Batman: The Caped Crusader

***Batman: The Caped Crusader*** is one of the DCRU Phase 1 titles, being the first film in the first Batman Trilogy.

## Synopsis

After being released by a mysterious ally called Anarky, the Joker sets a goal to psychologically scar not only the Dark Knight, but also the man who locked him up in Arkham; police Commissioner James Gordon. Now, Batman and Robin must find out who Joker and Anarky's targets are before the criminals cause any bloodshed. Although, that might not be as easy as it sounds.

## Plot

5 years ago, during the second year of Batman's career, James Gordon, Jr.; Commissioner Gordon's youngest son, was kidnapped by the Joker. That was the only person that Batman could not save, which haunts him to this day. When the Caped Crusader and the by then Lieutenant Gordon found the Joker, he merely pointed to a river next to him, with a floating corpse. The Joker was then beaten up and taken to Arkham Asylum by Gordon, where the Clown would later meet doctor Harleen Quinzel.

Now, in 2014, Batman and Robin are walking through the sewers of Gotham, looking for Waylon Jones, the Killer Croc, who had just kidnapped the Gotham Gazette reporter Vicki Vale. The two find and fight the Croc. Batman has his left arm injured, but with Todd's help, the heroes manage to defeat Jones, and free Vale. They take her back to the surface and Croc to Blackgate, where they receive news that the Joker has disappeared from his cell at Arkham. That is the Clown's second escape from Arkham, with the first being in 2011, when he manipulated Harley into helping him. The two go to the Asylum to investigate, where they find Crazy Quilt and Calendar Man taunting them. Jason then breaks Calendar Man's nose, being reprimanded by the Caped Crusader.

At Alfred's request, Bruce (though reluctantly) decides to go after answers with one of the smartest men he knows, Edward Nashton. He goes to Riddler's cell in solitary confinement. The two chat while Robin stands outside. However, despite Nashton having once been an ally of the Clown Prince of Crime, he has no idea where the Joker might be. Todd reminds them that Harleen Quinzel had reformed a few months after she and the Joker were arrested (with that being the second time he was arrested) in 2013, and is still living in Gotham. The two find Selina Kyle (an old love interest of Bruce and friend of Harley's) beating a criminal named Ramon Bracuda and interrogating him on a city rooftop. They ask her where Harley's living, and Selina tells them the location after being informed of the Joker's escape. Bracuda, even with a face full of scratches and bruises, laughs at the situation, causing Selina to break his arm.

Meanwhile, the Clown Prince of Crime is in an old warehouse talking to a young man who is wearing a white mask. The young man tells him that since no one knows the Joker's name, the clown doesn't need to know his, and asks him to call him "Anarky". Anarky was the one who got the Joker out of Arkham, having disguised himself as a police officer. Now, Anarky gives the Clown the idea to go after someone very important to the cop who put him in Arkham, James Gordon's daughter. Concurrently, Bruce and Jason arrive at Harley's apartment, and are met by Pamela Isley, who tells them she's not there. However, Harley arrives on time, greeting the two vigilantes. The four then have a long conversation, and Bruce tells them that the Joker has escaped from Arkham. Harley starts hyperventilating and going into a panic crisis, and Pamela sends them away.

Batman decides to call James Gordon at the GCPD, who calls his daughter, Barbara Gordon, who he believes may have information about the case. He calls, but the Joker answers, telling James to send the following photos to Batman. The commissioner looks at his phone, which is now full of pictures of Barbara lying on the ground with a puddle of blood around her, with the Joker smiling in some of the pictures, indicating that someone else took them. He panics and tells Batman to go to his apartment. Batman and Robin get there, taking her to the hospital. Meanwhile at the Batcave, Alfred calls Dick Grayson through his Comm, who is in Blüdhaven, to warn him of Barbara's condition.

Joker and Anarky return to the Warehouse, where the two have an argument. Joker wants to put on a public show, while Anarky tells him that they should focus on the most important people: Batman and James Gordon. Anarky records a video of himself telling Batman the exact address of the warehouse where he and the Joker are, and revealing that the District Attorney Harvey Dent, one of Batman's allies, is tied up there. Anarky says that he has exactly three hours to save Harvey. Upon seeing the video, the Dark Knight decides to go wait for Gordon and Grayson to arrive before taking any action, because he knew it was a trap. Batman apologizes to Barbara because he once took her in as Batgirl, and felt responsable for the dangerous situations she went in without her father's knowledge. Barbara then says that being Batgirl was her choice, and this Joker situation wasn't just about him, it was about her and her father. While the two talk, Jason Todd is now waiting in the hospital reception.

Meanwhile, Dick Grayson goes to the hospital where Barbara is. There, he finds Batman and James Gordon sitting next to her. Dick asks Barbara to move in with him to his apartment in Blüdhaven to be far from this Mad City, and she agrees. Gordon is supportive, as he admires Grayson, who is now a police officer in the nearby city. While the four talk, Dick asks where was Robin, and Batman notices that, since he didn't see Jason in the reception when he got in, this means he went alone to the villains. Gordon then receives a video call from Barbara's phone, which is still in the hands of the criminals. The Joker tells him that Robin is now a hostage as well. Batman sees the bloodied young man, as Joker shows him his hand, holding a crowbar. The Caped Crusader freaks out, and goes alone to the warehouse, leaving Dick, Barbara and Gordon at the hospital.

Arriving at the warehouse he discovers that Robin is in a different one than the address Anarky gave him, finding only Harvey Dent. Batman releases the lawyer, who is passed out and with half his face deformed from chemical burns. Anarky appears from the shadows, fighting Batman and saying that the Joker is having fun with Robin. Upon hearing this, Batman becomes more brutal, hitting the villain several times, breaking his mask with his punches. At that moment, Bruce recognises the face behind the mask. It was Barbara's younger brother, James Gordon, Jr.; James explains that the Joker didn't kill him, and says that the Clown actually set him free. At the time the Joker kidnapped him, they talked, and the Clown saw the young man's destructive potential. The Joker then left a body of some random person in the river, and James fled Gotham, isolating himself and becoming a serial killer. Returning now to free the Clown, and take revenge on his family and Batman for abandoning him, while the Joker provided him with self-knowledge.

Meanwhile, Joker continues to torture young Jason Todd while listening to "Just The Two of Us". He then shows Jason a bomb that he and Anarky had set up in the warehouse, as they knew Robin was impulsive enough to go after them alone. He sets the bomb on countdown, and just waits at a safe distance. Batman manages to arrive at the second warehouse with his Batmobile, as Anarky had told him the address. However, he arrives only a few seconds too late. The bomb explodes, killing Jason. Batman panics, searching through the rubble for the young man. He finds Robin's lifeless body on the ground, and carries him towards the Batmobile.

James Gordon arrives at the first warehouse with a police squad. He recognizes his son, who tries to attack him. However, Renee Montoya, a rookie police officer, shoots Anarky, (not recognizing the commissioner's son) killing him. Gordon runs to his son, and hugs James, apologizing for abandoning him. The police then takes Harvey, who's still unconscious, to the hospital. Meanwhile, Batman puts Jason's body in the Bat-Mobile, and spots the Joker laughing from afar. He rushes to the clown, throwing a Batarang in his face, piercing his eyeball. Getting close to the criminal, Bruce throws him to the ground and starts beating him mercilessly. Just as Batman is about to take the Joker's life, Dick Grayson, who arrived before with the other cops, shows up alone behind Bruce, telling him that it was enough, and he's not like that. Bruce then leaves the Joker unconscious, and hugs Grayson in tears. At the end of the day, they take the Clown back to Arkham. They pass by Riddler's cell, who (having learned of the news through the gossip told by Arkham's staff and inmates) tells them he's sorry for what happened. The next day, Bruce, Alfred, Grayson and Barbara, now using a wheelchair, attend Jason Todd's funeral. Bruce says that Grayson and Barbara made a good choice by stopping being Robin and Batgirl, and wishes them good luck with their new life in Blüdhaven.

## Post-Credits

### 1st Scene

A few months later, Ra's al Ghul is in a Temple inside the city of 'Eth Alth'eban, staring into a mysterious green pit. He looks at an Assassin of the League beside him and asks him to "bring the body"; while Ra's daughter Talia says she is not sure if she supports that idea.

### 2nd Scene

Two years after Jason's death, Bruce is in his living room talking to Alfred, who says it's been long since Bruce has smiled, and that he needed to do something about that, encouraging him to reconnect with Selina Kyle. When Alfred leaves the room, Bruce spots a green light approaching his window. The light is actually Green Lantern John Stewart, who tells Bruce he knows about his alter ego, and asks him for help in finding other Metahumans who can assist them fight off an impending invasion. John then shows him a hologram with his Ring of an alien planet being attacked by skeleton looking robots.

## Appearances

Alfred PennyworthBarbara GordonBruce WayneEdward NashtonHarleen QuinzelHarvey DentJames GordonJames Gordon, Jr.Jason ToddJohn Stewart
(post-credits)JokerJulian GregoryPamela IsleyPaul DekkerRa's al Ghul
(post-credits)Ramon Bracuda
(cameo)Renee MontoyaRichard GraysonSelina KyleTalia al Ghul
(post-credits)Vicki ValeWaylon Jones

## Trivia

* The original idea for the film had Scarecrow as the main villain, and a more active role for Richard Grayson as Nightwing. The intention of introducing Scarecrow was to set the stage for the Legion of Doom as the main antagonists of the first Justice League film, which was ultimately discarted in favour of Brainiac's role as the main villain.