3 new Batman Properties in 2024 all explore the same basic theme. The Batman Mythos – which turns 85 in 2024 – has grown to encompass more mediums than their original comic books, with Batman Television and film adaptations are exceptionally popular and successful. Batman, his supporting characters and their collective corner of the DC Comics universe are perhaps the most malleable in the superhero genre, but even the most distinctive interpretations of Batman are prone to share certain thematic elements.
Suitable For Batman’s 85th birthday, 2024 has included many Batman Properties. The Matt Reeves universe that began in 2022 is getting a spinoff TV series – The penguin – which is set between the events of The Batman and its upcoming sequel. Joker: Folie à Deux Continues Arthur Fleck’s story from 2019 JokerExplore the bleak consequences of his murders and adoption of the Joker persona. The story of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton’s Batman also gained a new chapter through John Jackson Miller’s novel Batman: Resurrectionwhich bridge the gap between 1989s Batman And Batman Returns.
Batman: Resurrection, The Penguin, & Joker: Folie à Deux All Deal With Legacy
Each of the three properties explores the themes of legacy and living symbols In some way. The Penguin deals with the fallout of the Riddler’s plot in The BatmanWith Gotham City still reeling from the damage of the flood he orchestrated and several citizens – such as Victor Aguilar – suffer PTSD from the attack. Even with Riddler arrested, his cult of terrorists continues to operate, with one member openly doing so in an episode of The penguin. The Riddler’s extremists all wear almost identical outfits to the Riddler, serving as his figurative and literal legacy.
These themes appear again in Joker: Folie à DeuxWhich sees Arthur Fleck abandon his Joker persona at the end of the film, spawning his own cult of followers. The film’s finale sees one Joker cultist killing Fleck and inflicting facial scars on himself as Arthur dies, strongly implying that he will take his place as the Joker. Batman: Resurrection Centers entirely on the fallout of the Joker’s crime wave in the 1989s BatmanWith the devastating aftermath of his Smilex poisoning continuing to wreak havoc on Gotham’s citizens and directly – albeit unintentionally – resulting in the creation of the villain Clayface.
Christopher Nolan was the first to explore the power of symbols in Gotham
One of the first Batman Adaptations to Correctly exploring these exact themes is Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. 2005s Batman begins Saw Bruce Wayne make the Batman persona to, among other things, become an incorruptible symbol of fear to Gotham’s underworld. Batman gladly took credit for Two-Face’s murders The Dark Knighttarnishing its symbolism to preserve Harvey Dent’s. Batman’s symbolism would be repaired in The Dark Knight Riseswho also saw the Batman The title will be passed from Bruce Wayne to John Blake – the iteration of the Nolan trilogy of Robin.
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