The Dark Knight Trilogy

The Dark Knight Trilogy
General Information
First Appearance:	Batman Begins
Last Appearance:	The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Trilogy is a term created by WB's marketing department to this undesignated reality. It serves as the main setting for the Christopher Nolan films Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises (collectively referred to as The Dark Knight trilogy). The series also serves as the setting of various other entries with debatable canonicity, including the animated anthology Batman: Gotham Knight.

Considered more "realistic" compared to most other realities, Batman was an identity adopted by Bruce Wayne to strike fear into the hearts of criminals and create a legend in Gotham City. In contrast to most other incarnations, Bruce Wayne was depicted as more idealistic, avoided killing unless completely necessary, and planned a life away from crime fighting. During his activities, Batman would do battle with various criminals, including mobster Carmine Falcone, corrupt psychologist Scarecrow, anarchist Joker, former ally turned murderous vigilante Two-Face, expert thief the Cat, and the League of Shadows. Wayne would eventually fake his death to begin a quiet life away from Gotham, though his activities were presumably taken on by a successor: Robin John Blake as the new Batman

Timeline

Whilst many sources give contradictory dates and times, the following is generally agreed to be the timeline for the Nolanverse (see more info below):

• 1977 - Bruce Wayne born to Thomas and Wayne.
• 1980s - Gotham is caught in an economic recession, quietly set in motion by the League of Shadows. Thomas and Martha Wayne are killed by Joe Chill. In response, Gotham's wealthy begin donating and investing out of fear, briefly helping the city and foiling the League's plans. William Earle takes control of Wayne Enterprises.
• Late-1990s to early-2000s - Joe Chill assassinated before giving testimony related to Carmine Falcone. Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham to train himself to fight crime.
• 2006 - Whilst imprisoned in Bhutan, Bruce Wayne is recruited into the League of Shadows, training under Henri Ducard's tutorage.
• 2007 - Bruce Wayne leaves the League after their goals to endanger lives and returns to Gotham. Months later, he becomes Batman, allying himself with Jim Gordon, Rachel Dawes and Lucius Fox, and retakes control of Wayne Enterprises. Batman captures Carmine Falcone and the Scarecrow, and foils Ra's al Ghul's plan to destroy Gotham with a Microwave Emitter. The Narrows becomes uninhabitable due to the release of deadly chemicals in the area.
• Between 2007-2008 - Batman encounters and defeats several criminals, including Sal Maroni, the Russian, the Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Deadshot.
• 2008 - Harvey Dent becomes Gotham's new District Attorney, allying with Batman and Gordon to arrest Sal Maroni and other prominent criminals. In desperation, the criminals hire the Joker to kill Batman, though he instead attacks Gotham to prove his anarchist goals. Gordon become Police Commissioner following Gillian Loeb's assassination. After the death of Dawes and being disfigured in a fire, Dent becomes the vigilante Two-Face through Joker's manipulation. After defeating Joker and Dent's death, Batman frames himself of Two-Face's crimes and goes into exile.
• 2010 - The Dent Act is established by Mayor Anthony Garcia to dismantle organized crime in the city and in memory of Harvey Dent.
• 2013 - After five years of development of Miranda Tate's nuclear reactor, Wayne Enterprises shuts down the project after learning it can be turned into a Nuclear Bomb.
• 2014 - The Wayne Foundation stops investing due to lack of funds.
• 2015 - Robin "John" Blake joins the GCPD.
• 2016 - After eight years, Bruce Wayne redons the Batman identity when the League of Shadows return to Gotham, though is soon defeated by Bane and imprisoned in the Pit. In his absence, the League isolate Gotham and expose Harvey Dent's activities as Two-Face, releasing criminals imprisoned under the Dent Act and using them to take over the city.
• 2017 - Bruce Wayne escapes the Pit and returns to Gotham, recruiting various allies to defeat Bane and the League of Shadows. After defeating him and Talia, Batman saves Gotham and fakes his death to retire from crime-fighting with Selina Kyle, leaving indications of his survival to only his closeted allies. John Blake inherits his liar and equipment, likely to continue his operations.

Media

Films

• Batman Begins - film
• The Dark Knight - film
• The Dark Knight Rises - film

Other Media

• Batman Begins (console games) - video game adaptation of Batman Begins
• The Shadow of Ra's al Ghul - motion comic
• Batman: Gotham Knight - animated anthology
• Gotham Tonight - web series
• Totino's Presents: Batman - one-shot comic
• The Dark Knight Rises (mobile game) - video game adaptation of The Dark Knight Rises

Notes

• Each of the Dark Knight Trilogy films were intended to be set in the year they were released, with Batman Begins meant to take place in 2005, The Dark Knight being set in 2008, and The Dark Knight Rises taking place from 2012 to 2013. However, only The Dark Knight visibly gives a date for the films' events: July 2008.