Summary
James Gunn and Peter Safran made a splash from the outset of their new positions with DC Studios as they announced an entire slate of upcoming feature films and TV shows for the Max streaming platform. One of the announced projects wasThe Brave and the Bold, a newBatmanmovie set to follow Batman and Robin on their crusade to protect Gotham City.Batmanhas seen himself in dozens of movies, live-action and otherwise, and if the DCU wants to make an impact with the character, it needs to do something new.
There’s nothing more impactful than killing off a character. Death is a common theme in comic books but rarely happens in feature films because they’re typically grounded in more reality than the comics, and there’s rarely a means to bring them back to life. Resurrecting superheroes has also been so abused in the comics that it holds no meaning to the fans anymore. However, there’s a certain narrative quality to a character’s death if there’s already a plan for their resurrection, and it serves the overall story.
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Grant Morrison Wrote the Blueprint
Grant Morrison’sBatmanstories:
Hundreds of writers have had their turn with Batman, expanding on his lore and capabilities while enriching the city of Gotham. No writer has done more for the character than Grant Morrison. Morrison putBruce Wayne through the wringerin his seven-year-long love letter to the character, which started in 2006 with theBatman and Sonstoryline. This story introduced Bruce Wayne’s son, Damian, who he fathered with Talia al Ghul. Morrison’s epic saw Dick Grayson, the first Robin, eventually take up Batman’s mantle after Bruce Wayne seemingly died in the events ofFinal Crisis.
During Bruce’s absence,Dick Grayson and Bruce’s son Damianacted as the new Batman and Robin throughout the titleBatman and Robin. It was an amusing experience for fans, as Dick and Damian’s clash of personalities made it difficult for them to work together. Dick trained under Batman his entire life and learned the sanctity of life and the value of protecting others. Meanwhile, Damian grew up with the League of Assassins, where he trained to kill unsuspecting targets. This premise has some parallels to Gunn’s plannedThe Brave and the Boldfeature film, which will debut Damian Wayne and introduce the Bat-family for the new DCU.
It’s going to see some differences since Grant Morrison’sBatman and Robindidn’t feature Bruce Wayne as the primary Batman and served as Morrison’s second act for his overall epic. However, it won’t be difficult forBrave and the Bolddirector Andy Muschietti to use the comic for inspiration, especially the plot point that saw Damian attempt to kill Dick Grayson. The film would need a different means to kill Bruce, as there’s no word of Darkseid showing up in the DCU yet, and having the tension between the father and son culminate in an assassination of theCaped Crusaderwould be something new for audiences.
Additionally, depending on how Bruce dies, it could provide fuel for a sequel or TV series that follows him through time, as his death at the hands of Darkseid sent him on a time-traveling adventure as opposed to killing him.
It Would Raise the Stakes
It’s easy for filmmakers to fill aBatmanfilm with tension caused byhis Rogues' Gallery, but there’s rarely any fear that the titular character will fail or lose his life. Audiences always know he’s going to come out on top, which is fine for the most part since it’s a superhero movie. However, it’s only fine.Batmanmovies need a little bit more than that after appearing in more than 13 live-action movies. What better tension to inject into a superhero film than a looming threat from the main hero’s own sidekick?
This approach would be notably different than the comics, as Damian is rather fond of his dad and only ever tries to gain his approval. It wouldn’t be difficult to show Damian internally struggling with his urge or mission to kill Bruce Wayne. Showing reluctance and remorse on Damian’s part adds some depth to the character. The tension is further heightened if the audience knows Damian intends tokill Bruce from the very beginning.
Batman Incorporated is a Fresh Take on the Character
Following Bruce’s death and return to the land of the living, the billionaire decided to take his operation global and recruited representatives in countries worldwide. Bruce traveled around the world recruiting various heroes to become the Batman of their country. Knight and Squire became the Batman and Robin of England, Nightrunner was the Batman of France, Batwing was the Batman of an unnamed country in Africa, and so many more. If Gunn wants tointroduce the Bat-family, it should be the whole Bat-family. This would be aBatmanmovie that the general audience has never seen.
Fans don’t need an origin story from this character anymore. They need to see something new from him, and having Batman return from the “dead” with the epiphany of going global with his mission would certainly be something fresh. Not only would using Morrison’s stories for inspiration add to the looming threat of Bruce’s death, but it could also add a persistent group of antagonists. The organization found itself at odds with the Leviathan group, a worldwide criminal organization.
Before Morrison introduced Leviathan, he used the League of Assassins and a lesser-known group, the Black Glove, as antagonists for Batman. Mesh elements of each group into one organization, plant seeds of their existence throughoutThe Brave and the Boldand other DCUBatmanmovies, and fans will get a cohesive and intriguing story to follow that sets itself apart fromprevious Dark Knight films.
While superhero fatigue hasn’t set in, there is an obvious formula to many superhero films that filmmakers need to avoid. It makes each comic book movie indistinguishable from the last. There are a great many comic book storylines the studios can follow, but few come close to the story Grant Morrison weaved through his time withBatman. His take on the character was one of the most impactful for DC comics and insightful, showing that there’s a fine line between genius and insanity. Following the outline Morison created would give a new take on theCaped Crusader.
