Reception
About which year did Batman get written?
Batman Begins
Batman Begins Batmania Batman Eternal James Gordon (comics) Batman &amp; Robin (film)
Batman_Begins-Development Batmania-Content Batman_Eternal-"Batman"_#28 James_Gordon_(comics)-Live_action_1 Batman_&amp;_Robin_(film)-Cancelled_sequel_and_legacy
In January 2003, Warner Bros. hired "Memento" director Christopher Nolan to direct an untitled "Batman" film, and David S. Goyer signed on to write the script two months later. Nolan stated his intention to reinvent the film franchise of "Batman" by "doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before". Nolan said that humanity and realism would be the basis of the origin film, and that "the world of Batman is that of grounded reality. will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises." Goyer said that the goal of the film was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Nolan felt the previous films were exercises in style rather than drama, and described his inspiration as being Richard Donner's 1978 film "Superman", in its focus on depicting the character's growth. Also similar to "Superman", Nolan wanted an all-star supporting cast for "Batman Begins" to lend a more epic feel and credibility to the story. Nolan's personal "jumping off point" of inspiration was "The Man Who Falls", a short story by Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano about Bruce's travels throughout the world. The early scene in "Batman Begins" of young Bruce Wayne falling into a well was adapted from "The Man Who Falls". ', written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale, influenced Goyer in writing the screenplay, with the villain Carmine Falcone as one of many elements which were drawn from "Halloweens "sober, serious approach". The writers considered having Harvey Dent in the film, but replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn't do him justice". The character was later portrayed by Aaron Eckhart in the 2008 sequel "The Dark Knight". The sequel to "Halloween", ', also served as an influence. Goyer used the vacancy of Bruce Wayne's multi-year absence presented in ' to help set up some of the film's events in the transpiring years. In addition, the film's Sergeant James Gordon was based on his comic book incarnation as seen in "Year One". The writers of "Batman Begins" also used Frank Miller's "Year One" plot device, which was about a corrupt police force that led to Gordon and Gotham City's need for Batman. A common idea in the comics is that Bruce saw a Zorro film with his parents before they were murdered. Nolan explained that by ignoring that idea – which he stated is not found in Batman's first appearances – it emphasized the importance of bats to Bruce and that becoming a superhero is a wholly original idea on his part. It is for this reason Nolan believes other DC characters do not exist in the universe of his film; otherwise, Wayne's reasons for taking up costumed vigilantism would have been very different. At his audition, Bale wore the batsuit Val Kilmer donned for 1995's "Batman Forever". 
The pages of the fanzine provided, wrote fan historian Bill Schelly for Roy Thomas' "Alter Ego" revival from TwoMorrows Publishing: "features which both entertained and educated readers on aspects of the Dynamic Duo's career in the late 1930s. (The 25 annuals and giants of the 1960s generally reached only a few years into Batman's past for their reprints.) Beginning in issue #2, the first of two landmark articles called "Batman before Robin" appeared, recounting what Batman was like in the year before he adopted Dick Grayson as his ward." As the 1960s reprints of Golden Age Batman stories did not stretch back to his very beginnings, these articles were crucial in educating new Batman fans about the history of the character - including his (short-lived) early tendencies to both use a gun and kill various of his foes. "Batmania" also provided a forum for fans to hold forth on topics related to the character in a section called "The Batmanians Speak." Fan Richard Kyle, who coined the phrase "graphic story"/"graphic novel" was one who debated the pros and cons of the "new look" (including the iconic yellow-encircled Bat logo on the costume's chest), alongside key fellow fandom individuals such as Ron Foss - and in the first annual Batmania poll, 90% of respondents said that they preferred the new look. "Batmania" also included advertisements and checklists, occasional non-Batman features, and revealed to fandom the existence of Rutland, Vermont's Halloween Parade, which Tom Fagan led in Batman-garb; the parade - and Fagan - would later feature in several in-comics storylines, most notably in those written by long-term fan Roy Thomas. 
In December 2013, Snyder announced that "Batman" #28, originally scheduled to be part of the "Zero Year" story, would instead act as a preview issue to the future story line in "Batman" and "Batman Eternal". The issue was written by Snyder and Tynion, with Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs providing the artwork. Snyder stated that if "Batman" #28 was an issue of "Eternal" it would be issue 39.5, which equates to a year's time from the continuity seen at the end of "Forever Evil" and the start of "Eternal", and was done as a way to tease where "Eternal" will lead in 2014. The issue introduces a Gotham where the police are no longer allies to Batman and a curfew is being enforced. Harper Row is able to gain access to The Egyptian, the last remaining nightclub in New Gotham, where she reveals to security that her brother is sick in the Narrows at "ground zero" and was hoping to meet the new "kingpin" of Gotham to get help. When security starts to question her reason for being there, he shuts off the lights, to allow Batman to enter. Learning where to go next from a mysterious girl in the Batcave, whose silhouette resembles Carrie Kelley, Harper begins to help Batman remove the remaining security teams, working under the name Bluebird. Batman and Bluebird learn that the new "kingpin" is Selina Kyle, who has quickly taken control of the underworld. They request to get something from her safe that will help the people dying in Gotham. At the safe, it is revealed Selina has Stephanie Brown / The Spoiler tied up and she is the only one who knows how to stop what is coming next. 
  In the 1949 15-episode movie serial "Batman and Robin", Commissioner Gordon was portrayed by Ed Wood regular Lyle Talbot. Commissioner Gordon was played by Neil Hamilton was in "Batman: The Movie", based on the 1960s TV series. He advised Batman and Robin which supervillains were at large. In the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher film adaptations of Batman, Commissioner Gordon is portrayed by Pat Hingle. In "Batman" (1989), Gordon regards Batman as a rumor at best and vigilante at worst, though by the end of the film, Gordon publicly acknowledges the hero's usefulness and helps present the Bat-Signal. In "Batman Returns" (1992), when the Penguin has Batman framed for murder, it is implied Gordon is not entirely convinced, as he is not willing to use lethal force in order to apprehend him, and publicly refers to Batman's batarang in the crime scene as "purely circumstantial". In "Batman Forever" (1995), Gordon is shown to be fairly well-acquainted with Bruce Wayne. Although Barbara Gordon is his daughter in most continuities, in "Batman & Robin" (1997), Batgirl is characterized as Alfred Pennyworth's niece, Barbara Wilson. In Gordon's last appearance in the film, Poison Ivy uses her pheromones to make him fall in love with her in order to get the keys to police headquarters and the Bat-Signal, almost killing him with her toxic kiss. Gordon's wife briefly appears in "Batman", but isn't seen or mentioned in the sequels. In the reboot Christopher Nolan Batman franchise, Gordon is portrayed by Gary Oldman. *"Batman Begins" (2005) concerns Gordon's rise from beat cop to Sergeant and, by the end of the film, Lieutenant. In the beginning, Gordon does his best to comfort the eight-year-old Bruce Wayne after the murder of his parents. Bruce later recognizes him as one of the few uncorrupted cops in the city and always remembers the kindness he showed him as a child. After Bruce develops his Batman identity, Gordon is the first person in law enforcement that he contacts. The two form a secret alliance against Carmine Falcone's criminal operation. Gordon proves important when Batman fights Ra's al Ghul. Batman gives Gordon the task of destroying the monorail tracks around Gotham City with the Batmobile, halting Ra's plan to destroy the city. He is promoted to lieutenant and presents the Bat-Signal. The movie ends with Gordon talking about another criminal who robbed a bank and leaves a calling card in the form of a Joker playing card. Many critics, and writer David S. Goyer, have noted that Oldman's portrayal of Gordon bears a strong resemblance to the way the character was drawn by David Mazzucchelli in "Batman: Year One". ; </ref> * In "The Dark Knight" (2008), Gordon is leading the Gotham PD's Major Crimes Unit and forms a tenuous alliance with Batman and district attorney Harvey Dent to round up the remaining members of Gotham's organized crime syndicates. When the Joker reveals that Commissioner Loeb is one of his upcoming targets, Gordon arrives at his office with other officers to offer protection, but he is too late; Loeb dies after drinking a glass of poisoned Scotch. At Loeb's funeral, Gordon foils the Joker's attempt on Mayor Garcia's life, in the process appearing to sacrifice his own life; it is soon revealed that he faked his death to protect his family. After Harvey Dent claims to be Batman, Gordon disguises himself in order to join the police convoy taking Dent to Central Holding. Following a vehicular battle with the Joker on the streets of Gotham, Gordon rescues both Batman and Dent, captures the Joker, and is promoted to Police Commissioner by the mayor. That same night, after Dent is released, two corrupt cops and the Joker's men abduct Dent and his fiancée, Rachel Dawes, placing them in separate buildings with oil drums rigged to explode. While Batman is able to rescue Dent, Gordon arrives at Rachel's location just as the bomb explodes and kills her. Disfigured in the explosion and driven insane by grief, and driven on by the Joker, Dent becomes the villain Two-Face and seeks vengeance against Gordon, whom he blames for Rachel's death. Two-Face kidnaps Gordon's wife and two children, and forces Gordon to plead for their lives at the site of Rachel's death. He flips his trademark coin to decide whether Gordon's son should die, but Batman tackles Two-Face off the building, killing him. In order to preserve Dent's image as the city's "White Knight", Batman decides to take the blame for all of Two-Face's murders, so that the public will never know of Dent's rampage and his prosecution of the mob will remain intact. Gordon reluctantly agrees. After eulogizing Dent as a hero to the city, Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal in front of the GCPD and calls for a manhunt against Batman. As Batman flees, Gordon assures his son that Batman is not just a hero: he is something even more, a "Dark Knight." *In "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012), set eight years after "The Dark Knight", Gordon is feeling guilty about Batman taking the blame for Harvey's crimes, and contemplates resigning and revealing the truth to the city. By now, Gordon's wife has left him and taken their children. Bane's men shoot Gordon, putting him in critical condition. A disguised Bruce Wayne visits him in the hospital, and Gordon implores his former ally to return to crimefighting. He also befriends a rookie police officer, John Blake, and promotes him as a detective after seeing in the young man the dedication and idealism he once had. After Bane defeats Batman and plunges Gotham into chaos which involves most of the Gotham City Police Department trapped underground, Gordon gets himself out of bed and defeats two League of Shadows operatives that tried to kill him in his hospital room. After the inmates of Blackgate Penitentiary are released by the League of Shadows after Bane exposes Harvey Dent's crimes, Gordon gets himself into hiding with Blake and several surviving officers, as they attempt to rebel against Bane. After discovering the identity of the truck that has the nuclear bomb on it, Gordon and his men alongside Miranda Tate got captured by Bane's men and brought before Jonathan Crane's show trial (which he refers to as "sentencing hearings") where Gordon is offered a choice between death or exile. When Gordon states that he and his men won't go on the ice and would rather prefer death, Crane sentences them to "death by exile" (which involves having Gordon and his men drown in the icy waters near the bridges upon unknowingly walking across the thin ice). Fortunately, Batman arrives later that night to the rescue after regaining his strength. Commissioner Gordon did his part by finding the truck carrying the nuclear bomb and placing a device on it to block the trigger signal. In the final battle against Bane, Talia al Ghul, and the League of Shadows, Batman cryptically reveals his true identity to Gordon before apparently sacrificing his life thwarting the League of Shadows' latest plan to destroy the city. After giving the eulogy at Bruce Wayne's funeral, Gordon discovers the Bat-Signal has been repaired and realizes that Bruce survived.  
During the filming of "Batman & Robin", Warner Bros. was impressed with the dailies, prompting them to immediately hire Joel Schumacher to return as director for a sequel. However, writer Akiva Goldsman turned down an offer to write the script. In late 1996, Warner Bros. and Schumacher hired Mark Protosevich to write the script for a fifth "Batman" film. A projected mid-1999 release date was announced. Titled "Batman Triumphant", Protosevich's script had the Scarecrow as the main villain. Through the use of his fear toxin, he resurrects the Joker as a hallucination in Batman's mind. Harley Quinn appeared as a supporting character, written as the Joker's daughter. George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell were set to reprise the roles of Batman and Robin, and Jack Nicholson was in negotiations to return as the Joker. However, following the failure of "Batman & Robin", Clooney vowed never to reprise his role. Warner Bros. decided to consider a live-action "Batman Beyond" film and an adaptation of Frank Miller's "". Warner would then produce whichever idea suited them the most. Schumacher felt he "owe the Batman culture a real "Batman" movie. I would go back to the basics and make a dark portrayal of the Dark Knight." He approached Warner Bros. about doing "Batman: Year One" in mid-1998, but they were more interested in hiring Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky and Frank Miller developed a "Year One" script with Aronofsky to direct, but it was ultimately canceled. Christopher Nolan was eventually hired to helm the next "Batman" film in January 2003, resulting in the rebooted "Batman Begins" (2005). In "Legends of the Dark Knight", an episode of "The New Batman Adventures", three teenagers discuss their ideas about what Batman is really like. They briefly meet a youth called "Joel" whose idea of Batman reflects characterizations and costumes portrayed within Schumacher's "Batman and Robin". The teens treat Joel's ideas with utter disdain. In "Watchmen", director Zack Snyder and comic book artist Dave Gibbons choose to parody the molded muscle and nipple Batsuit design from "Batman & Robin" for the Ozymandias costume. The film is referenced in the ' episode "Legends of the Dark Mite! ", when Bat-Mite briefly uses his powers to transform Batman's costume into the same suit shown in the Joel Schumacher "Batman" films, before declaring it "Too icky". The Batman from "Batman & Robin" later appeared as part of an army of Batmen gathered from across the Multiverse in "Night of the Batmen! ", complete with the rubber blue Batsuit. Additionally, while there where worries within Warner Bros., surrounding the negative critical reaction to "Batman & Robin" and how that may come to harm the success of their subsequent direct-to-video animated feature film, ', that was originally planned for release at around the same time as "Batman & Robin" but was subsequently delayed. "SubZero", nevertheless, still managed to go on to receive a far stronger positive response from critics, faring much better than "Batman & Robin", with Mr. Freeze's role within it being seen in a much more positive rather than negative light, returning his status as a "Batman" antagonist to one which was at least a lot closer to the level of popularity that was reached by him within the two Emmy-winning episodes that featured him in "". 