Summary

• The Dark Knight changed Batman to a more grounded, realistic hero than previous versions.
• Batman's fantastical villains can still be done seriously, not just for campy moments.
• DC Universe's upcoming movies, like The Brave and the Bold, may bring back a less grounded Batman.

There's little doubt that The Dark Knight is an iconic movie in the superhero genre, but it's also had at least one less-than-desirable long-term effect on popular portrayals of Batman. DC's Caped Crusader has a longer live-action history than almost any other superhero, starring in several Batman movies and TV shows dating back to the mid-60s. However, The Dark Knight, and to a lesser degree, the other two movies in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, have been the most successful adaptations by quite a bit.

Given that Batman has been around for 85 years (first debuting in March 1939), it's no surprise that he's gone through significant changes in both visual design and characterization. Frank Miller's landmark graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns may rightfully get most credit for replacing Batman's campier side with a darker, grittier one, but it's Christopher Nolan's movies that popularized a realistic, grounded Batman apart from any magic, monsters, or mysticism. While the results speak for themselves, it's time for DC to get back to a more fantastical Batman.

The Dark Knight Popularized A Grounded Batman

Even Though Batman Begins Came First

After the successful back-to-back releases of Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), that film series got progressively more campy until the poor critical and public reception of Batman and Robin (1997) killed the franchise for almost 10 years. When it returned with Batman Begins in 2005, Christopher Nolan's take on the character and universe were far more grounded in the real world than any of the Caped Crusader's previous stories. However, while this franchise-starter remains a great Batman movie, it wasn't until The Dark Knight (2008) that Nolan's world hit peak pop-culture saturation.

While there's no shortage of good things to say about The Dark Knight, its unique take on Batman, the Joker, and Gotham as a whole has had the perhaps unintended consequence of becoming the "correct" version of the IP for many. The Dark Knight trilogy stretches the bounds of what's technologically possible with some of Bruce's gadgets, but his enemies are stripped of any supernatural trappings, Gotham loses its Gothic design and becomes a standard, real-world city, and everything moves as far from "comic-booky" as it can.

Unfortunately, groundedness has been equated positively with quality and the fantastical with disappointment.

There's no doubt that The Dark Knight remains one of the best superhero movies of all time, but it should be seen as a creator's unique vision for a superhero, not the default way in which the hero should be adapted moving forward. Indeed, Bruce Wayne in DC Comics has never been terribly grounded, with even his least fantastical stories containing elements of the mystical, magical, strange, or surreal. Unfortunately, given the high quality of Nolan's movies and Matt Reeve's The Batman, groundedness has been equated positively with quality and the fantastical with disappointment.

Batman's More Fantastical Side Can Be Done Without Being Goofy

Above, monstrous, magical, and super-powered Batman villains are shown from Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Arkham Asylum (video game), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part I (movie), Batman: Assault On Arkham (movie), and Batman: Beyond (comic).

While it may seem difficult to show the fantastical side of the Batman mythos in a serious manner, countless comic books and movies have proved that couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, several of Batman's most interesting villains and their stories are incredibly challenging or downright impossible to portray in a grounded reality. Mister Freeze, for example, may have been too over-the-top in Batman and Robin, but his story is also one of the most affecting in Batman's history, as told in Batman: The Animated Series iconic "Heart of Ice."

While increasingly rare in superhero movies, it's very possible to put characters in fantastic and unrealistic situations but have them play it straight. It may not really make much sense for Batman, a mere mortal with money and a vendetta, to take on the likes of Poison Ivy or Clayface, but his ability to do so is part of why he's so iconic. While it's still thrilling to see Batman overcome realistic villains like the Riddler or Penguin, ignoring the superpowered side of his rogues gallery is ignoring some of the most iconic DC villains of all time. Of course, they'd never work in a movie like The Dark Knight.

It's Time For Another Less Grounded Batman Movie

DC is at the precipice of a new age as the DCU prepares to launch in full. Audiences will be thrust into a brand new cinematic universe from the minds of James Gunn, Peter Safran, and others involved in the shared universe. Included in that slate will The Brave and the Bold, the first theatrical Batman solo movie. At this point, nothing is known about the movie beyond featuring Bruce's son with Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne. However, the context in which it is releasing makes a more fantastical Batman than the one in The Dark Knight seem likely.

Like Ben Affleck's Batman, who existed in a world deeply embedded with monsters and superheroes, The Brave and the Bold will be surrounded by the incredible. Given the DCU is starting with the Creature Commandos (2024) animated series and debuting on the big screen with Superman (2025), it would make little sense for Bruce to exist in a Gotham similar to cities in the real world. As such, it's the perfect time for Bruce to find himself on the back foot against a more powerful foe, fully reliant on his intellect for the first time in a solo movie since 1997.

The DCEU's Batman did interact with superpowered individuals, including his fights with Steppenwolf, Parademons, and Doomsday, but his solo movie never came to fruition.