Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Batman: Resurrection
35 years after Tim Burton’sBatman(1989) kicked off the modern cinematic love affair with DC’s Dark Knight, a new sequel has expanded his universe, adding new villains and dealing with the gap between the movie and sequelBatman Returns. The novel picks up after Joker’s death expanding the world of Burton’sBatman movieswith an incredibly compelling story.
As with any belated sequel, the key forBatman: Resurrectionis picking up threads from the original in logic ways and dropping fans back into the story in a satisfying way. Writer John Jackson Miller deftly manages both, basing his whole story on some unresolved issues withBatman ‘89,and offering more closure to the Joker’s story. His story feels like we’re spending more time in the company ofMichael Keaton’s Batman, as well as celebrating the legacy of Jack Nicholson’s beloved villain.
That said,Batman: Resurrectionis also focused on fresh storytelling, and Miller’s story does have some pretty big implications for both of Burton’s Batman movies. Those changes are strong ones, and I’m happy to say that this is an excellent new addition toBatman’s movie timeline.
9Why Joker’s Goons Were On The Cathedral Roof
A 35-Year-Old Plot Hole Finally Solved
One of the biggest plot holes in Batman movie history concerned the climax ofBatman(1989) when Joker flees to the roof of Gotham Cathedral with Vicki Vale as his hostage. He makes the decision in the moment, radioing ahead to tell his escape helicopter to liaise on the roof, and Batman follows, only to encounter several of Joker’s goons already up there.
Their presence makes no sense: they don’t enter with Joker and Vicki, and there was no obvious reason why they’d just be hanging around on the roof.Batman: Resurrectionsolves the plot holeby making it a driving part of the plot and the inspiration for Batman’s fear that the Joker faked his death. He is led to believe that Joker always intended to go to the roof to pull a switcheroo with a stand-in who actually fell off the roof. Obviously, that made equally little sense, but at this point, Batman is unraveling.
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In the end, it’s revealed - thanks to the testimony of one of the henchmen (Lawrence the boom box holding goon) - that Joker stationed his men on the roof as look-outs for the Feds. He’d never actually planned to escape the city, but was concerned about the FBI’s greater fire power and the threat to his chopper.
8Joker Didn’t Work Alone
Batman: Resurrection Retcons One Character Into An Iconic Villain
Batman: Resurrectionintroduces iconic DC villain Hugo Strangeto Tim Burton’s universe. The novel deals with the fallout of Joker’s Smylex attack on Gotham, and features a new character, Professor Hugh Auslander, who runs the Smylex Ward at Gotham Central Hospital. It is eventually revealed that Auslander is actually Hugo Strange, whose real plan is to create grotesque Monster Men using a Smylex variant.
Not only that, but it’s also revealed that Hugo Strange actually worked with Joker during the events ofBatman(1989). He is a former Axis Chemicals scientist - briefly seen in the original movie - who worked on the development of Smylex. Strange was instrumental in helping Joker flood Gotham with Smylex-tainted products, and was inspired to develop his own variants, poisoning victims who used the products.
He then used his access to the Smylex ward to track patients who reacted in different ways to determine the effects of his chemicals in his quest to create the perfect mix to make his Monster Men. One such unlucky victim was struggling actor Karlo Babić (stage name Basil Karlo).
7Clayface And The Riddler Both Exist In Burton’s Universe
Batman’s Rogues Gallery Expands With Iconic Characters
Batman: Resurrectionalsoexpands Michael Keaton’s Rogues Gallery byintroducing Clayfaceas the first successful victim of Strange’s monstrous plan. He uses Smylex-tainted make-up that transforms him into Clayface - a name given to him cruelly by Gotham’s newspapers - and uses his acting skill to mimic other people. He ends up embroiled in Strange’s plans to terrorize Gotham and distract Batman by impersonating the Joker.
On top of Clayface,Batman: Resurrectionalso sets up a new take on The Riddler,who helps Batman connect the dots on Auslander’s real identity and believes himself to be Gotham’s true hero. His secret identity in this universe is unassuming newspaper employee Norman Pinkus. He uses an early riddle to reveal Strange to Batman, and is responsible for saving his life later in the novel.
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Not only are those villains added to the Burton continuity, butResurrectionalso confirms that there have been rumors of the Penguin living in the sewers for years. One of his henchmen - the Strongman from the Red Triangle Gang - appears a couple of times, revealing he would come out to the surface to buy pizzas (with extra anchovies for Penguin).
6What Happened To Vicki Vale
Why Batman’s First Love Didn’t Return For The Sequel
Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale was introduced inBatman(1989) but by the timeBatman Returnscame around 3 years later, her relationship with Bruce Wayne had ended and she was missing from the sequel. The question ofwhy Vicki Vale didn’t returnwas addressed only in passing when Bruce talks to Selina about the breakdown of the relationship:
Selina:What went wrong? Hang on, I think I know … You kept things from her.
Bruce:Nope, I told her everything.
Selina:And the truth frightened her?
Bruce:Well … How can I put this. There were two truths … and she had trouble reconciling them. Because I had trouble reconciling them.
Resurrectiondives deeper into why their relationship fell apart: Vicki felt pushed aside by Bruce’s obsessive commitment to his Batman duties, and was forced to heal him when he came back broken. Unable to deal with his double life, she threw herself back into her work, taking up an extended posting in Corto Maltese.
Vale actually returns to Gotham inResurrectionwhen it seems the Joker has returned, both for her own safety but also out of concern for Bruce. Their relationship isn’t rekindled, because his life remains problematic for her, but the novel at least bridges the gap between the two movies.
4Joker Lied About Bruce Wayne’s Parents
Another Batman Plot Hole Solved
When Batman confronts Joker on the roof of Gotham Cathedral, another plot hole rears its head. Bruce reveals their link, telling Napier he killed his parents so many years ago, and Joker’s response seemingly makes no sense:
The Joker:What? What? What are you talking about?
Batman:I made you, you made me first.
The Joker:Hey, bat-brain, I mean, I was a kid when I killed your parents. I mean, I say “I made you” you gotta say “you made me.” I mean, how childish can you get?
The issue here, of course, is that Joker could have no idea that Bruce was the son of the Waynes, and saying he was “just a kid” offered too much of a specific hint.Batman: Resurrectionincludes a vision of Joker in the afterlife as Bruce is close to death from drowning in the sewers. He confirms that he wasn’t being truthful, and Batman was foolish for taking his words at face value. It’s perhaps a bit of a contrivance, but it really was just a coincidence.
3What Happened To The Doctor Who Cut Joker’s Face
Jack Napier’s Hidden Victim Revealed
After Jack Napier takes a nose dive into the Axis Chemicals vat with a bullet wound to the face, he’s patched up by a backstreet doctor later revealed to be called Dr Davis. He butchers Napier’s face, transforming it into the grim rictus grin that his Smylex victims would later cruelly copy. Napier laughs demonically when he’s shown the results of the botched plastic surgery, and the doctor’s fate is left unresolved.
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Batman: Resurrectionfinally answers his fate. Davis (full name Arthur Davis - a fake after he was struck off) somehow escapes with his life, despite Joker killing everyone else, but meets his end after the events ofBatman(1989). Joker again catches up with him as he’s recording a videotaped confession of his involvement with his gang, and suffocates him to death.His decomposing corpse is later made-up and used as a stand-in for Joker, when Strange attempts to dupe Batman into believing Joker actually survived.
2Max Shreck Worked With The Joker’s Gang To Destroy His Business Rivals
How An Evil Empire Was Consolidated
Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck debuted as nefarious businessman and Selina Kyle’s abusive boss Max Shreck inBatman Returns, but his presence in Gotham is acknowledged inBatman: Resurrectionin a big way. In the wake of Joker’s death, his gang remained active and are given the name the Last Laughs by reporter Alexander Knox.They effectively operate as criminals for hire, led by henchman Lawrence, and in the employ of Shreck.
Resurrectionreveals that Shreck used the gang to commit arson against his business rivals, as well as destroying buildings - like the theater Karlo Babić works in - on land that he wishes to buy cheaply for his own business plans. Shreck also ends up working with Strange’s fake Joker and pledges financial support in exchange for a protection racket on his businesses, explaining, in part, how Shreck’s empire thrives so much by the time ofBatman Returns.
Gotham’s Residents Can’t Escape Joker Even After His End
Most comic book movie deaths come with some cynicism, but Joker’s death at the end ofBatman(1989) always seemed pretty final (despite the fakeout of his laughter box).Batman: Resurrectiondoes away with all doubt, after initially hinting that Joker faked his death,but does explore the idea that Joker’s influence actually grew among Gotham’s warped citizens after his attacks. The Last Laughs grow in number, and his terrorism left gaping wounds in Gotham, not just among his countless victims, but also in the collective psyche of the city.
In an interesting touch,Resurrectionalso reveals that the artwork that Joker defaced during his attack on Gotham’s Flugelheim Museum inBatman(1989) sold at auction for outrageous prices in the wake of his death. Gothamites really do have a perverse sense of value.
Batman
Cast
Batman is a 1989 superhero movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. The film features Jack Nicholson’s chilling portrayal as Jack Napier, who turns into the Joker and reigns terror on Gotham. Kim Basinger also stars in the film as Vicki Vale, along with Michael Gough as Bruce’s trusty butler named Alfred.
