My first introduction to Batman was reruns of the 1960s Adam West cheeztravangza. Then in fourth grade I wandered into a All C’s Comics to find this:
A dinosaur, a jacked-up lucha libre, and the Batman in a very vulnerable position. It was unthinkable. I was hooked, and I’ve been reading Batman ever since.
But when I when news hit Wednesday that Ann Hathaway would be playing Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy would be playing Bane, I was more than a little scared. The only thing worse than the last time Bane appeared in a movie was when Halle Berry put on the leather. I really don’t understand the whole Ann Hathaway thing, and I am worried about how the over the top villain created by Kelley Jone’s demonic cover work would translate to film.
But if anyone can do it, it’s Christopher Nolan. He finally breathed life into the Ra’s al Ghul, made the Scarecrow truly frightening, and made us all forget any Joker besides Heath Ledger. So how can Nolan do it again, without repeating the travesty of the last superhero trilogy to end?
1. Deal with addiction. The story of Bane is a story of obsession and the addictive power of the super steroid, venom. Selina Kyle herself is addicted to thrill of crime. Nolan hasn’t shied away from dark issues, and a picture of the destructive power of addiction would fit right in.
2. Break the Bat. Knightfall told the story of the breaking of the Bat. Bane created absolute chaos in Batman’s life, and then left him alive, but broken. If Nolan brings in this element, he’ll show something no superhero movie has done: a mortal, vulnerable hero.
3. Leave him broken. Nolan has promised us that this will be the end of his Batman story. What a better way to end this definitive view of Batman than by leaving Bruce Wayne in his wheelchair. That doesn’t mean that Bane has to win. But it forces the audience to ask “is it worth it?” Imagine if the story of the world’s greatest vigilante ended with a denunciation of the myth of redemptive violence.
Related Posts:
What Kind of (Bat)Man Will You Be?
Why Batman is Better than Superman
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