Movies - TV
How The Dark Knight Team Decided Which Batman Villains The Trilogy Would Tackle
By MICHAEL BOYLE
Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy” brought some of Batman’s greatest villains to the big screen. Although the director has no interest in doing more “Dark Knight” films, Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer shared their process for selecting villains of the previous movies, revealing that the superhero’s adversary reflected the type of character arc they wanted.
Goyer explained, “We always said, ‘What kind of story do we wanna tell about our protagonist, what kinda challenges do we want to have them face? And then, ‘What character in the rogues’ gallery will be best equipped to put our hero through those?” Each of the villains selected helped Nolan and Goyer dive into the film’s themes that would test the hero.
Ra’s al Ghul acted as a parental figure for the young, traumatized Bruce Wayne in “Batman Begins,” and the Scarecrow explored the film’s themes of overcoming fear. In “The Dark Knight,” the Joker reflected the new brand of criminal produced by Batman’s war on crime, while Harvey Dent’s downfall highlighted the importance of the vigilante’s role as Gotham’s protector.
Bane represented Batman’s final obstacle in “The Dark Knight Rises,” as co-writer Jonathan Nolan explained, “Bane is a resourceful, cunning, and committed villain who knows exactly what he wants. He wants Batman dead and Gotham in ruins. That’s fitting for a third film.” While Nolan isn’t involved in “The Batman” series, his method of choosing villains could reveal who might be featured next.