Seeking to discredit Batman, whom he has crusaded against in the media, Wolper appears with the Joker on a late-night show. Bartholomew Wolper, that he is sane and regrets his misdeeds. The Joker convinces his psychiatrist, Dr.

Meanwhile, the return of Batman has caused one of his oldest and deadliest foes, The Joker, to awaken from a years-long catatonic state at Arkham Asylum. Some former Mutants create a new gang, the 'Sons of the Batman,' using extremely violent methods (up to and including murder) to 'purge' Gotham of its criminal element in what they see as emulation of Batman's actions. With the help of retiring Commissioner James Gordon, the Mutants' leader is allowed to escape from jail, and Batman beats him in a mud fight in front of the assembled gang, which then disbands as a result of his humiliation. Once home, Batman takes Carrie on as the new Robin despite his butler Alfred's objections. Kelly attends to Batman’s wounds as the vehicle drives toward the Batcave. The Mutants' leader defeats Batman in combat, but Kelly distracts him and pulls Batman into the tank-like Batmobile. She finds Batman at the city dump, where he is fighting the Mutants. The media plays a large role in DKR, with the narrative broken up by news reports and 'talking head' editorials debating events in the story as they unfold.Īfter Batman saves her from a Mutant attack, 13-year-old Carrie Kelly buys herself a knock-off Robin costume, and searches for Batman to aid him. Batman apprehends Dent, but the populace debates whether Batman's brand of vigilantism has any place in society. Despite Wayne's funding his rehabilitation, including plastic surgery to restore his half-disfigured face, Harvey ' Two-Face' Dent has seemingly returned to crime. The return of an old enemy prompts a now 55-year-old Wayne to don the Batman costume once again. In the absence of superheroes, criminals run amok, and a gang called the Mutants terrorize Gotham City. Bruce Wayne has voluntarily retired from crime fighting following the death (under unspecified circumstances) of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Virtually all superheroes, with the exception of Superman, have been forced by governmental authorities into retirement or otherwise driven away by a distrusting populace. Society has lost faith in the functioning of justice, and the current American President, named only Dickard, and whose appearance seems to be a reference to Ronald Reagan, constantly tries to keep the social order with optimistic discourses, while the Cold War is still ongoing. The year is never specified, though it has been a full decade since the last reported sighting of Batman.

The Dark Knight is set in a dystopian near-future version of Gotham City.

Batman the dark knight returns comic