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The Dark Knight Returns
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Batman: The Dark Knight
1986 DC Comics
4 appearances
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Millennium Edition: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Book One
2000 DC Comics
0 appearances
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
1986 DC Comics
0 appearances
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Complete Frank Miller Batman
1989 DC Comics
0 appearances
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Absolute Dark Knight
2006 DC Comics
0 appearances
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Läderlappen
1987 Semic International
0 appearances
Batman: 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. This story arc is set 20 years into the future, where Bruce Wayne is an elderly man still guilt-ridden over Jason Todd's death.
Plot Summary
The Dark Knight Returns is set ten years in an alternate future, with a worn and weary, aged Bruce Wayne. He numbs his conscience with alcohol to soothe the guilt he feels for his responsibility for the death of Jason Todd. Gotham City is under siege by a vicious criminal gang who call themselves the Mutants. Wayne unleashes his demons to confront the new threats to Gotham, and Batman is born again. Wayne finds himself struggling with the decline of his physique as he patrols and defends Gotham City. An inexperienced but courageous young girl named Carrie Kelly saves Batman´s life, and Wayne takes her in as a new Robin.
Batman is seen now as a menace to Gotham´s society and an anti-vigilantism wave is carried on from the government. Even Commissioner Gordon became a victim of both, criminals and government as well after he killed a teenager in self-defense. He is replaced by Ellen Yindel, a well known anti-vigilante cop. Batman found out how the mutants gained their power and their high-tech weaponry - discovering a net of corruption inside the U.S. Army. Defeating most of the mutants, Batman faces the leader, however his advanced age became a disadvantage for him as is eventually incapacitated by the mutant leader. Fortunately, Carrie Kelly appears and rescues Batman, getting him the Batmobile. After initially mistaking him for Dick Grayson, Batman confirms Kelly as the third Robin. After his recovery, Batman and Robin lure the Mutants to a sewer dump ("the pipe), where Batman defeats the Mutant leader (released from prison by Commissioner Gordon) in hand-to-hand combat, effectively breaking the gang.
During the time Batman was gone, the Joker entered a state of catatonia, being unable to find something to live for. After Batman´s reappearance, 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 releasing his joker venom to the audience and kills Wolper as well. Batman appears to stop him, however the Joker escapes due to the fact that Batman had to struggle 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 dilemma on whether if he should kill him or not. The Joker laughs and calls Batman a coward, he then snaps his own neck to blame Batman for his death.
Superman is called by the U.S. government to stop Batman after he returns from a mission in South America. A lethal group known as 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 powerful battle, Wayne loses when he suffers a heart attack 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 winks at Carrie. He then realizes that Wayne faked his own death. After this event, Wayne begins a new life with his "army": Robin and Green Arrow.
The Dark Knight Returns helped to re-define Batman and portray the character as he was originally conceived during the 1930's.
Collected Editions
Related Items
Non-U.S. Editions
Associated Issues Edit
order: 1
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.
order: 2
The greatest Batman story of all time continues as the Dark knight faces down the mutant gang.
order: 3
The Greatest Batman story of all time continues as Batman faces the GCPD, as well as his final battle with the Joker.
order: 4
The World's Greatest Detective.
The Man of Steel.
The World's Finest.
Fight of the Century. The Dark Knights greatest tale reaches its finale.
| Story Arc: | The Dark Knight Returns |
| 1st Appearance: | Batman: The Dark Knight #1 |
| Appears in: | 4 issues |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
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