The New Batman Movie Trilogy Revealed - And It’s Already Breaking Fans
Earlier this month, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation announced that they would be bringing a whole new movie to the International Animated Film Festival this year.
Batman: Knightfall, Part 1 is the first in a trilogy of movies which focus on the divisive Knightfall saga from the ‘90s comic books. Jeff Wamester is directing the movie based on a screenplay written by Jeremy Adams. Producers include Jim Krieg, Kimberly S. Moreau, Sam Register, and Michael Uslan.
In this story, the most controversial elements involve Bane defeating Batman and someone else taking on the moniker — and now, it’s about to spread to a wider audience. So, if you’re curious about the Knightfall saga and fans’ reactions to this, read on. But bear in mind that there are spoilers ahead.
What Happened In The Knightfall Saga?
In the Knightfall comic book arc, Bane orchestrates an escape of villains from Arkham Asylum to wear Bruce Wayne down before ultimately breaking his back, leaving him paraplegic. Strangely, Bruce decided to appoint Jean-Paul Valley, better known as Azrael, to the role of Batman in his place, as opposed to someone like Dick Grayson.
Azrael was also a sleeper agent for the Order of Saint Dumas. This is relevant because, after intense battles with Scarecrow and Bane, his programming (referred to as the System), instilled by the Order, took over and made him increasingly violent and erratic. After brutally defeating a lot of enemies, he deliberately killed the villain Abbatoir. However, this also led to the Abattoir's would-be victim dying.
As all of this is going on, Bruce and Alfred are on their own side quest to find a kidnapped Jack Drake and Dr. Shonda Kinsolving, the latter of whom was helping to rehabilitate the fallen hero. Bruce had also taken a fancy to her, as he so often does. Turns out, Kinsolving’s adoptive brother was the kidnapper and was forcing her to use her telepathic powers to murder people. In the end, a telepathic battle between the siblings had the side-effect of curing Bruce’s paraplegia. Sadly, Kinsolving was also left with the mind of a child.
Bruce then returned to Gotham to live as a civilian. Tim Drake made him aware that things weren’t working out with Azrael, who at that point had lost himself even more to The System. When Bruce demanded that he stop being Batman, Azrael refused. Bruce ended up retraining in combat under Lady Shiva, which culminated in him pretending to kill someone in accordance with Shiva’s orders so that he could complete his training. Then, he ended up in a final battle with Azrael and won.
There was a period of time between Bruce beating Azrael and returning as Batman, during which Tim Drake stepped in and took up the mantle, rebuilding some of the bridges Azrael burned during his tenure. Then, when the time was right, Bruce returned as Batman.
Why Was Knightfall Controversial?
Primarily, Knightfall was controversial for comic book readers because they expect their superheroes to be indestructible — even though, as is the case with Batman, he doesn’t actually have any powers. Still, it was probably a shock to the system for readers to see Bruce defeated in such a profound way. And, given he was left paraplegic, it seemed there was no way back for the hero.
It can also be said that Knightfall was controversial because the mantle of ‘Batman’ was passed onto someone else. This fact in and of itself was unsettling for fans, and can be said to have been made all the more egregious by the fact that the person chosen as the next Batman wasn’t a more natural and established option like Dick Grayson.
While things all worked out in the end, replacing such iconic characters and letting them carry on these superhero mantles is rarely a popular choice. It’s not too dissimilar to Spider-Man’s Clone Saga in the Marvel comics, which suggested that the Spider-Man/Peter Parker readers had become accustomed to was actually a clone. It proved so unpopular that Marvel ultimately retconned the storyline in part. The main difference is that Bruce’s relinquishment of the cape and cowl at that time ended up being temporary.
Still, although this type of retconning didn’t happen, some argue that DC historically struggle with seeing the controversial story through when it's adapted in other forms, with one Redditor claiming that many adaptations of the Knightfall storyline “coward out in the second half.”
“Knightfall is one of my favorite comic series. It’s an important lesson about how you can’t do everything alone and how sometimes it’s better to leave a job to someone more capable…” they explained.
“Shame that there is not a single adaptation that follows through on Knightfall all the way. Either they A) coward out at breaking the Bat and just do the pose before he escapes or Batman just gets back up, B) Batman finishes the job solo all on his own, or C) Azreal is cut out completely from the story,” the Redditor complained.
What Do Fans Think Of The Knightfall Movies?
Over on X, fan responses were mixed. Most were thrilled. “I'm surprised it took this long,” one wrote. “Knightfall is iconic. That's THE Bane arc.”
“If this is legit, I hope they stick close to the comic books with the adaptation!” a second said.
Meanwhile, a third classed it as a FANTASTIC arc, while a fourth added: “About time the other famous Batman storyline got adapted.”
But others weren’t so sure. “In a modern era DC that's giving me new and innovative ideas and every angle, this is the last thing I want to see,” a fifth remarked.
And a sixth asked: “But will it even bother to adapt the comic, or will it take creative liberties?”
Given the controversy surrounding the storyline, it wouldn’t be surprising if the new Batman movies did change the narrative. However, if DC sticks the landing on this, the comic giant might be able to win over even the most sceptical of fans.
