Podcasts about Wayne Enterprises

Hello Leaguers! We have begun our journey with Justice League the animated series and we are so excited. It is a great time for Flash and xforce11 to rewatch it and it is Harely's first watch. Secret Origins does not give us secret origins of our heroes, at least not all of them. We have heroes all over the globe, but they very much stay in their own lanes. The alien invasion has caused trouble. But J'onn J'onzz the Martin Manhunter reaches out and with Superman's help draws the heroes together. The aliens are shapeshifters and are crippling earth's defenses and early warning devices. They are formable foes. Our team comes together and then pair off to try to take down the alien's ships. It looks like Batman is dead. Superman and Hawkgirl are captured. Then the rest of the team is captured. The big boss comes down to finish them off, but Batman suddenly reappears to save the day with the help of J'onn who has cloaked him. In the end, Batman through, Wayne Enterprises, creates The Watchtower out in space.  A place for them to come together and to watch out for threats from space and on the earth. And a League of Heroes is formed...     Contact Information: If you want to join in the discussion, you can submit feedback via email to TomorrowsLegendsPodcast@gmail.com or at at https://www.speakpipe.com/TomorrowsLegends . Please submit all feedback by 7:00 pm eastern on Friday. You can also join the Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/tomorrowslegends. Answer all the questions and agree to the group rules to be accepted. You can follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @tomorowslegends, on Instagram  and Threads @TomorrowsLegendsPodcast. We are also on Blue Sky at @TomorrowsLegends .  You can support the show on our Patreon page! https://www.patreon.com/TomorrowsLegends You will get access to bonus content like advanced releases, extra questions answered, hang-out sessions, bonus episodes, and merchandise of course!

Ethan Wayne has done a lot in his life. Growing up with adventure, travel and exposure to the world… and the world of Hollywood. He went on to be a stuntman and actor for decades. Ethan opens up about growing up with a famous father, on sets and boats around the world, racing motorcycles, flying planes and splitting his time between the beach and out in nature. Ethan talks about leading John Wayne Enterprises and operating as a Director at the acclaimed and inspiring John Wayne Cancer Foundation; and all the incredible things being done there in the fight against cancer.

This Week on Earth Station DCU! Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs thank God they are country boys. Batman continues to hit all of Penguin's old operations putting the hurt on Penguin's children, while Penguin continues to take back control of his city in The Penguin #10. Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham to learn that Wayne Enterprises is a front for a drug cartel. Batman searches for new allies, while Bruce Wayne funds new rehab centers, housing, and doubling the size of the Wayne Orphanage using Wayne Enterprises money in Batman: Dark Age #3. Batman enlists the help of the Maestro and Mr. Freeze, while the Orghams enlist the help of Scarecrow in their battle for Gotham in Detective Comics #1085. Nightwing tries reaching out to Wally, while Barry reaches a breaking point as speed force chaos continues in Flash #9. All this plus, DC News, Shout Outs, and much, much more! ------------------------ Table of Contents 0:00:00 Show Open 0:00:56 DC News 0:08:52 The Penguin #10 0:14:22 Batman: Dark Age #3 0:18:50 Detective Comics #1085 0:25:18 The Flash #9 0:34:07 Sweet Tooth S3 Ep2 – Thank God I'm a Country Boy 0:48:28 Show Close   Links The Penguin #10 Batman: Dark Age #3 Detective Comics #1085 The Flash #9 Flash #104 (Cletus's Read More Comics Pick) Earth Station DCU Website The ESO Network If you would like to leave feedback, comment on the show, or would like us to give you a shout out, please call the ESDCU feedback line at (317) 455-8411 or feel free to email us @ earthstationdcu@gmail.com

Gabbard, Robert Kennedy Jr., and Elon Musk leave the Democratic Party and move to the center. Has the Republican Party become the party of independents? They guys discuss the ever changing political landscape   Top 3 companies you'd like to be CEO: Remington Firearms, Sears, Bass Pro Shops Cheesecake Factory, Lucas Film, Pokémon, Wayne Enterprises, Stark Industries, Skunk Works, Virgin group, Sporting KC Philippians 1:9-10 Love may abound, more and more. Pure and blameless.  https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/08/26/ex-democratic-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-endorses-trump/  https://apnews.com/article/tulsi-gabbard-donald-trump-8da616fd76d55bb63b5ee347f904fcbc Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hardheaded/id1547549886  https://open.spotify.com/show/7cthewmZDtlLEyUvKrsbNr?si=ba4484fd0f4e48c6 WEB: https://www.hardheadedpodcast.com/ MERCH: https://bit.ly/hardheaded-merchandise 

Minutes 16-20 The shindig at Wayne Enterprises is underway. It's time to Welcome Brucie boy back to the fold! Technical problems lead to far worse issues... THE JOKERZ ATTACK! Woof, Woof! Enter... The Joker himself. He's got some fashion critiques for Bat Junior here and they're on point to be fair. Trim the ears. The heist of the century takes place as Ghoul and Chucko nab SOMETHING and the villainous group skedaddle with the goods. BUT HOW IS THE JOKER BACK, DAMN IT?!?!? Shut up and drive. The next episode follows in one week! Same Bat Pod, different Bat Minute! Join us on Facebook at the Bat Minute Listener's Cave! The Bat Minute theme song is by the band Rat Bit Kit and Ash Lerczak (aka Doc Horror) of Zombina & The Skeletones and Double Echo.   Today's guests: Tabitha Carlisle and Jonathan Carlisle  

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN SZN!FOLLOWING *SEASON PREMIERE*For Season 12 *Nolan Void*, TGTPTU continues its iconic practice of pairing bookended movies from a director's filmography, first and last until we pair the middlemost. This season we cover the twelve movies of the granddaddy/infant son of the temporal pincer movement himself Christopher Nolan, starting with his inaugural feature: the independently-made, London-shot B&W film FOLLOWING (1998) Initiating a series of noir films leading to greater projects, the technically-minded Nolan leans into his budget limitations, writing a script whose three timelines will allow him to edit around missing or unusable footage filmed on weekends with novice actors (excepting his uncle and future Wayne Enterprises board member professional British actor John Nolan) and crew from University College, London where young Nolan studied English Literature (and met his future wife). Aside from working fulltime for a commercial film agency creating corporate videos, the other reason for weekend shoots was the self-financing pool of limited funds available after each paycheck to purchase and develop more 16mm B&W film with Nolan operating the camera and his wife Emma Thomas serving as an extra in addition to her professional role as producer. Sensitive to budget and realism, Nolan states in Criterion Collection commentary that the choice of a hammer instead of gun was due to fake guns when wielded in indie films often looked fake but a fake hammer has right weight.Nolan would end up moving to the States to enter Following into festivals where it received much buzz but no distributors, leading Steven Soderbergh at the time to comment: “And I watched it and came out of there thinking ‘That's it. When a movie this good can't get released, the [the 1990's independent movie wave is] over.”Special thanks this week to Ryan for returning to the podcast to discuss this film (and less so for its paired OPPENHEIMER coming next week) as well as extra editing by co-host Ken for splicing back into linearity other co-host Thomas's bit of jumbling up his commentary into three styles of slurred speech: his normal, as he's increasingly intoxicated, and after biting (literally) his tongue while making a “Stop, Hammer time” joke. THEME SONG BY: WEIRD A.I.Email: thegoodthepodandtheugly@gmail.comFacebook: https://m.facebook.com/TGTPTUInstagram: https://instagram.com/thegoodthepodandtheugly?igshid=um92md09kjg0Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegoodthepoda1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6mI2plrgJu-TB95bbJCW-gBuzzsprout: https://thegoodthepodandtheugly.buzzsprout.com/Letterboxd (follow us!):Ken: Ken KoralRyan: Ryan Tobias

Bane, a former member of the League of Shadows, leads an attack on a CIA plane over Uzbekistan to abduct nuclear physicist Dr. Leonid Pavel and fakes Pavel's death in the crash. Meanwhile, eight years after the death of Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent[a], organized crime has been eradicated in Gotham by legislation, the Dent Act, giving expanded powers to the police. James Gordon, police commissioner, has kept Dent's killing spree a secret and allowed the blame for his crimes to fall on Batman. Bruce Wayne, still mourning the death of Rachel Dawes, has become a recluse, and Wayne Enterprises has stagnated. Bane enlists businessman John Daggett to buy Bruce's fingerprints. Cat burglar Selina Kyle steals Bruce's prints from Wayne Manor for Daggett, but he double-crosses her and she alerts the police, who pursue Bane and Daggett's henchmen into the sewers while Kyle flees. The henchmen capture Gordon and take him to Bane, but he escapes and is found by Officer John Blake, an orphan who has deduced Bruce's secret identity and persuades him to resume his vigilantism. Bane attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange and uses Bruce's fingerprints to verify a series of fraudulent transactions, leaving Bruce bankrupt. Batman resurfaces to pursue Bane's henchmen. Afraid Bruce will get himself killed fighting Bane, his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, resigns in the hope of saving him after admitting to burning a letter that Rachel left for him saying she was going to marry Dent. Bane expands his operations and kills Daggett while Bruce and Wayne Enterprises's new CEO, Miranda Tate, become lovers. Kyle agrees to take Batman to Bane but instead leads him into a trap under Wayne Tower. Bane gloats that he intends to fulfill the mission started by Ra's al Ghul[b] to destroy Gotham City before he cripples Batman during combat. He then takes Bruce to an ancient underground prison in the Middle East, where Bruce learns that Ra's al Ghul's child was born and raised in the prison but had a protector that aided the child in escaping, thought to be impossible. Back in Gotham, Kyle is arrested by Blake during an attempt to flee the country before Bane traps the police forces in the sewers, destroys all but one bridge surrounding the city, kills Mayor Anthony Garcia, forces Pavel to convert a fusion reactor core into a decaying neutron bomb before killing him, exposes Dent's crimes to the city (thus undermining the legal system), releases the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary, takes over the city, and has Gotham's elite exiled and killed in proletarian kangaroo courts presided over by Jonathan Crane. Five months later, Bruce makes his escape and returns to Gotham. He and Kyle work together to free the police, and clash with Bane's army in the streets. During the battle, Batman overpowers Bane, but Tate stabs Batman in the abdomen, revealing herself to be Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul's child. With Gordon blocking the signal, Talia leaves to find the bomb to detonate it manually. Kyle returns, kills Bane and helps Batman pursue Talia, hoping to bring the bomb back to the reactor chamber where it can be stabilized. Talia's truck crashes, but she remotely floods and destroys the reactor chamber before dying. With no way to stop the detonation, Batman, after revealing his identity to Gordon, uses his aerial craft, the Bat, to haul the bomb far over the bay, where it safely explodes. In the aftermath, Batman is presumed dead and hailed as a hero. Wayne Manor becomes an orphanage, and Bruce's estate is left to Alfred. Gordon finds the Bat Signal repaired, while Lucius Fox discovers that Bruce had fixed the Bat's malfunctioning auto-pilot. In Florence, Italy, Alfred discovers that Bruce is alive and has begun a romantic relationship with Kyle, and they happily acknowledge each other before parting ways. Blake, whose legal first name is revealed as Robin, resigns from the GCPD and receives a package leading him to the Batcave.

The joke is on you as we explore the nightmare world of Batman's greatest enemy: The Joker! We start with the Clown Prince of Crime's first appearance in 1940 before diving into the very recent two issue Knight Terrors: The Joker and the first chapter of the new manga Joker: One Operation Joker which both examine the villain's codependent relationship with the Bat.Ep. 114 What if Joker accidentally killed Batman and ended up working at Wayne Enterprises?From Knight Terrors: The Joker #1-2 by DC Comics 2023Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchersThis episode is no joke as we tackle Batman's main baddie for the first time! We head back to 1940 for Joker's first appearance courtesy of Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson and Bob Kane and then head to 2023 to talk the hilarious and creepy Knight Terrors: The Joker from Matt Rosenberg and Stefano Raffaele. We wrap with a brief look at the new manga Joker: One Operation Joker from DC & Kodansha plus talk Caesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, the Harley Quinn tv show, Joker's future, and much more.Reading List: The Batman #1 (DC Comics 1940) Knight Terrors: The Joker #1-2 (DC Comics 2023) Joker: One Operation Joker #1 (DC Comics / Kodansha 2023) Email Podcast@DearWatchers.comFind us & support us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchersTheme music is Space Heroes by MaxKoMusic (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0) ★ Support this podcast ★

I Am The Knight   Batman falls into the depths of depression after Commissioner Gordon is shot by the Jazzman during a botched raid. Batman was meant to be present but was delayed by thugs while paying his annual visit to the site of his parents' murder. With Gordon hospitalized and near death, the Dark Knight becomes consumed by self-doubt. Only when the Jazzman escapes custody and attempts to murder Gordon does Batman snap out of his funk. His spirit is further renewed when he encounters a young man, he'd previously given up hope on, now on the road to reform and grateful for Batman's intervention.   Off Balance   While following Count Vertigo's trail, Batman encounters comes across a mysterious woman called Talia, who was sent by her father to prevent the capture of a sonic drill that the Count stole from Wayne Enterprises. On their quest to stop Vertigo, Talia learns Batman's identity and they are forced to work together in order to fight Vertigo's effects, but the more they collaborate, the more doubts Batman has about Talia's loyalties.     The Man Who Killed Batman   While a third-rate mob stumble-bum Sidney Debris was acting as look-out for drug runners, Batman surprised him on a warehouse roof.  The two struggled, and Sid's bumbling caused Batman to pitch off the roof and into a shed of explosive gas.  After the ensuing fire, the only thing found was Batman's cape and cowl.  It seemed Sidney had done the impossible and become the man who killed Batman.      Mudslide   Clayface is falling apart – literally.  His clay like body is virtually disintegrating.  Fortunately, Stella Bates, a woman scientist he knew from his movie star days, tries to stabilise Matt's decaying form by using a rare isotope stolen form Wayne Enterprises – the irony being that Bruce Wayne would gladly help if given the chance.  But Clayface is too hateful to yield, and winds up falling into the sea, where he dissolves into nothingness.    Opening Credits; Introduction (.56); Episode One:  I Am The Night (49.49); Episode Two:  Off Balance (57.29 ); Episode Three: The Man Who Killed Batman (1:09.54); Episode Four: Mudslide (1:18.28); Favourite and Least Favourite Character (1:37.30); Favourite Episode (1:49.17); End Credits (1:51.40); Closing Credits (1:52.50)   Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – Copyright . All rights reserved   Closing Credits:  Off Balance by Victor Ray.  Taken from the album Off-Balance.  Copyright 2023 ZOZO records.  ​ Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast.    All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.   All songs available through Amazon Music.

The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne   After a prominent judge is injured during a struggle with some thugs demanding money from her in exchange for a strange tape, Bruce Wayne decides to take a trip to Yucca Springs, a resort where the judge had vacationed, and consult Dr. Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist. Bruce soon learns that Strange has invented a machine that extracts people's darkest secrets from their minds and transfers them to videotape — and now Strange has proof of Bruce's secret identity as Batman, and plans to auction it to three of Gotham's prominent crime bosses.   Heart of Steel Part 1   Several robberies take place at major companies, including Wayne Enterprises, and Bruce Wayne, as Batman, discovers the thief to be a mechanical briefcase. Bruce meets with his old friend, Karl Rossum, an expert in robotics who lost his daughter to a vehicle accident years ago. He also meets Rossum's assistant, Randa Duane, and Rossum's ultimate creation: a prototype A.I. known as Holographic Analytical Reciprocating Digital Computer (H.A.R.D.A.C.) Bruce invites Duane to dinner, and around the same time, certain civilians start acting strangely. Most surprising is when Duane unexpectedly leaves Wayne Manor while Bruce is on the phone, and the entire Batcave turns on Batman.   Heart of Steel Part 2   Batman manages to free himself from the Batcave's clutches, and brings it back under his control, although he fails to track Duane down. Barbara Gordon approaches Batman to inform him of her father's sudden change in behavior. A brutal fight between Batman and Detective Bullock ensues, during which Batman pushes Bullock onto the Bat Signal, and reveals him to actually be an android, meaning that the real Bullock and James Gordon have gone missing, and Batman knows who the culprit is: H.A.R.D.A.C. Batman must stop the evil supercomputer before it is too late.     If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich   Edward Nygma creates the video game The Riddle of the Minotaur for the company Competitron, but is fired by his superior Daniel Mockridge, who wants the profits for himself. Nygma vows revenge, and takes up the mantle of the Riddler two years later. While Batman sympathizes with Nygma, he and Robin find themselves forced to stop him before he kills Mockridge in a life-sized version of the Minotaur maze. Despite successfully rescuing Mockridge, who complete a deal to move his company to Gotham, the incident leaves him in a permanent PTSD - type all-consuming fear of Nygma's return for revenge.   Opening Credits; Introduction (1.28); Episode One: The Strange Case of Bruce Wayne (32.30); Episode Two and Three:  Heart of Steel Part 1 &2 (47.10); Episode Four:  If You Are So Smart; Why Aren't You Rich (1:14.48); Favourite Episode (1:58.53); Favourite Character (2:03.03);Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (2:03.06); Closing Credits (2:03.46)   Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music    Closing Credits:  Question Me An Answer by Bobby Van.  Taken from the album The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Lost Horizon.  Copyright 1997 Razor & Tie Records. ​ Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast.    All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.   All songs available through Amazon Music.

BATMAN: The Animated Series   Robin's Reckoning Part 1   During a fight with some gangsters at a construction yard, Batman and Robin learn the name of their boss: Billy Marin. While Robin looks forward to going up against Marin, Batman becomes distant, and after a falling out at the Batcave, Batman doesn't allow Robin to accompany him on the search for Marin. Robin investigates on the Batcomputer, and soon realizes that Billy Marin is not the boss' real name. Rather, it is an alias of Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents (which Batman already knew, but chose not to tell Robin).   Robin's Reckoning Part 2   Angered by Batman's deceit, Robin sets out to find Tony Zucco on his own, all the while plagued by the memories of his parents' death and how Bruce took him in as his own son. Eventually, Batman manages to find Zucco at an old amusement park, but breaks his leg during the fight. Robin finally arrives and prepares to kill Zucco in revenge.   Night of the Ninja   A mysterious ninja is robbing Wayne Enterprises subsidiaries, and Batman discovers that the ninja is actually his equal in combat. A grudge against Bruce Wayne and skills to match him can only mean one person: Kyodai Ken, an old rival of Wayne's teacher from his days in Japan, and who was thrown out of the dojo after attempting to rob it, only to be stopped by Wayne. Ken, it turns out, wants revenge.     Cat Scratch Fever   Batman must stop Roland Daggett's plan to release a viral plague designed by Professor Milo into Gotham by way of its stray cat population. The case gains new urgency when Catwoman becomes infected with the virus during her search for her missing cat, Isis. Now, Batman must find an antidote to save the woman who loves him most. Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29); Episode One Robin's Reckoning Part 1 & 2 (22.52); Episode Two:  Night of the Ninja (42.33); Episode Three:  Cat Scratch Fever (53.20); Favourite Character (1:06.58); Favourite Episode (1;13.41);Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (1:20.08); Closing Credits (1:21.00)   Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music    Closing Credits:  Boy Wonder, I Love You by Burt Ward and Frank Zappa.  Copyright 1966 MGM Records. ​ Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast.    All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.   All songs available through Amazon Music.

Batman Begins by Goyer David原文Chapter VII: CRAAAASSSSHHHHH！！！！'Master Bruce! Master Bruce! Get up!'Bruce opened his eyes.Alfred was next to him.And a part of the roof lay on top of him.'Push!' said Alfred. 'You're strong. You can do it.'Bruce pushed and pushed, and finally Alfred moved the piece of roof to one side.Bruce got up and they escaped to the cave below.'Oh, Alfred,' he said. 'What have I done? Wayne Manor is on fire and I can't help Gotham. I've made so many mistakes.'Alfred smiled. 'And why do we fall, sir?' he asked.'We fall,' said Bruce, 'so that we can learn to get up again. I must go!'He changed into his Bat suit and took off in the Batmobile.FFFWHOOOOSSSHH!In a few minutes he was in Gotham.The criminals from Arkham Asylum were running everywhere.They were shouting and dancing and breaking things.Rachel watched.Above her a train stopped.Some men in masks started to move a large machine onto it.She ran to find Sergeant Gordon in the asylum.He was sitting on the floor.She could see that he was very ill.He needed the antidote fast.She took one of the bottles out of his pocket.'It's OK,' she said. 'I can help you.'Rachel gave Gordon the antidote and he slowly started to feel better.The people from the asylum were shouting and coming nearer.They were feeling bad from the white cloud.Suddenly they started running towards Rachel and Gordon.'Oh no!' thought Rachel. 'They're going to kill us.'WHOMMMM! The Batmobile arrived from nowhere.Batman ran towards Rachel.He gave Gordon the keys to the Batmobile.'Drive carefully,' he said.Batman took Rachel in his arms and climbed up to the roof with her - above the dangerous cloud.Gordon ran to the Batmobile.From the roof Rachel and Batman could see all of Gotham.'They were putting a large machine onto the train,' said Rachel.Just then, the train started to move.Batman suddenly understood.'Of course,' he said. 'The railway line runs exactly over the river next to Wayne Tower. Ra's is going to use the machine there. He's going to turn the city's water into steam. He's going to kill everyone.'Batman moved to the edge of the roof.'Batman, don't jump!' said Rachel. 'You could die. Please tell me your name.''The things I do are important, not the things I say.''Bruce?... Bruce!' shouted Rachel.But Batman couldn't hear.He was flying down. He landed on the roof of the train and held on.BANG! BANG! BANG!People inside the train fired guns through the roof.They hit Batman three times.He fell off the roof.The Ninjas in the last car of the train looked out of the window.First they looked up. No Batman.Then they looked down. Batman was still there!He was hanging from a long line, flying from side to side under the train.On a street below the train, there was a Ninja in the back of a green car.He was pointing his machine gun at Batman.Gordon came around the corner in the Batmobile.He was driving very fast.KERZAMMM!!He hit the green car.It crashed and exploded into a ball of fire.Batman climbed up the line to the train.He got into the last car and finished the Ninjas there.Then he went to the front of the train.When he reached the first car, Ra's turned.His mouth opened.'You!?!' he said.He took out his sword and ran at Batman.Batman quickly moved to the front edge of the train.Ra's lifted his sword over Batman's head.Batman held it and broke it in two.The train was moving nearer and nearer to the center of Gotham.It was moving nearer and nearer to Wayne Tower.'I must stop the train,' thought Batman.He reached out of the front of the train and threw Ra's al Ghul's sword underthe wheels.There was a terrible noise.Ra's threw himself onto Batman and put his hands over his mouth and nose.Batman couldn't move.Everything started to go black.'Now you're really frightened, aren't you?' said Ra's.Batman looked into Ra's face.He saw the end of the world there.That made Batman angry.And when he was angry, he was strong.He suddenly pushed hard against Ra's and flew out of the train and into the sky.Ra's looked up in surprise and anger.Then he was very frightened.The train was going to crash in less than a second.It came off the railway line and fell down and down.And then- CRRAAASSSSH!!!!It landed in the car park in front of Wayne Tower and exploded into a ball of fire.Soon all the bad guys were in prison or out of a job.The people of Gotham began to build their great city again.Everyone wanted to work together now.William Earle walked into his office the day after the train crash.He found Lucius Fox behind his desk.'What are you doing in my office?' he asked.'It's my office now,' said Fox happily. 'I'm the new boss of Wayne Enterprises.''Who says?' Earle asked.'I say,' said Bruce from behind Earle. 'It's my business. Goodbye, Mr. Earle.'There were builders at Wayne Manor.They were slowly and carefully building a new house - exactly like the old one.Bruce went to the old well in the garden.He put a big piece of wood across the top.Rachel was there with him.'I fell down this well a long time ago. Do you remember?' he asked her.'Of course,' she answered. 'Things were never the sam eafter that,' he said.'What was different?' she asked.Bruce put another piece of wood across the well.Now it was completely closed.'I wasn't a child anymore, he said. 'I began to be a man.''You're a great man, Bruce,' she said.Bruce looked at her.She could see that he loved her.'There's no place for me between Batman and Bruce Wayne,' she said.'I don't have to be Batman,' he said. 'I can choose my own life.''No,' she said. 'I don't think you can. Great people can't always choose their lives. Gotham needs you. Goodbye, Bruce.''Goodbye, Rachel,' he said. 'I'll do my best for Gotham.''I know you will,' she said.

Batman films serve as a time-stamped looking glass into the temperament of society. The stark difference in tone is evident when you watch 2005's Batman Begins after watching Tim Burton's Batman (1989). The inherent silliness that endears 1989's Batman seems like a spectacle when compared to Nolan's entries which embody the post-9/11 nihilism that we've discussed on the podcast many times. Yet somehow, 2022's The Batman takes the cake when it comes to channeling darkness. When you pair the truly noir detective roots of Batman with Matt Reeve's pandemic-born, post-election-inspired grunge opus, you get The Batman. Join Kyle, Drew, and Phil in the Movie Wars cave as we pit two celebrated Batmen against one another. Click here to become an executive producer on Movie Wars by supporting us on Patreon! A measly $7 gets you access to Kyle's new 20-minute film retrospectives which are deep dives into the films we cover(and Patron Requests), interviews with legendary filmmakers, Host Q and A, and bonus content.Film SummariesTHE BATMANBatman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive Material|Drug Content|Strong Disturbing Content|Strong Language|Strong Violent Content)Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, DramaOriginal Language: EnglishDirector: Matt ReevesProducer: Dylan Clark, Matt ReevesWriter: Matt Reeves, Peter CraigRelease Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 2022 WideRelease Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2022Box Office (Gross USA): $369.3MRuntime: 2h 56mDistributor: Warner Bros. PicturesSound Mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, SDDSAspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)View the collection: BatmanInfo Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_batmanBATMAN BEGINSA young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the mysterious League of Shadows. When Ducard reveals the League's true purpose -- the complete destruction of Gotham City -- Wayne returns to Gotham intent on cleaning up the city without resorting to murder. With the help of Alfred (Michael Caine), his loyal butler, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a tech expert at Wayne Enterprises, Batman is born.Rating: PG-13 (Some Thematic Elements|Disturbing Images|Intense Action Violence)Genre: Action, Fantasy,...

Josh & Matt from Batyard Productions discuss Batman Ninja 2018' & Batman the Animated Series Episode: Night of The Ninja. Subscribe/rate/review our show on iTunes, Anchor, Spotify and more! Follow us on Instagram @batyardsfinestpod. Find our hosts on Instagram as well! Josh & Mateo: @batyardproductions, @batyardsfinestpod. Follow us & Subscribe to the Batyard Productions YouTube Channel. Batman Ninja 2018 - Batman, along with his allies and adversaries, finds himself transported from modern Gotham City to feudal Japan.

Batman Begins by Goyer David词汇提示1.sergeant 警官2.Arkham Asylum 阿卡姆精神病院原文Chapter III: A Man of the NightThe night his parents died, Bruce waited along time at the police station.One of the police officers there was very kind to him.His name was Sergeant James Gordon.Bruce knew that he was a good police officer.He wanted to talk to Gordon now.But he didn't go as Bruce.He put on his black body suit and a mask.When Batman appeared in Gordon's office, the sergeant was surprised and frightened.'Who are you?' he asked. 'What do you want?''Don't be frightened, Sergeant Gordon,' said Batman.'I need your help. I know Carmine Falcone is the biggest criminal in Gotham. Why is everyone frightened of him? Why does no one stop him?''Because.….'said Gordon, 'he pays all the important people in Gotham!'Bruce went to the river for the first time in many years.There were lots of people there.They didn't have homes.They slept in the streets every night.Some people were standing around a fire.Bruce stood with them and warmed his hands.He looked across the street and pointed to a door.'Is that Carmine Falcone's club?' he asked.'Yeah,' someone said.The next day at work, Lucius Fox said, 'Come with me, Mr. Wayne. I want to show you something.'Bruce followed him into a big room.There, in the center of the room, was a fantastic car.A few moments later, they were in the car and Bruce was driving it faster and faster along the road.'Go slower, Mr. Wayne!' shouted Lucius.'No way!' shouted Bruce.'This is fantastic! This isn't an ordinary car. It's more like a plane. Can I have it?''Of course,' shouted Lucius. 'All these things are yours anyway!'Later Bruce drove the car back to Wayne Manor.I'll call it the Batmobile,' he told Alfred.Bruce was a man of the night now.He was Batman.He stood on top of a building near Falcone's club.He watched the street by the river.He saw a police officer talking to a group of ship workers.The officer took out a small white bag and gave it to the workers.Drugs! So some of the Gotham police were bad too.Falcone was paying everyone.Falcone sat in his office with Dr Crane, the boss of Arkham Asylum for the mentally ill.'Our boss is arriving very soon,' said Crane. 'When I tell him about the money – his money - he won't be happy.''Don't tell him,' said Falcone. 'I won't take any more. This is the last time.'He gave Crane a small bag.'Do you want to test the drugs now?' he asked.Suddenly there was a loud bang and the sound of guns.Crane quickly escaped through the door.Batman flew into the room.'What are you?' asked Falcone.'I'm Batman. Everything changes tonight.'Batman crossed the city to Rachel's house.He climbed through her bedroom window.'Rachel, wake up!' he said. 'I want to tell you something. Everything changes tonight!''And who are you?''A friend. I want to do good, like you. I want to fight the bad people of Gotham.'Sergeant Gordon arrived at the river.A lot of newspaper people were there.They were taking photos.Next to a ship there was a large box full of small bags of drugs.Falcone's men were lying behind the box.'Fantastic!' said Gordon. 'Where's Falcone? He always escapes trouble.''Not this time. Look. He's over there,' someone said.Gordon looked. There was a big light next to the river.A man was lying across the light.He wasn't moving. It was Falcone.Rachel read the newspaper the next day and saw the photo of Falcone on the front page.She smiled.At the police station, Sergeant Gordon's boss was very angry.'Who did this to Falcone?' he shouted. 'Find him fast! The police look stupid because of him.''I think he's trying to help us, sir,' Gordon said.'We don't need his help!' shouted his boss'Well, I think we probably do,' thought Gordon. But he didn't say anything.Dr Crane was visiting Falcone at the police station.'Tell the police I'm mentally ill,' Falcone said to him, 'or I'll tell them about you and the drugs.'Crane was angry.'What do you know about me and the drugs?' he asked.'I know that you test them on people in your hospital,' said Falcone. 'I know the boss is planning something big.''Would you like to see my mask?' said Dr Crane suddenly.' I use it in my tests. People are very frightened of it. They don't like it at all.'He opened his bag and took out a horrible mask.He put it on.'How do I look?'WHOOOOSSSH!! Suddenly white smoke came out of his bag.Falcone tried to shout but his nose and his mouth were on fire.Water came out of his eyes.He saw horrible things in front of his eyes.Crane quickly put the mask back in his bag and shut it.He called a police officer.'I think Mr. Falcone is certainly mentally ill,' he said to the officer. 'We'll move Mr. Falcone to Arkham Asylum. We can take care of him there.'Earle was angry. Bruce Wayne was back in Gotham.Earle wanted to sell Wayne Enterprises for a lot of money, but now he couldn't.And now he had another problem.His Number 2 at Wayne Enterprises, Rogers, was telling him about it.'One of our biggest ships has disappeared,' said Rogers.'There's a big, expensive machine on that ship,' said Earle. 'A very dangerous machine that can change water into steam.'

Batman Begins by Goyer David词汇提示1.District Attorney 地方检察官原文Chapter II: Bats EverywhereBruce couldn't sleep that night. He remembered his life after Joe Chill killed his parents.He was so unhappy and so angry.He went from school to school and university to university.He never stayed long in one place.Bruce is twenty.He is going back to Gotham by train.Alfred meets him at the station.On the way to Wayne Manor he sees that everything is different.Everywhere is dirty.Many houses are empty.Many shops are closed.People are sleeping on the streets.'Things are very bad in Gotham now, Master Bruce,' Alfred tells him.'But Wayne Manor is still your home. Your father was a great man, and one day you will be a great man too.'It is the afternoon on the same day.Bruce is sitting on his bed.'Joe Chill will be free today,' he thinks. 'He killed my parents twelve years ago. And today I'm going to kill him.'He takes a gun out of his bag.His old friend, Rachel, comes to the house.She is an Assistant District Attorney – an important lawyer in Gotham now.'Wow!' he thinks when he sees her. 'She is so beautiful.'They drive to the prison.'Why are they freeing Joe Chill today?' he asks.'When he was in prison, he was in a room with Carmine Falcone, the famous criminal, 'Rachel explains.' They talked and he learned lots of things about Falcone. He's going to give that information to the police.'They arrive outside the prison.The newspaper people are waiting.Joe Chill comes out.There are police all around him.Bruce gets out of Rachel's car and walks towards Chill.He has his hand in his pocket... on his gun.But - suddenly - a blonde woman pushes through the people.She runs up to Chill.She has a gun in her hand. 'Falcone says "Hi, Joe", ' she shouts.BANG! BANG! She kills Joe Chill.Joe Chill was dead.But Bruce didn't feel better.It wasn't the answer.Ducard took Bruce's blue flower.He pulled the dry flower into little pieces and made a small fire with it.'Smell your flower now,' he said to Bruce.Bruce put his nose near the smoke.The smell was terrible.He suddenly started to remember the worst days of his life...He was falling down the well...He was seeing his parents' blood in the street...'You are frightened of these things. Look at them. Fight them. Now!' said Ducard.He pointed to a large wooden box.Bruce opened it.WHOOOOSSSH! Hundreds of bats flew out of the box.Bruce wanted to shout and run.But he didn't.'No,' he thought, 'I must be strong.'He stood there quietly.He didn't move.He didn't say a word.'Well done!' said Ra's al Ghul.'You are not frightened now. You are ready to join my Ninjas.' He gave Bruce alight. 'Take this light and give your life to me.'Bruce took the light.'Where must I go with your men? 'he asked.'To Gotham,' answered Ra's al Ghul. 'Gotham must die. You must kill all the people there.''No!' shouted Bruce.This could not be real.'We have taught you many things,' said Ra's al Ghul. 'Now you must do this for us.''I won't do it!' shouted Bruce.He threw the light on the wooden floor.It broke. A fire started and moved quickly around the room. It grew and grew.It reached the boxes of explosives in the cupboards.They started to explode. BANG!BANG!Ninjas ran everywhere.The roof started to fall.It fell on Ra's al Ghul and killed him.As Bruce ran to the door, he saw Ducard's body on the floor.He wasn't dead.Bruce pulled Ducard out of the building and into the snow.He pulled him down the icy mountain.Ducard was very heavy.Once he almost fell over the edge of the mountain, but Bruce saved him.After some time they came to some houses.Bruce left Ducard with an old man there.'You saved his life. I will tell him,' said the old man. 'Where are you going?''I'm going home,' said Bruce.Bruce walked down the rest of the mountain.He phoned Alfred. 'I need you, Alfred,' he said. 'Please come and get me.'Alfred flew to Bhutan in the Wayne family plane and took Bruce back to Gotham.He told Bruce all about the terrible changes in Gotham.Carmine Falcone was the crime boss in the city now.Everyone was frightened of him.And William Earle sat in Bruce's father's chair at Wayne Enterprises, the Wayne family business in Wayne Tower.'Bruce Wayne is dead,' Earle told everyone. 'I'm the boss now.'Bruce listened carefully to Alfred.'I'm going to save Gotham, Alfred,' he said.When they arrived home at Wayne Manor, Bruce saw a small black thing high on the wall.'What's that, Alfred?' he asked.'It's a bat, sir,' answered Alfred. 'There are lots of bats around here.'Bruce suddenly ran out of the house.He ran to the well in the garden and climbed down and down.He reached the floor.It was very dark but he could feel a cold wind.He found a hole in the wall and climbed through.He could hear water. It was quite near.He followed the black walls until they opened into a big cave.A river ran through the cave.And everywhere there were bats- hundreds and hundreds of bats.Bruce smiled.The next morning Bruce put on a new suit and went to Wayne Tower.The woman at the front desk at Wayne Enterprises tried to stop him.'You can't go in there,' she said.' They're having a business meeting.'But Bruce opened the door and went in.There were a lot of men sitting around a long table.And at the end of the table was William Earle.'Good morning, Mr. Earle. Good morning, everyone,' said Bruce.Earle's face went white but he quickly tried to smile.'My boy! How nice to see you!' he said. 'You're back. What a surprise! A nice surprise!''I've come back to work here,' said Bruce. 'I want to learn the family business.'Bruce started work in the Applied Sciences office.This was the new ideas office, but Wayne Enterprises didn't seem to be very interested in new ideas these days.The only other person in the office was Lucius Fox.Lucius was a friend of Bruce's father, before he died.Bruce looked around the big room.It was full of strange and exciting things.'What's this?' he asked, and pointed to a black suit.'It's a body suit,' said Lucius. 'It can stop a knife. It can even stop a gun.''Can I have it?' asked Bruce.'Of course,' said Lucius. 'All these things are yours anyway.'Bruce took the body suit home and down to the cave. 'Soon,' he thought, 'I will be ready.'

Batman:  The Animated Series Feat of Clay – Part 1   Bruce Wayne is framed for the attempted murder of Lucius Fox. The real perpetrator is an actor and master of disguise named Matt Hagen, who was disfigured in a car accident years ago. In order to keep his fame, he secretly started working for Roland Daggett, who provides him with a monthly supply of an addictive face cream known as Renuyu (a pun on "Renew You") that can temporarily reshape his face back to normal, and who wants to take Wayne Enterprises over for marketing expansion. For botching the murder due to Batman's interference, Hagen's supply is cut off, and when he breaks into Daggett's lab for more Renuyu, he pays the price dearly when Daggett's men drench his face in the formula and force him to swallow liters of it to avoid drowning. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is arrested and taken into custody, charged with the assault on Fox.   Feat of Clay – Part 2   Bruce Wayne is released from prison on bail. Hagen, as it turns out, survived the murder attempt on him, but at a high cost: the formula entered his body and soaked every single one of his cells, turning him into a shape-shifting mutant. With his newfound powers, Hagen, now calling himself Clayface, decides to take his revenge on Daggett and his men, and Batman must bring Daggett to justice and stop Clayface before innocent people are hurt.   Vendetta ​ Detective Bullock is arrested for kidnapping. Batman, who dislikes Bullock but nevertheless believes him to be a good man, investigates, and discovers the identity of the real criminal: Killer Croc, who harbors a vendetta against Bullock for capturing him once. Batman must clear Bullock's name before it is too late.   Fear of Victory    The Scarecrow invents a fear chemical that is activated by adrenaline. Then, he uses it to affect the outcome of athletic events. Whenever a single person becomes agitated, the fear chemical kicks in, turning his excitement to fear. The Scarecrow bets against the sports stars' teams as part of his criminal scheme to scare up some quick cash, and Batman and Robin must foil his plot.   Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29); Episode One & Two:  Feat of Clay Part 1 & 2 (30.23); Episode Three:  Vendetta (50.50); Episode Four:  Fear of Victory (1:03.05); Amazing Design Advertisement (1:14.57); Favourite Character and Least Favourite Character and Favourite Episode (1:16.09);Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (1:33.15); Closing Credits (1:34.24)   Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music    Closing Credits:  The Fear by Lily Allen.  Taken from the album It Not Me, It's You.  Copyright 2007 Regal Records ​ Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast.  All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.   All songs available through Amazon Music.

Welcome to another episode of I AM THE NIGHT, a podcast dedicated to breaking down every episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Each week, the wonderful Steve J Ray (reviewer at DC Comics News, as well as Editor-in-Chief of our sister site Dark Knight News) and a guest will sit down and dive cowl first into an episode of the greatest animated series of all time. In this episode, Steve is joined by fellow DCN and DKN writer, and his son, Adam Ray, to talk about the season two finale of Batman: TAS, titled "Batgirl Returns". So sit back, put on your cape and cowl, and prepare yourself for a journey into the darkness! Episode Synopsis: While Bruce is in Europe on a Wayne Enterprises business trip, the theft of a jade cat statue occurs at Gotham State University. Barbara Gordon again becomes Batgirl to investigate, only to run into Catwoman, who is also investigating, pointing out that the acid residue used to destroy the security system is not her style. The two team up to find the statue, with Robin tailing them, and things go from bad to worse when Roland Daggett is revealed to be involved. Steve J Ray: www.twitter.com/el_steevo Adam Ray: www.twitter.com/IzzetTinkerer "I Am The Night" Theme by David B. (www.twitter.com/DavidBMusic21) Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play, and if you like what you hear, please give us a 5-star rating and review! Follow us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/DCComicsNews Twitter: www.twitter.com/DCComicsNews Instagram: www.instagram.com/DCComicsNews Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/DCComicsNews Website: www.dccomicsnews.com Special Guest: Adam Ray.

Join The Summoning Boys this week as they throw out their penguin bombs and Inform the Gotham tax authorities about Wayne Enterprises as they discuss how they would defeat the Batman? Join The Summoning Boys : On our website - How Not To Summon Network On our Facebook page-How Not To Summon a Podcast - Home | Facebook On Discord -How Not To Summon (discord.com) On Twitter-How Not to Summon a Podcast (@HowNotToSummon) / Twitter  

This show is going green, as we cover POISON IVY with the help of licensed therapist Sara Boyadjis! Intro Sara - give us your background Background (2:54) Poison Ivy, Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, created by Robert Kanigher & Carmine Infantino in Batman #181 (June 1966) Originally a botanist who was poisoned to prevent her from implicating a colleague in a theft, she survived and learned she was immune to toxins - attacked Gotham to prove she was the greatest female super villain ever Reimagined post-Crisis by Neil Gaiman, Pamela Isley was mentored in biochemistry by Dr. Jason Woodrue (Floronic Man), and was colleagues with Alec Holland (Swamp Thing) Woodrue seduces her and injects her with toxins as an experiment - she is hospitalized, and when she recovers she vacillates quickly between kindness and rage The experiments also give her the ability to manipulate plants, and her touch can transfer a fungus that gives her a control over people She becomes obsessed with Batman, as he is one of the only people she cannot control due to his strong will, although she has overcome him on occasion Woodrue breaks Ivy out of Arkham to help him create mind-controlling hemp to take over Gotham, but she sides with Batman, who decapitates Woodrue, as she takes the money and runs away - whole storyline was Very Special Episode about drugs In “No Man's Land”, after Gotham is hit by an earthquake and isolated from the rest of the US, Ivy takes over Robinson Park, and turns it into an Eden-esque paradise - she also takes several orphans under her wing - she strikes a deal with Batman to maintain control over the area, as long as she grows food for the rest of the population This is when she first meets Harley Quinn, left for dead by the Joker - Ivy nurses Harley back to health, and the two become close friends After thinking her powers were poisoning the children in her care, she asks Bruce Wayne to help reverse her powers and make her human - she later regains her powers thanks to Hush, although the procedure temporarily kills her (she gets better) #BecauseComics New 52 reboots her origin - she was born with a skin condition that kept her isolated, her father murdered her mother, and in college she sold pheromone pills that mind controlled users - she later joined Wayne Enterprises to study biochemistry, but was the victim of an accidental chemical spill that gave her the ability to control plant matter Creates plant-human hybrid children that grow at an accelerated rate - the children leave Ivy and go off on their own Eventually settles in as antihero, focusing on environmental activism Establishes a relationship with Harley Quinn, but the two break it off after Ivy reveals she loves the planet more than any one person on it Issues - Opportunities for natural growth The greener she gets, the more misanthropic she gets Two specific carve outs: first Bruce, based more as an obsession (18:02) Harley relationship humanizes them both, and is the healthiest one either of them has (27:12) Break (40:42) Plugs for Grief Burrito, Frigay the 13th, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson Treatment (42:14) In-universe - Have Ivy create an area by herself, where she can be alone with plants, and slowly integrate other people Out of universe (49:00) - Address individual with god complex Skit (54:05) DOC: Hello Dr. Isley, I'm Dr. Issues IVY: Thanks for remembering I have a doctorate.  DOC: My experience tells me that no matter what has happened to a person, their training sticks with them. Credentials come and go. IVY: Sounds like the seasons. Spring and fall, winter and summer. They tend to pair up that way, don't you think? I know it's common to think of the full cycle, but that's not how nature works for things to grow. DOC: Some things offset, sure. Now, what can I do for you?  IVY: As a person, probably little. But as fertilizer, maybe you're up to snuff. DOC: *sarcastic* And there are those famous thorny barbs I've heard so much about.  IVY: Force of habit.  DOC: I heard the opposite; you wait for someone to put their guard down, and then you manipulate them or trap them. IVY: You're bringing up ancient history. Those roots have withered. I'm in this world for much bigger purposes. DOC: Well, maybe I can help with your mindset and goals. Keep you emotionally focused, right? IVY: Emotion doesn't matter when you have a world to save. Your experience with…others should have taught you that. DOC: Too many to name IVY: You only need one. You KNOW who I'm talking about. DOC: *pause* There's an easy answer, and there's a hard answer. Which do you want first? IVY: *irritable* I'm not a child waiting for guessing games *calms down*…but if you must know, always handle the thorns first so the delicate petals bloom. DOC: Hard first then. *sigh* I'm not talking about Harley. IVY: *surprised* But she sent me here! She said you put up with all sorts of…nonsense that drives the Arkham therapists bonkers. And she doesn't trust people…EVER. Neither do I. So…who? DOC: I can't give their name, because it's not mine to give. IVY: I knew it. You're a stooge! You don't care about her, or me, or the planet, do you? You just want to be another one of his…lapdog Bat children that miss the forest AND the trees. It was a mistake coming here. DOC: WAIT! Wait…you didn't hear the easy part. IVY: *sigh, clearly angry* make it quick DOC: I agree that you can be a part of saving the world, with the right tools. IVY: You realize you put me through unnecessary anguish by getting your priorities mixed up, right? DOC: *gulp* I apologize, okay? I want this to work, but I'm not going to shy away from your blindspots. What would it take for you to trust me on this? IVY: Tell me about these tools of yours.  DOC: Well…this may not be what you want to hear, but there are some medications that- IVY: *interrupting* I'm immune to toxins, control pheromones, and learned the essence of life itself, and you want to talk about medication?!!! Do you know the harm that Big Pharma has done to humankind, let alone the plant kingdom? How dare you! DOC: Please! It's not what you think! *stuttering due to fear* e-e-e-ever heard of St John's Wort? IVY: Of course. It's a common natural supplement for those with depression. DOC: And psilocybin?  IVY: Good old “magic mushrooms.” Had to keep Harley from trying to bury herself into the ground…she called herself “mother earth.”  Not something to play with. DOC: How about kratom IVY: Are you insane?! Nobody should touch that stuff without knowing the psychological effects even if there's anecdotal evidence for pain…where are you going with this? DOC: That plants are the essence of all medicine, and we know it. YOU know it. I wouldn't dare prescribe any of the things mentioned without more study because it's too dangerous without more information. But that doesn't mean people who care…I mean REALLY care, aren't trying to find out.  IVY: After everything I've done in my life, you think a review board would allow me to participate in any such research? I'm banned for life! DOC: …and when has that mattered before?  IVY: You'd be risking your license on someone who is a lost cause. DOC: No, I'm not saying you should DO the research, I'm saying you should be a PART of the research. IVY: You want me to be a guinea pig. You're evil, you know that? You are no better than any of the fossil industry moguls that strip the planet bare. You would have me die on the vine rather than produce fruit for the world! DOC: No, no, no…you don't get it…I'm trusting you with your gift. You're IMMUNE. IVY: *pause* My body can process things that others can't…filter out the danger…and only leave what's left if there's a way to…extract it without turning me into a green slurry in a food processor. DOC: Ewww…but yes. You could be the source of a natural treatment process that eliminates the stigma of medication management, improves the safety, AND helps with your…let's just say, mood lability. IVY: And you could do all of that…for me? DOC: actually…no. IVY: *angry* WHAT??? DOC: WAIT! Again! My point is that your own version of the world can include those types of goals in the long run, but we can't do that yet. And we sure can't do it alone. You have an opportunity to prove me wrong, but we have to meet somewhere in the middle. I have approved safe treatments that help. You have a grand scheme for how the planet should be. Can we meet somewhere in the middle? IVY: *calmer* You're weird, you know that? DOC: Compared to… IVY: True…perhaps we can work on crossbreeding pollinators with aerosolized melatonin. The possibilities are endless. DOC: An apple a day could truly keep the doctor away. Well, most of them. ***dream sequence sounds***  IVY: Doctor? Doctor?  DOC: *snoring* IVY: Oh dear, I forgot to tell him to use a filtration system for his office. Those pheromones will give him some incredibly odd dreams. I'll have to keep a note of that since most people just become mindless drones. Perhaps there's something unique in his genetic makeup or blood chemistry… DOC: *whispering while sleeping* Lithium in lilacs, who could say no? IVY: Hoo boy... And I STILL didn't get the easy or hard answers out of him. On the bright side, these ramblings make for fascinating research. I will say these sessions are worth my time, at least a little bit.  Ending (60:54) Recommended reading: Fruit of the Earth, part of No Man's Land Next episodes: Moira McTaggert, Gladiator, Raven Plugs for social Transcript References: Anthony Extra Life fundraiser Tee Franklin episode - Anthony (10:04) Harley Quinn episode - Anthony (27:20) Apple Podcasts: here Google Play: here Stitcher: here TuneIn: here iHeartRadio: here Twitter Facebook TikTok  Patreon TeePublic Discord

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Bruce Wayne and the Cost of Inaction, published by TurnTrout on September 30, 2022 on LessWrong. My brother (DivineMango) and I (TurnTrout) wrote this first arc of a Batman fanfiction in the summer of 2020. 1: Don't Look Away “The man's starving. That doesn't change if you look away, Bruce.” Hand wrapped firmly around his son's shoulder, Thomas Wayne directed his son's flinching gaze towards a haggard face. The man looked crumpled, his beard long and unkempt, his eyes bagged and bloodshot. A tattered cardboard sign hung heavily from his neck: Bruce was scared. At eight, he'd seen homeless people before, but he'd never connected the dots: this was a person, just out on the street. Thomas walked towards the man, his designer leather shoes tapping out a confident pace against the pavement. In a smooth motion, he pulled out his billfold and kneeled to speak. The man flinched. He seemed surprised anyone had even noticed he was there, and his eyes widened as he recognized the magnate of Wayne Enterprises. Ignoring the looks shot his way by the affluent passersby, Thomas spoke with the man. After about a minute, he pressed two crisp large bills into the man's dirty hands; between the bills was the business card of one of Gotham's better psychiatrists. As the father and son resumed their stroll, Bruce looked up at his dad, his eyes still wide. “What happened to him? Did he used to be a kid like me?” Thomas considered his response as they walked down the boulevard and past the gleaming storefronts. To their right stretched a verdant park dotted by dark wooden benches, some of which encircled a duck pond. Together, they sat. “His name is Oscar, Bruce. He's seen terrible things. Sometimes, people, good people, can get hurt in ways that don't heal. It's not like skinning your knee—it's like falling down a dark well, and no one comes to help you climb out.” “That's awful.” “Yes, it is. It is awful.” “I don't want to. I shouldn't get any more toys until we help these people.” Thomas blinked. The musical conversation of a happy couple drifted by. The sun cast long and deep shadows across the park. “I'm proud of you, Bruce. Never forget that feeling. But... that's not right. If you only let yourself be happy when everyone else in the world is, you'll never smile again. The world is big, and no man or woman can fix everything by themselves.” “Why not?”, Bruce asked earnestly, legs swinging lazily under the bench, feet grazing the tips of the grass. “Why not?”, Thomas echoed softly. “Problems are hard. To land on the moon, we had to understand mathematics, and physics, and ten thousand details besides. To stop viruses, we had to understand our own bodies so well that we could teach them to attack the virus before it could hurt us. If you want to change the world, you have to understand it first. “Even though we employ many skilled people, I can't just cut a check for ‘fixing everything.' If people get hurt and never heal, we need to understand why. Then, we need to change the system in just the right way, so that the problem goes away and never comes back. That's hard work, and there are many problems.” Bruce nodded. The sun winked over the skyline, and the sky waxed purple. Darkness would soon be upon them. “Some people use this as an excuse. Since they can't solve everything, they won't try to solve anything. “It's easy to let details like Oscar fade away. You might notice a broken flower pot the first time you walk by, but by the third pass, your mind forgets to notice. But Oscar isn't a flower pot. He was someone's son. He had dreams, and heroes, and toys.” The silver and black skyline glimmered against the velvet curtain sky. Silence overcame them for a moment, like the pause before a question's answer. Thomas' gaze meandered onto the nearest tower, which housed the main branch o...

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Bruce Wayne and the Cost of Inaction, published by TurnTrout on September 30, 2022 on LessWrong. My brother (DivineMango) and I (TurnTrout) wrote this first arc of a Batman fanfiction in the summer of 2020. 1: Don't Look Away “The man's starving. That doesn't change if you look away, Bruce.” Hand wrapped firmly around his son's shoulder, Thomas Wayne directed his son's flinching gaze towards a haggard face. The man looked crumpled, his beard long and unkempt, his eyes bagged and bloodshot. A tattered cardboard sign hung heavily from his neck: Bruce was scared. At eight, he'd seen homeless people before, but he'd never connected the dots: this was a person, just out on the street. Thomas walked towards the man, his designer leather shoes tapping out a confident pace against the pavement. In a smooth motion, he pulled out his billfold and kneeled to speak. The man flinched. He seemed surprised anyone had even noticed he was there, and his eyes widened as he recognized the magnate of Wayne Enterprises. Ignoring the looks shot his way by the affluent passersby, Thomas spoke with the man. After about a minute, he pressed two crisp large bills into the man's dirty hands; between the bills was the business card of one of Gotham's better psychiatrists. As the father and son resumed their stroll, Bruce looked up at his dad, his eyes still wide. “What happened to him? Did he used to be a kid like me?” Thomas considered his response as they walked down the boulevard and past the gleaming storefronts. To their right stretched a verdant park dotted by dark wooden benches, some of which encircled a duck pond. Together, they sat. “His name is Oscar, Bruce. He's seen terrible things. Sometimes, people, good people, can get hurt in ways that don't heal. It's not like skinning your knee—it's like falling down a dark well, and no one comes to help you climb out.” “That's awful.” “Yes, it is. It is awful.” “I don't want to. I shouldn't get any more toys until we help these people.” Thomas blinked. The musical conversation of a happy couple drifted by. The sun cast long and deep shadows across the park. “I'm proud of you, Bruce. Never forget that feeling. But... that's not right. If you only let yourself be happy when everyone else in the world is, you'll never smile again. The world is big, and no man or woman can fix everything by themselves.” “Why not?”, Bruce asked earnestly, legs swinging lazily under the bench, feet grazing the tips of the grass. “Why not?”, Thomas echoed softly. “Problems are hard. To land on the moon, we had to understand mathematics, and physics, and ten thousand details besides. To stop viruses, we had to understand our own bodies so well that we could teach them to attack the virus before it could hurt us. If you want to change the world, you have to understand it first. “Even though we employ many skilled people, I can't just cut a check for ‘fixing everything.' If people get hurt and never heal, we need to understand why. Then, we need to change the system in just the right way, so that the problem goes away and never comes back. That's hard work, and there are many problems.” Bruce nodded. The sun winked over the skyline, and the sky waxed purple. Darkness would soon be upon them. “Some people use this as an excuse. Since they can't solve everything, they won't try to solve anything. “It's easy to let details like Oscar fade away. You might notice a broken flower pot the first time you walk by, but by the third pass, your mind forgets to notice. But Oscar isn't a flower pot. He was someone's son. He had dreams, and heroes, and toys.” The silver and black skyline glimmered against the velvet curtain sky. Silence overcame them for a moment, like the pause before a question's answer. Thomas' gaze meandered onto the nearest tower, which housed the main branch o...

The Dark Knight has a reputation for being one of the great superhero movies, and it is completely deserved. Revisiting this movie for the first time after my initial viewing I was blown away by the writing. This is a masterpiece of thematic story-telling. With fantastic performances, especially from Heath Ledger as The Joker. So let's see what Batman is up to this time as we discuss The Dark Knight. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings The author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd. This is episode 93 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the movie  The Dark Knight   The description on IMDB reads When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.   The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan (who are brothers) With story by Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer It was directed by Christopher Nolan And it was first released on the 14th of July 2008   In 2008 I was raising a very young family. I had just bought my first house or was shortly about to. I wasn't made of money. Consequently, instead of buying this movie on DVD as I did with Batman Begins, I hired it from the local video rental place because that was cheaper. And forget the cinema. I didn't go to the cinema for years when my kids were little. So I've only ever seen this movie once.   I remember continuing to enjoy the serious tone, but it didn't have that origin backstory element that I loved so much in the first movie. So I was really interested to see how I'd react to a rewatch after all these years.   The movie has a very silent beginning. So much so I had to keep checking that the sound was working on my computer.   We know from the ending scene of Batman Begins that this movie would introduce The Joker as its villain. The Joker is well known as the most famous, most iconic Batman villain. And this in large part thanks to the Adam West TV show, I believe.   I think it was smart to use lesser-known villains in the first movie, like Falcone, Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul and Even Victor Zzazz. It expanded the world for those not familiar with the comics and gave Batman room to really shine as he came into his own.   But this was the time to introduce his famous arch-nemesis.   When we first see a criminal wearing a clown mask our natural inclination is to think, this has got to be the joker, or someone who works for him, right? Turns out these guys are working for him, but it's not a close association. He planned this heist, and he wants a cut.   He calls himself The Joker because he wears makeup to scare people, like war paint. We'll come back to this. It's a shock when one robber is killed by another as soon as he's finished his work on the security system. And it would seem to make sense at first. One less person to split the money with, and these are hardly moral people. Unless something goes wrong and you need that guy again, or if you get a bad reputation for killing your team members and nobody wants to join your crew for future endeavours.   Turns out, this is a mob bank. One of the workers has a shotgun. I have to admit, the idea of the mob owning a bank is a concept I'm struggling to get my head around.   Looks like none of these crooks really know the full plan. Half of them are instructed to kill the other half.   The mob guy makes a good point. If you work for someone like the joker, who orders his own people dead, he'll only do the same to you.   Except the guy he's talking to ends up being the joker. In the end, he doesn't have to share the money with anyone. But who's gonna want to work with him? So taking a more active role than it appeared. He definitely has a flair for the dramatic in the way he kills people.   Using the school bus as a getaway vehicle to blend in with all the other school buses is clever, but it would require expert timing, and wouldn't the back of his bus be banged up from crashing through the wall?   I was surprised to see someone wearing the scarecrow mask from the last movie.   It's not surprising, however, that there would be a copycat batman or two. But this guy doesn't compare to the real thing.   And It seems it's actually Doctor Crane himself. Has he escaped from jail? And why would he now be playing vigilante? That's a bit weird. There's a story-telling reason to do this. The idea is you show the villain who was such a threat last time as being ineffectual compared to the new villain, thus emphasising how powerful and threatening the new villain is. Except, Doctor Crane was never much of a threat to Batman. Ra's al Ghul was the main threat. The big difference, of course, between Batman and these fakes, is competence. He's got the skills, the experience, and the equipment. They don't.   Bruce has obviously affected some upgrades to the tumbler. It has some auto-drive features, which are not so unbelievable in 2022, but were still science fiction 2008.   Batman doesn't always come when Gordon turns on the signal, because he's busy. But Gordon likes to do it anyway, to remind people that Batman is out there.   That one scene when Alfred brings breakfast into an empty bedroom speaks volumes without a line of dialogue. Of course, the next scene has the dialogue which is almost redundant. Bruce has set himself up with a temporary batcave under a Wayne Enterprises facility while the mansion is being rebuilt. It's a massive empty area with white ceiling. It looks somewhat unreal. Alfred warns Bruce that he needs to know his limits. Bruce says Batman doesn't have any, and Alfred points out that Bruce does. What's going to happen on the day when he realises them.   And that's a clear ominous warning about a coming theme in this movie. And while Bruce likes to think that Batman has no limits, he clearly does, because even as a symbol, he's portrayed by a human being. Batman is built on the flaws of that human.   We meet the exciting new DA. Harvey Dent. And for those who haven't picked up on it, we see him making decisions by flipping a coin. Rachel is not only working for Dent, she is apparently dating him. She gave Bruce a little sliver of hope that maybe they could be together someday when Gotham no longer needs Batman, but at the same time, it doesn't seem that she's willing to wait for him. I'm not saying that she should, but by dating someone else it makes her offer kinda hollow.  So now we have to talk about Katie Holmes. Because Rachel has mysteriously changed her face like a timelord.   Katie Holmes didn't return for this movie. And we don't know exactly why. We probably never will. We know that Christopher Nolan wanted her to return and was reportedly a bit upset that she didn't. She was quite busy at the time and has said publicly that it was a decision that was right for her at that moment but would love to work with Nolan again someday.   I was disappointed when I learned that the character had been recast. I quite liked Katie Holmes in Batman Begins. The role went to Maggie Gyllenhaal. And I have to say, having just re-watched this movie, she did a fantastic job. It can't be easy to come in and portray a character previously played by someone else, especially if you're supposed to be in the same continuity as the previous. But Maggie made me believe. And while I really liked Holmes in Batman Begins, I think I can say that Maggie Gyllenhaal gave a better performance in The Dark Night. She plays Rachel as a little older, a little wiser. And I really enjoyed what she did.   The new head of Falcone's crime organisation, Maroni, who's played by Eric Roberts, an actor I quite like, has apparently got a fall guy to admit to being in charge, much to the amusement of everyone in the audience. I'm sure that's not what they're called in a court case, but you know what I'm talking about.   This guy has smuggled a gun right into the courtroom, even up to the witness stand, which is a little hard to swallow, but at least this movie gives an explanation. It's made of carbon fibre, which I'm guessing doesn't set off metal detectors? Last movie, both Bruce and one of Falcone's men got guns into the courtroom and that was never explained.   Dent comes across as very cocky, but also very capable. He disarms the witness without a single hint of anxiety.   Gordon and Batman are trying to cripple the mob by depriving them of their money. They plan to raid the mob banks before the Joker and rob them. The Joker is a side-problem at present.    Bruce is falling asleep in board meetings because he's out all night being Batman, but that doesn't mean he's neglecting the company. He's keeping a tight eye on things, more so than appears. I like that.  This is his father's legacy, after all.   The rivalry between Bruce and Harvey over Rachel is kind of embarrassing to observe. I guess I can't blame him. Bruce and Rachel are not together, but not by Bruce's choice. Often in Superhero stories, you'll have the hero tell his love interest that they can't be together but then get all moody and belligerent when the woman pursues something with someone else. I believe Smallville did this once or twice. But you can't have it both ways. Anyway, nothing quite so angsty is going on here. Bruce would have Rachel in a second if she'd have him, and Harvey is in the way of that. This is a point we'll connect back to later when we talk about character goals.   As far as we know, Harvey has no beef with Bruce, but when another guy puffs out his chest at you in a passive-aggressive kinda way, you're gonna puff back. That's just how it works, right. So there's this mutual ribbing that's going on during the conversation. I mean, it was quite rude of Bruce to intrude on their date the way he does. But he doesn't really care.   They begin debating the merits of Batman. Ironically, Harvey is in defence, and Bruce against. I like how Bruce's date isn't just portrayed as a bimbo. She has considered opinions and she's the one who brings up the topic.   Rachel points out the example of Cesar, who was appointed by the people to defend them but then never gave up his power. Could the same end up being true of Batman? Harvey's answer is important. This is his thematic sentence. “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”   Let's see how this particular theory plays out with our main characters throughout the story.   But Harvey thinks Batman doesn't want to do this forever. He's looking for someone to take up his mantle. Maybe even somebody like him.   And he'd be shocked to learn just how right he is about this. Bruce is sold. He wants to throw his financial support behind Dent. But he has his own ulterior motives.  What if Harvey Dent is the hero that can solve Gotham's problems in a more ‘by the book' kind of way? What if he could take over the mantle from Batman? That would then leave Bruce free to pursue a relationship with Rachel - one she claims she'd be interested in once Batman is a thing of the past.   Ultimately, Batman is thinking more about his own personal wants and needs here than about what's best for the city. It's hard to blame him. He's an imperfect person who does have wants of his own. But we'll have to see what he ultimately puts priority on when the time comes. That will determine what kind of man he is.   So surprise, Lau, the guy that Wayne Enterprises was thinking of doing business with, the guy that Bruce decided not to work with, is involved with the Gotham Mob. The Joker has stolen a few million dollars from them. But Maroni isn't convinced that the Joker is the real problem. The cops are the bigger issue. They're trying to seize the rest of their cash. Lau hides the money for them so when Gordon gets in there, there's nothing to find.   And that's when the Joker barges into their little meeting. This scene is the first introduction we really get to Heath Ledger's Joker. His first act is to kill one of the mob guys who tries to throw him out, using a pencil. Now, this whole pencil in the eye stunt really disturbed me the first time I saw it, and it really stuck in my memory. I remember cringing in revulsion. That wasn't something I needed to see. This time around, it didn't affect me as much, possibly because I knew it was coming. That first time, when it happened, I really thought through the implications. Really disturbing.   It's clear to the Joker that the mob are afraid of Batman. Despite what they say, they're not having their meetings in broad daylight because of Harvey Dent.   The Joker makes an offer. I'll kill the Batman, but not for free. That's why he's here.   But can they take him seriously? He's shown he's clever. He's shown he can pull off a heist. He's demonstrated his competence and his boldness by stealing some of their money.   But does that mean he's capable of killing Batman? That's quite a different task than stealing money from a mob bank. The outspoken gangster, Gambol, isn't impressed and says he's putting a price on the Joker's head, but I think their new leader is seriously thinking about it all.   So let's talk about this version of The Joker. I see Heath Ledger as the definitive on-screen version of The Joker. I know a lot of people will point to Mark Hamill, but I'm just not really into a lot of animated stuff. So to me, Ledger was the ultimate portrayal of what I traditionally thought of as The Joker. His personality is creepy. He comes across as somewhat unhinged, but at the same time capable, and a worthy adversary for Batman. The make-up is dishevelled and badly done, and he has big scars on his cheeks, extending into a sickening smile, covered crudely with lipstick. It gives a wonderfully creepy vibe that works wonderfully for me. If the makeup was applied better, it would lose all its power. Incidentally, that's why I didn't like Joaquim Phoenix's look for the Joker in the trailers, although when I watched the movie and understood the character's backstory, I realised that it worked for that version of the character.   But some people took issue with the whole make-up idea. I know a friend of mine has talked at length about how he didn't want a joker wearing makeup. He wanted a joke with chemical-bleached skin.   Now because I don't have much of a comics history in my youth, I was simply unaware of this aspect of the character. I'm bingeing on DC comics now, but that didn't help me in the past. You see, I always thought The Joker wore makeup. My main previous exposures to the character were Ceasar Romero, who wore makeup right over his moustache, and Jack Nicholson.   As I explained last time, I completely misinterpreted what was going on in the 1989 Batman movie. I thought that Nicholson's Joker wore makeup to cover his disfigurement from landing in the chemicals. It was only very recently that I learned that the natural skin tone was in fact the makeup, and the clown face was his real skin. And I'm sorry, but I just find that kind of silly. Especially the hair. I can buy the idea of bleached skin from chemicals, but not if it just looks like white makeup. And green hair from landing in chemicals. No. That doesn't work for me at all.   So to me, The Joker has always been, and probably always will be, a creepy guy who wears clown makeup. I'm sorry, but I didn't know any different before, and now that idea is solidified in me.   Anyway, it goes without saying that Heath Ledger's performance in this movie is outstanding. He won an oscar for it. It's just such a tragedy that he died before even receiving it.   So Dent and Gordon meet Batman on the rooftop. There's a lot of blame going around for what happened, but what really matters is they need to get Lau back. He's fled to Hong Kong. Harvey can get him to talk if Batman can get him back somehow.   Is it just me or are all the actors in this movie really young?   When Bruce goes to Lucious for help. The scene always plays like a Bond film, where 007 gets his latest gadgets from Q. But somehow, that works.   The Joker comes to see Gambol, but his method of arrival is suitably theatrical. He arrives in a body bag, pretending to have been killed. And that's when we hear his question for the first time. “Do you want to know how I got these scars?” It's not the last time he'll ask somebody that question, and each time, he'll give a completely different story, each as dark and twisted as the last. Of course, at this point in the movie, we don't realise that, so we take the story about his wife-beating mother at face value. Ah, so that's why The Joker is so messed up. But that's too easy. Too trite. Does a tragic childhood justify the person The Joker is? It certainly doesn't excuse it. Does it explain it? Plenty of people have had horrible childhoods like the story he tells, but they don't grow up to be psychotic serial killers. Ultimately, I think the reason the writers had him give all these conflicting stories is that they're showing that no one incident really truly explains or justifies what he is. He's just insane.   Normally, I don't like it when explanations are not fully given, when stuff like this is left hanging as a mystery that's never resolved. Often, it's done badly so it leaves me feeling unsatisfied. But here, it works wonderfully. So I'm with it.   The Joker is slowly taking over the criminal underworld in Gotham. But he's doing it in such a Joker way. He has Gambol and some other goons fight it out, to the death, for the privilege of joining his team.   This guy really is sick.   Fox has a clever way of getting into the interior of Lau's building and planting another jamming device in there. I quite like seeing these two working in the field together.   This part of the movie really does feel like a spy thriller. Batman usually confines himself to Gotham. I think this is the first time I've seen him operating in another country on screen.   The method of extracting Bruce and Lau from the building into the plane looks awesome, but man it would be terrifying.   It seems strange to me that Rachel - a lawyer for the DA's office, is interrogating Lau, not a police officer. Is that normal in America? Because here, it's the police who interview people. Then, when they think they have sufficient evidence, they charge the suspect. Then they appear in court. Although, interestingly, we don't have District Attorneys, like in America. As far as I understand, it's actually the police themselves that prosecute criminal cases. You hear the term police prosecutor.   Gordon makes mass arrests. Rachael and Dent have worked out some legal options where if you get a conviction on one, you can get a conviction on a bunch of their accomplices. I don't fully understand, but it's looking pretty nice for the good guys at the moment.   Until the Judge finds a playing card, a joker, amongst her papers. The Joker makes a direct challenge to Batman by dumping the dead body, in Joker makeup, of one of the copycat batmen into the Mayor's window.   The Joker wants Batman to step up and take off the mask. Every night he doesn't, people will die.   Despite the jokes and ribbing, Bruce is genuine when he says he believes in Harvey Dent. Yeah, he's got his ulterior motives, but he genuinely believes Harvey is what the city needs, maybe even more than it news Batman. Gotham needs a hero with a face. Bruce opens up to Rachel. He believes that day is coming very soon when Batman won't be needed. And when that day comes, he's asking her to be there for him.   The people The Joker plans to kill tonight are quite important. The judge and Commissioner Loeb are among them. Harvey Dent may be another. The Joker crashes Bruce's fundraiser for Dent.   Rachel stands up to him and that's when he tells his second scar story. This one is about a wife who was disfigured. He disfigured himself to be like her, and she left him.   When Batman shows up, The Joker throws Rachel out the window. Batman has to jump out, catch her, and reach the ground safely. His cape barely opens as he's seconds from crashing into a car uncountable stories below. This is even more unbelievable than the fall out the window in Batman Begins. It's laughable to expect us to believe that Batman and Rachel are still alive. That's a real problem for me.   Alfred seems to have a greater understanding of The Joker. This is not a man with a rational goal. He's not after the things that most criminals are after. Some men just want to watch the world burn.   So how do you understand a man like that? How do you defeat him? Batman has been called the world's greatest detective. We get to see him doing a little detective work. Specifically, some forensic work, analysing gunshots into brick.   I really like how the movie acknowledges that somebody in Wayne Enterprises is going to notice their own tech from applied sciences being used out there by Batman. That's only logical. But Lucious is quite capable of dealing with that.   What's harder for me to swallow is that Bruce gets a fingerprint of the shooter off the hundreds of shards that were once a bullet.   The Joker's next target is the mayor, who is giving a speech at Loeb's funeral. It's interesting to see the Joker out of makeup as he pretends to be one of the cops giving a rifle salute.   Gordon has been shot, but we know he can't die because he hasn't become commissioner yet. Still, they play it for real. And they portray the emotion of it very well.   Rachel is the next target. Harvey needs someone he can trust, and Rachel suggests Bruce Wayne.   So, you know the trope, where the vigilante holds the crook out a window, threatening to drop them. We know they won't. The crook knows they won't. In this case, Batman has specifically chosen a height that won't kill Maroni, so that he can make good on his threat when Maroni calls his bluff.   Maroni makes a good point. Batman has rules. The joker has no rules. Nobody is gonna cross The Joker for Batman. The only way to find him is to take off his mask and let the Joker come to him. Or he could just let more people die while he makes up his mind. Harsh truth.   Dent is trying a different tactic. Putting a gun to the mobster's head. But Maroni was right. This guy won't talk. Dent offers a toss of the coin. But is he really gonna kill the guy? I know he's worried about Rachel being the next target, but is the DA really ready to take a life in cold blood? Turns out, this guy is a paranoid schizophrenic. There's not a lot Dent is gonna learn from him. Batman has some words for Harvey. He is a legitimate voice standing against the crime in Gotham. Doing it by the book. That's the first ray of light this city has seen in decades. What would happen if people saw their white knight holding a gun to a man's head? Bruce is convinced that the people need someone better than a vigilante in a bat mask. They need somebody working on the correct side of the law with his face uncovered. That's something Batman can never be.   I love how all of this is building toward the conclusion of this movie. It's like a tapestry where all the threads are coming together to make something greater. There really is some great writing in this one. It's all very thematic.   Bruce is ready to pass on the torch. Right now. He's going to unmask himself so nobody else dies on his behalf.   Dent considers giving up. Even Rachel isn't convinced that this will keep The Joker from killing people. But it may flush him out and allow somebody to stop him. I understand Bruce's perspective. What choice does he have? He can't just keep watching while people die. Is protecting his secret identity really more important than all those lives? I think he's making the only call he can under the circumstances.   Rachel admits she meant what she said to him at the end of Batman Begins. If he ends Batman, she'll be with him. But she believes that if Bruce turns himself in, they won't let them be together. “They” could refer to a lot of people. The Joker, any criminal with a grudge against Batman. The police.   Bruce is destroying any evidence that could lead back to Lucious or Rachel. Today, Bruce has found out what Batman can't do, but as predicted, Alfred doesn't want to say “I told you so.”   At a press conference, Dent debates whether Batman should be turned in with the crowd. They all want his head, so he gives in. As Bruce begins to step forward, Dent falls on his sword. “I am the Batman,” he says.   Bruce hesitates. He doesn't turn himself in. What should he do?   Rachel isn't impressed. Dent reveals how he makes his own luck - both sides of his coin are heads.   The Joker makes his move to capture Dent from the prison transport. But Batman makes his move as well, essentially proving that Dent is not Batman by appearing in the tumbler.   Action scenes with The Tumbler are always fun. But sadly, it's been damaged beyond immediate repair. So…..Bruce ejects in a motorbike.   This is a problem. I can't believe that the bridging vehicle was designed to come apart and partially transform into a motorbike. Clearly, Bruce and Lucious have made a lot of alterations. But I just can't buy that. I mean, the bike with the massive wheels looks cool and all, but this breaks the believability a bit too much for me. This is no ordinary bike, though. It can do some really cool things. Despite all he has done, Bruce still holds to his rule. He doesn't kill The Joker.   Just when all hope looks gone, who should show up but Jim Gordon. Alive and well. Now they have The Joker in custody. Gordon says he couldn't risk his family's safety, which is why he went through this ruse. But he still put them through the heartbreak of thinking he was dead. And that's pretty bad. And they haven't even found out the truth yet. Gordon is on his way home to tell his wife he's alive now. She gives him the slap that I think he deserves. But in all the commission, one thing that I missed in my first watching all those years ago. The mayor names Gordon Commissioner. So he's finally reached the position he's known for.   They've found no Id on him. No idea what The Joker's true identity is. His name.   How do you charge someone without knowing their name? It's not like they can just call him “The Joker.”   But there's some bad news. Dent didn't make it home. So who has him? Gordon lets Batman do the interrogation. This is where we see the beginning of the nemesis relationship. The Joker doesn't want Batman dead. What would he do without Batman? Go back to knocking off mob bosses? The Joker needs a worthy adversary. Batman completes him.   The Joker tells Batman he's going to have to break his one rule tonight - his rule against killing. And he's already been considering it. But it seems the Joker knows who Batman is, or at least, he knows there is a connection between Batman and Rachel. Batman is going to have to choose between Dent and Rachel. One life or another. The Joker tells Batman where each of them are. Batman's decision is made without even thinking. He's going after Rachel. The police will go for Dent.   It's a sick setup. They're both wired to bombs, but there's a speakerphone between them, so they can talk to each other. Hear each other's screams.   The Joker's method of escaping is clever, but disturbing.   Rachel doesn't want to live with Harvey, so he finally gives him the answer he's been waiting for. The question is obvious. Her answer - yes.   So…seems she's not willing to wait for Bruce after all. She'd already decided that, as we'll learn from her letter. She's convinced a day will never come when Bruce doesn't need Batman.   And now comes the real tragedy of this whole thing. Batman bursts into the location where he was told Rachel would be. But it's Harvey. The Joker gave him the wrong addresses. He switched them. So that by thinking he saved the one he chose, he'd actually be killing them.   Harvey is not happy that Batman came for him instead of Rachel - which of course he didn't mean to do.   And Rachel has to calmly accept it. It's that moment when you realise you're about to die and there's nothing you can do to stop it, so there's no use struggling. But at least the one you love is safe.   And then it happens. The buildings explode. Harvey is saved, but Rachel is not.   Rachel is dead. And Batman unknowingly killed her. This is a heart-breaking tragic moment. It was a gutsy move. It was not normal, especially at the time, for a superhero to actually kill off the love interest like this. That was dark.   Of course, I'm not against tragedy or darkness in stories. But ouch. This hurts. But sometimes stories are supposed to hurt. That's what makes them powerful.   Before she died, Rachel gave Alred a letter for Bruce, telling him she'd decided not to wait for him. She was gonna marry Harvey Dent. Alfred ultimately decides to destroy this letter rather than give it to Bruce. I think he reasons that the rejection on top of the death is just another level of grief he doesn't need. He'll at least let Bruce keep the hope that Rachel was going to be with him. It's hard to say which would be more painful, knowing that you could have been with her if only she'd survived, or knowing that no matter what, you'd never have been able to be with her.   Harvey's face is half-burned in the explosion. We know what that means. When I first saw this movie, I was embarrassingly unfamiliar with Harvey Dent, and who he was destined to become. I think the coin gave me some hints but I remember being surprised when I realised where this was going.   So…..Two Face is born. The makeup effects are very well done. But….it looks really gross. Not something I actually want to look at. Harvey is not accepting skin grafts. I'm no doctor, but I don't think he's going to be able to just walk around with a big hold in his cheek, with his eyeball all exposed like that, without getting some serious infection.   Maroni claims he can tell Gordon where the Joker will be tonight.   The Joker proves he's a different kind of criminal when he burns all the money. He's an agent of chaos. Then he calls the talkback show that's about to reveal Batman's identity and threatens more chaos unless someone called “Coleman Reese” isn't dead within the hour. It wasn't entirely clear to me at the time, but Coleman Reese is the guy who has figured out Batman's identity.   Rese is not dead, so true to his word, The Joker sets off a bomb destroying the entire hospital.   They managed to clear it, fortunately.   Bruce has developed a system where he can use every mobile phone in the city to listen in and pinpoint people of interest. As Lucious points out, it's a clear violation of privacy and potentially gives too much power to one person, even though the only person Bruce trusts to use it, over even himself, is Lucious.   It's an interesting dilemma. It may help Bruce find The Joker, and Lucious is willing to help him this one time, after which, he'll resign.   Batman is a vigilante. He operates outside the law. It's interesting that this is the line that Lucious feels so strongly about.   What do you think? Has Bruce crossed a line here? And if it helps him stop The Joker, is it worth it?   Havey is after the people that took Rachel. Moles within the police department. The Joker has threatened more chaos and death in the city, and half the population are evacuating Gotham via ferry.   The joker is running a sick social experiment. Two boats. One full of criminals. Another full of evacuating civilians. Each rigged with a bomb. Each with a detonator to destroy the other boat. At midnight he blows both boats up, unless someone on one of the boats pushes their button - destroying the other. The Joker will let that boat live. So by sacrificing (murdering) the people on the other boat, they'll save themselves. The civilian boat is taking a vote. The guards on the criminal boat are desperately trying to stop the prisoners from rioting and pushing the button.  This kind of sick game is exactly the kind of thing that The Joker delights in.    Meanwhile, Harvey has taken Gordon's family. It's all happening.   There's lots of fantastic drama as the crews of the boat try to make their decisions. It's really interesting how it all develops.   Thanks to his invention, Batman has found The Joker. And so begins their epic showdown. In the end, neither crew destroys the other. Likewise, Batman and the Joker won't kill each other, Batman because of his morals, and the Joker because fighting Batman is too much fun.   The joker is fighting for the soul of Gotham. That's not gonna be won with a fistfight. Much  like Lex in Batman V Superman, he's trying to make a philosophical point about morality. But the people in those barges have just proven that the city is full of people willing to do good.   But for how long? The Joker has taken the white knight - Harvey Dent, and transformed him into something ugly. I'm not talking about his face. He's turned Dent into a killer. The beacon of hope that Bruce so believed in. When people see that, their idealism, their hope in good, will evaporate.   THAT is the joker's victory.   But the Gotham police arrive and arrest him. He'll spend the rest of his life in a cell, and that's the last we see of him in this movie. But there's still a good 20 minutes left of the film. How can you have a climax without your primary villain? Isn't that The Joker? Well, he may in fact be the primary villain, but putting aside that word, he's not the primary antagonist. Harvey Dent is the primary antagonist. The antagonist is the one who stands opposed to the protagonist's goal in the story. Our protagonist is Bruce Wayne. And what does he want? Ultimately his goal in this movie is to stop being Batman, so he can be with Rachel. He wants to raise up Harvey Dent as a different kind of hero, a better hero, a white knight who can do the things Batman can't.   Harvey opposes Bruce's goals the whole way through. First, simply by being with Rachel, keeping her from a relationship with Bruce. But ultimately, by becoming bad. By failing to be the hero Bruce wanted him to be. By constantly making bad choices, proving that he's not the good person Bruce so desperately wants him to be. And that's what we're about to see play out in this final sequence as Harvey threatens Gordon's family.   So if the Joker isn't the antagonist, what role does he place in this movie? I learned this from an old episode of the Writing Excuses podcast about the Hollywood Formula with a guy named Lou Anders. The Joker is what is referred to as the relationship character. The relationship character is the embodiment of the story's theme. The Joker is constantly trying to convince Batman that he's more like The Joker than he is like the idealised hero he wants Dent to be. “You're a freak - just like me.” In the end, Batman fulfils this by accepting his role as The Dark Knight. This is fascinating stuff to me.   It's interesting to me that Harvey has chosen Gordon as the target of all his rage. I understand he failed to save Rachel, but there are bigger targets. The Joker is the most obvious, of course, but he has his reasons why he wants to go for someone more directly connected to the failure.   Batman is a more logical target. Batman was the one who went to the wrong place and saved Harvey instead of Rachel.   I could totally understand Harvey targeting Batman, but Gordon? I guess the difference is, Gordon is tangible. Gordon is a real person with an identity and a family. What is Batman? A persona. How do you hurt Batman? Who are his loved ones? You can't know that without knowing who is behind the mask.   And Harvey's approach is very Joker-like. He's playing games. He's gonna pick one of Gordon's family, the one he decides Gordon loves the most. That's the life he's going to take. One for one. He doesn't even want to escape from this, and that makes him especially dangerous.   Batman shows up, mercifully. Harvey feels betrayed not just on a personal level because of Rachel but on a larger leve., “You lied to me. You said we could be decent men, in an indecent time. You were wrong. The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is change.” In his mind, that's fair.   The Joker chose Harvey because he was the best of them. Joker wanted to prove that even a man like Harvey Dent could fall. Sadly, Harvey has proven him right. That's the tragedy of this whole story.   The heavy drama here is powerful. Doubly so because I'm a parent.   So Batman rescues the boy, and Harvey dies in the struggle, leaving Gordon and Batman with a dilemma. The Joker has won. Any hope for saving Gotham dies with Harvey's reputation.   So Bruce does the only thing he can. There is only one way left to defeat the Joker, and he can't let the Joker win. Batman claims responsibility for Harvey's crimes. “Tell them I did it,” he says to Gordon. Batman takes the fall for Harvey so that Harvey's reputation can remain untarnished, thus preserving hope for the people of Gotham.   Batman calls back to something Harvey Dent said early in the movie. He has now grown old enough to see himself become the villain. But not in the way anyone expected.   As Bruce rides off on his bike, Gordon's son says “But he didn't do anything wrong.”   I can't help but see strong Christ parallels here. An innocent man taking on the crimes of the guilty, for the good of others. And Christ parallels always hit me right in the heart, because of my own personal beliefs.   This is a tragic but beautiful ending.   So Bruce has now become The Dark Knight. The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs. The name takes on so much new significance at the end. It wasn't just a case of “well, we can't call it Batman, so what's another name for Batman?” No. The Dark Knight has deep meaning, especially when contrasted with Harvey Dent as the White Knight. Love it.   Critics of DC films, particularly the ones that get a reputation for being dark, tend to say that the movies are without hope, without optimism. Nothing could be further from the truth. This movie is dripping with hope. It's all about hope. I feel the same way about Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. I love this movie. It's so well written. It all fits together so nicely. Events are foreshadowed. Themes are set up and then paid off satisfactorily. It's almost poetic.   So, having now re-watched both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, I might still say that Batman Begins is my favourite because I really like the origin story aspect, but I think I might have to say that The Dark Knight is actually the better film. But we're talking about the difference between two awesome movies, so what does it really matter? The point is, they're both fantastic.   Next time, we'll conclude our look at this trilogy by watching The Dark Knight Rises, which I've also only seen once.   And then after that, we launch into our new series on Star Trek Continues.   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper   Make it so  

Batman Begins is my favourite standalone Batman movie. It set a precedent for the kind of grounded serious superhero movie that I would love going forward. So let's dig in an talk about it. Over the next three episodes, I'll be covering the Dark Knight Trilogy, but it all begins here with Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. ----more---- (Player control to listen to this podcast at bottom of page) Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings The author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd. This is episode 92 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the movie Batman Begins.   The description on IMDB reads After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption.   The story for this movie was written by David S. Goyer The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan. It was directed by Christopher Nolan And it first released in June 2005  In order to share my thoughts and reactions to Batman Begins, I need to very briefly talk about my past experience with Batman. Much like Superman, Batman has always been a part of my consciousness. I can't remember a time in my life before I knew about Batman. He was just always there.   The first version of the character that I actively remember engaging with was the 60s TV series, although I'm sure there was awareness before that. I wasn't alive in the 60s, of course, but I saw the show on repeats. Remember Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s? Our local TV station did their own Saturday morning show, and amongst all the cartoons, they always showed one live action show. At one point they showed the Beverly Hillbillies. At another point, it was Adam West Batman.   I enjoyed the show, but I think even at the time, I was aware that it was incredibly cheesy and silly. But to me, Superheroes were not silly. I took them very seriously.   When news of the 1989 Tim Burton movie came out, my ears pricked up. I didn't see the movie at the cinema. We just didn't really go to the cinema much when I was a kid. We watched everything on Video. And that's how I eventually saw this movie. But I remember seeing the marketing. And I had a hardcover book about the making of the movie. I remember looking at the darker aesthetic and thinking, wow. This is a gritter, more serious take on Batman. I was VERY interested. Would this movie take the character as seriously as I did?   When I finally saw the movie, I enjoyed it. It was more grounded. I liked how they explained the Joker's smile. He had to have his skin stretched after his accident, so he used makeup to make it less weird. At least, that's how I interpreted it. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realised that the normal skin tone was actually the makeup, and the white skin was real.   This movie was much closer to the kind of Batman I wanted, but it still had more campiness than I expected. Most of that came from the Joker. Seeing him prance about with his goons spray painting the museum, it felt like I was right back in Adam West land. But it was more than that. There was a thick veneer of un-realness over them, especially the second. It was the architecture, the people, the 1930s cameras, Penguin's father's monocle.   And the movies in that series got progressively more and more silly. I don't want to speak too disparagingly about that series, because there's lots of good stuff to like.   But when they announced that the Batman movies were getting rebooted, I was very interested once again.   And this time, they really were taking it seriously. Batman Begins was a more serious grounded Batman. This was a movie that took the character as seriously as I did. It treated him like a person and really fleshed out Bruce Wayne as much as it did Batman. This was EXACTLY what I'd been looking for. And to this day, Batman Begins is still my favourite stand-alone Batman movie. It'll be interesting to see if that still holds after I re-watch The Dark Knight, which I've only ever seen once. I say standalone because Batman V Superman was a multi-hero movie. But Batman Begins primed me for Zack Snyder's work. Batman Begins made me fall in love with the grounded serious Superhero movie. And I've never looked back.   So let's dig in and talk about it.   So the movie begins with a shot of the sky with bats flying everywhere, and Batman's logo revealed in the background. That logo is so recognisable that you really don't need any text. That's something the marketers knew even back in 1989.   Bruce is running around his garden as a child. Most Batman stories begin with Bruce walking through the alley with his parents at night, but this is a different take. This is Bruce before the tragedy. It's all bright colours and sunny. Bruce has a big smile on his face as he plays with his childhood friend Rachel. But he's a bit of a little ratbag. Rachel has found something cool, it's an old arrowhead, and he snatches it from her. It seems that child Bruce has developed a sense of, I can have what I want, because I'm rich. Not exactly the lesson his parents would want him to pick up, we'll see later that they're really good people. But this is an attitude that could easily develop in a child raised in an environment like this, unless much care was taken to help him unlearn that kind of stuff.   As Rachel chases him, Bruce falls through a hole into an old boarded up well. rachel runs to get help from her Mum, who is in Wayne Manor, which looks really cool. I'm surprised they didn't take more care to fence it off or something. This well connects to a cave system underground, and it is filled with bats. Young Bruce freaks out as they flap around his face, giving him a life-time fear of bats. This is an important element that will come back later in a way that I thought was really cool.   That's when we cut to Bruce waking up as an adult.   Now I've heard from some sources, some criticisms of this movie and it's realistic take. Pointing out that there are things in it that are far from realistic. Bruce's fall without apparent injury could be classed as one. Although we'll later learn that he did break his leg, but a bit more visible pain on his face would have helped.   For me, when I say I love this movie for its realistic take, it's not about every little moment being perfectly realistic. It's about the realistic take on the characters. It's about the world feeling like ours, rather than having that thick veneer of fakeness plastered over it like the previous movie series. As I said before, it's about this movie taking itself seriously.   This is a Bruce Wayne we've never seen. He's got a beard. He's lying in a foreign prison. Okay, What is going on here?   Most Batman stories do the parents' death and then cut straight to Batman fully costumed and operating in Gotham. But there's a big jump between those. How do you get from one to the other? That was the big promise of this movie. They were going to delve more deeply into Batman's origin story, a story that had never really been told on screen before. We see how Bruce as a young man goes off in search of his destiny, and finally finds it. Finds a way to deal with the pain of his parent's death, and ultimately, becomes the Batman we know. This was a story that was completely new to me, and I loved it.   We don't yet know what Bruce is in here for, but another of the prisoners has it out for him. Is bullying him. I quite like it when the bully refers to himself as the devil, and Bruce says, “you're not the devil. You're practice.”  That tells you so much about Bruce's mindset here. He's using everything around him, every experience, to learn and develop. To become what he wants to become. And that's very Batman.   We get to see a nicely done fight scene. It's fierce and brutal. When the guards drag Bruce away “for protection” and then reveal it's not for him, it's for all the thugs he beat up, I audibly laughed. A little humour, but not the kind of humour that pulls you out of the seriousness of the scene.   Somebody is waiting for him in his cell. A well-dressed Liam Neeson calling himself Ducard. He says something very interesting. “Are you so desperate to fight criminals that you get yourself locked up so you can take them on one at a time.” This gives us a lot of insight into who Bruce is at the moment, and what's going on in his head. Did he deliberately get himself locked up in here? I wouldn't put it past this version of Bruce Wayne.   Of course, Ducard has figured out exactly who Bruce is. And he says he works for Ra's al Ghul, a name I hadn't heard before I watched this movie the first time.   Bruce has been exploring the criminal underworld, but in the process, he's become lost. Rotting in a foreign prison. He may be learning about criminals here, but he's certainly not going to do anybody any good.   Ra's al Ghul can offer him a path. Something he needs but isn't yet convinced about. The path of the League of Shadows.   Ra's al Ghul shared Bruce's hatred of evil. He can provide a way to serve true justice. So a vigilante. Bruce isn't sure that's what he wants to be.   But Ducard sees al Ghul differently. A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed or locked up. Kinda like Bruce right now. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely. A legend. There's some good dialog in this film.   And now he's got Bruce's attention. Because he's offering a concrete way to become what Bruce really wants. A way to truly make a difference against the kind of evil, so rampant in his home city, that destroyed his life.   This is as good a time as any to talk about a theory I have. You see, the whole idea of a man dressing up as a bat to fight crime is absurd. It's ridiculous. You might even say, it's pretty stupid. So why does it work? How do you make it work?   When you're adapting a comic book to a movie, and you come across something in the comics that's silly, there's two main ways you can deal with it.   The first is to basically hang a lantern on it. This has become quite popular in recent time, but has been for a long while. The MCU did this when Hawkeye says “I'm fighting robots with a bow and arrow. None of this makes any sense.” I really don't like this approach. It's the acknowledgement, of, this is silly, we know it's silly, but let's just go with it, yeah?   Even Zack Snyder's Justice League does this a little bit, when Aquaman derides Bruce for “dressing up like a bat” and later says “I dig it.”   At the other extreme, you've got the approach that Batman Begins takes. When you find something that's silly, you either find a way to make it work, to make it less silly, or you eject it.   An example of this is the penguin. I believe Christopher Nolan has been quited as saying that The Penguin would never have worked in his trilogy because the character just wouldn't fit with the more realistic take he'd developed.   But right here, in this scene, we're seeing that Batman Begins is going to try to explain why an orphaned boy grows into a man who eventually wears a bat costume, in a way that doesn't feel silly. And for me, personally, it works really well.   Ducard has arranged for Bruce to be released from prison tomorrow. He's instructed to find a rare flower that grows on the mountain. If he can pick one, and bring it to the top of the mountain, he may find what he's been looking for all this time.   I'm liking the character development they're already doing with Bruce. He knows he's looking for something, and he's been stumbling around the world trying to find it, but so far he's failed. This is exactly the kind of person that Ra'as al Ghul would try to recruit. And yes, Bruce may have finally found what he's been searching for.   The scenery in this next sequence is quite beautiful. The grassy plains and the snowy mountains.   He makes his way up the mountain, past villages. They warn him to turn back. I guess there are stories about the questionable people who live up at the top.   Bruce is being put through a physical challenge to reach his destination. It's one thing to want to fight injustice, but it's another to have the strength of body and will to do so. Bruce first has to prove himself capable. Which he does.   Bruce finds an old asian man sitting in a chair when he finally reaches his destination. “Ra'as al Ghul?” he asks. And you'll notice the man doesn't answer. He speaks in another language, and Duard translates. I'm not sure exactly what country this is. I get the impression it's somewhere like Tibet or maybe Nepal.   Bruce is asked “What are you seeking?” “A means to fight injustice. To turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.” Bruce sounds like somebody who has already given a great deal of thought to the answer to that question. We know he's been seeking this for some time.   He presents the flower to Ducard.   “To manipulate fears in others, you must first learn to control your own.” Which seems to make sense.   Bruce can barely stand after his climb, but is still expected to defend himself. Ducard is testing him. He learns that Bruce is afraid, but not of him. Bruce has been in fights with thugs so many times before. He used to that. When Ducard asks him what he fears, we cut back to that childhood memory. Being rescued from that cave full of bats.   We learn here but Bruce did indeed break a bone, so points back for the realism thing. We also see that Rachel's mother works for Wayne as a maid. Importantly, we see Bruce hand the rock back to Rachel as they go past. It seems he's learned a lesson of sorts through this experience. Maybe life isn't all about having everything you want, and taking the things you desire from others.   His father is trying to impart an important lesson to Bruce. “Why do we fall? So we can pick ourselves back up.” That's a lesson that adult Bruce has really taken to heart, which is how he's survived so long in this lifestyle. But he'll have to re-learn it later.   In this scene, we get our first glimpse of Michael Caine as Alfred. Superhero movies are usually cast with unknowns. That makes a lot of sense, especially for the titular heroes. But Christopher Nolan deliberately cast a lot of big name stars in this movie. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes.  Nolan's thinking was, why shouldn't a superhero movie deserve to have the very best actors available. Of ourse, star power isn't always directly equal to acting ability, but these actors all do amazing jobs in their roles in this movie.   I was a little sceptical about someone as famous as Michael Cain playing Alfred. Would I really be able to see the character through the famous face? But it absolutely worked for me. All these actors sold me on their characters, and after this, I couldn't imagine anybody else ever playing Alfred. Who could possibly top Michael Cain? Of course, then Jeremy Irons blew me away in Batman V Superman, but that's another story.   Bruce is having recurring nightmares about the bats. They've really scared him. His father explains that they attacked him because they were afraid of him. All creatures feel fear - especially the scary ones. This conversation will really shape who and what Bruce will become.   And then his father shows him a pearl necklace he plans to give Bruce's mother. That's ominous. We know what those pearls mean. Right?   The next scnene gives us some great insight into who Thomas Wayne is. He's not only a good father, he's a good man. The people of Gotham have been going through hard times. He's used his money to provide cheap transport for the city, and he's not above using it himself, by the way. He owns Wayne Enterprises, a big successfully company, but he doesn't take an active role in running it. Instead, he chooses to spend his time working in a hospital as a doctor. In his own way, Thomas Wayne is a hero. He instilled a lot of values into his son.   There's been one or two interpretations of Thomas Wayne where he's a corrupt businessman. Not a nice guy at all. And while I appreciate the grittiness of that approach, I prefer this version of Thomas. The idealistic nice guy who established a legacy for Bruce to follow.   And notice that Thomas is wearing a tuxedo, and Martha is wearing the pearls. We know what's coming.   The actors in the opera seem to be dressed as bats. It's freaking poor Bruce out. There's a little exchange between father and son. First of all, he says “Can we go?” And that just comes across as any restless child who is bored and wants to leave. My response to that would be a quiet firm “No.” But his face shifts and he says “please” in a pleading kind of way. And Thomas sees what's really going on inside Bruce. And being the good father he is, Thomas leaves the show, something he probably spent good money on, something he was probably enjoying himself. But for the sake of his child, there's no question.   Martha hasn't picked up on it the way Thomas did. She asks what is wrong, and Thomas covers for him. I'm not sure exactly why he felt the need to do that. Maybe so as not to embarrass Bruce over his fears. I got another chuckle when Thomas said “A little opera goes a long way, right Bruce.”   So they've left early and are walking through the alley, and that's when it happens. The inevitable moment that defines Bruce's life.   When the mugger appears, Thomas is calm. He's willing to hand over whatever this guy wants. Again this shows the man's values. He cares about his family far more than money. And he's trying to calm the mugger.   But when the wallet drops, the mugger gets jumpy. The mugger wants the jewelly as well. He raises his gun toward Martha. And suddenly it all happens so fast. The previously calm Thomas reacts on instinct. It's not about the pearls. Somebody is pointing a gun at my wife. I must protect her. He stands in front of her. The sudden movement spooks the mugger and he fires. It's all so tragic. They were so close to getting out of this without anybody getting hurt.   Somewhere along the way Martha is shot as well.   And the poor kid is left there in an ally all alone, next to the dead bodies of his parents.   And it's all because they left early. It's all because Bruce was afraid of the bats. That's got to hurt. This is a good addition to the mythology because it drives that knife even deeper into Bruce's heart. And it's that pain that pushes him to become Batman.    The death scene is done pretty well here, but I have to say, after seeing the version Zack Snyder did in Batman V Superman, well, this just can't compare to that. That haunting music! And the lack of blood seems to detract from the realism somewhat.   We get our first look at Commissioner Gordon, although he won't be a commissioner at all during this movie. Right now, he's just a uniform cop. Probably a constable. I don't know exactly how police ranks work in America. You can tell right away he's a good cop. He shows a lot of compassion and empathy for Bruce.   The detective delivers the good news. They got the guy who did this. But that's got to be very little comfort to a child who has just lost his parents.   One of the Wayne Enterprise executives promises they'll be watching over the empire until he's ready. Again, that's the last thing that Bruce cares about.   Bruce breaks down and admits the guilt he's feeling to Alfred. And we see the beginnings of the father figure that Alfred will be from now on. That's a dynamic that I really like.   Back in the present, Ducard asks Bruce if he still blames himself for his parent's death. He says that his anger outweighs his guilt. Honestly, I'm not sure which is healthier.   Bruce has buried his guilt with that anger, but Ducard is going to help him confront it and face the truth.   Next we get something of a training montage. Not quite a montage because there's snippets of dialogue through it.   Bruce has come a long way with his own training, but Ducard will take what he can do and take it to new levels. There are a lot of similarities between Batman, the way he operates, and a ninja. Both use stealth. This movie digs into that and outright makes ninja training a part of Batman's background. I imagine a lot of this is drawn from comics, but I'm not familiar enough to know exactly what. I'm still pretty early the comics-reading journey I recently started.   But it's all good stuff.   One little detail that I love is that during their sword fight, Ducard is wearing armoured spikes on his arms, these are a famous part of Batman's costume.    There is an emphasis on theatricality and deception. These also lead very naturally into what Batman will be and lend believability to the whole thing that I really appreciate.   When Bruce is shown a criminal in a cage, we get some insight into the zero-tolerance that the league of shadows have for crime. Ducard says “criminals thrive in the indulgence of society's understanding.” We'll see shortly the kind of justice that they believe in.   The next conversation explores this idea of guilt and blame.   Ducards says “Your parents' death was not your fault. It was your father's. He failed to act.” Bruce defends his father. “The man had a gun.” “Would that stop you?” “I've had training.” “The training is nothing. Will is everything. The will to act.”   So Ducard is placing the blame firmly on Thomas, for not having the strength of body and will to stop the mugger. This is a very interesting perspective.   The truth is, there are a thousand different things that contributed to them being there at that moment. Bruce's desire to leave early, their decision to go to the opera, Thomas's gift of jewellery to his wife, probably many factors that lead the mugger to choose that particular night, that particular alley.   But ultimately, the blame for his crime, in my opinion, has to fall on the mugger. He made the moral choice to steal from these people, and he made the moral choice to kill them. The responsibility for that crime rests on him.   There's another nice quiet character scene with Bruce and Ducard around a campfire. Ducard displays a keen insight into the kind of pain Bruce has at the centre of his life. The anger he has wrapped around the guilt. The way it has affected him. He shares a little of his own story. He knows Bruce's pain because he shares it, because of the death of his wife.   Then he says something important. “Your anger gives you power, but if you let it, it will destroy you.” And isn't that the truth!   When Bruce asks what helped Ducard, he says vengeance. And I'm going to have to dispute that one. From what I've observed, Vengeance rarely makes people feel better. It doesn't take away the pain. We talked about this in Stargate Universe when Rush took revenge on Simeon for killing Amanda Perry and Ginn.   Bruce says vengeance is no help to him. He asks why Bruce never took revence for his parents.   And that leads us to another flashback. Bruce is now a young man, probably just out of his teens. He's been attending Princeton, which I believe is a pretty high profile university, but he's back home with Alfred for a hearing. Related to the man who killed his parents. Justice works very slowly. But that's probably a good thing. If there's one thing where you don't want to risk making a mistake, it's the justice system. Sadly, of course, no matter how slow and careful they are, there are still mistakes made.    Bruce is not returning to Princeton. Apparently, he hasn't ingratiated himself to the staff there. But he can't see Wayne Manor as his home either. This is his father's house. A mausoleum. Alfred doesn't see it that way. This house has been home to six generations of the Wayne family. Many times, it has passed from parent to child. The child becoming the new master of the home. Moving into the master bedroom is symbolic of that. The only difference is, Thomas's death happened so young, and so tragically.   Bruce doesn't understand why Alfred cares so much. But Alfred cares very much about this family, and thinks of it as his own. We see the same thing with Jeremy Irons' Alfred too. Thomas made Alfred responsible for that which was most precious to him. Bruce. Alfred takes that responsibility very seriously.   And then we find out why Bruce has little regard for his future. We see what Bruce plans to do. He has a hand gun.   But there's a lot more to it than just wanting revenge for killing his parents. We learn that Rachel works for the DA, and the DA is letting the mugger, Chill, go free. He shared a cell with Carmine Falcone. He's testifying against that crime boss in exchange for early parole. So this isn't the sentencing after all. I Guess justice doesn't move THAT slowly.   This is hard one. I understand why the justice system needs to make deals like this. You reward the small fish for helping you catch the big fish. The truth is, Carmine Falcone is a much greater threat to the safety of the people of Gotham than Chill is. If they can bring down Falcone, then a lot of lives can be saved. A lot of crime can be prevented.   But what about Bruce? What about his parents? Where is the justice for them? That's why Bruce feels somebody should be there to represent his parents at this hearing. To remind the world that Chill's crime had consequences. That his crime broke Bruce's life in a way that can never be repaired.   And this is also why he's planning to take justice into his own hands with that gun.   I'm not sure I noticed this when the movie first came out, but watching it now, as a 44 year old, Rachel almost looks too young to be a lawyer. Katie Holmes was famous as a teenage actor in the TV show Dawson's Creek. I didn't watch that show at the time, but I saw a little of it with my wife some time later. I'm still very much seeing that teenager in her face here in this movie. Of course, this movie came out in 2005. It feels like it was just yesterday, but that's actually 17 years ago. My first child was born in 2005. Anyway, I guess the moral of that, which I'm trying to say is that Katie Holmes retained her youthful look, so good on her, and … well….I'm getting kind of old.   As the DA, makes his case, he mentions a depression. To my knoweldge, the only depression that has occured in the last few centuries, was the great depression between the two world wars. We've had a number of recessions, but that's a lesser thing, right? And depression isn't something that just affects one city. A depression affects nations. Multiple nations. So that's a departure from real-world history.   Chill speaks of his regret for his crime. Yes, he was desperate, but that doesn't change what he did. I believe his remorse. It comes across as genuine. After 14 years of paying for the crime, how could you not come to regret it?   We all know regret right. I've been torn up by regret over all sorts of things. But none of them close to the severity of what Chill did.   When the judge announces that a member of the Wayne family is present, and invites Bruce to speak, the actor playing Chill does some great stuff with his face, showing the emotion that the character is feeling in that moment. The shame and guilt. The regret. How do you face the living victim of your murder?   But Bruce doesn't speak. He stands and walks out. And gets his gun ready. Bruce walks toward Chill, gun hidden in his sleeve, but he never gets the chance. Somebody else shoots Chill dead. No doubt somebody working for Falcone.   Bruce and Rachel talk about the difference between justice and revenge. Bruce posits that sometimes they are the same thing. Rachel says that justice is about harmony. Revenge is about making you feel better. But Bruce points out her impartial system is broken, which, it is. We talked about that, the imperfection of humans.   So Rachel decides to give him a real lesson. She takes him into the slums. She shows him the people living in poverty. Falcone floods the streets with violence and drugs. He makes these people desperate. The real villain in Bruce's story may not be the man who pulled the trigger. It's Falcone, who made Chill desperate enough to want to steal. (Which obviously doesn't exonerate Chill for his terrible crime). Rachel knows exactly where Falcone hangs out. He's there in that bar every night. But through corruption and threats, he keeps the police at bay. Nobody will touch him. They're all too afraid.   This scene is foundational to Bruce becoming Batman. This movie shows there's so much more to it than just the death of his parents and training to be a ninja. There's some real depth to the story in Batman Begins, and I love it.   Bruce admits to Rachel that he's not one of her good people. Shows her the gun. She gives him the slap he deserves. And she's right. His father would be ashamed of him right now.    So Bruce storms right into Falcone's bar and walks up to the crime boss. I like how the first half of this movie uses Falcone as its primary antagonist. In the grand scheme of things, he turns out to be a minor foe for Batman, but at this point in his life, Falcone is an untouchable, insurmountable foe to Bruce.   The conversation between Falcone and Bruce is fantastic. More great dialog. Falcone has the kind of power where he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Bruce in the head, right here, in front of cops and judges. That's power. The power of fear.   In a few quick sentences, he reminds Bruce how much he actually does have to lose. Rachel, his butler. He thinks he knows pain, but he knows nothing of desperation. It's ironic that Falcone is the cause of so much desperation in this city, but he understands it. He lives amongst it. Bruce doesn't yet comprehend that type of desperation.   But as we've seen earlier in the movie - he will.  This encounter with Falcone is the impetus he needs to go and start learning about desperation and fear. To begin his long training toward becoming Batman. So he can be one of Rachel's good people. A good person who won't just do nothing.   I don't know if Bruce will ever think of himself as good. He's too morally gray. But he's going to stand against the evil that has infested his city. Like his father did before him, in a very different way.   As soon as he's thrown out of the bar, Bruce begins to shed the trappings of his privileged life. His wallet, his cards. His fancy clothes. He sells his nice coat to a homeless man, exchanging it for a ratty old one. His journey has begun.   During this training, he lost a lot of assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong. But he never fully gave in to it all. He didn't become one of them. He stole, but technically, the things he stole belonged to his company anyway. He still had a moral line.   So back in the present, Ducard is using drugs to teach Bruce a lesson. He must become more than a man. He must become an idea. He must use fear against his enemies. The drug is from that purple flower that grows on the mountain. It has hallucinogenic properties.   Ra's Al Ghul is satisfied that Bruce has overcome his fear. He's ready to join the league of Shadows and lead these men. But first, he has to prove his commitment to justice.   He has to behead a criminal in front of them all. But this is one of those lines Bruce has set. He's not an executioner. He won't kill this man. That's not justice. That's what Rachel tried to teach him.   This is where he differs from the League of Shadows. He'll fight men like this in Gotham. But he won't kill them. Ducard brings up a classic objection. “You compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share.” And Bruce has a good comeback. “That's why it's so important. It separates us from them.”   Ducard makes a point that Bruce knows well. Legal systems are corrupt. They are often not fit to dispense true justice. Bruce has seen this first hand in Gotham. The League has turned their sights on Gotham. That city has become so corrupt, it's time for it to die. And Bruce, as their “Prince” as Falcone called him, “is the perfect one to deliver that justice.” They plan to destroy the entire city. As they believe, this is necessary.   And so is born this Batman's no-kill rule.    I have no problem with this Batman having a no-kill rule. I quite like it. This Bruce still has some idealism left. I like idealism. I also have no issue with Ben Affleck's Batman having no such rule. That's Bruce at a very different time of his life, in a very different situation. Batman has certainly killed before, in comics, and in other movies. Remember that time when Michael Keaton's Batman casually murdered a minor goon and then cracked a joke over his corpse?   Bruce attacks the league to make his escape, burning the temple, and saving Ducard's life. Because he's still a good person.   Now Bruce is ready to be Batman. It's time to go home. Alfred is very happy to see him as he arrives in a private jet. People need a powerful symbol to shake them up. He can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, he can be ignored and destroyed, but as a symbol, he can be indestructible.   We get a nice little moment of humour as Alfred expresses some concern over his safety with Bruce's new endeavour. We also learn that Bruce was declared legally dead by the Wayne Enterprise shareholders. They wanted his majority share, but luckily, he left everything to Alfred, who is now a wealthy man in his own right. The overhead view of the Gotham skyline shows us a very realistic looking city. A place we can well believe exists. A far cry from the gothic cartoonish Gotham we've seen in previous Batman movies. This was a breath of fresh air to me. I could never really connect with the setting of the previous movies. The city just felt so overwhelmingly fake and non-real.   Now, before we see the birth of Batman, we need to meet a new character, One who will be an important villain in this movie going forward. Doctor Crane. The psychologist that gets all of Falcone's thugs declared insane, and transferred to his care, rather than facing criminal justice.   Rachel is onto him, of course, as probably everyone else is. But she's the only one with the courage to do something about it. Interestingly, Rachel seems to be taking on something of the role that Jim Gordon generally fills in the comics. The one brave good person who is willing to stand up when everyone else just looks away, either for money, or out of fear.   Of course, we see Jim Gordon doing that as well in this movie, but so far, he's been largely absent.   Rachel is warned to back off by one of her colleagues. You can't take on somebody like that. You just have to pretend it's not happening.   Bruce's first step is research. And that's a very Batman quality. Preparation. He needs to know if he'll have any allies out there. He finds some newspaper clippings about Gordon.   And that's when he sees the bat. And after all that Ducard taught him, he has an idea. He goes down the well that he fell into as a child, and finds the cave.   The cave is very rustic. It's not a habitable place, as caves generally aren't. I love the waterfall. As Bruce stands up, allowing the bats to flap all around him, he finds that he has overcome his fear of them. Now that he has it under control, it's time to share that fear with his enemies.   Despite his bravado, Rachel actually has Crane a little spooked. He has a deal with Falcone. He gets his thugs off the hook, and Falcone brings in a shipment of something for Crane. Falcone is more interested in favours than money, and for somebody like him, that makes a lot of sense. Falcone has plenty of money, but it's the favours, the connections, that make him who he is. That's the basis of his power. Other people doing what he wants so he remains untouchable. Anyway, Falcone is gonna take care of Rachel for him.   We see in the board meeting, that they are wrestling with the idea of going against the kinds of business practices that Thomas Wayne believed in. One of them argues that after 20 years they should be able to stop thinking about what Thomas Wayne would have done. And …. In part….. I think he does have a point. Thomas is no longer alive and hasn't been involved in this company for two decades.  They're the ones running this business. They need the freedom to take it in their own direction.   But, in terms of values, that's a little different. Thomas Wayne clearly set precedent for the kinds of moral and ethical values that Wayne Enterprises stands for. And those values are something that perhaps should endure. Especially when you're carrying on the legacy of your founder.   Bruce says he's not here to interfere with the company. He just wants a job to get to know the company his father built. He's interested in the applied science division. Of course, he has something of an ulterior motive here.   And this is where we get to meet Lucias Fox. Now as I understand it, this character was created for the movie, and he became so beloved, that they actually added him into the comics. This kind of thing has happened before. Batgirl was first created by the Adam West TV show, and later became part of the comics. Harley Quinn, as well. I think it was an animated series for her.   Anyway, I like Lucias Fox, and it's hard not to when he's played so warmly by the one and only Morgan Freeman.    Fox is surprised Bruce would want to be here. This division is a dead end, to keep Fox from causing any trouble for the board. A whole bunch of prototype technologies, not in production. Exactly what a young Billionaire needs when he wants to come a superhero vigilante.   This scene is great because it legitimises all of Batman gadgets. His suit is an advanced body armour, not used in active duty by the military because it's too expensive. But perfect for a vigilante who only needs one or two.   I've often heard the criticism that Batman can't have body armour any more advanced than what the US Military use in real life because they always have the best that has been invented. I think this scene goes some way to help address that.   This is what I was talking about earlier. You find something that's kind of silly in a superhero's story. In a movie like this, you either make it feel believable, or you dump it.   And that's the key. Making it feel believable, even if it's not strictly 100% realistic. That's not the point. It needs to feel sensible, not silly. It needs to give you enough to help you suspend your disbelief.   And for me, Batman Begins does that perfectly.   I love how Fox sees completely through Bruce's excuse. But all this stuff belongs to him. If he wants to use it, why not?   Alfred gives us another nice little bit of texture. Back in the civil war, Bruce's great-great-grandfather was involved in the secret railroad, helping free slaves. The caves under the mansion came in handy. There is already a passage down into them. Another nice touch that adds an extra veneer of believability to this whole thing.   Bruce is now making his suit. Painting the body armour and adding the arm spikes he learned about with Ducard. Alfred helps him figure out the logistics of ordering the materials he needs to assemble everything without raising suspicion.   We check back in with Jim Gordon. He's in an interesting situation. He's not that courageous good man standing against corruption yet. He refuses to take bribes himself, but he does sit idly by while his partner Flass collects his money. He even assures Flass that he's no rat. He won't tell anyone about the bribes. He's resigned to the fact that there's nobody to rat to.   Gordon is in a small way still part of the problem. He's definitely not yet a part of the solution.   But Bruce pays him a little visit.   I like how on Bruce's first time out, he doesn't have the full cowl. He's just wearing a balaclava. I kind of like it when origin stories do that. The slow build-up to the real suit.   Jim needs a little push. It's not until Bruce tells him about Rachel that he really considers taking a stand himself. Bruce wants to take Falcone down for the drug shipments he brings in each week. The shipments that nobody does anything about.   Bruce definitely lacks the elegance we'll come to expect from Batman as he clumsily falls and crashes around the city. He's gonna need more stuff from Fox.   The memory cloth that will form the basis for Batman's cape is pure science fiction. But couching it in science fiction terms once again gives it that sensible believability to me.   I like the exchange between Bruce and Fox. Fox is happy with the plausible deniability of it all. He knows Bruce is up to something. Bruce knows he knows. They don't have to keep pretending otherwise.   And that's when Bruce notices the tumbler.   I love the tumbler.   Designed as a bridging vehicle. They could never get the bridge to work, but the vehicle itself is fine. Perfect for Bruce's needs. I love how they introduce the batmobile in this way. I love how you first see it in Army cammo colours, but Bruce asks if it comes in black. I love everything about the tumbler. The batmobile is one of the silliest things about batman. That name especially. Thank goodness that term is never spoken aloud in this movie, or in the Synder movies. You don't need to call it that on screen, it just needs to be present. I always thought the idea of Batman driving around in a car was pretty silly. But this thing? Now you're talking!   Now, there are some issues with the tumbler in the second movie, which we'll get to. But just looking at Batman Begins in isolation, this is absolutely perfect.   You can see a defined difference between the way Bruce is approaching Falcone now, as opposed to how he did it as a young man. Back then, he was hot-headed. He burst into Falcone's bar armed with nothing but anger and emotion. And he was humiliated. Now, he's taking his time. Doing surveillance. No longer a child, Bruce has become a man. There's still a lot of emotion driving him, of course, but that emotion is no longer in the driver's seat. Bruce has learned to control it.   In reality, this isn't just a drug shipment. There are drugs, but there's also something special for Crane. Flass is actively helping Falcone protect the shipment. And he's all but offered to kill Rachel. And this is where we first see Batman in action. I love this scene. It takes all the tropes of a horror movie and inverts them. It's the bad guys that are being terrorised, and Batman is the monster. In a lot of ways, this scene defined for me, who and what Batman is. I remember playing the Arkham Asylum game. This scene was in my mind as I played that. It impacted how I played the game.   The crooks are vanishing one by one. Being taken by something in the shadows. It's creepy and it's cool. Possibly the best scene in the movie. I love when the crook screams “where are you you?” And then we hear that gravelling voice behind him, as an upside-down Batman says “here.”   They actually use the “hide the monster” trope here, but in the way I like, not in the way I hate. Because the crooks don't get a good glimpse of Batman. Not until right at the end, we finally see Batman in all his glory, as he pulls Falcone out of the car.   Bruce saves Rachel's life, and gives her the leverage she needs to get the judge to do the right thing.   It seems everything is all wrapped up. In one night, Batman has taken down Carmine Falcone, something the police in Gotham haven't been able to do in 20 years.   So Falcone is strapped to a massive floodlight. Making the image of a bat on the clouds. It's this movie's take on the bat signal.   This is a moment that gets criticism. Those floodlights get extremely hot. In reality, Falcone would be burned to a very dead crisp. And I can't argue against that. First of all, I'll point out that this light is hardly at full strength. You can tell just by looking at it that the light is pretty dim. But then, there's no way it'd be able to project that image up into the sky to be visible like that. This scene is a cheat. I'll admit that.   I always found the bat signal pretty silly. I never liked the idea that Gotham police had Batman on speed dial. Gordon, sure. But he needs a much more subtle way of getting in touch with him.   I'll admit this moment doesn't quite work, but given the overall tone of the rest of this movie, I kinda don't care.   The point is, we've established just how powerful Bruce has become, in his new persona. Up until this point, Falcone has been the big bad of the movie. He was the primary villain. And he seemed a very powerful, very intimidating villain. How can one man bring down somebody like that?   But Batman has done what that young Bruce could never have conceived of. He's brought down Falcone, and it feels kind of effortless.   Bruce Wayne has come of age.  But they've already laid the seeds of a greater challenge that Batman will face. This movie actually has an escalating scale of villains, three different levels. Bruce has just cleared level 1.   And the way the movie has done it, taking all of this time to establish Bruce's journey, it convinces me. The idea of a man dressing up as a bat and running around with a cape at night no longer feels ridiculous and preposterous. The journey has sold it. That's really important to me.   I've always been primarily a Superman fan, but looking back, while I'd always liked Batman, I think it was this movie that really made me love Batman. This movie gave me a version I could believe in. This movie finally delivered on the promise that I first saw when they started advertising the 1989 movie on TV.   Rachel has a rock-solid case. Batman has given her everything she needs.   But the police chief wants Batman off the streets. This is the tension I like. Batman is doing the right thing, he's getting the job done, and Gordon sees the value in that, but officially speaking, Batman is a criminal, pursued by the police just as much as any of his rogues are. That's what Batman was designed to be.   Alfred has some good advice for Bruce. If he's going to live this double life, he's going to have to put some effort into his Bruce Wayne persona as well. Just as Supermam cultivates an akward nerdy Clark Kent, Batman needs to cultivate a frivolous playboy Bruce Wayne to throw people off his scent. Now we introduce a new but important element. A microwave generator has been stolen from Wayne Enterprises. Designed for desert warfare, it vaporises an enemy's water supply. This is more science fiction. But again, I'm okay with science fiction. This is still a superhero movie, after all. And that's what this movie does so right. You establish the silly elements of the story in a believable sensible way, and then you have room to suspect disbelief over things like this. I don't mind a little science fiction, in fact, I welcome it. What I don't want is silliness and cheese. That's why when people criticise the realism of elements like this, I think they're missing the point.   Bruce's appearance at the hotel, with the weird skinny-dipping ladies goes a good way to establishing Bruce as a frivolous playboy, the last person you'd expect to be Batman. Why those women decided to get naked and hop in the water feature I'll never comprehend. Maybe Bruce paid them to do so.   Bruce is willing to be seen in this light in order to protect his true self. But there's one person whose good opinion he doesn't want to lose. Rachel. He tries to tell her, without telling her. “Inside, I am more.” But she's not buying it. “It's not what you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you.” And this is a very thematic statement for the whole movie. I partially agree with what Rachel says here. While, I think we are defined by more than just what we do, What she's getting at is the whole idea of putting your money where your mouth is. You can have the best of intentions inside, but if your actions don't match your intentions, then those intentions aren't worth much, are they? It actually reminds me of James chapter 2 in the Bible. Faith without actions is dead.   Falcone wants Crane to get him off on the insanity plea, just as he has with his goons. But more than that. He wants in one whatever Crane and his mysterious boss are up to.   But this is the moment that Crane replaces Falcone as the primary villain. Crane gases Falcone and Falcone goes genuinely insane from whatever is in that gas.   It's obvious at this point, that Crane is the Batman villain Scarecrow.   And this is the moment it really becomes a comic book movie. Weird gas that makes people go crazy? But because everything has been established in such a grounded sensible way up until now, I'm willing to buy it, I mean fully buy into it.   We won't be seeing Falcone again. He's done with. But we've learned how sinister Crane is. He's doing experiments with his patients, using whatever was in that shipment Falcone brought him.   Bruce already knows some of the shipments went elsewhere. He wants to know where. He'll get it out of Flass. Which he does. Batman is a pretty effective interrogator. And Flass is a coward.   So he tracks the shipment to Crane. The shipment is what he uses to make that gas, not to mention the microwave generator. We see that the gas amplifies people's fears. Makes them see what they're afraid of.   Bruce jumps out of a window many stories up, while on fire. And miraculously survives the fall without even a broken bone. That's not realistic. I call valid criticisms on this moment. But the funny thing is, they have their explanation for that. The memory cloth can turn his cape into a glider. Why didn't this scene use that device?   Under the influence of the gas, Bruce becomes that scared helpless little boy again. He cries out to Alfred for help. And of course, Alfred is there for him.   Bruce recognises the hallucinogen. He's felt it before, but this is more concentrated. Weaponised.   Fox has invented an antidote.   Bruce is supposed to have a birthday party tonight, but Rachel is heading to Arkham Asylum to figure out what's going on with Falcone. And she's gonna need backup from Batman to keep her safe.   Why does Crane show Rachel the truth of his whole operation? I know he drugs her afterwards, but why show her what he's doing? He's pouring that hallucinogen into the city water supply.   Batman crashes the party and uses Crane's own gas on him. I love how he sees Batman as a weird human/bat hybrid creature. The gas allows this movie to do some crazy sci-fi/fantasy looking stuff that would otherwise not fit in a movie like this at all. And we learn that Crane's mysterious boss is none other than Ra's Al Ghul. But isn't he dead? Didn't he die when that temple turned?   Bruce calls in the bats presumably using pheremons to attract them, so he can get away wtih Racel, to give her the antidote. Not sure the bats would smell the pheromones from that distance, though.   This is when we first get to see the Tumbler in action. Bruce uses the bridging vehicle's ability to jump to his advantage.   There are a couple of moments of humour that work for me in the chase. It's a pretty cool action scene. Anyway, he gets Rachel to the cave in time to the cave, where Fox has left the antidote waiting.   Crane has dumped his entire supply of this stuff into the water supply. Been doing it for weeks. But it hasn't affected anyone because it needs to be absorbed through the lungs. So why dump it in the water?   Crane is in custody. Bruce uses Rachel to get the antidote to Gordon so he can protect himself and mass produce it.   Level 2 cleared. The final ultimate villain will soon be fully revealed.   Alfred is concerned that Bruce is losing himself in this monster. Bruce argues he's using the monster to help others. But this can't be personal or else he's just a vigilante.   The mansion is full of guests. Bruce wants to get rid of them. There's too much going on right now. Alfred doesn't want Bruce to destroy his father's name. It's all that's left of him. The playboy persona is one thing. But Thomas's legacy is important and shouldn't be tarnished. And, Bruce agrees, for now.   Fox figures it out. The microwave emitter would allow somebody to disperse the toxin into the air supply. He's just been fired for asking too many questions about it.   And now we meet the final boss. The true villain of this entire movie. Bruce is introduced to a Mr. Ra's Al Ghul. It's Ducard. He was Ra's all along. The man Bruce watched die was just a decoy.   Bruce wants Ra's to let the guests go. They're innocent. His only reply “You can explain the situation to them.” And so, in order to save their lives, he must offend them. Dragging his father's name through the mud. They'll never know what he sacrificed to save their lives.   Crane's toxin was derived from the blue flowers on the mountain. He wasn't a member of the league of shadows, just a pawn. Ra's plans to vaporise the toxin and watch Gotham tear itself apart. He said near the start of the movie that he planned to destroy Gotham. He was serious. The League of Shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. They sacked rome, released plague rats, and burned London to the ground. When a civilisation reaches the peak of decadence, they come in to return the balance.   But you can't fight evil with evil. They may think they're the good guys, but they've murdered billions of innocent people along the way. Bruce believes Gotham isn't worth saving. He wants more time. Ra's rgues the very fact they've been able to do what they're doing is proof of its corruption.   We're seeing here that everything from the start of the movie is coming full circle. It's almost poetic. I love it.   As his goons burn the mansion to the ground, Ra's drops another bombshell. They tried to destroy Gotham in the past, through economics. Create so much hunger that everyone becomes a criminal. See them rip themselves apart.   But Bruce's parents got in the way of that plan, by helping alleviate the poverty where they could. It was Ra's al Ghul who created the circumstances that lead to his parent's death. Falcone was only a piece of that.   We see here how alike Bruce and his father are. Both, in Ra's opinion, are misguided idealists trying to save the city that deserves to be destroyed. There's a lot of symmetry in this movie, and I love it.   Alfred saves Bruce from the burning house. Bruce feels he's destroyed everything his father left behind, but Alred reminds us what we've just learned. The Wayne legacy isn't bricks and mortar. It's that idealism that tries to save Gotham. Ultimately, Thomas failed, and now so has Bruce. And then that line from his childhood returns. “Why do we fall?”  “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”   I think Thomas would be proud to see what a fine father figure Alfred has become.   Ra's activates the microwave generator and the gas bursts out of the ground. Right under the narrows - the worst part of Gotham.   Fortunately, Gordon has the antidote.   Everything has gone to hell. All the riot cops are on the island already, and they've been affected by the gas. There's nobody left to send. And just as Commissioner Loeb says that, the tumbler bursts through the air behind him. That's a very effective shot. Love it.   The monorail follows the path of the water mains. They're gonna load the generator on the train and infect the entire city.   Batman is going into battle. He may die. Rachel at least wants to know his name. He replies with that same line “It's not what I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” And this, of course, has a double meaning. In one sense, it means, it doesn't matter what my identity is under this suit. It only matters that I'm trying to help. But, of course, by using that phrase, he's letting her know exactly who he is.   The shot of Batman gliding in like a giant bat and landing is awesome.   A lot of people are getting infected while Bruce struggles to catch the train. More with every metre. This brings us to the climactic fight scene. It's suitably tense. I like it. Gordon uses the tumbler to take out part of the monorail. It's interesting that ultimately he's the one that saves the day. Bruce is there to make sure Ra's doesn't go on to cause havoc another day.   And now we reach that controversial moment. Has Bruce finally learned to let go of his compassion? Ra's asks. “I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you.” Many people feel this is a betrayal of the “no-kill” rule that Bruce established for himself early in the movie. And strictly speaking, it is. Bruce is cutting that moral hair mighty thin.   But I don't see this as a negative to the movie. Bruce is a morally gray character. This is when he really steps into that. This is why he and Superman never get on, because they are different. Yes, Batman may be an idealist compared to the likes of Ra's al ghul, but he's not as cut and dry as Superman. And even Superman is forced into some of those gray areas, which I'm also fine with.   The train is stopped, and Ra's al ghul is finally dead. But there's still a lot of people out there who will need that antidote. A lot are gonna get hurt and killed before they get it. It's Batman. It's messy.   The next scene is very satisfying. The company went public, but Bruce bought up most of the shares through various charities and trusts. He's placed Lucious Fox in charge as the new CEO, the previous one, who fired Fox, is out.   Rachel comes to see Bruce, who she has newfound respect for. Bruce thanks her for giving him that first lesson that started him on his journey of transformation.   Now that she knows the type of man Bruce truly is, she's started to hope. They grew up as childhood friends, but there's a lot more between them than just friendship. They've loved each other for years, in some form. The movie probably could have done a better job of portraying that romantic undercurrent of their relationship, though. But there's a problem. Bruce has changed. He's a good man, but the real Bruce that she remembered is gone. Maybe he'll come back someday when Gotham no longer needs the Batman. And that line perfectly sets up the primary conflict of the next movie.   Bruce is going to rebuild his father's house, but it might be a good opportunity to do some work on the foundations.   The bat signal re-appears at the end. Gordon is going to use it when he wants to summon Batman. There's a lot of trouble still out there.  Gordon teases the villain of the next movie by mentioning a thief and murdurer who leaves a calling card - a joker.   And the credits roll.   This movie changed everything. It created a new era for DC comics movies, and started the journey that would eventually lead us to the Snyder Cut.   Without Batman Begins, there would be no Man of Steel. No Batman V Superman.   This movie presented a new way of portraying superheroes. They were no longer something to laugh at or make fun of. They were something to take seriously.   This movie made realistic, those things it could, which made the speculative elements all the more easy to accept. It was a perfect balance.   It's like Christpher Nolan reached into my soul and said “Let's create the perfect Batman movie for Adam Collings.”   There was a lot in this movie. Heaps to talk about. And there'll be plenty more to talk about next time, in a movie I've actually only ever seen once. The Dark Knight.   Have a great two weeks, Live long and prosper, Make it so.  

Bem-vindos a 21ª edição do @MostardaCast!!! Nessa edição o host Jorge Paulo Vaz (@jorgepaulovaz), traz como convidado Renato Costa (@renato_cossta). cospaly e fã do Homem Morcego. "Eu sou a vingança. Eu sou a noite. Eu sou... Batman!" quem nunca ouviu estra frase?Batman foi criado em 1939, por Bob Kane e Bill Finger sob encomenda da DC Comics. A identidade secreta do Batman é Bruce Wayne, um bilionário americano, playboy, magnata de negócios, filantropo e dono da corporação Wayne Enterprises. Confira mais no podcast. | | Ouça o Mostarda Cast no Spotify, Anchor e nas principais plataformas. | | Siga o Mostarda Cast no Instagram: @mostardacast | | Acesse o canal do Youtube e increva-se agora! (https://www.youtube.com/c/MostardaNerd) Fique ligado na próxima edição!!! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mostardacast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mostardacast/support

Die Mission der Superstars und Superhelden geht weiter! Batman hat bei uns angerufen und fragt nach einer Analyse seines Potentials. Könnte er es schaffen, das ganze Universum zu retten? Oder ist es besser, wenn er nur in Gotham bleibt? Und wäre ich denn dafür gemacht, CEO eines Unternehmens wie Wayne Enterprises zu werden? Auch das ist immerhin eine Frage des Potentials. In Episode 101 von „Chief of Anything“ definieren wir, was Potential genau bedeutet und an welchen aufschlussreichen Faktoren ich es erkenne. Im Anschluss gehen unsere beiden Podcaster gängige Kombinationen aus Potential und Performance durch. Diese sind nämlich bei jedem Teammitglied anders – und ich als Chief führe sie zum größten Erfolg, wenn ich jede gemäß ihrer individuellen Voraussetzungen einsetze. **Über die Podcaster** Michael auf LinkedIn: ► http://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-portz-362209 Christian auf LinkedIn: ► http://linkedin.com/in/christiankohlhof **Unser Buch** CHIEF OF ANYTHING: Wofür entspannt-produktive Führung die Welt verbessert Bestelle es dir noch heute auf amazon: ► https://amzn.to/2Z5IIXh **Über die CoA Academy** Weitere Informationen über die Academy, unsere Seminare und das CHIEF OF THE YEAR Remote Leadership Programm findest du auf unserer Website: ► https://coa.academy **Newsletter** Melde dich gerne zu unserem Newsletter an. Mit ihm verpasst du keine Neuigkeiten & Erfahrungen mehr von uns: ► https://bit.ly/3a9FoAQ **Und noch eine große Bitte an dich:** Abonniere unseren Podcast und bleibe auf dem Laufenden. Wenn er dir hilft, eine bessere Chefin oder ein besserer Chef zu werden, effektiver zu kommunizieren oder du ihn einfach unterhaltsam findest, freuen wir uns sehr über eine 5-Sterne-Bewertung und eine Rezension. **VIELEN HERZLICHEN DANK!**

Get in losers, it's Angie's turn this week. We're here for another one of her favorite 90's teen rom-coms: She's All That. Hot shot, Zack Siler, makes a bet with his friends to turn nerdy outcast, Laney Boggs, into prom queen. He has just six weeks to get Laney to take her glasses off so everyone realizes how pretty she is!!! OMG. Do you think it will work? Jeff is put to the test this week, literally. Angie surprises him with an oral POP QUIZ to find out if he was really paying attention. Before we get to the movie, Jeff gets an interesting voicemail from Wayne Enterprises as a follow up to his application for Executive Sidekick to the Batman. Eeeeeek! Ways to support us: Rate and review us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts Tell us fun things at 929-456-0304 or send us an email Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @TheC2RNetwork

Do you need a warm-up before seeing The Batman? Was Rpatz's emo Batz's not doing it for you? Are you in the market for a campier, nipple sporting Cape Crusader? Flogalong with us as we sit down and rewatch Batman Forever because everyone (no one) asked us to! You'll find no topics discussed during this episode because there was no way I was going to listen back to a 2-hour recording with several minutes of awkward silences (as we, you know, watched the film), audio mishaps and probably a whole bunch of racist, homophobic and xenophobic slurs coming from the mouth of the Irish one. And anyway, listening to this is your job. I am only joking about the slurs. (probably) I haven't listened back...Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris O'Donnell & a very horny Nicole Kidman await. This most likely will be our first and last Flogalong so enjoy it while it's here.Chapter Markers4:40The film begins - Press play25:55Audio mishap - pause the film! 27:03More mishaps, pause it again! 27:46Press play again. Ben's lost controlFilmFloggers Episodes - https://t.co/uHw3yuylDr?amp=1Come talk to Ben on Social Media...https://linktr.ee/FilmFloggershttps://www.instagram.com/filmfloggers/https://twitter.com/FilmFloggersGameFloggers Twitch - https://tinyurl.com/sabrbumtDo you want The Sopranos redefined for you? I thought so...https://twitter.com/SopranosRehttps://anchor.fm/sopranos-redefinedHelp Flog the Podcast by Rate and Reviewing! 1 Star content, 5-star effort! Apple iTunes - https://tinyurl.com/268ccs6cPodchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/users/filmfloggersGoodpods - https://goodpods.app.link/gEvDLhAJYibWebsitehttps://filmfloggers.buzzsprout.comEmail us your FilmFlog suggestions hosts@filmfloggers.comBatman (Val Kilmer) faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and the Riddler (Jim Carrey), a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City's residents. As the caped crusader also deals with tortured memories of his parent's murder, he has a new romance with psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman).Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/FilmFloggers)

The LWG discuss Mary's decision to not take the Poison Ivy antidote & Marquis' hostile takeover of Wayne Enterprises on Batwoman, Astra's great leadership skills & systemic changes on Legends of Tomorrow, and Barry's no good very bad day & the Reverse-Flash/Iris twist at the end of Armageddon Part 3 on The Flash.Time Stamps:News - 2:00The Flash - 3:30Legends of Tomorrow - 1:24:40Batwoman - 1:51:40LWG - 2:23:10

The Superhero Show Show #4021-877-Kara's-4-KidsIt's time to say goodbye to Supergirl, plus Eternals, Disney+ Day, and more on an all-new Superhero Show Show!EPISODES DISCUSSED:BATWOMAN #305Watch Batwoman on The CW"A Lesson from Professor Pyg" - (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) (TV-14, LV) (HDTV)COME AND GET IT - Ryan (Javicia Leslie) asks Sophie (Meagan Tandy) to accompany her to a dinner at Jada's (Robin Givens) to do recon on what her estranged mother knows about Wayne Enterprises, but the evening takes a turn when an uninvited guest drops in on the intimate gathering. As the terrifying evening unfolds, Ryan witnesses another side to Marquis (Nick Creegan) and her mother. Also starring Rachel Skarsten, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson and Victoria Cartagena. David Ramsey directed the episode written by Ebony Gilbert and Caroline Dries (#305). Original airdate 11/10/2021. Every episode of BATWOMAN will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.DOOM PATROL #310Watch Doom Patrol on HBO MaxAs the Brotherhood of Evil closes in, the Doom Patrol try to set aside past issues in hopes of becoming a true superhero team - or risk being taken out for good.FEAR THE WALKING DEAD #705Watch Fear the Walking Dead on AMC+With a code to guide them, Dwight and Sherry become ethical outlaws known as the Dark Horses; when Strand recruits them for a search and rescue mission, it forces them to question their code and their future.LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #705Watch Legends of Tomorrow on The CWA LITTLE LUCK - After Sara (Caity Lotz), Ava (Jes Macallan), Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) and Gary (Adam Tsekham) arrive in New York City, they track down Dr. Gwyn Davies (Matt Ryan), who isn't the scientist they expected. Astra (Olivia Swann), Spooner (Lisseth Chavez), and Gideon (Amy Pemberton) are still trying to stop the Legends from using the time machine, but they run into some more setbacks along the way. Meanwhile, in the pocket dimension Nate (Nick Zano) and Zari (Tala Ashe) work together on the Hoover situation as well how to make their future together work. Andrew Kasch directed the episode written by Paiman Kalayeh & Mark Bruner (705). Original airdate 11/10/2021.LOCKE AND KEY #204Watch Locke and Key on NetflixWith Duncan's emotional state deteriorating, Gabe confronts one of the Lockes, Tyler surprises Jackie on her birthday, and Kinsey faces up to her fears.LOCKE AND KEY #205Watch Locke and Key on NetflixGabe insinuates himself into Tyler's search for the Memory Key as Kinsey resolves to find out what's going on with Eden. Bode visits an old friend.SUPERGIRL #619Watch Supergirl on The CW"The Last Gauntlet" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV- PG, V) (HDTV)THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE KICKS OFF THE TWO-HOUR FINALE FOR "SUPERGIRL" - In the penultiSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourpopfilter)

Ryan asks Sophie to accompany her to a dinner at Jada's to do recon on what her estranged mother knows about Wayne Enterprises; as the terrifying evening unfolds, Ryan witnesses another side of Marquis and her mother.

The Superhero Show Show #401Y the Last Episode?It's the season (series?) finale of Y: The Last Man on an all-new Superhero Show Show!On an all-new, all-different episode of The Superhero Show Show, Cassie and the Boyz are discussing the final episode of Y: The Last Man! The showrunners seem to think that the show might be able to find a home on a streamer other than Hulu, which originally produced the drama, but for right now, this is it! And it so very clearly did not think this was going to be the last episode. A lot of things come to a head when the Amazons finally make it to the prison, and Yorick and Hero see each other again. Loyalties are tested, backs are stabbed, lives are ended, and when the dust has settled, the first chapter of what is very clearly a long story is over.Also on this episode, the Taste Buds head back to X-TAZMANIA with the start of the Dark Pheonix saga, or episode #303 of X-Men: The Animated Series, available on Disney+. Professor X sends the X-Men to space to see what this Lilandra lady is complaining about, and there they meet Mutant Daddy Erik the Red, and get embroiled in one of those gosh darn space wars! Then, something real bad happens to Jean...we'll have to wait until next week to see what that is.And as if that wasn't enough, Mike sits down with Khelan and Adam from the Homo Superior podcast to talk about all things comics, television, and the nightmare of trying to wrangle five guys on the same podcast! Check out the Homo Superior podcast here,  and follow them on Twitter @HomoSuperiorX.All of that, plus discussions, reviews, and conversations about every other television show based on a comic book, including LOCKE AND KEY, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND, STARGIRL, SUPERGIRL, LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, BATWOMAN, and DOOM PATROL. It's almost too much show!EPISODES DISCUSSED:BATWOMAN #304Watch Batwoman on The CW"Antifreeze" - (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, LV) (HDTV)THE FREEZE OUT - When Ryan (Javicia Leslie) makes Gotham's "30 Under 30" list, Luke (Camrus Johnson) worries about how Marquis's (Nick Creegan) involvement in Ryan's rising popularity as Wayne Enterprises' acting CEO will land with Jada (Robin Givens). Mary (Nicole Kang) returns from a late night out not feeling quite herself, while Alice's (Rachel Skarsten) hallucinations grow stronger. And when Sophie's (Meagan Tandy) sister, Jordan (guest star Keeya King), goes missing, she and the Bat Team quickly realize that Freeze's missing weapon hasn't been fully contained. Holly Dale directed the episode written by Daniel Thomsen (#304). Original airdate 11/3/2021. Every episode of BATWOMAN will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.DOOM PATROL #309Watch Doom Patrol on HBO MaxWith Madame Rouge vying for her old spot in the Brotherhood of Evil, the Doom Patrol brace themselves for their impending visit.FEAR THE WALKING DEAD #703Watch Fear the Walking Dead on AMC+June and Dorie's routine in Teddy's fallout shelter is disrupted when they discover the origins of their home and its sinister connectiSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourpopfilter)

When Ryan makes Gotham's "30 Under 30" list, Luke worries about how Marquis's involvement in Ryan's rising popularity as Wayne Enterprises' acting CEO will land with Jada. Mary returns from a late night out not feeling quite herself, while Alice's hallucinations grow stronger. And when Sophie's sister, Jordan, goes missing, she and the Bat Team quickly realize that Freeze's missing weapon hasn't been fully contained.

Episode 52 Show Notes: Preparing for a job interview can be one of the most stressful parts of the job search. There's a lot of pressure to make a great first impression and convey that you are the perfect fit for the job. The key to any interview is to prepare in advance by writing down your answers to questions. Are you prepared for your interview? Do you know what you're going to say? Have you even practiced? In this episode, I'm narrating a parody UX mock interview with two characters. Yemi

The Superhero Show Show #399I Love LuciferThe Taste Buds discuss the series finale of Lucifer!On an all-new episode of The Superhero Show Show, Cassie and the Boyz discuss the series finale of Lucifer! I know everyone watched this six weeks ago, but take the journey with them, too! The Taste Buds discuss how all of  their favorite characters' stories ended, and if the last season did them right. Does Lucifer Morningstar prove to himself and his family that he's a good dad? Does Amendiel really become God? Will Charlie get his wings? The Friends will go over all of that, and more!That's not even close to everything, however. They're also giving out the final Shushie award for Best Actress of the Year. Will Lauren German, who plays Chloe on Lucifer, get nominated for her final season performance? Will they argue that Kathryn Hahn was actually a leading role, just so they can give her another award? And while they're handing out awards, they are tasked to do the impossible: cut out 8 more shows from the Bracket 400, before they do the Sweet 16 next week on the 400th episode of The Superhero Show Show!All of that, plus reviews and discussions on all of the other shows that came out this week, including Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Stargirl, Titans, Supergirl, Y: The Last Man, Doom Patrol, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond!EPISODES DISCUSSED:BATWOMAN #302Watch Batwoman on The CW"Loose Tooth" - (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) (TV-14, LV) (HDTV)A BITING CHANCE - When a new incarnation of Gotham's swamp slumming Killer Croc surfaces and starts racking up a body count, the inaugural team-up of Batwoman (Javicia Leslie) and Alice (Rachel Skarsten) is put to the test. But Alice isn't the only unwanted intrusion into Ryan's life when Jada Jet (Robin Givens) shows up at Wayne Enterprises, insisting on meeting the company's new CEO. Luke (Camrus Johnson) and Mary's (Nicole Kang) relationship is strained under the weight of a secret Luke is keeping, while Sophie (Meagan Tandy) finds herself becoming part of Ryan's inner circle. Jeff Hunt directed the episode written by Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux (#302). Original airdate 10/20/2021. Every episode of BATWOMAN will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.DOOM PATROL #307Watch Doom Patrol on HBO MaxVic consults an old friend for help with a major life change, Cliff takes his online habits too far, and Jane battles the "others" for Kay. Sensing imminent danger, Madame Rouge attempts to rally the highly distracted group.LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #702Watch Legends of Tomorrow on The CW"The Need for Speed" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-14, DLV) (HDTV)A TICKET TO RIDE - While the Legends contemplate how to get to New York City, Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) discovers Hoover has train tickets to DC and Sara (Caity Lotz) and Ava (Jes Macallan) come up with a plan. With the help of Gary (Adam Tsekham), Nate (Nick Zano) will have to impersonate Hoover, but he soon learns it is harder being Hoover than he expected. Since Zari (Tala Ashe) is stuck without the internet, she is forced to take a digital detox and becomes obsessed with figuring out who blew up the Waverider. Meanwhile, Astra (Olivia Swann) and Spooner (Lisseth Chavez) have stayed behind in Texas and are dealing with the aftermath of Astra's special spell. AmSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourpopfilter)

The Dark Knight trilogy begins... Directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer, Batman Begins is based on the DC Comics character Batman, rebooting the film series. Luke and Jae revisit this "dark and gritty" 2005 origin story which tells the story of the death of Bruce Wayne's parents to his journey to becoming Batman. A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the mysterious League of Shadows. When Ducard reveals the League's true purpose - the complete destruction of Gotham City - Wayne returns to Gotham intent on cleaning up the city without resorting to murder. With the help of Alfred (Michael Caine), his loyal butler, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), a tech expert at Wayne Enterprises, Batman is born.

Fecha de emisión: 27/05/2021 El programa de esta semana queremos dedicarlo a esa cantidad ingente de empresas y multinacionales que pueblan las páginas de nuestros cómics y que tan (inconscientemente) arraigadas tenemos en nuestra cultura friki. Todos conocemos Wayne Enterprises, Oscorp, LexCorp, etc. Intentamos ampliar algo más ese amplio sector. Y recuerda que, a parte de tenernos aquí en Ivoox, nuestro programa se emite en directo todos los jueves de 19h a 20h en el 91.6 del dial sevillano y siempre desde live.sevillafc.es. Y por supuesto síguenos en Twitter a través de @nervioncomiccon

Tony with Newt and Crystal review Batman Forever. In this Podcast / Movie Review of third movie in the Burton/Schumacher era of Batman films they'll talk about all the things that make it fun. Like the one liners by Jim Carey, the colorful costumes and set design, and the overall ridiculous tone!Batman (Val Kilmer) faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and the Riddler (Jim Carrey), a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City's residents. As the caped crusader also deals with tortured memories of his parents' murder, he has a new romance, with psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman).

Intro Podchaser - Reviews4Good - NUEXGUY - “CAPES ON THE COUCH is one of my favorite podcasts for the unique perspective and insight they bring to the superhero genre. I haven't heard another podcast go so deep into the psychological arguments around these characters. One of the most informative and entertaining podcasts around. Did I mention there are skits as well?” Background (3:16) Black Mask (Roman Sionis) created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake in Batman #386 (August 1985) Roman Sionis born to wealthy parents who didn’t care for him - they dropped him on his head early, possibly causing mental damage Hated Thomas & Martha Wayne, who his parents were always sucking up to - this led to a fascination with masks, because he believed his parents were phony Once he came of age and became VP of his father’s cosmetic company, he burned down the family estate, killing his parents, and took over everything After running the company into the ground, it was rescued by Wayne Enterprises, but he was fired - he went to his parents grave, dug up the coffin, and destroyed it - he used the pieces to make a new mask, and called himself the Black Mask Created a gang, the False Face Society, and began going after the Wayne Foundation and its members, including Bruce - after a failed attempt on Bruce’s life, he set fire to his family’s house once again, and in a battle with Batman fell into the flames, fusing the mask to his face During No Man’s Land, he becomes the head of a cult known for ritualistic scarring - he’s taken down by Batman and Huntress Later gave up the theme of masked henchmen and decided to run a drug trade out of the East End of Gotham, putting him into conflict with Catwoman Tortures and nearly kills Stephanie Brown during War Games Killed by Catwoman after threatening to kill all her loved ones - he’s resurrected during Blackest Night as a Black Lantern, but was defeated by Ivy and Harley, trapping him in a pitcher plant that digested his body as it regenerated New 52 gives him largely the same backstory, but now his mask gives him low level psychic abilities - he also has split personalities, with Roman and Black Mask being distinct identities DC Rebirth abandons the psychic abilities, but has him allied with the Penguin Issues No positive family background left him alone Obsession with masks (16:36) Sadism, especially with women (23:49) Break (30:18) Plugs for Petri Dish, Play Comics, and Meredith Finch Treatment (31:23) In-universe - Let him roleplay in different masks to learn empathy Out of universe - (35:08) Reframe to get more buy-in from the client Skit (40:33) Hello Roman, I’m Dr. Issues. - What do you want? This isn’t a house call, and it’s not like I asked to meet with you. You’re required to -*cuts off* I know what you’re here for. Let’s get this straight: I’m not trying to change. I’ve changed enough for my lifetime, thank you very much.  *pause* I appreciate your honesty. It saves me time. Goodbye. -Bye. *sound of walking away, distant* Oh man, I gotta try *walking back* Sorry, I’m not going to give up. -Sucker. As dangerous as this may sound, the goal of therapy for a thief may be to make them a better thief - You can’t be serious. Nobody’s that stupid, especially against me. I don’t mean being better at bad things for society. I mean being more in tune with your mental state so that you are better at your personal goals. What you do with them is none of my business. -What sort of backwards schooling did you do? This is nuts!  How long did you originally plan on talking to me? -Negative 2 seconds, then find someone to kill you. And how long have you actually talked to me? I’ve already exceeded your lowly expectations. -I just can’t get over how bonkers this is. You’re just like that Harley chick...oh yeah, same field. See, I knew all shrinks are weirdos.  So what can this self-proclaimed weirdo do for you? I’m all ears. -You’re really trying to analyze me, huh? *pause* OK then. I want my enemies dead. I want unlimited access to every major corporation’s bank accounts in Gotham. I want enough firepower to take down a small nation’s army...or Batman. It’s about the equivalent budget. So *claps hands* get to it, chop chop!  Not a single emotional goal. You really don’t have the vocabulary for that, do you? -Who says what I want won’t make me happy?  Well, how much did you have before? -Well, let me do some quick math...a hell of a lot more than you ever will. And were you happy then? -I wasn’t locked up, chastised, and made to do interviews with the likes of you. So you didn’t have the same intellectual stimulation, but you didn’t answer the question. I appreciate your deflections. It’s a strong intellectual coping skill -How long are you going to keep up with this psycho-crap? I’m not trying to be some prissy high-status goody two shoes. Fascinating. You equate being high status with somehow being good. I’ve definitely seen examples across a full spectrum with regards to that. Does that attitude date back to direct experience as a crime lord, or from your interactions at a younger age? -It dates back to being annoyed by someone who is not a henchman, partner, associate, or target talking to me as if somehow any of this matters.  I see. That’s how you view your spheres of influence. If no one fits into those spheres, then you don’t expend mental energy on them. That’s an advanced skill to maintain locus of control. How did you learn that? -I don’t know. That sounds like common sense to me. If someone isn’t worth my time, then they’re a guaranteed waste of my money. The best examples are the ones who keep asking questions when they’ve been given every hint to stop. I’m picking up what you’re putting down. But what about those that are in your sphere of influence and you can’t kick them out? -They don’t exist. Au contraire; I’m talking about your adversaries. They probably take up most of your mental bandwidth, and make you feel worse because you’ve lost to them. -*defensive* I don’t lose. I learn.  You’re impressing me with your knowledge of mindset focus techniques. How does that translate when you’ve had to make such a transition from full mob boss to anonymous inmate number? -It translates just fine because no inmate is asinine enough to have drawn out stalling conversations with the man responsible for their death. Oh, I’m going to have to challenge you on that one. You’re forecasting a future that may never happen. I’ve dealt with clairvoyants before, and they’re not perfect, either. That type of bias will get you into trouble. You need someone to watch those psychological blindspots. -*exasperated* You’re really just going to stay there and act like I’m not insulting you, warning you to get the hell away from me? You really are off your rocker!  Every conversation is an opportunity for growth. Even when I have my own doubts of the benefit, I’m willing to try. Surprises only happen if you take a chance. How long have you focused on such a restrictive life? - Come here inside this cage, I’ll show you restrictions. Thankfully we only resort to restraint when it’s absolutely necessary. If you decide to be unruly, then 4-points are readily available, along with injection medication depending on your symptoms. Thankfully, I don’t have to directly get involved in that. - Too scared? Don’t want to get your hands dirty and make the hard choices? You’re soft. Especially on the outside. I bet you go down after… let’s say 3 hits. Well, I’ve been hit 4 times and got a broken rib, so you’re not too far off. Nice guy though, just let his delusions get the better of him and incorporated me. You on the other hand, are all about making direct threats and intimidating people that have no interest in such things. I’m sorry if I’m coming off aloof now. You’re getting away from the meaningful topics in your life to show yourself as a class D thug. - I came within inches of killing Batman. I left Stephanie Brown for dead. You want to call me D-class? Do so at your own risk. *non-chalant* I...just did. Your wit is sharp enough that I don’t have to repeat what I said. Don’t miss the point that you present yourself that way, but have the potential to… - And we’re done here. Todd, if you don’t mind. Wait, you’re supposed to protect m-*gate unlocks* You can lock up my body. But you never took the time to freeze my assets. And those are MUCH more powerful than anything I do physically. Having said that, let me show you what I can do. I don’t normally enjoy this… wait, who am I kidding, I love this! They say love what you do and never work a day in your life. In my case, that’s been true since day one. Now then…  *muffled* Good self-actualization - Aww, if you think it’s hard to speak now, let’s see how well you talk when your jaw is in 3 pieces. The crowbar, please, Todd.  *muffled scream* - Music to my ears... Ending (48:25) Recommended reading: Batman: War Games Next episodes: John Walker, Isaiah Bradley (Ruby), Comic book death (Matt) Plugs for social References: Lucha libre - Anthony (23:36) Kanye West - “Through the Wire” - Anthony (48:56) Apple Podcasts: here Google Play: here Stitcher: here TuneIn: here iHeartRadio: here Spotify: here Twitter Facebook Patreon TeePublic Discord

Explaining how Batman works written is a huge task. There is simply so much Batman. Since the character's creation in 1939 every conceivable tone has been struck with these stories. And if every twist or variation hasn't been tried, well, almost all of them had. You can read a Batman story in an alternate D.C. Universe where Bruce Wayne marries Selena Kyle and has a kid. That's not fanfic, that's a D.C. imprint from the 80's I think. This field has been PLOWED, in comics, film, television, action figures, t-shirts -- Batman. It would take a lifetime to do a comprehensive survey. And I think it would be a life -- well, wasted. Because the fact is most of everything isn't very good. Most Batman comics or movies, while they are fun and they are fine, they certainly aren't sublime. The reason I’m doing this is that I’m currently writing a "Batman" story, of a kind. And to do that well, I want to understand the character better. I’m writing a series called How to Succeed in Evil, available on Amazon, about an Evil Efficiency Consultant for Supervillains. It uses superhero tropes in the same way Douglas Adams uses Science Fiction and Terry Pratchett uses Fantasy. In the latest series of books, the long-term antagonist for my consultant is a superhero called The Lynx. This current run of the story started as I tried to answer the question, what would I do with Batman? What's the Batman story that hasn't been told. What happens if Batman was real like really, real? What's a consequence of this that nobody has ever considered. How to Succeed in Evil works like this. You put a superhero trope next to real people and it's funny or creates instant satire.Like Bruce Wayne. He's got billions. So if he really wants to help people, he should do it at scale, not by pounding muggers in an alley. He should devote his time to the Wayne Foundation. And if he really believes in what he's doing, he'll want to turn Wayne Enterprises into an engine that will generate so much money that he can use it to fund the foundation. So, in my idea, Batman is inherently irresponsible. He's a trust fund kid, who's defrauding his shareholders so he can play vigilante. He's a dilettante. And, from that you can know, he's probably not very good at business OR fighting crime. He wants to do the right thing, he just doesn't know how. And that's funny. And/or sad, depending on how you play it.So, for me, the questions to ask are three-fold. 1. Why has Batman lasted? What makes this character have such staying power? Is it luck? Created at the right time? Certainly some of that is true, but there are things about this story and character that would be useful to understand if you want to make new stories that you hope will last. (and I do)2. How does this engine of story work? I mean there are so many Batman stories. So many great characters. What is it about this particular wellspring that makes it so productive. And, is there anything I can steal to become more productive myself. 3. What is a Batman story at it's absolute best? How/and why does it work? So here's my plan of attack, I'm going to place Batman in the pulp tradition. I'm going to talk about the major kinds of Batman stories. And why, when they are great they are great. And then I'm going to analyze about the film the Dark Knight and the comics that lead up to it. Do you want Batmen? Because that's how you get Batmen!So where does Batman come from? One of the most important insights I have for anyone about story or even art in general is that everything was influenced by something. "There is no new thing under the sun," as the saying goes, which logically can't be correct. But new ideas are very, very, very, very rare. So if you see something that you think is without precedent, turns out there's a part you missed. And the part you might miss about Batman is that he is straight-up a pulp character. The pulp era in which he was created was this vast roiling machine that turned out story after story after story, almost all of them repackaged and produced with a speed that modern writers can't seem to match. Even though they had mechanical typewriters and we have computers. And these Pulp Characters are the guys who people like Bob Kane and Bill Finger used as inspiration.The number one inspiration for Batman is Zorro. Bob Kane said so himself. In the classic origin story, young Bruce Wayne and his parents are coming out a screening of The Mask of Zorro, when his parents are killed in a mugging. For me, Batman also has elements of The Shadow, Lamont Cranston, rich playboy by day, turns into the Shadow, who turns invisible and scares the crap out of criminals while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. There are of course others, it's all a melange. But from the word go, Batman comes right out of this world of ridiculous characters. Well, ridiculous now, if you go back to read them. But the other interesting thing to note is, Zorro's greatest influence is Robin Hood. I mean Zorro basically is Robin Hood. Which makes it interesting to think about Batman as an echo of Robin Hood. The interesting thing to note is that Batman is not ridiculous. Not at the start. Not funny, either. From the word go, Batman is a tragedy. And the Joker is a horrific monster. That panel of recently orphaned Bruce Wayne crying and dedicating his life to fighting crime in the earliest origin story is harrowing. Sure, I didn't get this the first time I read it, but when you go back and look at it, it's all there. And this is the primary difference. Batman has internal stakes. All of these other pulp adventurers, they're doing something because it's fun. Gentlemen Adventurers. Or because it's right abstract sense. Bruce Wayne dons cape and cowl not only for justice but to fix what is broken inside him. Batman is, first and foremost, a response to trauma. So how do Batman stories work?Batman never changes. Oh I know, Robin got killed and then he wasn't and Robin changed out and Nightwing, blah, blah, blah. But in terms of real interior character change, it seems to me that only two Batman stories involve the character changing in a significant way. The origin story and the death story. Everything else, is about the villains, in a deeply fascinating way. For me, in every good Batman story, the villain is a manifestation of Batman's internal struggle. And maybe every good action story is like this. Maybe a hero's struggle is always his or her consciousness against inner forces, those elements of psychology and neurology and instinct that we aren't consciously aware of, that we must overcome to become what we want, or need to be. Take, for example, an alcoholic. In one sense, there is nothing easier than not being an alcoholic. It's literally the cessation of an activity. It would seem to require no effort. But we are not in charge of ourselves. And the struggles to overcome addiction -- or anything else -- are titanic. But they are internal. And it is very difficult to understand anything in abstract terms -- especially the deep interior life of a human being. We make them concrete in character and action. So to understand and reason about these psychological struggles, the ancestors developed myths. I believe they used the oldest and most eternal categories known to them (Mother, Night, Father, Ocean, Light, Darkness, Dragon, Fire, Ice) not as things as themselves, but to try to understand what was going on inside them and how people should act in the world. In a real sense, the battle against any monster is smaller and secondary to the battle against the instinct for self-preservation within. But since we can't symbolize the inner battle very well, in stories, heroes slay dragons. Batman doesn't have Dragons, Batman has characters that are his externalized personality traits or other competing possible responses to trauma. So, many versions of the Joker is are a valid and understandable response to tragedy. We live in a cruel, nihilistic world. Nothing matters. There is no God, it's all a joke. Bruce Wayne/Batman is the opposite response. Bruce, through grief and the power of his will forges himself into an instrument in an attempt to restore justice and make the world a better place. And every Batman character is like this. Oh, they might have started out kind of silly, but as writers and artists plumbed the depths of these characters and tried to make better and better work, it all converges on the same idea. Batman strikes terror into the hearts of evil-doers and uses fear as a tool. Who else uses fear as a tool? The Scarecrow. Batman has become part monster. You know who's also part monster? Killer Croc. and ManBat. Because where's the line? What happens when the monster takes over? When do you go too far?Batman wants Justice. You know who else wants Justice? Ra's a Ghul. When does a vigilante go to far?Batman, you think you had it hard? You think you're strong and scary and know what loss and pain is? Think you can stay forever young and be the most super of superpredators? Meet Bane in the Dark Knight Rises. Now I'm not going to argue that all Batman characters do this perfectly or that every Batman story works this way. But the ones that work the best certainly do. A philosophical or psychological question is personified in a villain. Even the Penguin, as nutty as that character might seem, is a fundamental response to trauma. He's an orphan, his mother killed by a cruel disease. So he turns to crime. Because why not? The world is cruel and meaningless. A contrast to Batman turning to justice because the world is cruel and meaningless.And I think the original weirdness of comic book characters is that a fundamental source of ideas in comic book stories is what is cool to draw. And then the story is worked out. In fact, that's how I came up with the characters of Edwin Windsor and then Topper Haggleblat. It started with a marketing/merchandising idea to begin with. How do you make a comic stick out on the comic book racks? What if there was a comic book that was narrower and taller than other comics? Okay, why would that be a good idea? The hero is very tall, elegant, sophisticated. And I drew this terrible pencil sketch. And if you have a tall guy, you've got to have a short guy. And while pulling on that thread, the story of How to Succeed in Evil unraveled for me. A Batman story at its absolute best? For me, the apotheosis of Batman is found in two graphic novels, both by Frank Miller. Batman: Year One and Batman the Dark Knight Returns. If you don't know the first is an origin story. And the second is an ending story. It's no exaggeration to say that these books, along with Watchmen, The Killing Joke, and V is for Vendetta (all by Alan Moore) saved the dying medium of comics in the West. Time magazine picked Watchmen as one of the best novels of the 20th century. I don't think that's exactly right, but I agree with the point I think they were trying to make. All of these works are of stupendous quality. And not to read them is to be provincial in your own culture. All of these books are, in a sense that the word is not often used, canon. Even if they weren't great in themselves, they would necessary to interact with because of the effect they have had (for better or worse) upon the larger culture. If you want to write anything other than literary fiction, you should read them. All that being said, I have come to a strange conclusion, with one exception, Batman stories at their absolute best are stories about somebody else. Probably the Joker. Or maybe the way to say that is, the best stories with Batman in them are about the Joker. And you can even make a good case that Batman Year One, would be more accurately titled 'Lieutenant Gordon: Year One.' The weight of the story, the biggest change is Gordon. And this is a point that's kind of hard to see, because of the way they name movies and plaster Batman all over everything. For example, Christopher Nolan's wonderful film, The Dark Knight. Who's the prime actor in the movie? The Joker. And he's trying to prove that ultimately everybody is awful and nothing means anything. Did I ever tell you about how I got these scars? The answer is different every time because the truth doesn't matter. He's trying to destroy Batman. Bring him to the belief that there is no Justice. To get him to realize that you can't be a decent man in a decent time. That's why Harvey's Dent makes sense in the story. To provide a contrast. Here's someone like Bruce Wayne, better than Bruce Wayne, and he is powerless against the Joker's basic argument. The criminals are powerless against the Joker. And the crazy thing about that movie and its ending is that the Joker wins. Nothing means anything. The lies win. "Because sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."Just take that out of context for a sec. But those words in a news director's mouth. Put those words into the mouth of a wife or husband who has cheated. Honey I'm going to reward your faith in me by lying. That's some evil s**t right there. And if the music and the cool art direction made those words sound good to you, made them sound unquestionably heroic, I get it -- I'm right there with you. But that's not flattering for either of us. And the only reason you didn't realize this and hate it immediately, is because of this scene -- There are many, many great things about The Dark Knight as a movie. The pacing and the scenes are so tight, the dialogue is brilliant. Just think about how many great lines you know from that movie?"Some men just want to see the world burn?""You want to see a magic trick?""We're going to have tryouts?""Did I ever tell you how I got these scars?""Gotham needs a better class of criminal?""Do I look like a guy with a plan?"Of course, Heath Ledger's performance is magnificent. This movie and Batman Begins are so good we even overlook the absurdity of the whole Batman word-gargling thing. It's sooooooo stupid. But it works. I think Dark Knight comes as close to being a great movie as a superhero film can without actually being a great movie. For some reason, it just doesn't hang together for me. It's three magnificent set pieces. The bank robbery at the beginning. The sequence where the truck flips and the choice on the two ferries. And the rest of it is woven together well but doesn't feel like a unified whole to me. But the level of craft. And how funny it is for being so intense in places. So many great, great moments. And really those moments, those singular experiences on the emotional rollercoaster of a good story are why we go to see big Hollywood movies. But they're not why a story lingers with us, stays in our hearts or changes us. And Dark Knight doesn't do that. But, the story that inspired it does. I'm talking about the 1986 graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns. I'm not going to explain why this thing IS great in detail. It's a lot of things, but it's the story of an old hero who dies. Which is a part of the hero's journey that we've forgotten in modern times. But it a big part of it. See, if you're going to be a hero, you don't get to lay that burden down. In Beowulf, as an old man Beowulf, has to answer the call again and die fighting a Dragon. Hell, King Arthur dies killing Mordred, but he doesn't even get to stay dead. As the legend goes, he's sleeping, waiting for the time he is needed again. We see this story play when an old boxer comes out of retirement to fight a young one. He's too old, but he's the champ. You can hear it in these lines of Tennyson: Death closes all: but something ere the end,Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men who strove with gods……Though much is taken, much abides; and though We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are, One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.The Dark Knight Returns hews to that form. And maybe The Dark Knight the film doesn't work because it's not really cast in one of those great forms of story? That's the kind of question that I don't know how to answer just yet. And if I had waited until I had figured this out, I never would have finished this video. I'll tell you my hunch though, if you want to innovate with story form, odds are it's probably not going to work out. It's like a song or symphony, you have to make a great one within the form. What I can tell you about the Dark Knight Returns graphic novel is that it has been looted by every creator since. The Dark Knight Returns contains the movies, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman vs. Superman, and the first page alone was the inspiration for that 20-minute race track scene in Iron Man 2. Frank Miller forever changed Batman. Every Batman after Miller is the dark, scary, gritty, possessed, gravelly-voiced Batman. And, as if that's not enough, he also did the same thing with Daredevil. Every Daredevil after Frank Miller is, in a sense, Miller's Daredevil. On top of all that, The Dark Knight Returns was the first comic I know of to genuinely gender swap a character -- Robin is a young girl. And she is hands down, no questions asked, my most favorite and I think also the most heroic Robin there is. And I have never really liked Robin. Robin has always struck me as kinda stupid. The boy hostage. But Carrie Kelley? She's a brilliant character. So for my money, if you want Batman at his best, it's Batman the Dark Knight Returns. In closing, I should also say, that revisiting Batman after all this time, gave me strange new insights. One is, and there's no way around this, is that Batman is himself a criminal -- he's a vigilante. A man who takes the law into his own hands. All superheroes are, in a sense. But explicitly Batman. And the crazy thing is how long the character ran on -- all of comics really -- with a nod and a wink. Yeah, yeah, it's okay 'cause he's a good vigilante. Or it's fine because he's rich and he's trying to do the right thing. It's really thin, but everybody was and, is okay with it. “What gives you the right? I'm not the one wearing hockey pads!”And the reason that we're okay with justifications like that we know it's going to give us a great story. Or perhaps that we understand, on some barely conscious level, that the logic of the story works as competing villains, competing perspectives on responses to trauma. And I'm sorry if this seems vague, I'm at the limit of my understanding here, but what I take away from it is two-fold.1) Realism, in any sense is a bad quality to judge story. I mean if you look at any story that people love, it's utterly implausible. Even, and perhaps especially, the non-fiction stories. The longer the odds, the more unlikely the outcome, the more we like it. 2) We don't need much of an explanation, we don't even need a good explanation to suspend disbelief, but we need an explanation. Maybe all a reader or viewer needs is an acknowledgment that some stretch of genre or realism is being a handwaved away and we're good. ConclusionSo to wrap it all up.1. Why has Batman lasted? Some of it was certainly lucky timing. But the part that wasn't is because Batman has internal stakes built-in. Tragedy drives the character, even when he's ridiculous. 2. How does a Batman story work.Every character is a response to trauma. An aspect of Batman's psyche that has been externalized. Now there's more to it than that, but I think that's what drives Batman's rogue's gallery and why the stories keep coming. 3. What is a Batman story at its absolute best? Frank Miller's the Dark Knight Returns. Get full access to How It's Written by Patrick E. McLean at patrickemclean.substack.com/subscribe

This week on the Gooder Podcast I had the pleasure of talking with Emel Shaikh, a PR and communications strategist with more than 10 years of experience leading publicity efforts, both in-house at the renowned Sundance Institute and as well as boutique agencies across multiple disciplines. Join us as we discuss how growing up as an immigrant and a woman of color, Emel is particularly interested in amplifying the untold stories of fellow BIPAC and other minority groups. In this episode we learn: - How the pandemic has affected PR, what brands are doing differently that they weren’t doing before and how they are planning for the change.  - About what it means to be an outsider and especially in the lines of her work and if it has benefits. - What made Emel decide to start her own firm on her own and work with minority owned brands rather than bigger ones and the challenges that these brands are facing.  - About cancel culture and explains why she is not a fan and why she thinks it doesn’t hold people accountable. - Which women leaders she has her eyes on that she’d like to elevate or want people to see. About Emel Shaikh: Prior to starting her freelance journey, Emel worked in various PR roles, developing campaigns for Better-for-You food and beverage, wellness and lifestyle startups and CPG brands. The experience gave her a firsthand look into what it takes to launch and grow an innovative product and ignited a passion for mission driven brands. Emel did four years in-house, where she led the charge on publicity efforts around the annual Sundance Film Festival in Utah, built awareness of Sundance NEXT FEST, a new film and music festival in Los Angeles to reach a new demographic, and introduce tastemakers to the Sundance brand and pitched stories surrounding the institute's year round artists support labs and programs. Guests Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emelshaikh/  Website: http://www.sundance.org/  Personal website: http://littlecakeshop.tumblr.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emelshaikh/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/emelshaikh  Show Resources: Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers from all over the world.    BIPAC is a bi-partisan, membership-supported, mission-driven, organization working to improve the political climate in America for the business community and help employers and employees play a more active role in public policy and the political process. Fast-moving consumer goods, also known as consumer packaged goods, are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost.  Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat social networking app launched in April 2020 by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth of Alpha Exploration Co. In May 2020, it was valued at nearly $100 million. On January 21, 2021, the valuation reached $1 billion.  Tik Tok, known in China as Douyin, is a video-sharing social networking service owned by Chinese company ByteDance. The social media platform is used to make a variety of short-form videos, from genres like dance, comedy, and education, that have a duration from fifteen seconds to one minute. One Stripe Chai: Hand-crafted chai that actually tastes like chai. Black tea brewed with organic spices and made with love in Portland. Wayne Enterprises, Inc., also known as WayneCorp, is a fictional company appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman.  Amazon.com, Inc. is an American multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington, which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.

Our Heroes are pleasantly surprised by the charm of Powerless, a short-lived 2017 Workplace Sitcom set firmly in the middle of the pedestrian end of the DC Universe. Emily (Vanessa Hudgens) and her rag-tag R&D team try to bring relevance to Wayne Security, the overlooked Insurance division of Wayne Enterprises, headed up by Bruce's megalomaniac cousin Van (Alan Tudyk). It's Justice League meets The Office...a premise that should have been a home-run!Theme by Jimmy Thain (@CititzenThain on Instagram)Follow us on Facebook @MultiversalSoldierPodIf you like the show, rate and review wherever you listen to podcasts

EPISODE 71Greetings, Explorers! We return to Gotham to take a look at Batman: Three Jokers. Story by Geoff Johns, art by Jason Fabok. DC Comics published the book in 2020. Three different murders happened on the same night at the same time in Gotham. Therefore, with all signs pointing to the Joker, Batman deduces that there are not one, but three Jokers. Red Hood and Batgirl, both dealing with trauma they suffered as the Joker's victims, join Batman in solving this mystery.Dennis and Johnny (Frankie was at a Wayne Enterprises' party) discuss what makes someone a good recruit to be a Joker. Next, they ponder why it's OK to kill henchmen but not Supervillians. Finally, the look at how this book ties into the Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: A Death in the Family. Additional topics include the similar plot twists shared by Metal Gear Solid V and Batman: Three Jokers; if this story qualifies as elevated fan fiction; Gaggy; if Jason Fabok is a Vulcan; and last, but not least, the storytelling and art of Batman: Three Jokers.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/graphicnovelexplorersclub/message See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode NotesEntertainment Today, SpotlightAs heard on this episode:Batwoman: Three years after Batman mysteriously disappeared, Gotham is a city in despair, and it's under the watch of Jacob Kane and his military-grade Crows Private Security, which now protects the city with omnipresent firepower and militia. When the Alice in Wonderland gang targets the firm, Kane's daughter Kate returns home, deciding that if she wants to help her family and her city, she'll have to become the one thing her father loathes -- a dark knight vigilante. With the help of her stepsister Mary and the crafty Luke Fox, the son of Wayne Enterprises' tech guru Lucius Fox, Kate Kane continues the legacy of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne. Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate soars through the shadowed streets of Gotham as Batwoman. | The CWThe Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it was developed as the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe and a reboot of the Batman film franchise. Robert Pattinson is scheduled to star as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Episode NotesEntertainment Today, SpotlightAs heard on this episode:Batwoman: Three years after Batman mysteriously disappeared, Gotham is a city in despair, and it's under the watch of Jacob Kane and his military-grade Crows Private Security, which now protects the city with omnipresent firepower and militia. When the Alice in Wonderland gang targets the firm, Kane's daughter Kate returns home, deciding that if she wants to help her family and her city, she'll have to become the one thing her father loathes -- a dark knight vigilante. With the help of her stepsister Mary and the crafty Luke Fox, the son of Wayne Enterprises' tech guru Lucius Fox, Kate Kane continues the legacy of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne. Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate soars through the shadowed streets of Gotham as Batwoman. | The CWThe Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it was developed as the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe and a reboot of the Batman film franchise. Robert Pattinson is scheduled to star as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Starling Tribune - Season 7 Edition – Elseworlds (A CW Network Arrow Television Show Fan Podcast) ST222   Episode:            “Elseworlds” Part 1: Flash [Season 5 Episode 9] Part 2: Arrow [Season 7 Episode 9] Part 3: Supergirl [Season 4 Episode 9] Air Date:           December 9 - 11, 2018   Director:           Part 1: Kevin Tancharoen https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1160495/?ref_=tt_ov_dr                           Part 2: James Bamford                         https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051466/?ref_=tt_ov_dr                           Part 3: Jesse Warn                         https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1168394/?ref_=tt_ov_dr   Writers: Part 1: Developed by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns Written by: Eric Wallace and Sam Chalsen   Part 2: Developed by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg Teleplay by: Marc Guggenheim Story by: Caroline Dries   Part 3: Developed by: Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kreisberg Teleplay by: Derek Simon and Robert L. Rovner Story by: Marc Guggenheim                         Part 1 IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8312896/?ref_=ttep_ep9 Part 2 IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7508702/?ref_=tt_ep_nx Part 3 IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8883894/?ref_=ttep_ep_cur   Promo: https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/11/13/arrowverse-crossover-2018-elseworlds-trailer-full-arrow-batwoman-supergirl-the-flash/   Current Episode Recap Full recap of “Elseworlds” with spoilers: Part 1: (09 Dec 2018)  https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/12/09/the-flash-recap-with-spoilers-elseworlds-part-one/ Part 2: (10 Dec 2018) https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/12/11/arrow-recap-with-spoilers-elseworlds-part-two-/ Part 3: (11 Dec 2018) https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/12/12/elseworlds-part-three-recap/ Arrow   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 Inmate 4587 15-Oct-18 1.43 02 The Longbow Hunters 22-Oct-18 1.18 03 Crossing Lines 29-Oct-18 1.15 04 Level Two 5-Nov-18 1.08 05 The Demon 12-Nov-18 1.26 06 Due Process 19-Nov-18 1.03 07 The Slabside Redemption 26-Nov-18 1.31 08 Unmasked 3-Dec-18 1.35 09 Elseworlds Part 2 10-Dec-18 2.06   Legends Of Tomorrow   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 The Virgin Gary 22-Oct-18 1.00 02 Witch Hunt 29-Oct-18 0.94 03 Dancing Queen 5-Nov-18 0.86 04 Wet Hot American Bummer 12-Nov-18 0.90 05 Tagumo Attacks 19-Nov-18 0.91 06 Tender Is The Nate 26-Nov-18 0.97 07 Hell No, Dolly! 3-Dec-18 0.93 08 Legends of To-Meow-Meow 10-Dec-18 1.10   Supergirl   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 American Alien 14-Oct-18 1.52 02 Fallout 21-Oct-18 1.34 03 Man Of Steel 28-Oct-18 1.28 04 Ahimsa 4-Nov-18 1.23 05 Parasite Lost 11-Nov-18 1.16 06 Call To Action 18-Nov-18 1.13 07 Rather the Fallen Angel 25-Nov-18 1.15 08 Bunker Hill 2-Dec-18 1.26 09 Elseworlds Part 3 11-Dec-18 2.17   The Flash   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 Nora 9-Oct-17 2.08 02 Blocked 16-Oct-18 1.69 03 The Death of Vibe 23-Oct-18 1.87 04 News Flash 30-Oct-18 1.75 05 All Doll'd Up 13-Nov-18 1.73 06 The Icicle Cometh 20-Nov-18 1.60 07 O Come, All Ye Thankful 27-Nov-18 1.79 08 What's Past Is Prologue 4-Dec-18 1.78 09 Elseworlds Part 1 9-Dec-18 1.83     BLACK LIGHTNING   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 The Book of Consequences: Chapter One: Rise of the Green Light Babies 9-Oct-18 1.16 02 The Book of Consequences: Chapter Two: Black Jesus Blues 16-Oct-18 1.02 03 The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry 23-Oct-18 1.18 04 The Book of Consequences: Chapter Four: Translucent Freak 30-Oct-18 0.97 05 The Book Of Blood: Chapter One: Requiem 13-Nov-18 0.90 06 The Book Of Blood: Chapter Two: The Perdi 20-Nov-18 0.99 07 The Book Of Blood: Chapter Three: The Sange 27-Nov-18 1.06 08 The Book Of Rebellion: Chapter One: Exodus 4-Dec-18 0.96 09 The Book of Rebellion: Chapter Two: Gift of the Magi 11-Dec-18 1.13   Part 1: The Plot, Themes and Characters What was the overall theme? What was the link to the episode's name? The Monitor, in preparation for a bigger threat, gives the Book of Destiny to Dr. John Deegan so heroes of other Earths can be tested. Reality is written for the purpose of this test. Fight scenes and stunts Ivo Labs - Amazo “You have failed this city.” “Pretty sure that's not your line” Oliver's lighting goes wild Part 2: Amazo beats Killer Frost and Ralph; gets their powers Diaz weapon cache Barry - how do I put on this suit? Barry - most awkward zipline arrow landing ever; thought he was going to fire an incendiary arrow Barry fights like Oliver; shoots really well and is impressed by his actions Oliver comes in and gets Barry and Diggle; Diggle vomits Amazo fight Flash, two Supers, and a Green Arrow - try to keep him busy; big Superman punch - doesn't work; Amazo gets all of their powers Amazo beats them; on the hunt for more powers; Wells - just turn the computer off Barry - he won't be able to run and phase at the same time; Oliver lures Amazo back Cisco - we got a virus; Barry starting to sound like Oliver: Supergirl punch; two supers hold whild Oliver phases; Barry: “Amazo, you have failed this city.” Shoots arrow with virus and hits Diggle vs. Deathstroke's son 4 Argus agents go down quick; Diggle about to be taken down CW DC Trinity (Green Arrow, Flash, Supergirl) help him Gotham Oliver - Gotham is basically dead Muggers Supergirl catches bullet; Barry takes down guys; Oliver has to talk Barry down; 3 get arrested Arkham Diggle, Cisco, and Caitlin show up Kara's idea: pretend Caitlin is a patient; Diggle and Oliver pretend to be investigating Prisoners released by Deegan Oliver dresses Barry in outfit Killer Frost vs. Fries; Oliver messes up and releases Scarecrow's fear toxin Oliver “fights” Reverse-Flash Barry “fights” Merlyn Reality: they're fighting each other This is when Oliver realizes Barry's had to go through some tough stuff too Good editing Batwoman breaks it up; great kick Diggle takes on a lot of inmates Oliver puts inmates back into cells Some about to get away; Barry has arrows; Cisco gets hit by van - here comes Batwoman! Batarang comes back to her Supergirl looks for book; gets it Confrontation with Monitor Mar Novu vs. Green Arrow, Supergirl, Flash and Flash E90 Barry blipped away Crisis is coming; testing universes; need to find champions; first to retrieve book; takes book; tells Deegan to think bigger Trigger Twins Oliver gets them away from cops Deegan made himself Superman - black outfit Superman vs. Trigger Twins; Oliver shoots crane loosen by Superman; they make Superman go save the kids Barry - you just can't write yourself as a hero; become heros in spite of circumstance Star Labs Superman, Criminal Cisco, Barry and Oliver arrive Cisco vibes out Oliver vs. Diggle and Killer Frost in elevator Alex ready to take down Barry Getting book to Clark Superman vs. Superman Real saves helicopter Fight in air; buildings Kara blasts Deegan away Book in Time Vault; Supergirl not strong enough; gets book to Clark Supergirl and all get powers back Oliver as Green Arrow stands in elevator, took care of Diggle and Killer Frost Deegan and Supergirl eye blast battle; Oliver ready to kill Deegan; Barry - you can overcome your darkness, Oliver; maybe test is for us to be our better selves Slow down time Barry and Kara run in opposite directions to create enough force to stop Earth; Superman - I saw them die in the book Oliver - hope destiny can be rewritten; goes to Monitor; busts his way in; you said you were a god, so do something; your test is to find the good ones; I know true self, I'm full of darkness, Barry and Kara inspire hope and are the best of us; Monitor - balance must be maintained Superman - out powers amplify who we really are Deegan brings back Amazo Brainiac, Lois, and Martian Manhunter; Brainiac goes after Amazo Lois uses hammer to knock down Deegan; Deegan uses book as weapon against Lois and Clark Time slows; Lois falling; Barry and Kara about to burn; Oliver arrives, walking normally, shoots special arrow at book; book destroyed; Deegan deformed Brainiac rips out Amazo's motherboard Intros Part 1: The Flash - regular intro Part 2: Barry Allen does the intro; I'm working with the police after being in prison Part 3: I'm Deegan from Gotham, city needs heros, did my part as doctor at Arkham, world didn't understand methods, got book; now I'm Superman Reality rewrite 1: Barry Allen is Oliver Queen and Oliver Queen is Barry Allen Reality rewrite 2: Barry and Oliver are back to old bodies, but they're criminals without powers; Superman is a God; Cisco is a crime boss Oliver Queen / Green Arrow Knows he's Oliver Queen, but world thinks he's Barry Kiss from Iris - running joke: Iris always says Oliver is not her type Has to get used to Flash's powers Blames Barry at first What is going on? Could you be serious, Barry? Iris - your life is ruled by anger and violence; Felicity's been talking to her To escape, has to learn how to phase Puffs chest when meets Superman Tries to train Barry. Where are the remote bows? Oliver catches arrow. 4 years - Barry gets revenge by remote arrows in his back. Thinks Barry's life is all sunshine and rainbows. Oliver runs at Barry; Barry gets him Lesson = painful memory; draw on darkness when draw bow; seeing Barry happy as Green Arrow made him jealous. Barry - when I'm happy, I run faster Sketches what Cisco vibed and realizes they need to go to Gotham Didn't tell Felicity because of issues Batman is an urban legend; Oliver Queen is a public figure, so Barry shouldn't go to Gotham Steals Gotham PD's hard drive Barry tells him to fix things with Felicity; we're evolving, but I still love you and all that When things get rough, Barry digs deep and runs faster; figures Kara is that way too What deal did he make with the Monitor?????? Oliver - smiles; he admits to liking Kara Oliver and Barry at bar: Oliver as Flash - always hungry and worn shoes, clarity in running; because of Barry, learn to be a better man; refuses to hug it out with Barry Toast - “To appreciating what you have, however long you might have it” Gets call from Batwoman - Deegan making friends with Psycho Pirate Barry Allen / Flash Fights Diggle; thinks it's the Bunker at first; thinks it's cool he's the Green Arrow Salmon ladder Is this Freaky Friday or Quantum Leap? Gets serious when he learns Oliver woke up with Iris We need to get to Kara; to escape, has to dislocate thumb; tells Iris personal stuff, lighting rod Iris tells Barry that she doesn't want him to turn into Oliver Queen Hey, Oliver put on the mask, my identity isn't public Gets flown to Gotham by Kara Tells Kara about Oliver's sketchy romantic past; finds Bat-signal; big Batman fan Being a criminal makes him physically sick Go get Cisco, go get real Superman Oliver - you're CCPD, where do criminals hang out Tells criminal Cisco he knew his brother; Oliver - how would you like to get rid of Superman? Teaches criminal Cisco how to breach Kara Danvers / Supergirl Earth-38; on Kent Farm with Clark Recognizes Oliver and Barry Goes to Earth-1 to help; meets Batwoman Has a Bruce Wayne on her Earth No Kara Danvers on Earth-1; perhaps pod didn't land on Earth or Krypton is still around Too afraid to be a woman? - to Deegan as Superman Trapped in pipeline Her personal plea goes to Alex; story from childhood; tells Alex that her Alex is a leader and knows who she is; Alex lets her out Clark Kent / Superman Writes about his own feats for his job Lois - direct, fixes things; “You'll catch me” Helps with Amazo, then goes back to Earth-38 Goes back to Earth-1 to save Kara and stop “Superman” Knows how to handle the book Leaving with Lois to go to Argo, Lois in pregnant, proposes to Lois at the Fortress World find with just Supergirl Lois calls him Smallville and Kansas Kate Kane / Batwoman Bails out 3; do what you need to and get out of my city Batman and Bruce Wayne missing 3 years; Wayne Enterprises is busted One R&D guys still works there (Fox?) and wifi password is Alfred Real estate firm Flirts with Kara; realizes Kara is Supergirl Team Flash Don't believe them; Iris drugs Oliver with Palmer nanities; both end up in pipeline; learn that cells have hidden toilets Iris convinces team to believe Oliver and Barry Team Arrow Diggle - you know after everything I shouldn't be surprised Team Supergirl Alex is Alex, even in rewrite Geek Squad Cisco Figures out weather is weird Vibes Monitor with Deegan Goes to Earth-38 to get team and Superman; Lois joins Can still vibe in rewrite 2 Felicity Upset she's the last to know about Oliver and Barry Upset learns Iris figured things out quickly Figures out there are quantum breaches What's love without trust and respect? We need to build a quantum breach thing Curtis Caitlin Gives Felicity pep talk about Oliver Killer Frost tells Alex to get out more Dr. Deegan Monitor tells him to think big Experimented on patients brains Works at Arkham When confronted, releases prisoners As Superman Home base is Star Labs Diggle, Killer Frost, Alex Danvers are employees Needs ego boosted constantly Monitor Addresses them when Cisco vibed Talks to Oliver and Barry about their destiny; without powers, still outwit Superman Reads Oliver like a ….book Must know true self in order to win   Noteable Easter Eggs (not from an article) Earth-90 Flash - Barry Allen - tells them about book; appears similar to comics; - played by John Wesley Shipp - sees Diggle and asks him where his ring is - Green Lantern??? Bratvas fighting Bertinelli's in old Diaz weapon's cache “Save Me” played when go to Kent Farm; farm same as in Smallville, song is Smallville's intro Amazo - Ivo labs; Argus made to id meta-powers; nano-adaptive hybrid of Mirakuru serum; Ivo was in previous season of Arrow “Man, it's not even Tuesday” - said by Ralph; Flash usually airs on Tuesdays Superman music when Clark opens shirt first time; Who are you? “A friend” Red skies - associated with Crisis Kara - on her Earth, Batman and Superman are “frenemies” Arkham inmates: O. Cobblepot (Penguin), P. Isley (Poison Ivy), B. Karlo (Clayface), “What is blue and grey and red all over?”, E. Nigma (Riddler), M. Guggenheim (writer); Bane mask? Fries (cryostasis shut off, has to be cold), Psycho Pirate - has big role with Anti-Monitor; worlds will live, worlds will die (http://collider.com/elseworlds-psycho-pirate-explained/)    World's Finest - in comics, Batman and Superman Diaz is a cop: “I've been waiting to do this for a long time” - Diaz to Oliver; similar to their confrontations Superman's black outfit; “Bizzaro” is heard during Superman/Superman fight Gary! From Legends - bartender; fanboy as always; is he wearing his Time Bureau badge/pin? “Not heroes. Legends” Jimmy Olsen - in rewrite, Superman's worst pal; in reality, he's his best pal Slow down time by Earth's orbit Kara - So this is kind of becoming an annual thing, huh?   Crisis on Infinite Earths - teased since Flash S1 Arrowverse's Crisis On Infinite Earths Teaser Warns Worlds Will Die (12 Dec 2018) https://www.cbr.com/crisis-infinite-earths-arrowverse-teaser/ Fall 2019 - Just crossover or all of the first part of the seasons?   Join The Starling Tribune each week as we stream live on Thursday Evenings at 7:30 PM eastern or 6:30 PM Central at www.geeks.live. Join the fun chatroom and interact with the hosts live. Contact us: @StarlingTribune - starlingtribune@gmail.com - www.starlingtribune.com - www.facebook.com/starlingtribune - 612-888-CAVE or 612-888-2283.   Starling Tribune is proud to be a member of the GonnaGeek network found at GonnaGeek.com. For more geeky podcast visit GonnaGeek.com.   You can find us on iTunes under ''Starling Tribune." We are very thankful for all of our positive iTunes reviews. You can find all our contact information here on the Network page of GonnaGeek.com Our complete archive is always available at www.starlingtribune.com   This podcast was recorded on Thursday December 13th, 2018.   Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoyed the show!   Audio Production by Stargate Pioneer of GonnaGeek.com.

“Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path.” – Phillip Sweet   After watching Jack Ryan with my wife, the Amazon series based on a Tom Clancy character, we checked out a short documentary series featuring former operators and analysts who worked with the CIA – and that's where I first saw our guest Nic McKinley, the founder and CEO of DeliverFund and the man who inspired the hashtag #TheRealJackRyan.   When Nic was growing up, he wanted to be Batman; “Just a normal guy who used his resources to change the world, and worked really hard to build himself up to be the catalyst that would change the world.”   And Nic pretty much got as close to being Batman as anyone gets: CIA special agent. He served as a member of a special unit focused on providing unique capabilities and expertise, regardless of threat or environment, in response to the critical operational needs of the Intelligence Community as part of an overseas unit conducting complex operations in non-permissive countries.   Like Batman, Nic did start with some privilege. He didn't have the entire fortune of Wayne Enterprises behind him, but he didn't need it. He says, “The ultimate privilege is good parenting – and I had really good parents.”   Nic was also a USAF Pararescueman (PJ) for 10 years, but exceptional dedication in the military alone isn't what got him recruited into the CIA (although it didn't hurt). He later worked as a consultant for fortune 10 investment banks, where he demonstrated a penchant for finding solutions to hard problems, and these diverse experiences are what made him so appealing for high-stakes operations in high threat countries.   But this isn't even the most awesome impact that Nic has made to protect our country and world.   After being exposed to the human trafficking epidemic that is still very alive today, Nic was moved to found DeliverFund, an organization that equips, trains, and advises law enforcement around the world on how they can arrest human traffickers.   Together with law enforcement, they work to counter human trafficking, eliminate this horrible market, and really save lives.   You can help their mission by going to https://deliverfund.org/donate.   --     Resources: Learn more at https://www.deliverfund.org/ (https://www.deliverfund.org/) Donate to DeliverFund: https://deliverfund.org/donate Connect with Nic: Facebook | LinkedIn   --   We are brought to you by the Lawton Marketing Group, a full-service advertising and design agency serving companies and entrepreneurs at all levels. They are your one-stop shop for all your website, logo, social media, print, app design and reputable management needs.   Visit LawtonMG.com for more info.   -- The Impact Entrepreneur Show is produced by Podcast Masters

Starling Tribune - Season 7 Edition – Level Two (A CW Network Arrow Television Show Fan Podcast) ST216   Episode:            “Level Two” [Season 7 Episode 4] Air Date:           Monday, November 5, 2018   Director:           Ben Hernandez Bray https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004554/?ref_=tt_ov_dr                         3x Arrow / 2x Legends / 1x Supergirl / 1x Lucifer   Writers: Emilio Ortega Aldrich https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3598136/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr4                         13x Arrow   Tonya Kong https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2279977/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr5                         Story editor: 13x Daredevil, wrote 1 / Story editor 4x Arrow, wrote 1 Promo: https://www.comicbookmovie.com/tv/dc/arrow/arrow-oliver-queen-is-in-serious-trouble-in-the-new-promo-for-season-7-episode-4-level-two-a164415   Arrow   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 Inmate 4587 15-Oct-18 1.43 02 The Longbow Hunters 22-Oct-18 1.18 03 Crossing Lines 29-Oct-18 1.15 04 Level Two 5-Nov-18 1.08   Legends Of Tomorrow   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 The Virgin Gary 22-Oct-18 1.00 02 Witch Hunt 29-Oct-18 0.94 03 Dancing Queen 5-Nov-18 0.86   Supergirl   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 American Alien 14-Oct-18 1.52 02 Fallout 21-Oct-18 1.34 03 Man Of Steel 28-Oct-18 1.28 04 Ahimsa 4-Nov-18 1.23   THE FLASH   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 Nora 9-Oct-17 2.08 02 Blocked 16-Oct-18 1.69 03 The Death of Vibe 23-Oct-18 1.87 04 News Flash 30-Oct-18 1.75   BLACK LIGHTNING   Episode # / Episode Title / Episode Air / Date  / Rating 01 The Book of Consequences: Chapter One: Rise of the Green Light Babies 9-Oct-18 1.16 02 The Book of Consequences: Chapter Two: Black Jesus Blues 16-Oct-18 1.02 03 The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry 23-Oct-18 1.18 04 The Book of Consequences: Chapter Four: Translucent Freak 30-Oct-18 0.97   Part 1: The Plot, Themes and Characters What was the overall theme? What was the link to the episode's name? Oliver is sent to Level 2 of the prison Fight scenes and stunts Town Hall Fire set; Zoe in danger FGA bursts in and saves her; rope arrow Lofts Another fire; Rene goes FGA there; tells about Jon Cortez Dinah arrives; Rene helps FGA leave; FGA leaves by flip Dinah arrests Rene Future Star City Dinah uses bo staff to take out cops Movie Theater FGA comes in; rope arrow Rene fights guys Fire starts Dinah uses scream; knocked over, plays weak; gets guy; shoots FGA knocks out guy; climbs wall to pipe; bends pipe to put out fire FGA hurt; Rene helps FGA leave Flashforward William and Roy go to Star City, which has seen better days Beeps lead them to destroyed Smoak Industries; William easily cracks Felicity's code; caught by police in restricted area; rescued by Dinah Former vigilantes killed on sight Star City fell when the Glades rose; wall around Glades, police protect Glades William - cube within cube; reveals map Zoe is a vigilante! With the resistance; Rene wouldn't be caught dead in Star City Dinah - Felicity Smoak is dead; not Felicity Queen, not Overwatch Is this Earth 2? Is this the road to Star City 2046? Is this the darkest timeline? Oliver Queen / Green Arrow Treated by Dr. Jarrett Parker, chief psychiatrist; Oliver a danger to himself and others In room with buzzing and flashing lights What is your name? Round 1: Oliver Queen. Diaz tried to kill my family; I'm here to find Demon; says he will stop Diaz. I don't need redemption Round 2: Oliver knows it's morning, doesn't want to answer questions; drugged; Oliver flashes back to when Robert killed Hackett guy and himself to save Oliver (right my wrongs and survive); Doc - fathers provide legacy to sons, father put sins on Oliver Round 3: Oliver drugged; still Oliver Queen; meditation; What about your son? Cycle of violence; Oliver - I've done everything for my son. Doc - mission tainted from start, let go of the past. Round 4: Electrical stimulation to access memory; Doc - Oliver has very strong will; back to raft with father; switches to Oliver and William; Oliver tells William to live, then shoots himself. Round 5: Evening. I'm inmate 4587 Felicity Smoak / Overwatch Tempted to torture Silencer for information Goes to Laurel for help with Silencer New Felicity fights back; nothing left to lose Ruse with Laurel; drops screwdriver; planted tracker in belt John Diggle / Spartan Called in by Rene to talk to Dinah Sometimes law and vigilantes need to work together Quentin was willing to work with anyone who could help Finds info on Jon Cortez Roy Harper / Arsenal Not very forgiving Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific Gives Zoe a Beebo!!!!! Dinah Drake / Black Canary Town Hall - people of Glades upset at SPCD; things better with vigilantes Mayor Pollard tells her to catch FGA Fires all over the Glades Had to move on, be a different kind of hero for city Has Rene work with her Gives Zoe a canary pin Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog Tells Felicity torture is line not to cross; still has nightmares about when he tortured someone in military Let me help, D Zoe - only punks forget about community; tells Rene to do his thing Calls Diggle Knows about theater wanted to be bought William Clayton Inspired by Felicity to go into tech Laurel Lance / Black Siren Talks Felicity out of crossing the line Being a DA for Quentin Diaz taught her patience; use brain, Felicity Her father and Ollie were murdered; got revenge, turned dark and couldn't get back Everyone knows Felicity on her Earth; she's ruthless and has an empire Longbow Hunters Silencer - knows how to handle being a captive Fake Green Arrow (FGA) “You have failed this city” Has version of The List Disguises voice Who's the Fake Green Arrow (FGA)? Present-day Roy Harper Roy Harper from the future William from the future Some random person   ARROW NEWS:                                          Arrowverse Crossover Heads to Chicago For Gotham City Scenes (Date: 2 Nov 2018) Production has moved to Chicago, where the city will stand-in for Gotham City. The news came courtesy of producer and former Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim, who shared a couple of pictures from the "Elseworlds" set in Chicago. "If you can't bring Wayne Enterprises to Vancouver, you bring Vancouver to Wayne Enterprises.” This move is noteworthy considering that, so far, all of the Arrowverse shows have been filming in Vancouver. With Chicago playing the role of Gotham City, it's become clear that the iconic home of Batman will have an identity of its own on television, one that sets it apart from the likes of Star City, Central City and National City. https://www.cbr.com/arrowverse-crossover-chicago-gotham-city/ Stephen Amell Got the Perfect Gift From 'The Flash' Wardrobe Department After the "Elseworlds" Crossover (Date: 6 Nov 2018) In a photo shared to Twitter, Amell revealed that he was given a very special t-shirt poking a little bit of fun at the fact that the actor wore the Flash's speedster suit for some of the crossover. As you can see in the photo, the shirt reads "My name is Stephen Amell and I have survived the tightest suit alive." The sentiment is a clever play on the opening of each episode of The Flash in which Grant Gustin's Barry Allen declares himself to be the fastest man alive. https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/11/06/elseworlds-crossover-stephen-amell-flash-gift/ NEXT EPISODE   Link to Promo: (Date: 5 Nov 2018) https://www.comicbookmovie.com/tv/dc/arrow/arrow-oliver-queen-fights-back-in-the-new-promo-for-season-7-episode-5-the-demon-a164568   Episode: “The Demon” [Season 7 Episode 5] Air Date: Monday, November 12, 2018 Summary: Felicity learns something new about Oliver that shocks her. Meanwhile, Diggle asks Curtis to go undercover for ARGUS. Dinah works with an unlikely ally. Director: Mark Bunting Writers: Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7508746/?ref_=tt_ep_nx Join The Starling Tribune each week as we stream live on Thursday Evenings at 7:30 PM eastern or 6:30 PM Central at www.geeks.live. Join the fun chatroom and interact with the hosts live. Contact us: @StarlingTribune - starlingtribune@gmail.com - www.starlingtribune.com - www.facebook.com/starlingtribune - 612-888-CAVE or 612-888-2283.   Starling Tribune is proud to be a member of the GonnaGeek network found at GonnaGeek.com. For more geeky podcast visit GonnaGeek.com.   You can find us on iTunes under ''Starling Tribune." We are very thankful for all of our positive iTunes reviews. You can find all our contact information here on the Network page of GonnaGeek.com Our complete archive is always available at www.starlingtribune.com   This podcast was recorded on Thursday November 8th, 2018.   Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoyed the show!   Audio Production by Stargate Pioneer of GonnaGeek.com.

This week on the Major Spoilers Podcast: Are you ready for the Secret Empire? We review, Powerless on NBC, Archie #17, and Champions #5. Plus, if you have not read March Volume 3, it is a must buy book. You can support Major Spoilers by becoming a member at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers NEWS THE SECRET EMPIRE IS COMING! http://majorspoilers.com/2017/02/13/solicitations-yay-theres-another-marvel-epic-event-coming-way/ REVIEWS STEPHEN ARCHIE #17 Writer: Mark Waid Artists: Joe Eisma, Andre Szymanowicz, Jack Morelli Publisher: Archie Comics Cheryl Blossom's unleashed on Riverdale, creating chaos and tumult at her whim! Only Veronica can stop her—but how will she get back from her Swiss boarding school in time to save her friends? [rating:4/5] MATTHEW Champions #5 Writer: Mark Waid Artists: Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba Publisher: Marvel Comics Oh, great! Just when the Champions had a nice little movement going on, here comes Gwenpool to ruin – I mean, “improve” – it all, with her patented brand of consequence-less violence and disregard for human life! [rating:3/5] RODRIGO Powerless Ep. 1 & 2 Network: NBC In a world where humanity must cope with the collateral damage of Super Heroes and Super-Villains, Emily Locke (Vanessa Hudgens) begins her first day as Director of Research & Development for Wayne Security, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises that specializes in products that make defenseless bystanders feel a little safer. Full of confidence and big ideas, Emily quickly learns that her expectations far exceed those of her new boss (Alan Tudyk) and officemates, so it will be up to her to lead the team toward their full potential and the realization that you don't need superpowers to be a hero. [rating:2.5/5] MAJOR SPOILERS POLL OF THE WEEK http://majorspoilers.com/2017/02/14/major-spoilers-poll-week-best-comic-age/ DISCUSSION March: Book Three John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell By Fall 1963, the Civil Rights Movement is an undeniable keystone of the national conversation, and as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is right in the thick of it. With the stakes continuing to rise, white supremacists intensify their opposition through government obstruction and civilian terrorist attacks, a supportive president is assassinated, and African-Americans across the South are still blatantly prohibited from voting. To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative projects, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and a pitched battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television. You can buy this book via our Amazon Affiliate Link - http://amzn.to/2lfqlwQ Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends! Closing music comes from Ookla the Mok.

For the 100th episode of Superhero Slate, Spider-Man gets his first movie trailer, Powerless is moving to Wayne Enterprises, we have a lot of trailers to look forward to, and more!