How The Batman Fixes One of DC's Most Controversial Comic Stories
Warning! Spoilers for The Batman ahead!
While The Batman is a massive box-office success, accruing over $500 million in just three weeks, it's also succeeded at fixing the fundamental flaws of a highly controversial Bat-Family crossover in 1999. Matt Reeves' film, long-delayed (it was initially meant to be released in 2021), chronicles the life of a Batman early in his career, and contains plenty of supporting characters, villains, and key Batman elements from the Silver Age. But the ending directly emulates the Batman: No Man's Land storyline — while fixing most of the problematic elements in only a few minutes.
The Batman'smain villain, the Riddler, believes Gotham is in need of a drastic change to eliminate corruption at the heart of the city. Batman eventually catches the Riddler after a string of murders only to discover the villain has one more element to his plan: plant bombs close to the seawalls, flooding the city and forcing the Mayor and other officials to Gotham Square Garden. Then, Riddler's henchmen will open fire on the crowd, potentially killing dozens or even hundreds. Batman ultimately saves the lives of his fellow citizens, but Gotham is still flooded, devastating the city.
Related: Batman V Superman's Controversial Murders Have Come To Comics, Too
The moment directly references Batman: No Man's Land, a massive crossover event — albeit the disaster strikes the city at the beginning, not the end. Gotham is devastated by magnitude 7.6 earthquake, toppling buildings, tearing up streets, and displacing millions of residents. Rather than help the citizens, the government of the United States shockingly decides to «write off» the city, destroying bridges and denying entry to all (even those trying to help).
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