Please Stop Using The Batman ‘Dark Knight Returns’ In Movies

The problem? Miller made it look too badass.

Almost immediately after DKR came out, its seedier futuristic version of Gotham City has been embraced by today’s regulars Batman comics and pretty soon it spilled over into Tim Burton movies – which probably wouldn’t exist if Miller hadn’t made it cool for a school of gothic art like Burton to love Batman again.

Joel Schumacher was also a big fan of Return of the Dark Knight and intended to adapt it after his two films, and Christopher Nolan bent over backwards to jam DKR elements in his trilogy. We went straight from a young Batman who was still only in his second year in The black Knight to a tired, retired Bruce Wayne who needs mechanical assistance to move around in The dark knight rises.

And then, of course, Zack Snyder started his cinematic universe with the older, more violent Batman that Miller specifically created to represent the end of the character’s career. It is true that Miller ended up changing his plans and creating more comics in this universe, but the less Hollywood looks at his post-DKR the better. His Batman and Robin All-Star and Superman: Year One The series retroactively established that this Batman was still a dangerous maniac who should never be allowed around children.