Batman: Nolan Universe

    Hello!

    In the last vote , by a small margin, the Dark Knight won at the last moment. But, as for me, the victory was not objective. Despite the fact that the Dark Knight won, it is likely that many voted against TR, just their voices were divided between two other options. Initially, I wanted to change the voting to ranking, but this is superfluous for you and a lot of work on counting for me. Therefore, for starters, I’ll just try to give the opportunity to vote for several options. Then, if someone decides to vote against the option, he will be able to vote for everyone else.

    By tradition, Q&A

    What is it?



    A few fan theories regarding the Nolan Batman trilogy. If you come across such an article for the first time, here and here are two previous articles, but here you can read about why fan theories are interesting. This time I tried to cover a wider range of theories, regardless of personal preference. Let me know if you do not like this approach.

    Are we talking only about films?



    The DC universe is a pretty big place, and Batman’s story has been going on for over 70 years. It is impossible to cover such a volume in one article, not to mention the fact that in the comics themselves there is an unimaginable amount of contradictions and restarts. Because theories will relate exclusively to three films of Nolan. This does not mean that I will not make references to comics, just theories themselves will be based on films.

    Spoilers



    Movies, games, comics about Batman + spoiler from the book Fight Club.





    Nolan Universe



    For starters, a small digression. As I said, the DC universe is a rather heterogeneous place. In addition to the fact that numerous crises confused the plot lines to impossibility, so in 2011 there was a massive restart , and in June 2016 a new one is coming . All this is a little confusing, but, at the same time, makes it possible to come up with alternative stories. If they do not fit into the canon somewhere, it’s just an alternative reality, another world in which everything is the same except for a few differences. Speaking of the Nolan trilogy, use the word Nolanverse. Some go further and manage to weave the rest of Nolan’s films into the story. I personally have not been able to build / find any interesting theory on this topic, but you can search yourself. Before proceeding to the most interesting, in fairness, it is necessary to note several popular theories that I personally do not like.

    Who is the villain?



    In principle - a fairly common thing. Often a hero or villain is a matter of perception. Especially if we are talking about the comic book universe. In the case of the Nolan trilogy, I'm not sure about that interpretation, but theories are pretty popular, so they are worth mentioning.

    Joker - the hero of Gotham



    “To bring a person to complete insanity, you need only one bad day. That's how far I am from the rest of the world. Just for one bad day. I'm right? I know yes. I can tell. You had a bad day and everything has changed. Otherwise, why dress up like a Flying Rat? ”
    Joker.


    In the film, we perceive the Joker as a psycho-terrorist who wants to pervert all the good that he reaches for and destroy everything else.



    But, let's look at his actions and their results.

    The first bank robbery, as we know, was not necessary for the sake of money, but to lure Lau and deprive the mafia of all funds. Later, this allows Batman to steal Lau from China and bring him to Gotham. At the same time, during the robbery, the Joker destroys all his people, but leaves the bank employee alive by putting a fake grenade in his mouth.



    He also convinces the mafia to give him money and burns it. In fact, this is, if not forever, then certainly for a long time but will stop the mafia, which acts through bribery and intimidation.

    At the same time, the Joker saves the city from corrupt officials. As a result, Gorodon leads the police. The problem remains with the corrupt policemen, but later the Joker, with Dent's hands, solves it too.

    As for his ideas with the ship, this is one of the main points of his plan to save the city. First of all, he created a mixture of two well-known dilemmas. Prisoner and trolley . But, the Joker adds a point that takes the problem to the extreme, he promises to blow up both ships in case of inaction.

    It would seem that the initial plan of the Joker is terrible. But we can’t know for sure that he was telling the truth about detonators? What if pressing a button activated a bomb on the same ship? Or more. What if nothing would happen. For the entire film, the Joker barely tells the truth a couple of times. He circled the mafia around his fingers (which is already good), the police of Gotham and the Dark Knight himself. Moreover, his manipulations and multi-paths always work perfectly. He doesn’t just skillfully lie, he does it like in a textbook.



    See how he does it. He emphasized looks in the upper left corner, in accordance with the populist idea of ​​the manners of a liar. It’s as if he wants to be caught.

    It would seem that he kept his word when he promised to blow up the hospital if the city did not kill Colman Reese, who was threatening to reveal the secret of Batman's identity. But, in fact, at the moment when Bruce Wayne rams his van with his Lamborghini, the Joker is in the hospital with Harvey Dent. He could not find out if Reese was killed. Those. in any case, he would have blown up the hospital, showing that terrorists should not be trusted. However, he blows up the hospital only when it is completely empty.



    Also, thanks to the Joker. The avenger who committed lynching, crippling all who fell under the arm resigned (and, as we know, disappeared for the next 8 years)

    And finally, the most important thing is his confrontation with Dent. Then the Joker plan worked incorrectly. Based on the fact that the Joker seeks to restore order in Gotham, then perhaps he wanted Dent to die. After all, this is exactly what would help push through the Dent act, to which we will return.

    Why would the Joker die?
    At the hospital, the Joker gives Dent a gun and points him in the forehead. It is clear that he wants to corrupt Dent, but it is not clear why take such a risk. I really liked this explanation: the



    Joker holds his finger on the hook, which would prevent the gun from firing.

    UPD

    It seems that this is just a good shot. See comment manucan here here



    Since everything went the other way around, the Joker at the end, realizing that he was caught, warns Batman about Dent, hoping that he will succeed that the Joker failed.

    My opinion is that this theory lacks grace. For the most part, it is based on the logical error "in consequence, then consequence . " Despite the fact that the city really became calmer after the events of the Dark Knight, there is no reason to believe that the Joker had such an intention. In almost any, even the most terrible events, you can find positive notes. But this does not mean that the events themselves have acquired a positive connotation. If the Joker decided to hide his "heroism", then he did it perfectly.

    Bane believed in Batman



    This theory, it seems to me, is even weaker than the previous one.

    Proponents of this theory believe that all of Bane’s actions are aimed at returning the Dark Knight. Moreover, according to different versions, Taliya Al Gul knew / did not know about the plans of her right hand.

    To begin with, Bane gave the city of the enemy worse than Batman. Having lured a bat, Bane showed him that he is not strong enough for a new time.

    In the movie Batman: The Beginning, Ra's Al Ghul tells Wayne that his father is to blame for Wayne being an orphan. Bruce replies that his father did not know how to fight, to which Ras says that it is not training that is important, but spirit.



    Ra's Al Ghul, among other things, was a mentor to Bane. And his student largely adopted the views of the teacher. He knows that Batman’s spirit is broken and comes up with a plan to help him.

    To do this, he breaks his back and throws him into the pit, showing that only pain can survive. In order to give Wayne the motivation not to give up, Bane begins to smash Gotham.

    The next stage of the test is the pit, or rather, the ritual of climbing the wall. At the same time, the insurance on which the one who is holding is held is thrown over something outside the well. It turns out that the insurer can help by simply lifting the person to the very top. The question is why no one escapes from prison in this way.

    In fact - this is a rather obscure mistake in the film. There are several unconvincing theories on this subject, but this one is one of the strangest. According to her, prisoners are Bain's accomplices. Their only task is to make Batman get out of the well on his own. Thus, the insurer, in fact, delayed the jumper at the last moment. Therefore, to climb with a rope was simply impossible.

    As a result, Batman returns to Gotham stronger than ever. The truth about Dent becomes known and the city again receives the hero it deserves.

    The theory, as I already said, is rather weak and basically it is based on two statements:
    1) All that Bane did - he did to restore the Dark Knight.
    2) He “beat” with all his strength, because he believes in Batman and could not allow him to remain weak.

    The only relatively interesting point in this theory is the explanation that Bane practically kills Batman at the end, despite the fact that the latter has already returned to life. According to this theory, Bane from the very beginning wanted to become Batman himself. To do this, he lured Batman, found out who it was, returned his good name and was going to kill and save Gotham under his mask.

    Unfortunately, even this assumption is rather flimsy. After all, after Bane recognized Batman’s identity, he could immediately kill him, put on a mask and save the city.

    Arkham Hospital Patient



    This theory is included in the class of theories I do not like, and in its pure form I would not have inserted it at all in the article. But the more I thought about her, the more I remembered the details in her support.



    According to the theory, Bruce Wayne, in whose eyes his parents were killed, went crazy and became insular. Since then, he has been at Arkham Hospital. Wayne's injury is connected with the inability to save his parents, therefore, in his imagination, he portrays himself as a hero who can stop any criminal. At the same time, he cannot defeat all enemies, otherwise for his imagination, there simply will be no reason. His imagination portrays enemies more and more dangerous and dangerous and the battle is not for Gotham, but for the hero’s mind.

    At the same time, he complements his imagination with real people and objects. All his enemies are doctors and other patients. Let's say a scarecrow - prescribes pills, two-faced - this is a guard who is kind to patients, then cruel. A female cat is a patient from a neighboring room who wants to escape from custody. Gordon is the head of the hospital. Alfred, in my opinion, is the same Alfred. Many of their dialogues about Bruce having to give up Batman and become Bruce Wayne. Alfred's biography, unlike the others, has been known to Bruce since childhood. Because Alfred presented in the film, most likely as close to real.

    Batman for Batman himself
    Alfred is a former military man and, perhaps, it was from him that Wayne heard the word “batman”. The fact is that the American troops are called batmen . According to Wikipedia , the functions of a batman:

    1) Transfer orders of an officer to subordinates as a messenger.
    2) Cleaning officer uniforms and boots, taking care of officer baggage.
    3) Driving an officer’s car, including in combat conditions.
    4) Fulfillment of duties of an officer bodyguard.
    5) Fulfillment of other instructions of the officer, to save his time.
    (!) At the end of the service, the orderly could continue to fulfill his duties under the retired officer as a domestic servant.

    .

    Bruce's first therapist was Henri Ducart (Ra'c Al Ghul), he helped overcome the blame for the death of his parents and, for some time, Wayne was recovering. Then Ra's took decisive steps and tried to get Bruce to “destroy” the fictional city of Gotham and return to reality. This led to deterioration and, despite the help of Dr. Crane (scarecrow), Bruce became isolated again, and his alter ego became only stronger.

    Despite the fact that Bruce no longer felt guilty, he was still scared. He was frightened by the uncertainty of what might be hidden behind Gotham. He was scared by the possibility of losing loved ones; people scared him. At the end of “Batman Beginnings,” Gordon and Batman communicate on the roof (in fact, at the end of each part, a dialogue between Gordon and Batman takes place). Gordon tells Batman that a new character has appeared in the city and is showing a map. If you look closely at the questionnaire, you will notice the name: J. Kerr.



    In reality, Gordon tells Bruce about the new therapist, whose name is Joe Kerr.

    The Joker uses a variety of treatment methods to reach Bruce and he almost succeeds. From this point of view, the scene of interrogation at the police station is seen in a new light. This is actually the therapy that Gordon is watching. By the end of the film, the Dark Knight is ready to believe people, but here, the new security chief Harvey Dent reveals his second face. Suppose, once, Wayne found Dent talking to Gordon. Gordon was with the children and was clearly alarmed by something. Bruce, knowing what Dent actually looks like, rushes to the aid of Gordon and accidentally kills Dent.

    Due to the incident, the Jokers are removed, and Wayne is transferred to a solitary ward, where he has been for the next eight years, losing his human appearance. Here he is visited only by Alfred, who wants to someday see how Bruce will recover. The third part is Bruce’s complete struggle with himself. Bane is his pain of loss. Therefore, his name is consonant with the word pain (pain is the main theme of the third part). The city is trying to seize power while Bruce struggles with pain. In this vein, the uplifting scene does not look silly, since it is only a metaphor. Bruce is finally ready to face his pain and come to terms with it. At this time, he often recalls Ra's, as it was he who tried to help him get out of the prison. A female cat is a roommate who somehow somehow manages to get into his room. Waist is a new therapist.

    At the end, a bomb explosion closes the circle. He found a different path. Gotham is intact, but he no longer needs a hero. The world is quiet and calm, the one that Bruce Wayne needs.

    The final scene in the cafe is either a happy ending in which Bruce and Selina check out and leave, or Wayne’s new fantasy.

    There are several more popular theories that I don’t like, but I think I have spent enough time, you can move on to the most interesting.

    Batman vs batman
    A little absurdity before moving on to theories. In 2009, the mayor of the small town of Batman in Turkey sued Nolan for illegally using the name of their city in the film.



    He claimed that the film somehow triggered an outbreak of murders and female suicides in the city. Also, city residents had problems registering their business in Europe. In particular, a native of the city could not name his restaurant in Germany in honor of his native city.



    Agent Joker



    The Joker is perhaps my favorite comic book villain. And, one of the reasons why I like the Nolan trilogy so much is how well they conveyed the character. The character first appeared in April 1940, and for all the time of its existence, its background was not disclosed. Fans have come up with many different theories about the origin of the Joker, but regarding these films, as for me, the theory that the Joker is the best suited ... James Bond

    Well, not Bond himself, of course, the Joker obviously has no English accent. But still. Remember the movie "Die But Not Today."



    In the prologue, we see Bond being tortured for a year. When he is finally released, he is in terrible condition. Now imagine that he was never exchanged. Imagine that he was tortured for so long, and with such inhuman methods, that he lost all human appearance. I can easily imagine how once, the investigator asked him: “Why so serious,” and he drew a knife from ear to ear. Now, let's see why this might be true.

    1) The Joker can use a variety of weapons and vehicles.
    2) He knows how to handle explosives
    3) He makes plans so inconceivable that it seems as if there was no plan
    4) He is a connoisseur of poisons and prefers silent methods of killing.
    5) In the famous scene “this is magic”, he kills a person with a pencil. The use of a pencil and other household items as a weapon is a frequent sign of special training in the world of cinema.
    5) He uses a variety of gadgets, wears costumes, knows how to disguise himself.



    6) He is not inferior to Batman in melee.
    7) When Batman beats him at the police station, the Joker calmly endures it, the pain is familiar to him. Moreover, when Batman hits him for the first time, the Joker says: “Never start over, the victim is lost.” It can be assumed that he knows about torture not by hearsay. There are other hints in this scene.



    Still not convinced? Then remember how he tells two versions of the origin of the scars. He does this quite convincingly and each version fits perfectly into his image. Just like Bond uses different legends in each mission. It is also strange that neither Alfred nor Gordon could find absolutely no information on the Joker. At the same time, the Joker somehow managed to assemble a gang, penetrate the highest criminal circles, buy up to a pile of weapons. A person who had no problems with the law before would hardly have been able to find out how to do all this.

    The theory that the Joker is a former special agent, very well explains all his skills and abilities, it also explains why there is no information about him. If he was left to die, most likely the government denied his existence. Interestingly, although the word joker is usually perceived as a joker, it is also the strongest card in the deck that can take on the characteristics of any other card in many games. Great codename for a cool agent, as for me.

    Do you know Tyler Durden
    But this theory is simply amazing. In the movie “Fight Club”, in the end, we see the narrator shoot himself on the cheek. But in the book, shortly before this, there is another scene. The narrator comes to the fight club and calls into battle all the participants. In the end, during the fight, they pierce his cheek.

    A bullet from Tyler’s pistol tore my second cheek, so that my grin was already from ear to ear. Like an evil Halloween pumpkin. Like a Japanese demon. Like the Mean Dragon.

    The character of the Joker, especially from the film, is so similar to Tyler that you begin to think that this is not an invention.

    I wanted to burn the Louvre. Crush the Greek collection in the British Museum into small pieces with a hammer and wipe it with Mona Lisa. From now on, this world belongs to me!

    He does not need additional motivation to do what he does. Alfred, at some point, tells Wayne: "He just wants to see the world on fire."

    As soon as I imagine that we can burn like tobacco in this flying cigar case, my insomnia goes away, and I begin to cheerfully nod.

    Tyler also understands explosives and weapons, makes large-scale plans, wears catchy clothes and easily endures torture.

    You can even notice a similarity in how they react to the beating. They laugh fakely.



    And finally, the Joker has a whole army of subordinates who will fulfill any of his orders and never surrender him.



    Thus, the Fight Club is the backstory to the Dark Knight in the world where Tyler finally prevailed



    Political Allusions



    Attention! I just point out certain references in the film, and do not express any opinion. I beg you, refrain from political discussions in the comments, we are talking about the movie.

    The image of Batman itself is similar to the political image of the United States: rich, technologically advanced, cruel (although it does not recognize this) and self-sufficient. Accordingly, his enemies are the historical enemies of the United States.

    1.Batman: the beginning. Fascism



    The shadow league in this film is shown as a brutal military group, unquestioningly executing any, even the most terrible orders. Naturally, they believe that they are well-meaning and, in the end, will be able to rid the world of dirt. At first, Bruce listens to them, being deceived by Ra's, he learns from him, but recognizing what he is going to do with the League of Shadows, he turns against them. Just like the United States, though belatedly, they turned against fascist Germany.

    In fact, Bruce Wayne, in this case, represents Franklin Roosevelt, and Batman is a new course designed to save the country / city, despite the fact that many of his actions are undemocratic.

    When Bruce asks Ra’s if they attacked Gotham before, he replies that their weapons improved over time and in Gotham they experienced a new one: the economy. We know that the difficult economic condition of the city is the cause of almost all the troubles of the city. Likewise, World War II was preceded by the Great Depression.

    At the end, Bruce destroys the train, which was shown to us as a symbol of the economic transformation of his parents. He had to undo some accomplishments in order to save Gotham from a new, terrible external threat. Just like Roosevelt had to tighten the screws to save the country from the effects of the Depression.

    2. The Dark Knight: Terrorism



    In the second part, we are shown the US opposition to terrorism. The fact that the Joker is terrorism, a rather obvious idea, but what is funny in Bruce Wayne, you can see references to George W. Bush (this was written a lot in due time)
    1. He announces the fight with the Joker above all else. (One of Bush’s achievements is his anti-terrorism policy)
    2. In order to calculate the Joker, Batman began to listen to every mobile phone in the city, which may be a reference to the Patriotic Act . In both cases, the question of ethics is raised.
    3. In real life, Bruce Wayne is a reveler and a drunkard. This may be a reference to Bush’s recognition of his problems with alcoholism.
    4. The Batman sign in the film resembles the letter W, which is Bush’s nickname.

    3. The revival of the legend: Communism



    When I first watched this film, I laughed for several minutes at this frame. I don’t know if this is a deliberate reference, but it’s very similar.



    If you do not remember, in this shot, Bane, standing on an armored car, talks about the fact that the city should belong to citizens, and not to the rich and politicians. After that, pogroms and trials of the aristocracy begin throughout Gotham. This theory is also supported by the fact that heroes are fighting for possession of nuclear weapons.

    It's also funny that one of the movie trailers was released on May 1st.

    Each of these theories, by itself, looks weak, but all together are pretty convincing.

    Whom Batman protects.



    I did not know this when I watched the film for the first time, but when I found out, this fact struck me. The revival of the legend is inspired by Dickens 's Tale of Two Cities . The events of the film refer to the era of terror , and Batman is Sidney Cardboard, the protagonist of the book. In both cases, in the beginning we see the main character - descending and aimlessly living his days.

    ... which can be sadder than a person with rich talents and noble feelings, who could not find real use for them, could not help himself, take care of his happiness.

    At the end of the book, Sidney Cardboard sacrifices himself for another man, an aristocrat who should have been unjustly executed. Before entering the guillotine, he says: “What I do today is immeasurably the best that I have ever done; I am happy to find peace that I did not know in life. ” Gordon repeats the same text, word for word, at Wayne’s funeral.



    All this led me to some thoughts. What is Batman doing so good and whom is he really protecting.

    Let us look at Gotham, torn by various problems, which are based on corruption and poverty. We know that Wayne's parents tried to help. Ra's Al Ghul plainly says that they interfered with him. As a symbol of their achievement, we are shown a monorail across the city. Monorail, which Batman destroys during the fight with Ra's.



    Remember, the act of Dent, which I mentioned above. Its essence is casually explained in the film. Members of organized crime are denied bail and their sentences are more severe. Let us leave aside the fact that this is unconstitutional. In one of the dialogues, Gordon tells Dent that the rich top of the mafia can easily get away from it, to which Dent replies that their poor minions will not be able to.

    It turns out that the act is directed against poor people, the very bottom of the mafia. People, most of whom became criminals only because of the catastrophic economic condition of Gotham.

    Now back to the beginning. Bruce Wayne, the multi-billionaire owner of the largest company, is returning to the city. He is obsessed with the idea of ​​understanding and eliminating crime. But what does he do for this? Sews a suit and rushes around the city brutally beating criminals. At the same time, he spends a lot of money on the purchase of hotels and cars, delves into the application development department of his company and rivets cool gadgets for himself. Moreover, in fact, he uses the speed of his company to finance his hobby, which is already criminal.

    In fact, philanthropist Bruce Wayne could do much more for the city than Batman. At least he could follow the path of his parents, who struggled with poverty in the city and treated a disease, not a symptom. But he did not even try to keep track of the affairs of his company, which was originally built to help people. As a result of this, he lost all his money and company (let’s leave aside how implausible this was done, in the end it’s a parallel reality, maybe the exchange works here differently) His support for Dent and his act also suggests that Batman clearly preferred protect rich friends, not the people of Gotham.

    Wayne's only actions that speak well of him are to help the orphanage and attempt to create a compact fusion reactor, which, in the end, he did not dare to use. The first is a consequence of the fact that Wayne is an orphan, the second is a clear sign that Wayne prefers to set “cool” tasks, rather than solve problems in a consistent manner.

    And, although he stopped the destruction of the city several times, it is obvious that he himself was partially guilty of misfortunes.

    1) In Batman: The Beginning, the Shadow League uses a microwave to deliver gas (again, let’s leave it unrealistic). The weapon that Wayne developed was just because Bruce himself decided to go on an adventure.

    2) In The Dark Knight, it’s obvious that the Joker is obsessed with Batman. Gordon even warns Batman about this at the end of the first film, saying that a special hero will attract special criminals.

    3) The bomb was created by Wayne himself, not to mention the fact that all the events were revenge for the murder of Ra's.

    4) "Killing" Batman, Bruce Wayne did not stay to help rebuild the city, but went to Europe to sip cocktails with the Woman Cat.

    And about the ending of the third part
    A lot of controversy arises over the fact that Wayne could not survive after a nuclear explosion. Indeed, the 4 seconds shown in the movie would not be enough to fly off to a safe enough distance. Because of this, there was even a theory that Alfred at the end sees not the real Wayne. That this is only his fantasy.

    After reviewing the final scene several times, I still found an explanation.



    Before flying out of the city, Batman blows up the building and flies through it (1:33). At the same time, we know that the aircraft was designed specifically to maneuver between buildings. It turns out that he had time for a kiss, but not for one maneuver?

    It seems to me that flying through the smoke, Batman catapulted. Here it is necessary to make an assumption that the device’s cabin can separate and fly independently, just as the motorcycle was separated from the Batmobile in the second part.

    That is why we see Batman in the cockpit after he flew through the building. If you watch the scene carefully, you will notice that the device itself flies out of the city and rushes along the beach (2:00). Then we are shown Batman on whom the shadows fall, as if he were flying past buildings (2:11). These shadows simply had nowhere to appear, we saw how it flew outside the city.

    So, despite the many implausible moments in the film, specifically this can be explained.



    That’s probably all. I apologize that the article was published so late. Due to the heavy workload, I barely managed to devote a couple of hours a week to the article, because of this, integrity was lost and the text, as for me, turned out to be more boring. It was already impossible to pull further, so I decided to set it as it is. I hope this will not happen again. In any case, feel free to criticize and thank you for reading to the end.

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