Summary
The often-overlookedfourth installment of Christopher Nolan’sDark Knight Trilogyis subtly referenced inThe Dark Knight Rises. The critically-acclaimed trilogy gave viewers a relatively realistic take on the Batman mythos, showing Bruce Wayne’s process of creating his Batman persona and pitting him against grounded versions of classic Batman foes.The Dark Knightfranchise is relatively small, with only a few spinoff properties, such as novel and video game adaptations and live-action shorts that are included as extras onThe Dark Knight’sDVD release, but the animated filmBatman: Gotham Knight, serves as the trilogy’s unofficial fourth installment.
Gotham Knightcame out in 2008, shortly before the theatrical release ofThe Dark Knight, and is a canonical part of Nolan’sBatmanstory. Set betweenBatman BeginsandThe Dark Knight,Gotham Knightcontinues Batman’s story through six vignettes, with different creative teams of artists and writers working on each short.Gotham Knightfurther develops the lore of Nolan’sDark Knightuniverse andmakes the characterization of Christian Bale’s Batman even more robust, showing previously unseen portions of his training and pitting him against new villains.The Dark Knight Risessolidifies the film’s canonicity through two subtle references.
Batman: Gotham Knightbrings the classic DC villain/anti-hero Deadshot intoThe Dark Knight Trilogy.
10 Major Realizations I Had Watching The Secret Fourth Movie In The Dark Knight Series
Rewatching the Dark Knight Trilogy’s lesser-known animated feature is quite an adventure, as there were a few things I realized watching it in 2024.
John Blake Gets A Sarcastic Killer Croc Reference
Early on inThe Dark Knight Rises, Commissioner Gorden gets captured by Bane’s henchmen, though he narrowly escapes with serious wounds.Detective John Blake – the trilogy’s Robin equivalent– rescues him, taking note of his warnings about an army beneath Gotham City. When discussing his findings with Bruce Wayne, Blake notes thathis superiors at the GCPD sarcastically asked him if he found any “giant alligators” in response. While this could easily be written off as a simple joke, given the events ofGotham Knight, this comes off more as a reference to Killer Croc.
Gotham Knightintroduced a new iteration of Killer Croc – born Waylan Jones – to theDark Knighttrilogy. This iteration of Croc is incredibly strong and has a reptilian appearance due to a rare skin condition, but nevertheless lacks superpowers. Appearing in the vignette “In Darkness Dwells,” Killer Croc is an enforcer for Scarecrow, briefly battling Batman in Gotham’s sewers. Croc evades capture by the end of the vignette, making his whereabouts unknown by the events ofThe Dark Knight Rises. With this in mind,Blake’s superiors in the GCPD were most likely genuinely referencing Killer Crocwith their remark.
Scarecrow’s First Kangaroo Court Was In Gotham Knight
Following Bane’s takeover of Gotham City, Scarecrow reappears inThe Dark Knight Rises, presiding over a kangaroo court. In a bit of morbid comedy, Scarecrow inevitably gives those on “trial” (Gotham’s elite) a choice between death and “exile,” which are ultimately indistinguishable, as exile forces them to walk across a frozen river, inevitably resulting in them falling through the ice and dying of hypothermia. As shown inGotham Knight,this was not the first time that Scarecrow presided over a false trial, as he is shown doing nearly the same thing in the vignette “In Darkness Dwells.”
What Happened To Scarecrow After The Dark Knight Rises?
The Dark Knight Rises was the last time viewers saw Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, but what happened to him after the events of the movie?
“In Darkness Dwells” sees Scarecrow – still recovering from Rachel Dawes’s taser attack fromBatman Begins– forming a criminal gang in the sewers of Gotham City. Frustrated with the social outreach programs of Cardinal O’Fallon denying him potential henchmen, Scarecrow has Killer Croc kidnap him and bring him to the sewers, where Scarecrow holds a sham trial for O’Fallon, intending to execute him before Batman’s intervention. Amusingly,Scarecrow seems to have taken a liking to this practice, as he continues to preside over a kangaroo court upon being freed by Bane. Only this time, his executions were far more successful.
How Christopher Nolan Ensured Gotham Knight Would Fit His Universe
The creative teams ofGotham Knight, notably, had a large degree of freedom when making their respective vignettes, but the film did receive some creative input from Christopher Nolan himself. According to co-director Bruce Timm, the original design for Killer Croc gave him a tail, which Nolan asked to be removed.Nolan wanted the film to match the grounded take on Batman seen in the live-action films, and this was his only notable request forGotham Knight.
TheGotham Knightvignette thatThe Dark Knight Risesreferences – “In Darkness Dwells” – was written by David S. Goyer. Goyer also co-wrote the stories of all threefilms inThe Dark Knighttrilogy, so it is fitting that the vignette is the most closely tied to the live-action films.Goyer might have also included the two references to the vignetteinThe Dark Knight Rises, reinforcingGotham Knight’splace in theDark Knighttrilogy.
The Dark Knight Rises
Cast
The Dark Knight Rises follows Batman as he returns to Gotham City eight years after the death of Harvey Dent. Now pursued by law enforcement, he faces new challenges from Selina Kyle and Bane, a formidable terrorist leader who threatens the city’s safety, compelling Batman to defend a city that sees him as a foe.
