5 "new twists" for a new Batman project

[daBronzeBomma]

Let's say there's a new Batman project on the horizon. Totally new, with no direct connection to any current or previous incarnation.

Could be a new movie, new TV show, new cartoon, new video game, new AU comic book series, new Broadway play, whatever. It's new and completely focused on Batman.

Those in charge don't just want a retread of old ideas. They want a twist or two that hasn't been done in any major way before with Batman.

Could be his appearance, his origin/ backstory, his powers, his personality, his occupation, his methods, his supporting cast, his rogues gallery, his settings.

They want a couple twists that will make this Batman project stand out positively from what has come before.

They want a list of 5 proposed new twists to the Batverse mythos, of which they'll incorporate at least 2 of them.

What would be on your list of 5 new twists on the Batman of this new project (you can specify your preferred medium if you like)?

[daBronzeBomma]

1st draft, regardless of medium ...


1. Bruce Wayne intends Batman to be a finite project with a defined goal and a concrete plan to eventually reach that goal.

Bruce originally estimates that his Bat plan will require a total of 3 years, then after the unexpected deluge of super-villains to Gotham following his debut, correctly revises the Bat plan for a 10 year total (he's done or dead by 35).


2. Bruce wields Wayne Enterprises as the true weapon in his war on crime.

Bruce recognizes that Batman (and all masked vigilantism) is just a band-aid over the bullet hole that is crime. From the beginning he really focuses on removing the corrupt officials from power and enabling/protecting the virtuous officials via Wayne Enterprises' influence and money. He quietly rebuilds schools and roads and infrastructure in ways that can't be traced back to him. In 10 years time, Gotham goes from City of Nightmares to a prosperous crime-free city.


3. Dick Grayson is always the one and only Robin, and the Prince of the DC Universe.

Orphaned at age 12, Robin in Gotham under Batman by age 14 thru 18 (all of high school), Robin in Metropolis under Superman by age 18 thru 22 (all of college), and trips to Paradise Island under Wonder Woman (via Donna Troy) throughout that 8 year period. He is tutored by the entire Trinity by age 23. Dick keeps the Robin identity all his life and never becomes Nightwing.


4. Selina Kyle is the same age as / little older than Bruce and has never been caught nor exposed her secret identity.

There never is nor will be a warrant out for her arrest and the Catwoman remains as much a mystery as Batman.


5. Joker is a complete unknown, right down to what Joker's gender is.

No vat of acid, no red hood, nothing is known about Joker's origin. Joker is perfectly androgynous, like a scarier Desire of the Endless.


Those are mine off the top of my head.

Yours?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

For the DC animated movies- I'd have Jason be Talon instead of red hood.

Luke Fox would have been used for an adaptation of Superheavy instead of Jim Gordon.

For Beware the Batman/Telltale- I'd probably have Lonnie Malchin as Robin before he becomes Anarky.

For White Knight- I'd want Duke to have his signal powers.

I'd wanna do a ghost story with Thomas Wayne Jr.

[scary harpy]

1st draft, regardless of medium ...

2. Bruce wields Wayne Enterprises as the true weapon in his war on crime.

Bruce recognizes that Batman (and all masked vigilantism) is just a band-aid over the bullet hole that is crime. From the beginning he really focuses on removing the corrupt officials from power and enabling/protecting the virtuous officials via Wayne Enterprises' influence and money. He quietly rebuilds schools and roads and infrastructure in ways that can't be traced back to him. In 10 years time, Gotham goes from City of Nightmares to a prosperous crime-free city.

...

4. Selina Kyle is the same age as / little older than Bruce and has never been caught nor exposed her secret identity.

There never is nor will be a warrant out for her arrest and the Catwoman remains as much a mystery as Batman.

...

Yours?

Good ideas, daBronzeBomma. Really like them.

Supporting cast: people who make Wayne Industries money...instead of the allies who spend Bruce's money by the truckload. If he makes a profit, he can help more people. If makes a loss,...well, this sets back his plans.

Opponents: I want more villainesses than villains. I am tired of seeing about a dozen bad guys and only 4 distaff foes for Batman. Gotham needs women more than Mars ever will.

Setting: make Gotham one of the largest cities in the world. (This explains why he has so many allies...and they don't trip over each other.) Maybe neighboring cities became 'absorbed' by Gotham...but don't like vigilantes. Maybe towns have become 'suburbs' of Gotham...by people who want to get away from "city living". Metropolis would be the size of New York City...Gotham would be much larger than that!

Bat-Mite: Batman's little stalker has a purpose: he keeps out extra-dimensional forces e.g. the Otherkind maybe. Mite's not always around; sometimes he has 'work' to do. Bat-Mite's price for his assistance is that he's allowed to watch some of Batman's adventures. Bat-Mite doesn't want to talk to Batman or friends, he just watches from a distance. (To him, this is excitement and adventure...like a Filmation Batman cartoon.) Although interaction with him is limited, he will deliver messages and perform simple tasks for the Bats. Villains know to avoid attacking him; that lesson was learned the hard way...and word got around quickly.

[gregpersons]

1st draft, regardless of medium ...


1. Bruce Wayne intends Batman to be a finite project with a defined goal and a concrete plan to eventually reach that goal.

Bruce originally estimates that his Bat plan will require a total of 3 years, then after the unexpected deluge of super-villains to Gotham following his debut, correctly revises the Bat plan for a 10 year total (he's done or dead by 35).


2. Bruce wields Wayne Enterprises as the true weapon in his war on crime.

Bruce recognizes that Batman (and all masked vigilantism) is just a band-aid over the bullet hole that is crime. From the beginning he really focuses on removing the corrupt officials from power and enabling/protecting the virtuous officials via Wayne Enterprises' influence and money. He quietly rebuilds schools and roads and infrastructure in ways that can't be traced back to him. In 10 years time, Gotham goes from City of Nightmares to a prosperous crime-free city.


3. Dick Grayson is always the one and only Robin, and the Prince of the DC Universe.

Orphaned at age 12, Robin in Gotham under Batman by age 14 thru 18 (all of high school), Robin in Metropolis under Superman by age 18 thru 22 (all of college), and trips to Paradise Island under Wonder Woman (via Donna Troy) throughout that 8 year period. He is tutored by the entire Trinity by age 23. Dick keeps the Robin identity all his life and never becomes Nightwing.


4. Selina Kyle is the same age as / little older than Bruce and has never been caught nor exposed her secret identity.

There never is nor will be a warrant out for her arrest and the Catwoman remains as much a mystery as Batman.


5. Joker is a complete unknown, right down to what Joker's gender is.

No vat of acid, no red hood, nothing is known about Joker's origin. Joker is perfectly androgynous, like a scarier Desire of the Endless.


Those are mine off the top of my head.

Yours?

I love all of these.

I would add...

1) Thomas Wayne was corrupt. I liked this element in the Telltale games a lot, forcing Bruce to reckon with his motivations and origins in a more adult way, when he realizes his childish version of reality wasn't real.

2) Batman is an urban sensei to all kinds of wayward youth, trying to be a positive influence for the next generation of damaged children. Jason Todd, Tim Drake, etc., don't necessarily become "Robin" and Batman is not their "father" but my ideal version of does have Bruce recognizing that "Batman is a symbol" and he intends to share his knowledge.

3) This is a bonding point for Batman & Catwoman — they're both angry and vengeful but at their core they are bleeding hearts who want to help "the strays." This is why they're the good guys and not anti-heroes.

[daBronzeBomma]

Thanks for the compliments!

Keep in mind this thread is just for various new ideas that haven't been done outside the comics. Meaning we're not looking for a cohesive narrative. You can submit competing ideas.


6. Chill is Bruce's ultimate boogeyman and mystery rolled into one.

Not only is Chill's origin unknown, so is his(?) appearance and fate! Bruce can't remember the face but the voice haunts him. Bruce has no idea whether Chill is dead or alive, but the mere notion that Chill could still be out there can drive Bruce to a very dark place.

Bruce fights it, but he imagines finding Chill and taking sweet and slow painful revenge on the murderer of his parents. There is also the opposite irrational fear that Chill will someday catch Bruce off guard and painfully finish what was started in Crime Alley. No one, not even the Joker on his worst day, lives in Bruce's head the way Chill does.

Will there ever be a resolution one way or the other? Yes, there will be a resolution, but not till the end of the project.

[superduperman]

1) There is no one "Batman". He's like V from V for Vendetta or The Dread Pirate Roberts. Someone carrying on for years as each subsequent Batman is killed. The previous one trains his successor. He stopped serving in the JL years ago and the rest of his team mates don't know that Bruce Wayne has been dead for years.

2) Joker is Bruce Wayne's split personality. He doesn't know that he's really the Joker. Batman has never actually encountered the Joker. Just his henchmen.

3) Catwoman has a daughter with Batman but never told him. She grows up to become the Huntress. Batman doesn't approve of her activities but neither of them know that she is his daughter.

4) No one knows who Robin is in real life. That's because there have been nearly a dozen Robins over the years and all were killed in action. Batman just replaced them when they were killed. Sort of like #1 but Batman doesn't care if they get killed off. His "war" is all that matters to him. The real Dick Grayson was killed years ago. Bruce just told people he went off to live in Europe.

5) Bruce was the one who actually killed his parents. His mind made up the story of a mugger so he could cope with what he'd done. He was playing with a gun he found in his father's study when he accidentally shot them. When he saw what Bruce had done, Alfred told the police someone had broken in and killed them. That's why his parent's killer had never been found. He doesn't exist.

[Sacred Knight]

Just got three right now if that's okay.

1. Bruce Wayne is shot in Crime Alley along with his parents. He survives, but his wounds were grievous in their own right and requires intense physical therapy in the aftermath and even received an organ from one or both his parents. This rehab would eventually lead into a lifelong dedication to physical fitness, which eventually segues into the martial arts.

2. Dick Grayson, like Bruce Wayne, also is no longer a bystander of a crime but is also seriously wounded when the Flying Grayson's meet their demise. His injuries result in the loss of a leg, and Bruce aids in his own rehab, intent to help the boy based on his own experience and to help him regain his ability to "fly" despite his disability. This eventually culminates in him taking him on as his sidekick, with Robin wearing a prosthetic.

3. Selina Kyle is responsible for saving young Bruce Wayne's life the night of his parents' murder. Living on the streets at the time and prowling, she witnesses the crime and administers some basic first aid to Bruce that allows him to hang on by the time paramedics arrive. As adults upon meeting as Batman and Catwoman neither are aware of the other's previous role in their life. Catwoman eventually puts the pieces together when she sees scars on his body consistent with the wounds the young boy had that night, along with already knowing he was deeply traumatized from a specific event in his life.

[gregpersons]

1) Thomas Wayne was corrupt. I liked this element in the Telltale games a lot, forcing Bruce to reckon with his motivations and origins in a more adult way, when he realizes his childish version of reality wasn't real.

2) Batman is an urban sensei to all kinds of wayward youth, trying to be a positive influence for the next generation of damaged children. Jason Todd, Tim Drake, etc., don't necessarily become "Robin" and Batman is not their "father" but my ideal version of does have Bruce recognizing that "Batman is a symbol" and he intends to share his knowledge.

3) This is a bonding point for Batman & Catwoman — they're both angry and vengeful but at their core they are bleeding hearts who want to help "the strays." This is why they're the good guys and not anti-heroes.

4) There are multiple users of the codename "Robin" at the same time — Robin, Robin 2, Robin 3, and so forth. In the beginning, Dick Grayson is the creator of Robin, then later shares the ID when Jason Todd arrives as a new student of the Bat, and Dick invents the idea of "Red Robin" or "Robin 2"... but this coincides with Grayson becoming 18 and deciding to reinvent himself, and creates Nightwing. Then Jason becomes the sole "Robin" for a time, but after a near-death beating from The Joker, he decides to take the cue from Nightwing and become an independent agent, bounty-hunting Red Hood.

Carrie Kelly and Tim Drake are the next-generation Robins with more direct guidance from Nightwing — suburban kids who want to join the crusade, who are Robin 2 and Robin 3 even in the absence of a standard Robin. They become part of Team Robin when they're joined by Damian Wayne, Bruce's son, who "inherits" the lead position.

Robin / Nightwing - Dick Grayson
Robin 2 / Robin / Red Hood- Jason Todd

Robin - Damian Wayne
Robin 2 - Carrie Kelly
Robin 3 - Tim Drake

Thus, you have Batman, Catwoman, Nightwing, Red Hood, and the Robins.

5) Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, the information specialist... her network is known as Oracle... she coordinates spies, Birds of Prey, including Black Canary, Orphan, Spoiler, and Huntress, who are led in-field by Batwoman, Kate Kane, who also funds the effort. This "cousin" branch is the sorority to Bruce's fraternity of the Bat Family.


6) All of this falls under "The Bat" which is the overall mission statement and funding from Wayne & Kane Enterprises, a covert black-ops team funded independently to combat organized crime and terrorism, based in Gotham City... Alfred Pennyworth's background is imported from the "Pennyworth" show, he's a trained secret agent who was injured in the war then became head of personal security for Thomas Wayne... he helped raise and guide Bruce based on what he knew, which was espionage and manhunting, which Bruce then developed with other teachers across the globe. Bruce wants to pass this knowledge onto Dick and the others because of how Alfred passed it onto him.

Kate's motivations are separate, mostly in-tact from her original origin, but when she discovers The Bat, she helps to continue the effort whether Bruce approves or not.

7) Gordon's GCPD eventually learn to trust and work alongside The Bat, but this is not true for all levels of government — sometimes there are CIA or other federal agents in pursuit of The Bat to capture them or to learn their identities.

[Mutant God]

1. Thomas Wayne caused Joker's transformation by knocking him into the chemicals.

2. At one point Selena Kyle becomes a vigilante known as the Huntress and uses the alias Helena Bertinelli.

3. Batman created Suicide Squad in order to fight the League of Assassins and recruited criminals from both Blackgate and Arkham to be apart of the group.

4. Bruce and Kathy are twins, Kathy was given to Jacob and his wife after the death of their daughter.

5. Dick Grayson's mom is Bruce's cousin, by either Thomas or Martha.

[daBronzeBomma]

7. The Thomas And Martha Wayne Academy For At-Risk Youth (TAMWAFARY).

A very small boarding school run out of Wayne Manor that doubles as the headquarters for All the sidekicks simultaneously. Dick, Babs, Jay, Cass, Tim, Steph, Duke, and Harp are all students given free room and board, and supervised by headmistress Kate.


8. The Sidekicks become Bruce's Gotham City Irregulars: they are each his eyes and eyes all over Gotham.

They see without being seen, hear without being heard, and most importantly: never directly engage any targets. Bruce does NOT put any minors in costume to routinely fight adult sociopaths. Codenames only, no masks or costumes ever.


9. The sidekicks codenames are all two-syllable small bird names:

Robin, Sparrow, Goldfinch, Bluebird, Starling, Kinglet, Grasswren, Skylark, etc.


10. Bruce has NO surviving blood-kin at all.

Damian ceases to exist in the first place, and Kate Kane is merely a younger-sister-like friend of Bruce with no familial relation at all to him.

[gregpersons]

New take.

1) Bruce is fundamentally a team player. His parents murder created an absence in his life that he has routinely sought to fill in a variety of ways. "Batman" is his way of connecting with people in a way that removes the aspect of his privilege and his tragedy. He enjoys mixing with criminals as his social circle, and finds he connects and understands them better than he does his friends from his day life as Bruce.

2) "Batman" is a team creation, co-created by three people: Bruce, Alfred Pennyworth, and Lucius Fox. Taking a cue from the Telltale games and the Chris Nolan movies mixing it with a bit of how Bale/Caine operated in "The Prestige." They approach it professionally and the three of them regularly meet to update progress on specific goals. Alfred's experience as an intelligence agent informs Bruce's approach strategically, Lucius handles his loadout, and Bruce is the point man going undercover as Batman.

3) Harvey Dent went to law school with Bruce, they were friends but then Bruce dropped out to travel and seek out more hands-on training... after Batman first appears in Gotham, Harvey is the first to guess that Bruce is involved somehow — he thinks Bruce is funding it, and Bruce admits that he is. "The man in the suit is like a dozen different Navy Seals, to tighten up on the mob." Dent is torn but decides to use this information to gain favor with the mob, selling Bruce out, and creating danger for Batman's secret. Batman intimidates Dent into charging the attempted assailants who went after Bruce, and in the struggle, Dent's face is scarred by broken glass.

4) Wayne Enterprises dissolves when Bruce returns to Gotham, shortly after Batman begins his operation ... one of Batman's first missions is to root out a corrupt white-collar secret society child slavery ring that had 'nested' among the investors. Once they are taken down, the financial backbone of Wayne Enterprises basically collapses. We learn also that Thomas Wayne was corrupt, and that the company has a dark history of abuse and terrible secrets.

Bruce is not interested in rebuilding from decides to sell off the different parts of the company, spreading it out among the winds, essentially. Lucius Fox is the director of the remaining philanthropic enterprise, The Wayne Foundation, in which Bruce is dedicated to spreading his personal wealth -- which after the sale of the company is still billions -- around various organizations in Gotham as much as possible.

5) Batman exists in a world like ours where there are Democrats and Republicans, and he does try to exert political influence in a black-ops way by threatening representatives to vote in ways that would improve social spending by taxing the rich, and funding the police, and funding rehab centers over prisons, etc.

6) Batman's actions are clandestine. He is not known publicly for the first few years of his campaign... he is a rumor among the corrupt, at first. Even when Wayne Enterprises goes down as part of Batman's first strike, it's not known publicly that Batman was the key to discovering and stopping the crime.

7) The goals for Batman are specific, even though the mission statement is still broad, to strike at the untouchable criminals. Dirty politicians, executives, cops, and the mafia are the targets for Batman.

8) Batman exists in a world where other superheroes exist as fiction, except Batman. There are Superman and Spider-Man comics and movies. The comic book Superman came out shortly before the Batman campaign began, and that's where Bruce got the idea for the "-man" name.

9) Bruce calls himself Batman, but Alfred and Lucius refer to the project as The Bat and Bruce as 'The Kid.' Bruce is about 25 when he begins.

10) Richard Grayson is a young beat cop who is elevated to detective after he solves a cold-case whodunnit murder, the first 18 year old detective in the history of the GCPD -- not officer, now he's "dick" grayson, the boy wonder... thanks to the secret help of the Batman. The case involves bringing down Tony Zucco, a racketeer who was involved in the shakedown that led to the murders of Richard's parents, who were acrobats in a Vegas show, with Richard as a child performer. Richard was raised in Gotham by his uncle, who worked at Wayne Enterprises as part of the corrupt 'nest of owls'... Richard didn't like his uncle, but he did meet Lucius Fox and befriended Luke Fox.

11) Jim Gordon is a lieutenant who is interested in the corruption cases like Batman, and his career accelerates when he teams up with Batman to overthrow the crooked commissioner, who is part of a larger criminal ring with the Mayor.

12) Selina Kyle is an artist, who draws a comic book called Batwoman, the stories are stolen from the real adventures of Bruce, her boyfriend. She loves cats, she's always been poor, she's stolen before, but she's a rebel and doesn't mind speaking her mind. She meets Bruce when she's at a protest -- protesting his company, after their crimes are exposed. She is attacking him before realizing he's one of the good ones... she offers to buy him a drink and he accepts. They hit it off, instant soulmates in their overall views and approach to things. He loves her freer spirit, and when she's able to see his real side, she loves his passion and determination. Bruce tells her he's Batman, and she loves it. She's inspired to become Catwoman, doing it behind his back, ripping off old Wayne Enterprises executives who golden-parachuted. Bruce hears about these robberies but doesn't know or suspect it's Selina, and actually never finds out. Bruce enjoys that she draws the Batwoman comic, and gets a kick out of translating his story and exaggerating the legend.

13) The Joker's hook is he kills kids and teens, like a slasher villain. Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas all appear in this version of the story only as the names of innocent and vulnerable children that Joker targets and murders in horrifyingly "comedic" ways... he makes tiktok videos showing off his crimes, dancing his corpses. When Batman finally catches him, he nearly kills him, stopped at the last moment by Detective Grayson.

14) Barbara Gordon is Jim's younger sister, and Grayson's partner as a homicide detective. Grayson and the Gordons are Batman's primary police allies, though others on the force are not as aware of their use of Batman as a secret 'bad cop' who can do things they can't.

15) The public becomes aware of Batman after he is caught and defeated by Bane, the world's deadliest black-ops mercenary hired by the mob. Batman is photographed lying broken in the middle of a busy intersection, eventually rescued by Grayson and the Gordons, who then connect with Alfred and Lucius to get Bruce the private medical attention he needs. Bruce's limbs, ribs, and neck are broken, and he needs months to recover... but not willing to let the Bat take this loss, Grayson and the Gordons all suit up as Batman themselves, and coordinate a hit to take down Bane and his employers with multiple Batmen striking them at once using a variety of Bruce/Alfred/Lucius's methods and weapons, mixed with their approach as police... they take them down physically but they realize in doing so they've become 'dirty cops' now in their own way

16) Grayson and the Gordons now know everything about Batman from the inside out, including a first-hand recognition of the dark power that comes from vigilantism. When Bruce returns as Batman, they decide to no longer enable him with information or assistance from the inside, though they won't turn him in either — unless he ever crosses the line, like he almost did with Joker.

17) Amateur imitation Batmen start appearing after organized crime is largely dismantled, but the amateur Bats are not honorable like Bruce/Alfred/Lucius/Grayson/Gordons — they're bullies, violent and cruel... Bruce as Batman's final mission is hunting down the amateur Bats one by one, and turning them into the police, promising Grayson and the Gordons that these are not his people.

18) After 10 years of the Batman campaign, Bruce, Alfred, and Lucius feel like their work is done. Organized mafia crime is gone. Vigilantism is down. The police are competent and skilled. The social programs are funded and impactful. The government is thoughtful and well organized, if not especially competent.

Bruce burned through spending his billions to make this happen, both on the books and off, and now he's wiped out. Alfred retires with a dog on a farm back in England, Lucius continues working as an advisor and investor in clean energy projects, then segues into working with the government and then elected as Mayor Lucius Fox.

Bruce and Selina travel the world. He reveals he always knew about her Catwomaning around behind his back. He doesn't mind. He's going to continue as Batman, because that's who he is, it's become his soul now, more personal to him than Alfred or Lucius, something she has always understood - in her art and in her secrets. Bruce says, we're the same. We're criminals. We've always been criminals.

All across the globe, anywhere there is corruption, when night falls Bat & Cat may strike and make you pay, one way or another.

[gregpersons]

19) Selina's "Batwoman" comic becomes the biggest media property in the world, and Bruce reveals he was the inspiration — he was Batman, and he still is, and he always will be.

20) Meanwhile, Grayson and Luke Fox have taken the old Batman tech to become Nightwing and Batwing, operating on an uneasy alliance with the Gordons, the GCPD, and Mayor Fox.

21) Harvey Dent files hundreds of lawsuits against Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle to destroy any funding they'd receive from Batwoman, but Bruce & Selina live in international waters and international skies, funded by the global rich crooks they hunt and rip off.

22) Dent works with the Riddler to find Bruce's physical location, and shows up with a gun — but just to subpoena Bruce to stand trial. Knowing only that, the Riddler is the last person to ever see Harvey Dent alive or dead, ever again.

[Steven Caldwell]

Batman has no major life changes, no one dies, no one gets a new costume or identity, his parents stay dead, and good stories are told within the pre-existing universe. Novel concept.

[seusilva]

1) There is no one "Batman". He's like V from V for Vendetta or The Dread Pirate Roberts. Someone carrying on for years as each subsequent Batman is killed. The previous one trains his successor. He stopped serving in the JL years ago and the rest of his team mates don't know that Bruce Wayne has been dead for years.

Batman Year 100 from Paul Pope is a bit like this!