While The Batman will likely be distinctive enough that it shouldn't have to surpass The Dark Knight, that unenviable task might not even be possible. The upcoming film from director Matt Reeves may not be coming to theaters until March 2022, but comparisons are already being made to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight all the same. Largely viewed as one of the best superhero films of all time, The Dark Knight is certainly one of the greatest Batman films to have ever been produced. As such, does The Batman even stand a chance of exceeding its past success?
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight was the second film in his trilogy set in Gotham City, seeing the Joker rising as a new class of criminal in response to Batman's efforts to clean up the city and fight the mob, evolving into the true sacrificial Dark Knight the city needed him to be. Similarly, Matt Reeves' The Batman will be seeing Bruce Wayne in his second year as a Gotham vigilante, preparing to face a new kind of villain in the form of the Riddler, as Edward Nygma unleashes a personal vendetta on both Batman and Bruce Wayne.
Leading up to the film's release, The Batman is facing some pressure and hopes that it will perform just as well as The Dark Knight did. With The Batman serving as a launchpad for a whole new franchise, desires and expectations from fans and producers alike seem to have the bar set near The Dark Knight's level (if not higher), especially with Warner Bros. having invested so much into this newest Batman venture, being the first chapter of a bigger story they want to tell with director Matt Reeves.
Why The Dark Knight Hasn't Been Beat Yet
The reason why The Dark Knight is still considered to be one of the best superhero films of all time—and certainly the best Batman film—largely comes down to two contributors: Christopher Nolan breaking the superhero formula that had been established by many prior films, as well as providing Christian Bale's Dark Knight with Heath Ledger's Joker, a villain who threw Batman out of his normal processes as a vigilante. The Joker was evil for the sake of chaos, having no motive other than to "watch the world burn" as he sought to shake up the entire Gotham status quo, forcing Batman to make a sacrifice, losing personally while saving his city.
Releasing in 2008 with only the first Iron Man as its sole MCU competitor, The Dark Knight didn't do what most superhero films were doing previously: offering a story where the hero and their fantastic powers defeat the villain, gets the girl, and then rides off into the sunset by the film's end. With The Dark Knight, Batman was more grounded and based in realism than ever before. While Joker was arrested, Batman lost the girl and was made to be the villain in order to protect his city, sinking into the shadows after his sacrifice to be what Gotham needed. By The Dark Knight's ending, Nolan delivered a complex and emotional plot that truly resonated with audiences beyond those who were already Batman fans beforehand.
Can The Batman Top The Dark Knight As The Best Batman Film?
As a result, asking The Batman to be as good as The Dark Knight seems like a tall order that it shouldn't have to fulfill. Just as all attempts to recapture past magic with new works are easier said than done, The Batman has an opportunity to be its own film and provide a fresh take on the Caped Crusader instead, diving deeper into areas Nolan's 2008 film didn't explore. For example, one of The Batman's most exciting elements seen in trailers is the inclusion of Edward Nygma (Paul Dano), giving audiences a more serious Riddler who will be laying down a gauntlet not only against Batman (Robert Pattinson) but also for Bruce Wayne, having correctly deduced his secret identity.
Given the setting for both films where Batman's origins have already been completed, it makes sense why the comparisons are already being made between The Dark Knight and The Batman. For example, Riddler seems to be looking to shake up the status quo just as the Joker did, albeit with a seemingly greater scope by exposing hidden truths. However, it does look as though Reeves' film will be leaning into some newer territories such as Bruce being less refined with barely controlled rage, still trying to find his footing as the Batman balancing justice with vengeance. It looks as though he'll also be struggling to deal with new secrets coming to light about his own past and family. As a result, it certainly seems as though The Batman has the right building blocks in place to provide a unique and entertaining film that is also evocative of The Dark Knight in certain regards without being a carbon copy, perhaps allowing it to beat the 2008 film's success.
What The Batman & Dark Knight Comparisons Are Missing
It should also be noted that the biggest difference between The Dark Knight and The Batman is what came after/what's coming next. While The Dark Knight is the second film within Nolan's trilogy, it's still largely self-contained as its own story. Likewise, the trilogy itself was self-contained as well, not belonging to the larger DCEU that would be built beginning with 2013's Man of Steel. In contrast, The Batman is reported to be the first of a new trilogy which will also have spin-off television series on HBO Max, kicking off a greater Gotham-centered franchise for Warner Bros. separate from the DCEU. As a result, The Batman will likely have more setup and teases for future chapters and projects—something The Dark Knight didn't provide in the slightest. That being said, a moderate amount of teases for sequels and spin-offs have certainly become the norm and even an expectation in 2022.
Why The Batman's Success Is So Important (When Dark Knight's Wasn't)
Going beyond the comparisons between The Batman and The Dark Knight and their content, the simple fact remains that The Batman's overall success is far more crucial. A scenario where The Batman fails or does not receive the level of commercial success Warner Bros. is looking for would be very problematic. Not only would it likely jeopardize future projects set in this new version of Gotham, but Warner Bros. would likely be criticized for leaving a potential solo film starring Ben Affleck's DCEU Batman behind in favor of this new trilogy that will largely stand on its own.
While it may or may not surpass The Dark Knight, Matt Reeves' The Batman looks to be a bold new retelling of Bruce Wayne and his crusade against Gotham's criminals all the same. That being said, the importance of the film's success, in general, is far more important considering all that Warner Bros. has riding on it. While that's not inherently bad, perhaps the lack of pressure The Dark Knight had is what made it so good in the first place, seeing as how it was allowed to focus on its own unique and creatively groundbreaking narrative (without needing to set up a whole new franchise at the same time). In any case, time will tell if The Batman can beat The Dark Knight or at the very least match its success when Matt Reeves' film comes to theaters on March 4th.
