What If The DCEU Started With Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy

What If The DCEU Started With Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy

With a different Batman, the very fabric of the DCEU would be fundamentally different. Christian Bale’s Batman was very different from Ben Affleck’s, and thus the specifics of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s crossover story would need to change. As Bale’s Batman was never presented as technologically gifted like Affleck’s – relying instead on the support of Lucius Fox – the narrative device of Batman being able to physically match Henry Cavill’s Superman by stealing and adapting kryptonite weapons would be far less likely. Instead, Fox would have had to play a role in adapting specific gadgets to help Bale’s Caped Crusader overcome the Man of Steel.
The biggest hurdle that Bale’s Batman v Superman would have to overcome is reconciling the grounded tone of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy against the sci-fi nature of Superman. As Nolan’s Batman movies offered a far more realistic take on the superhero genre, it’s hard to imagine any organic way for Bale’s Batman to hold his own against the physically superior Superman of the DCEU. Overcoming this would require significant rewriting of one or both characters, which means that even if Bale’s Batman had been the DCEU’s Batman, Batman v Superman would still be controversial. The question of Batman ever being able to gain the upper hand would have been far more problematic.
Justice League Would Have Been More Interesting With Bale’s Batman

Christian Bale’s hypothetical role in Justice League would come with similar issues. The DCEU’s existing tone wouldn’t naturally mesh with that of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, even down to the characterization of its heroes and villains. However, one of the biggest considerations would be the role that Bale’s Batman could play in the team-based movie, and how his inclusion would have forced a reworking of its story. Steppenwolf as a villain is, by his very nature, otherworldly and immensely powerful — something that the very human hero that is Bale’s Batman would find particularly challenging in Justice League. After all, he struggled to physically match the human villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and would therefore struggle to hold his own against an intergalactic menace.
Bale’s potential role in Justice League would still mirror the one that Ben Affleck’s version played, but the limited capacity that Affleck’s Wayne had to accept would have been necessarily exacerbated. And while the grounded approach Nolan took to the character provided physical limitations, Bale’s Batman would have still taken on a leading role in a less hands-on way. It’s more realistic to imagine Bale’s Batman acting as the superhero team’s wealthy benefactor and tactician, working behind the scenes to organize his superpowered compatriots.
The Justice League Remains, But “Robin” Joins

By having the Dark Knight trilogy serve as the basis for the DCEU, the Justice League’s heroes would have needed to be written differently. However, as Batman’s backstory remains relatively consistent, his place among the other heroes wouldn’t look altogether different: he’d still be one of the few non-superpowered heroes fighting alongside aliens and gods. Yet Batman might have been forced to adapt significantly to establish the character’s place in the DCEU.
The Dark Knight Rises ends with Christian Bale’s Batman retired, and it heavily implies that his “Robin” — better known as John Blake — would go on to assume the mantle of the Dark Knight. This means that John Blake would actually be the DCEU’s Batman, or that Bale’s Bruce Wayne would return and take on Blake as his sidekick, having Joseph Gordon-Levitt play Robin in the DCEU. Regardless, they would be the most human characters among the ranks of superpowered heroes, and Nolan’s more realistic approach to Batman would be something required for the DCEU’s other heroes in order to make their dynamic work.
Nolan’s Trilogy Would Have Changed The Tone Of The DCEU

Had Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy formed the basis of the DCEU franchise, the very tone of its movies, as they were ultimately made, wouldn’t have worked. Batman v Superman would have gone ahead with only relatively minor tweaks thanks to the DCEU’s revised approach to Superman, but the more traditional depictions of other DC heroes would be practically impossible to reconcile against Bale’s Batman. What made Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy so successful was its levity, discarding the traditional aspects of the superhero genre in favor of a more artistic approach to its storytelling.
One of the biggest criticisms of the DCEU was its perceived unnecessary grittiness. The more grounded, but still serious Dark Knight treatment would have helped with this, but it would have required taking certain creative liberties with its heroes in order to keep it consistent with Nolan’s existing trio of Batman movies. As Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy would have then formed the foundation of the entire franchise, it would have needed to match the grounded tone from the beginning instead of simply injecting darkness into established stories seemingly at random.
Why The Dark Knight Trilogy Wasn’t Part Of The DCEU

Ultimately, Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was never a part of the DCEU. Christian Bale’s Batman return would have happened with DC’s alternate plan, but this never came to be, and it would seem that this was actually for the best. The most obvious reason comes down to Nolan’s vision for his trilogy of self-contained, story-driven narratives that bring more realistic aspects to the idea of modern superheroes. That wasn’t something that lent itself well to a larger franchise, essentially making the DCEU the polar opposite of Nolan’s artistic approach.
There is also the narrative side of things, though. In The Dark Knight Rises, Bale’s Bruce Wayne had officially retired as Batman, passing the mantle to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Robin John Blake. Bringing Bale back would have undermined his ending, and John Blake’s Robin tease wasn’t intended as the basis for Nolan to continue making Batman movies. Having the Dark Knight trilogy lead into the DCEU would have been inorganic from a narrative point of view, and that is something that would be practically impossible to convince Nolan to do regardless.
As a result, Nolan’s trilogy never became part of the DCEU, and it’s to the favor of both: the tone of the two separate franchises is distinctly different, and forcing them together would have felt messy and tonally inconsistent. But while Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy wasn’t part of the DCEU, it still inspired it in many ways, and that’s actually a far better result.

#DCEU #Started #Nolans #Dark #Knight #Trilogy

What If The DCEU Started With Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy

With a different Batman, the very fabric of the DCEU would be fundamentally different. Christian Bale’s Batman was very different from Ben Affleck’s, and thus the specifics of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s crossover story would need to change. As Bale’s Batman was never presented as technologically gifted like Affleck’s – relying instead on the support of Lucius Fox – the narrative device of Batman being able to physically match Henry Cavill’s Superman by stealing and adapting kryptonite weapons would be far less likely. Instead, Fox would have had to play a role in adapting specific gadgets to help Bale’s Caped Crusader overcome the Man of Steel.
The biggest hurdle that Bale’s Batman v Superman would have to overcome is reconciling the grounded tone of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy against the sci-fi nature of Superman. As Nolan’s Batman movies offered a far more realistic take on the superhero genre, it’s hard to imagine any organic way for Bale’s Batman to hold his own against the physically superior Superman of the DCEU. Overcoming this would require significant rewriting of one or both characters, which means that even if Bale’s Batman had been the DCEU’s Batman, Batman v Superman would still be controversial. The question of Batman ever being able to gain the upper hand would have been far more problematic.
Justice League Would Have Been More Interesting With Bale’s Batman

Christian Bale’s hypothetical role in Justice League would come with similar issues. The DCEU’s existing tone wouldn’t naturally mesh with that of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, even down to the characterization of its heroes and villains. However, one of the biggest considerations would be the role that Bale’s Batman could play in the team-based movie, and how his inclusion would have forced a reworking of its story. Steppenwolf as a villain is, by his very nature, otherworldly and immensely powerful — something that the very human hero that is Bale’s Batman would find particularly challenging in Justice League. After all, he struggled to physically match the human villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and would therefore struggle to hold his own against an intergalactic menace.
Bale’s potential role in Justice League would still mirror the one that Ben Affleck’s version played, but the limited capacity that Affleck’s Wayne had to accept would have been necessarily exacerbated. And while the grounded approach Nolan took to the character provided physical limitations, Bale’s Batman would have still taken on a leading role in a less hands-on way. It’s more realistic to imagine Bale’s Batman acting as the superhero team’s wealthy benefactor and tactician, working behind the scenes to organize his superpowered compatriots.
The Justice League Remains, But “Robin” Joins

By having the Dark Knight trilogy serve as the basis for the DCEU, the Justice League’s heroes would have needed to be written differently. However, as Batman’s backstory remains relatively consistent, his place among the other heroes wouldn’t look altogether different: he’d still be one of the few non-superpowered heroes fighting alongside aliens and gods. Yet Batman might have been forced to adapt significantly to establish the character’s place in the DCEU.
The Dark Knight Rises ends with Christian Bale’s Batman retired, and it heavily implies that his “Robin” — better known as John Blake — would go on to assume the mantle of the Dark Knight. This means that John Blake would actually be the DCEU’s Batman, or that Bale’s Bruce Wayne would return and take on Blake as his sidekick, having Joseph Gordon-Levitt play Robin in the DCEU. Regardless, they would be the most human characters among the ranks of superpowered heroes, and Nolan’s more realistic approach to Batman would be something required for the DCEU’s other heroes in order to make their dynamic work.
Nolan’s Trilogy Would Have Changed The Tone Of The DCEU

Had Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy formed the basis of the DCEU franchise, the very tone of its movies, as they were ultimately made, wouldn’t have worked. Batman v Superman would have gone ahead with only relatively minor tweaks thanks to the DCEU’s revised approach to Superman, but the more traditional depictions of other DC heroes would be practically impossible to reconcile against Bale’s Batman. What made Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy so successful was its levity, discarding the traditional aspects of the superhero genre in favor of a more artistic approach to its storytelling.
One of the biggest criticisms of the DCEU was its perceived unnecessary grittiness. The more grounded, but still serious Dark Knight treatment would have helped with this, but it would have required taking certain creative liberties with its heroes in order to keep it consistent with Nolan’s existing trio of Batman movies. As Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy would have then formed the foundation of the entire franchise, it would have needed to match the grounded tone from the beginning instead of simply injecting darkness into established stories seemingly at random.
Why The Dark Knight Trilogy Wasn’t Part Of The DCEU

Ultimately, Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was never a part of the DCEU. Christian Bale’s Batman return would have happened with DC’s alternate plan, but this never came to be, and it would seem that this was actually for the best. The most obvious reason comes down to Nolan’s vision for his trilogy of self-contained, story-driven narratives that bring more realistic aspects to the idea of modern superheroes. That wasn’t something that lent itself well to a larger franchise, essentially making the DCEU the polar opposite of Nolan’s artistic approach.
There is also the narrative side of things, though. In The Dark Knight Rises, Bale’s Bruce Wayne had officially retired as Batman, passing the mantle to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Robin John Blake. Bringing Bale back would have undermined his ending, and John Blake’s Robin tease wasn’t intended as the basis for Nolan to continue making Batman movies. Having the Dark Knight trilogy lead into the DCEU would have been inorganic from a narrative point of view, and that is something that would be practically impossible to convince Nolan to do regardless.
As a result, Nolan’s trilogy never became part of the DCEU, and it’s to the favor of both: the tone of the two separate franchises is distinctly different, and forcing them together would have felt messy and tonally inconsistent. But while Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy wasn’t part of the DCEU, it still inspired it in many ways, and that’s actually a far better result.

#DCEU #Started #Nolans #Dark #Knight #Trilogy