Legends of the Dark Knight

Published 1:00 pm Sunday, July 15, 2012

Later this week, “The Dark Knight Rises” opens in movie theatres, concluding the series that started with “Batman Begins” and continued with the landmark “The Dark Knight.” All star Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and are directed by Christopher Nolan.

“The Dark Knight Rises” features Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane. While Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler are all Batman villains and household names, Bane is not.

Granted, a character named Bane appeared as the doltish super-strong henchman of Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, but “The Dark Knight Rises’” Bane promises to be something a bit closer to the arch-villain in the comics.

Nearly 20 years ago, DC Comics introduced Bane as a bad guy who was physically strong, even more physically imposing when boosted by the drug Venom, and ruthlessly intelligent. In the comics storyline “Knightfall,” Bane orchestrated the release of all of Batman’s enemies from Arkham Asylum. Batman spends weeks recapturing everyone from The Joker to Killer Croc to Two-Face, etc. Batman succeeds but is exhausted by the effort.

That’s when Bane personally strikes. Knowing Batman’s secrets, Bane attacks Batman in the Batcave, brutally beats him and breaks the Batman’s back, leaving Bruce Wayne a paraplegic for years.

The movie will likely touch upon some of these elements but will more likely depart from them wildly. Here are a few other pieces of Batman trivia.

Joe Chill. Unlike the 1989 “Batman” movie starring Michael Keaton as the title character and Jack Nicholson as the Joker, the criminal clown had nothing to do with the murder of young Bruce Wayne’s parents. In the comics, a burglar named Joe Chill killed his parents.

Unlike “Batman Begins,” the comics did not quickly resolve the Joe Chill storyline. In the comics, the mugger’s name wasn’t known until a few years into the Batman titles. Batman discovers the gangster Joe Chill killed his parents. Batman unmasks, revealing he is Bruce Wayne. Chill seeks protection from his gang, telling them that he is the reason there is a Batman. Blaming Chill for Batman, the gang kills him before he can reveal Batman’s identity. The Chill origin has changed through more than 70 years of comics, movies, etc., but this was the first telling.

The First Film Batman. Many people probably believe the first “real” Batman was the one portrayed by Adam West in a 1960s movie and television series, but two other actors portrayed Batman prior to West.

In 1943, Lewis Wilson played The Batman in a 15-part, black-and-white movie serial. Given its release during World War II, Batman and Robin (played by Douglas Croft) battle Dr. Daka, a Japanese scientist who turns people into zombies.

In 1949, a second serial was released called “Batman and Robin,” starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan respectively. In this 15-chapter movie serial, Batman and Robin face the masked Wizard, who uses an electrical device to control cars while plotting ways to destroy the Dynamic Duo.

Both the 1943 and 1949 serials were low-budget. Everything from Batman’s costumes, especially the masks, fit the actors poorly. Some movie critics have described these movies as closer to being unintentional farces. The 1960s “Batman” used some of these elements to create an intentional comedy and the cliff-hanger endings that became a hallmark of the television show, with its same “bat-time, same bat-channel” conclusions.

The Dark Knight. Batman has several nicknames: The Caped Crusader, the Darknight Detective, the World’s Greatest Detective. But the Dark Knight is one that gained popularity in 1986 when comics creator Frank Miller (“Sin City” and “300”) created “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” a critically acclaimed graphic novel featuring a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne returning to the cape and cowl after a decade’s retirement from being Batman. Miller’s book re-defined the Batman, and led to the popular monthly comic “Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight,” which ran from 1989 to 2007. Given the Miller book and the monthly title’s influence on the more recent movies, the “Dark Knight” title is fitting.