The Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Returns is a comic book story arc that first appeared in The Dark Knight Returns #1Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a Batman comic book mini-series written and drawn by Frank Miller and published by DC Comics from February to June 1986. One of most renowned stories in the history of comics, and undoubtedly the single greatest Batman story of all time.
The Dark Knight Returns helped to re-define Batman and portrait the character as he was originally conceived during the 1930's.
It is set ten years in an alternative future when Bruce Wayne is now an aged man. Faced with the guilt of Jason´s Todd death, he buries his past in alcohol.
Gotham City is suffering once again of a criminal wave in the hands of gangs known as the Mutants. Bruce wayne cannot ignore his coscience any longer. Batman is born again.
The Dark Knight returns with a vengeance.
During this time, Harvey Dent re-appear as Two-Face after he went through a "succesfull" recovery. This was the main reason why Bruce Wayne took over the mantle of his alter-ego.
His advanced age however, didn´t helped him to fight crime like he used to. In constant trouble, a 13 year old girl named Carrie Kelly ends up saving Batman´s life. She would eventually become the third Robin in this alternate reality.
Batman is seen now as a menace to Gotham´s society and an antivigilantism wave is carried on from the government.
Even Commissioner Gordon became a victim of both, criminals and government as well after he kiled a teen ager in self-defense. He is replaced by Ellen Yindel, a well known anti-vigilante cop.
Batman found out how did the mutants gain their power and their high-tech weaponry, discovering a net of corruption inside the U.S. Army.
Defeating most of the mutant´s Batman faces the leader however as it was mentioned before, his advanged age became a disadvantage for him as is quickly taken down by the mutant leader. Here is where the third Robin appears.
After his recovery, Batman and Kelly are able to stop the mutants once and for all.
During the time Batman was gone, the Joker entered a state of catatonia, being unable to find something to live for.
After Batman´s reapperance, the Joker woke up and convinced Dr. Wolper that he has been rehabilitated. When Wolper takes the Joker to a talk show, he begins a killing spree releazing his jiker venom to the audience and kills Wolper as well.
Batman appears to stop him, however the Joker scapes due to the fact that Batman had to strugle with the police .
Batman and Robin began to search for the Joker, after he killed a group of boy scouts and Robin avoids more deaths after the Joker planted a bomb in a roller coaster.
Batman paralyzes the Joker and faces a dillema on whether if he should kill him or not. The Joker laughs and calls Batman a coward, he then snaps his neck to blame Btaman of his death.
Superman is called by the U.S. government to stop Batman after he returns from a mission in South America.
A lethal gropu knowna s the Sons of Batman have been using deadly methods against criminals. Batman and Robin decides to train them to use non-lethal methods. During this time, Oliver Queen, formerly known as the Green Arrow, warns Wayne about Superman and the government plans.
Batman prepares for his battle against Superman, and after a powerfull battle, Wayne ends up winning. However he suffers a heart attack soon after and dies.
Superman is faced with deep guilt on his friend´s death. During Wayne´s funeral, Kent hears a heart beat inside the coffin, and Carrie winks at him. He then realizes that Wayne faked his own death. After this event., Wayne
begins a new life with his "army":Robin and Green Arrow.
Associated Issues
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is set 20 years in the future. In the absence of superheroes, criminals run amok, and a gang called the Mutants terrorize Gotham City. Bruce Wayne has been retired from crime fighting for ten years following the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Despite Wayne's funding of the rehabilitation of Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Dent returns to crime. Bruce, overcome with the grief of what Gotham has become, as well as being unable to resist his true identity as Batman, dons the costume again and apprehends Dent, and the populace debates whether Batman is a savior.
Carrie Kelley, a 13-year-old-girl whom Batman rescues, buys a Robin costume and searches for Batman to join him. Kelley finds Batman at the city dump, where he is fighting the Mutants. The Mutants' leader defeats Batman in hand-to-hand combat, but Kelley distracts him allowing Batman to incapacitate him. Kelley returns with Batman in the tank-like Batmobile to the Batcave. Once home, Batman takes Carrie on as the new Robin against Alfred's objections. While incarcerated the Mutant Leader kills Gotham's mayor. With Gordon's cooperation, the leader is allowed to escape from jail and Batman defeats him in a rematch in front of the assembled Mutants gang, which then disbands.
The Joker convinces his psychiatrist that he is sane and regrets his misdeeds. Seeking to discredit Batman, the psychiatrist appears with the Joker on a late-night show. While the police attack Batman, the Joker murders everyone in the television studio and escapes. Batman and Robin find the Joker at a county fair, where Batman defeats Joker in a violent showdown. Batman has come to the realization that if he had indeed killed the Joker earlier instead of putting him in jail, where he would escape again and again (a common superhero theme), many innocent lives would have been saved. Batman comes short of killing the Joker by merely paralyzing him, who is disappointed in Batman for not killing him. He twists his own broken neck effectively killing himself, intending for the police to charge Batman with murder.
Superman redirects a nuclear missile from its intended target to a remote desert where it detonates, causing millions of tons of dust and debris to fill the atmosphere. It also briefly incapacitates Superman who regains his strength only by drawing directly on his power source: Sunlight. Gotham descends into chaos due to the resulting blackout. Batman and Robin train former Mutants who now call themselves the Sons of the Batman in non-lethal fighting to stop looting and ensure the flow of needed supplies. Gotham becomes the safest city in America, and the U.S. government, seeing this as an embarrassment, orders Superman to take Batman down. Having been warned of the government's plans by Green Arrow, Batman confronts Superman at the very same place where Wayne's parents were murdered decades earlier. Aided by a powered armor suit and various gadgetry, Batman defeats Superman in this final battle but appears to die of a heart attack. Alfred destroys the Batcave and Wayne Manor but suffers a fatal stroke. In the end it turns out that Wayne faked his own death and now Batman leads Robin, Green Arrow, and the rest of his army into the caverns beyond the Batcave and prepares to continue his fight against crime.
The greatest Batman story of all time continues as the Dark knight facs down the mutant gang.
The Greatest Batman story of all time continues as Batman faces the GCPD, as well as his final attle with the Joker.
The greatest Batman story of all time comes to an end as Batman faces the corrupt american goverment, and their pawn, Superman.
| Story Arc: | The Dark Knight Returns |
| 1st Appearance: | The Dark Knight Returns #1 |
| Appears in: | 4 issues |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
