No Man's Land

**No Man's Land** is a film in the DC Cinematic Universe.

## Plot

In the prologue, masked terrorist Bane kidnaps nuclear physicist Carter Nichols and fakes his death.

Two years since the Justice League, Bruce Wayne has hung up the cape and cowl. Talking with Alfred, he explains he feels that he is just a man. Superman or Wonder Woman could've cleaned up Gotham, but he never could. Criminals keep appearing, and Bruce feels its war he just can't win. He also blames himself for the death of his love, Vicki Vale. In the meantime, Wayne Enterprises attempted to develop a clean energy producing reactor, but Bruce shut the project down when it was discovered it could be turned into a nuclear weapon.

Wayne Enterprise's new rival is Daggett Industries, led by unscrupulous businessman Roland Daggett who hopes to acquire Wayne Enterprises in a hostile takeover. Daggett hires Bane and another mercenary, Anatoli Knyazev, to help him in his plan. Anatoli breaks into Wayne Manor and steal the prints. Bruce discovers Anatoli right as he escapes, prompting Bruce to investigate and discovers Anatoli is an assassin known as the "KGBeast" and worked for a Soviet spy agency known as "The Hammer".

Anatoli meets with Daggett's assistant, Raymond Bell, and hands over the finger prints. Expecting payment, Bell explains Daggett doesn't want any lose ends and points a gun at him. The Beast easily overpowers Bell, and escapes as reinforcements arrive. The gunfire results in Commissioner James Gordon, Deputy Commissioner Harvey Bullock, and Sergeant Dick Grayson, and the Gotham PD arriving at the scene. When Bell's men flee into the sewers, Gordon and a police squadron try to follow, but the squadron is killed and Gordon is severely wounded. Gordon is brought to Bane, who has been building an army in the sewers. Gordon escapes and is found by Grayson and brought to a hospital.

Bruce, inspired by the recent events, becomes interested in returning as Batman. He meets with Lucius Fox, who explains that in addition to building more Tumblers, the government hired Wayne Enterprises to build an experimental VTOL jet which Fox calls "the Batplane". Alfred does research on Bane and Daggett and informs Bruce that Bane is not to underestimated, and was trained by the League of Shadows. Daggett is rumored to make his fortune by using experimental earthquake weapons to cause earthquakes in cities in Africa, destroys the deeds, and buys the land for himself.

Bane and his men attack the Gotham Stock Exchange, using Bruce's stolen finger prints to hack his account. While Gordon is in the hospital, Bullock has become acting-Commissioner and surrounds the exchange. Bane and his men escape, and during the police chase the Batman returns. Batman subdues Bane's men, but Bane escapes when Bullock decides to pursue Batman instead of Bane. Batman successfully escapes the police. Alfred fears Bruce has returned to Batman in order to die; Alfred tells Bruce the only way to succeed is a will to live and moving on, and Alfred resigns in protest when Bruce decides to continue being Batman.

Bane's attack results in Bruce's bankruptcy, and to prevent the reactor and the company from falling into Daggett's hands, Bruce asks board member Miranda Tate to takeover the company. Tate invested in the reactor because she believed it will help the city's poor, whom she greatly cares for. Grayson visits Gordon in the hospital, who promotes him to detective. Bullock arrives and informs them of Daggett's death, and Gordon tasks Grayson with investigating Daggett's construction sites across the city. Daggett confronts Bane for the stock exchange failure and questions Bane on why his construction crews are active across the city. Bane reveals he and Anatoli are working together and then kills Daggett.

Bane and the Beast meet with the Hammer leader, revealing the organization is still active past the fall of the Soviet Union. The leader re-explains the plan to the two men: initiate the revolution as proof that communism is the best ideology. The leader then gives them a case of kryptonite.

With Alfred gone, Bruce has become lonely and distraught, making him easily seduced by Tate, who explains that the police have discovered Bane's location in the sewers. Batman travels there and confronts Bane, who easily defeats him in combat. Bane breaks Batman's back and imprisons him in the Lazarus Pit, a foreign prison where Bane grew up. According to legend Bane was born and raised there, and was the only person to ever escape the prison. Bane explains to Bruce he will poison Gotham's soul with false hope and then destroy the city.