world burns, so does Gotham)... I still don't believe he would stay associated with this group. What purpose would Batman have with the Justice League after the immediate threat has been eliminated?
There is a third issue that does not concern Batman as much as it does this Justice League movie and other superhero movies that DC might want to make. Marvel has a GIANT lead on them and an established franchise (The Avengers) to work from. Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and possibly even the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, all tie back to The Avengers in one way or another. All of these movies are connected by something larger. DC might not want to, or might not be able to, catch up on this. It seems likely that a JLA movie will appear before individual features starring Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, or another Green Lantern movie surface. The singles will spin-off from the whole. But I still contend that DC has a chance to take what Marvel did and present it in an unexpected way that could feel fresh and new.
The solution to all of these problems is simple. The solution is Robin.
For reals. Not even kinda joking about that. I know Schumacher tried to do Robin and it was terrible. That might give some people concern. But I don't believe that Robin is terrible. And I don't believe that Robin doesn't work. Those movies were terrible. Those movies didn't work. Robin is just another cog in that horrid machine.
Let's look at the immediate future. Let's consider the continuation of the Batman franchise. DC could do something unexpected and different by NOT doing a reboot. As I mentioned, it's not necessary. We all know who Batman is. We all know what he does. I don't need to be reminded who Batman is. I need to be convinced that I care about this new Batman as much as people care about Nolan's Batman. I needed to be reminded of what Batman represents.
So I propose a film that establishes Batman. Not his origin, but his character. Show me a Batman living on the edge. A man so possessed with the idea of saving Gotham that he sees nothing else. There are often hints of this in the Nolan movies. But let's take a man who lives on the fine line between good and evil. This is where Batman is often most interesting.
Consider the villains Nolan has used for his Batman films. These are the villains that most represent what Batman could have become. What he still could, if he let go. Ra's al Ghul, Joker, and Bane are all very intelligent villains. I'm just lumping Bane in here based on what I know, but all three of them come up with elaborate plots to fulfill some crazed end or another.
Batman has to believe there is hope for Gotham, or he becomes these men. He has to believe there is good left in the people of Gotham, or he becomes these men. But he sees the worst of what Gotham has to offer. He lives in the dredges of Gotham's darkest corners. In the world where Batman exists, there is no hope. There is violence and suffering and greed. And no matter how often he stops it, it will rise again the next night. So show me a man who comes to the edge of this great chasm and stares into it every night. A man who lives only for the mission. He trusts no one else. He knows no one else. He loves no one else. He is wholly obsessed with his quest. He knows only Gotham. He loves only Gotham.
And then that man watches another suffer the same tragedy that he suffered. You can pull the story more or less straight out of the comics. Bruce Wayne goes to the circus to keep up appearances, and shit turns upside down. The dark element that Batman has worked so hard to eliminate appears, and it orphans another child. Just as it orphaned him. So Batman, feeling for another person more than he has since his parents died, takes in this orphan. He brings Dick Grayson into the fold. He trains Dick Grayson as he was taught.
But Dick is not Bruce. This kid becomes Robin and fights at the side of Batman, but he's not satisfied with just protecting Gotham. He's not obsessed with vengeance and justice in the same way Batman is. Here's a kid that comes in and wants to save the world. Not just Gotham, but the world. Here's a kid, naive maybe, as children often are, that believes they can do more. That takes what Batman believes in and amplifies it. Then what you have is a different mirror. Not a mirror of what Batman becomes if he falls. A mirror of what Batman becomes if he flies. If Batman embraces the ideals that he holds, the love that he holds, for Gotham and pushes it beyond the city limits. While the villains of Gotham are an example of the worst Batman could become, Robin is an example of what's best.
So now you have Batman who has to take care of this kid. He has to be more careful. More cautious. This isn't just about him now. He's brought this child into his world, and it's his responsibility to protect that child. He takes it upon himself to teach this child. And in doing so, he learns himself. He sees a new reflection, and it opens him to new possibilities.
I have often said, and continue to stand by the statement, that The Dark Knight is an atrocious Batman movie. It's a marvelous fucking Joker moving. Outstanding. And by its own merits, it's a damn good movie. I actually do really like it. But it fails in most all ways at being a good Batman movie.Very little of what makes Batman an enduring superhero is featured in that film. Hell, he almost quits being Batman all together. But the enduring parts of that movie have nothing to do with Batman. The circumstances and events that happen around Batman are what make that movie. Even in the end, Batman shoulders the burden of a crime that he didn't commit. The sacrifice is a heroic thing, of sorts, but even that is questionably loyal to the spirit of things I love about Batman.
I don't know what will happen with Bane, but I do fully expect to have gone through this entire Nolan trilogy without any real character development for Batman. Other than often wanting to and finally legitimately giving up (if my understanding of DKR is correct), Bruce Wayne has not changed since he first put on the suit.
What I have proposed is a movie that focuses on Batman. I didn't name a villain and I don't have a particular one in mind. The villain isn't important (this is something that all studios should think about when making a superhero movie). What's important is what happens to Batman. What we haven't seen in a movie yet is some interesting and compelling growth from that character. From Bruce Wayne. From Batman himself.
So I really do think, that if done right, a movie about Batman and Robin could be damn good. I think it would drive the franchise in a different direction. It would give the movies a legitimate reason for starting to veer from the dark and gritty Nolan universe, which is crucial to including Batman in the Justice League. I'm not asking for the bright colors and ridiculous world of Schumacher. Hell, I'm not even asking for the brooding and ridiculous world that Burton gave us. All I want is a Batman universe that takes a few steps away from Nolan and makes me believe that he can exist in the same world as Superman.
The people Batman loves die. The people he trusts fall into darkness (Dent) or are forced to turn against him (Gordon). Batman has learned to become paranoid. He has learned to do things on his own. He has learned to trust only himself, because everyone has turned. So you take a man like that, and you give him one person that doesn't. One person that he can rely on and care about. A person that will return his loyalty. That opens up doors for Batman to trust again. That opens up the opportunity to introduce more characters that he can trust.
You can introduce Barbara Gordon now. You can introduce Tim Drake. You can even introduce Talia al Ghul as a love interest (which leads us, of course, to Damien). There are lots of things that can be done to branch out from Batman. A lot of things that can come from this established franchise that people are willing to give their money for.
I propose that DC could have an opportunity to expand the Batman universe. If the DCU itself is floundering in delayed Flash movies, Wonder Woman films that people are too afraid to make, and Green Lantern sequels that no one can justify making... then stick with what works. If people love Batman, give them more Batman. Everyone loved RDJ as Iron Man, and now we have ties to Stark in every gods damned movie Marvel puts out. Someone mentions his name, someone uses a Stark tech product... that character is all over the place. So do that with Batman.
The successful introduction of Robin opens the door to expanding the Batman universe. Give me a couple movies of Dick Grayson as Robin, and then show me a spin-off where he becomes Nightwing. Get me invested in this character. Convince me I want to watch this character grow, and I will pay to do so. You can do the same thing with Barbara Gordon. Throw out a Batgirl movie and DC will have, depending on what would happen between now and then, the first female-centric superhero movie from the Big Two. If people aren't sold on the idea of Wonder Woman, sell them on Batman, and then just give them lady Batman. You're still first to reach out to a mostly ignored comic demographic. Take Robin and throw him in a Teen Titans movie. Create a cohesive universe based on the franchise that is doing well, and then expand from that. Show me that Batman is willing to work with these people, and I'll believe he's willing to work with those ones, too.
I tweeted about this, (follow me), but it just seems absurd that Marvel has just announced their third super-team franchise (X-Men and Avengers being the first two), and DC is still struggling to figure out Justice League. Even more, Marvel announced five movies that will be coming out in the next couple of years. DC has Man of Steel and... that's it. So far, there hasn't even been a hint that Man of Steel will be more than a one-time thing. The one thing DC has going for it is the Batman franchise, and that is coming to an end this weekend. Sort of, anyway.
Now obviously I am writing this before seeing The Dark Knight Rises, but I came up with what seemed like an interesting idea for what's next. Christopher Nolan has given DC a gift with his Batman movies. He's delivered a well-crafted series that challenges, much to its success, the stereotypes and generalities of superhero movies. This Batman franchise is a far more "realistic" take on the existence of a vigilante hero. It works for this series. It works for Batman. It works for, and because of, Nolan. Take him out of the equation, and it stops working. Furthermore, this formula cannot be applied across the whole of the DCU. You can't take a character like Superman, the ever-do-well extraterrestrial with powers beyond imagination, and ground him in the same sort of real-world scenario as Nolan's Batman. Just the idea of Superman conflicts with the world that Nolan created. The greatest mistake DC could make is to attempt to duplicate what Nolan has done. Either with future versions of Batman, or with their other heroes (assuming other heroes even make it to a feature film).
It seems obvious that DC is going to continue Batman without Nolan. Those Batman movies are making bank like whoa, and it would just be stupid to not attempt to capitalize on that. Now, again, I don't know where Nolan's final Batman film leaves off. In the end, it doesn't matter. Whether Nolan kills Batman or leaves him on a desert island or sends him to the far ends of space... DC has to do another Batman movie. It is their only movie franchise with any traction and bankable credit.
DC is faced with a couple of problems continuing the Batman franchise. I'm sure the idea of another reboot is at the top of their minds, but do we need that again? For as much as I enjoyed Amazing Spider-Man, I didn't need that reboot either. Nolan's movies have made Batman ridiculously popular. Everyone knows who Batman is. We don't need to be told again. Which brings us to problem number one.
How do you relaunch Batman without rehashing what was just done?
The second issue relies on the assumption that DC wants to make a Justice League movie. Considering there is mad dough to be made there, I'll just assume a JLA movie is in the tubes. Somewhere. At some point. Which brings us to problem number two.
How does Batman fit into the Justice League?
I think we've all come to a point where we accept Batman as a superhero and his inclusion in the Justice League as a given. But in all seriousness, why the fuck would Batman join the Justice League? Take what we know of Batman, especially as it has been presented to us in Nolan's franchise, and his membership makes zero sense.
Bruce Wayne is, for all intents and purposes, certifiable. Dude is a fucking nutjob. He is obsessed with cleaning up Gotham and making it a safer place to live. He's not obsessed with saving the world. He's not obsessed with being a hero. He's not promoting world peace or stopping criminals in Metropolis. He's protecting Gotham. Check out Batman Begins. He travels all around the world to learn how to become Batman. Learning to fight. Learning to be a ninja or whatever it is Ra's Al Ghul teaches him. He goes around the globe to learn all these skills so that he can go back to Gotham. If Batman was interested in saving the world, or interested in stopping crime in general, he could have done that anywhere. He could have done that in ANY of the places he traveled to. He did not. He went back to Gotham and he stayed in Gotham. After all, Bruce Wayne is loaded and could conceivably travel wherever he desired. Anywhere that had a problem with crime. Yet he stays in Gotham.
So here's this dude who is concerned with the well-being of Gotham above all else. He has dedicated his life, his very being, to this cause. To saving Gotham. You can't take a man with that kind of mindframe, and give a valid reason for him joining the Justice League. Even if you propose a threat of galactic proportions, and you convince me that Batman would care enough to help stop this threat (if the world burns, so does Gotham)... I still don't believe he would stay associated with this group. What purpose would Batman have with the Justice League after the immediate threat has been eliminated?
There is a third issue that does not concern Batman as much as it does this Justice League movie and other superhero movies that DC might want to make. Marvel has a GIANT lead on them and an established franchise (The Avengers) to work from. Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and possibly even the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, all tie back to The Avengers in one way or another. All of these movies are connected by something larger. DC might not want to, or might not be able to, catch up on this. It seems likely that a JLA movie will appear before individual features starring Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, or another Green Lantern movie surface. The singles will spin-off from the whole. But I still contend that DC has a chance to take what Marvel did and present it in an unexpected way that could feel fresh and new.
The solution to all of these problems is simple. The solution is Robin.
For reals. Not even kinda joking about that. I know Schumacher tried to do Robin and it was terrible. That might give some people concern. But I don't believe that Robin is terrible. And I don't believe that Robin doesn't work. Those movies were terrible. Those movies didn't work. Robin is just another cog in that horrid machine.
Let's look at the immediate future. Let's consider the continuation of the Batman franchise. DC could do something unexpected and different by NOT doing a reboot. As I mentioned, it's not necessary. We all know who Batman is. We all know what he does. I don't need to be reminded who Batman is. I need to be convinced that I care about this new Batman as much as people care about Nolan's Batman. I needed to be reminded of what Batman represents.
So I propose a film that establishes Batman. Not his origin, but his character. Show me a Batman living on the edge. A man so possessed with the idea of saving Gotham that he sees nothing else. There are often hints of this in the Nolan movies. But let's take a man who lives on the fine line between good and evil. This is where Batman is often most interesting.
Consider the villains Nolan has used for his Batman films. These are the villains that most represent what Batman could have become. What he still could, if he let go. Ra's al Ghul, Joker, and Bane are all very intelligent villains. I'm just lumping Bane in here based on what I know, but all three of them come up with elaborate plots to fulfill some crazed end or another.
Batman has to believe there is hope for Gotham, or he becomes these men. He has to believe there is good left in the people of Gotham, or he becomes these men. But he sees the worst of what Gotham has to offer. He lives in the dredges of Gotham's darkest corners. In the world where Batman exists, there is no hope. There is violence and suffering and greed. And no matter how often he stops it, it will rise again the next night. So show me a man who comes to the edge of this great chasm and stares into it every night. A man who lives only for the mission. He trusts no one else. He knows no one else. He loves no one else. He is wholly obsessed with his quest. He knows only Gotham. He loves only Gotham.
And then that man watches another suffer the same tragedy that he suffered. You can pull the story more or less straight out of the comics. Bruce Wayne goes to the circus to keep up appearances, and shit turns upside down. The dark element that Batman has worked so hard to eliminate appears, and it orphans another child. Just as it orphaned him. So Batman, feeling for another person more than he has since his parents died, takes in this orphan. He brings Dick Grayson into the fold. He trains Dick Grayson as he was taught.
But Dick is not Bruce. This kid becomes Robin and fights at the side of Batman, but he's not satisfied with just protecting Gotham. He's not obsessed with vengeance and justice in the same way Batman is. Here's a kid that comes in and wants to save the world. Not just Gotham, but the world. Here's a kid, naive maybe, as children often are, that believes they can do more. That takes what Batman believes in and amplifies it. Then what you have is a different mirror. Not a mirror of what Batman becomes if he falls. A mirror of what Batman becomes if he flies. If Batman embraces the ideals that he holds, the love that he holds, for Gotham and pushes it beyond the city limits. While the villains of Gotham are an example of the worst Batman could become, Robin is an example of what's best.
So now you have Batman who has to take care of this kid. He has to be more careful. More cautious. This isn't just about him now. He's brought this child into his world, and it's his responsibility to protect that child. He takes it upon himself to teach this child. And in doing so, he learns himself. He sees a new reflection, and it opens him to new possibilities.
I have often said, and continue to stand by the statement, that The Dark Knight is an atrocious Batman movie. It's a marvelous fucking Joker moving. Outstanding. And by its own merits, it's a damn good movie. I actually do really like it. But it fails in most all ways at being a good Batman movie.Very little of what makes Batman an enduring superhero is featured in that film. Hell, he almost quits being Batman all together. But the enduring parts of that movie have nothing to do with Batman. The circumstances and events that happen around Batman are what make that movie. Even in the end, Batman shoulders the burden of a crime that he didn't commit. The sacrifice is a heroic thing, of sorts, but even that is questionably loyal to the spirit of things I love about Batman.
I don't know what will happen with Bane, but I do fully expect to have gone through this entire Nolan trilogy without any real character development for Batman. Other than often wanting to and finally legitimately giving up (if my understanding of DKR is correct), Bruce Wayne has not changed since he first put on the suit.
What I have proposed is a movie that focuses on Batman. I didn't name a villain and I don't have a particular one in mind. The villain isn't important (this is something that all studios should think about when making a superhero movie). What's important is what happens to Batman. What we haven't seen in a movie yet is some interesting and compelling growth from that character. From Bruce Wayne. From Batman himself.
So I really do think, that if done right, a movie about Batman and Robin could be damn good. I think it would drive the franchise in a different direction. It would give the movies a legitimate reason for starting to veer from the dark and gritty Nolan universe, which is crucial to including Batman in the Justice League. I'm not asking for the bright colors and ridiculous world of Schumacher. Hell, I'm not even asking for the brooding and ridiculous world that Burton gave us. All I want is a Batman universe that takes a few steps away from Nolan and makes me believe that he can exist in the same world as Superman.
The people Batman loves die. The people he trusts fall into darkness (Dent) or are forced to turn against him (Gordon). Batman has learned to become paranoid. He has learned to do things on his own. He has learned to trust only himself, because everyone has turned. So you take a man like that, and you give him one person that doesn't. One person that he can rely on and care about. A person that will return his loyalty. That opens up doors for Batman to trust again. That opens up the opportunity to introduce more characters that he can trust.
You can introduce Barbara Gordon now. You can introduce Tim Drake. You can even introduce Talia al Ghul as a love interest (which leads us, of course, to Damien). There are lots of things that can be done to branch out from Batman. A lot of things that can come from this established franchise that people are willing to give their money for.
I propose that DC could have an opportunity to expand the Batman universe. If the DCU itself is floundering in delayed Flash movies, Wonder Woman films that people are too afraid to make, and Green Lantern sequels that no one can justify making... then stick with what works. If people love Batman, give them more Batman. Everyone loved RDJ as Iron Man, and now we have ties to Stark in every gods damned movie Marvel puts out. Someone mentions his name, someone uses a Stark tech product... that character is all over the place. So do that with Batman.
The successful introduction of Robin opens the door to expanding the Batman universe. Give me a couple movies of Dick Grayson as Robin, and then show me a spin-off where he becomes Nightwing. Get me invested in this character. Convince me I want to watch this character grow, and I will pay to do so. You can do the same thing with Barbara Gordon. Throw out a Batgirl movie and DC will have, depending on what would happen between now and then, the first female-centric superhero movie from the Big Two. If people aren't sold on the idea of Wonder Woman, sell them on Batman, and then just give them lady Batman. You're still first to reach out to a mostly ignored comic demographic. Take Robin and throw him in a Teen Titans movie. Create a cohesive universe based on the franchise that is doing well, and then expand from that. Show me that Batman is willing to work with these people, and I'll believe he's willing to work with those ones, too.
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