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In 2005, eight years after ''[[Batman and Robin]]'' put the ''[[Batman (Filmfilm)|Batman]]'' film franchise on [[Just for Pun|deep freeze]], [[Christopher Nolan]] and David S. Goyer [[Continuity Reboot|rebooted]] the franchise with the first entry of a trilogy fans refer to as '''''The Dark Knight Saga'''''. All three films star [[Christian Bale]] as The [[Batman]], Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
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A direct-to-DVD [[Animesque]] anthology, ''[[Batman Gotham Knight (Animation)|Batman: Gotham Knight]]'', helped to bridge the gap between ''Batman Begins'' and ''The Dark Knight''; Christopher Nolan was not involved in its production.
 
While the films feature original storylines, they borrow many scenes and themes from the comic book miniseries ''[[Batman: Year One]]'' and ''[[The Long Halloween]]''; [[Alan Moore]]'s ''[[The Killing Joke]]'' also influenced the plot of ''The Dark Knight'', and the films also borrow heavily from ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series]]'' in terms of styling and character. The trilogy also takes liberties with certain superficial aspects of the entire Batman mythos, but in spite of -- or [[Pragmatic Adaptation|because of]] -- these changes, ''Batman'' fans widely consider the films to be some of the best ''Batman'' adaptations ever.
 
Viewers outside the comicbook fandom have agreed, which have helped turn the films into critical and commercial successes. ''The Dark Knight'' holds the record for the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time in the United States (behind ''[[The Avengers (Filmfilm)|The Avengers]]'', ''[[Titanic (Film)|Titanic]]'', and ''[[Avatar (Filmfilm)|Avatar]]'') and the twelfth-highest worldwide; it also has the distinct honor of being the first comic book film to win an acting [[Academy Award]], as the late Heath Ledger won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as The Joker.
 
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== The whole series ==
* [[Action Prologue]]: Both ''The Dark Knight'' and ''The Dark Knight Rises'' start with establishing the villains' ability.
* [[All-Star Cast]]: All three feature [[Christian Bale]], [[Gary Oldman]], [[Michael Caine]], and [[Morgan Freeman]]. The first also features [[Liam Neeson]], Katie Holmes, [[Cillian Murphy]], Tom Wilkinson, and Rutger Hauer; the second also features [[Heath Ledger]], Aaron Eckhart, [[Maggie Gyllenhaal]], and Eric Roberts; the third also features [[Anne Hathaway]], [[Tom Hardy]], [[Joseph Gordon -Levitt]], and [[Marion Cotillard]]. Enough said.
* [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us]]: Bruce Wayne has bad luck when it comes to his homes. The League of Shadows burn Wayne Manor to the ground in the first film, the Joker and his henchmen invade his penthouse in the second, and Bane and his men ransack the new Wayne Manor in the third.
* [[Animated Adaptation]]: ''[[Batman Gotham Knight (Animation)|Batman: Gotham Knight]]'', a direct-to-DVD [[Animesque]] anthology that bridges the gap between the first two films.
* [[Appropriated Title]]: ''Batman Begins'' has two sequels, both under the ''Dark Knight'' name, in what has become known as [[The Dark Knight Saga]].
* [[Artistic License Physics]]: Microwaves do not work that way! And neither do cell phones! Or police procedures! ''And neither for that matter does sonar!'' [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief|But]], [[MST3K Mantra|no one really cares]].
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** This has actually been the comic approach for a couple of decades now, although the Batmobile being, essentially, a re-purposed ''tank'' rather than a custom-built sportscar was a new element.
*** Though even it harkens to the comics as the Batmobile from ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]'' was an explicit inspiration for the Tumbler.
* [[Badass in Aa Nice Suit]]: In ''Begins'', Ducard kicks ass in a suit and tie the first and last time he fights Bruce Wayne. For that matter, Bruce at his fundraiser for Dent in ''The Dark Knight'' does it, too.
* [[Badass Beard]]: Bruce in both ''Batman Begins'' and ''The Dark Knight Rises'', and Ducard in ''Begins''.
* [[Badass Cape]]: Not only is it stylish, it's made of shape-memory fibers that allow it to turn into a hang glider when an electric current is run through it.
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* [[Big Bad]]: Ra's al Ghul in ''Batman Begins'', The Joker in ''The Dark Knight'', and (if the trailers and promotional materials are to be trusted) Bane in ''The Dark Knight Rises''.
* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: ''Batman Begins.'' Also, ''[[Pyrrhic Victory|The Dark Knight]]''.
* [[Blood Onon These Hands]]
* [[Body Motifs]]: There is much emphasis on faces and masks in both films.
* [[Broad Strokes]]: The ''Gotham Knights'' shorts, due to being made by different people, have varying amounts of consistency with themselves or the films, such as the guy with the jetpack, or Batman being downright [[Bishounen]] in some of the shorts and lantern-jawed in others.
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* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: Too many to list.
** [[Chekhov's Gag]]: Bruce gives his coat to a bum after a confrontation with Falcone gone wrong. Later, as Batman, he happens to pass the bum again and compliments his coat.
* [[Close Onon Title]]: Neither ''Batman Begins'' nor ''The Dark Knight'' show their titles until the end.
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Nobody is an upstanding duelist in these movies, but the Joker is by far the least reserved fighter. Trying to kick Batman in the groin with a ''knife strapped to his shoe'' takes the cake(and this is after he shoves one of his mooks into the fight as a distraction)...until he tops that by {{spoiler|setting three mad dogs on Batman then beating him with a crowbar in the climax}}.
** The Scarecrow in [[The Dark Knight Saga|the first film]] is no slouch either. Upon meeting Batman for the first time, he promptly hits him with a dose of [[Brown Note|fear gas]], splashes him with kerosene, and ''[[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|lights him on fire!]]''
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** Batman does not kill, and goes to great lengths to do so. Bruce Wayne, however, is clearly shown fighting and killing several members of the League of Shadows in self-defense. Along with their several shackled prisoners. In fact, there's no real indication he was hesitant to kill before he became Batman, just to kill ''innocents''.
* [[Demoted to Extra]]: The decline in Crane's role between films is an example of this, from key ensemble component to [[One-Scene Wonder]].
* [[Doing in Thethe Wizard]]: The movies discard many supernatural and/or unrealistic elements of the comic, offering plausible [[Techno Babble|pseudo-scientific]] explanations instead. For example, most of the technology employed by Batman could become accessible in a decade or so.
** Ra's al Ghul's {{spoiler|immortality is a simple succession trick. Whenever the apparent Ra's dies, another similar-looking man takes his place and claims to be the original Ra's. This is made easier by the fact that the apparent Ra's is actually just a stand-in for the real leader (e.g. Henri Ducard) who pretends to be a subordinate. All of this is a big change from the comics, where Ra's achieved immortality by supernatural means.}}
** According to [[Word of God]], Bane's mask supplies him with anesthetic to help him cope with an injury, likely meaning that is strength comes from natural sources, as opposed to [[Super Serum|Venom]].
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*** Even when Maroni thought The Joker was still technically working for him and the mob, he was still too scared of the Joker to give up any information about him to Batman.
** Catwoman expresses fear of Bane in the trailer, his apparent actions make it well founded.
* [[Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo]]: Well, they sure as heck couldn't have called the second film ''Batman Begins 2'', could they?
* [[Elaborate Underground Base]]: The Batcave in the first movie. In the second, the Batcave is basically a big white room underneath some Wayne company property with some equipment, a computer, and an incinerator. Everything else pops out of the walls.
** It's mentioned in the film that reconstruction of Wayne Manor was still taking place, so the "Whitecave" was a temporary solution.
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* [[Equal Opportunity Evil]]: The League of Shadows is multiracial, and Sal Maroni employs gangsters of pretty much any nationality.
** [[Truth in Television]] for Maroni. It's possible for anyone to work for the "mafia" (they don't actually call themselves that) and even become quite influential. The limitation is that only Italians (or half Italians) can become Made Men.
* [[Evil Is Hammy]]: Played straight with Joker in ''The Dark Knight''. Interestingly, [[Liam Neeson]] is remarkably non-hammy as the main villain in ''Batman Begins'', and [[Cillian Murphy]] starts chewing scenery only when his character becomes [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|criminally insane]] after {{spoiler|having been poisoned by [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard|his own fear toxin]]}}.
* [[Expansion Pack Past]]: Alfred seems to have led several very diverse lives.
* [[The Faceless]]: In ''The Dark Knight'', Gordon's daughter Barbara (who becomes Batgirl in the comics) appears, but her face is never seen (she was on-screen briefly in ''Begins'', as well, but doesn't even get credited as her real name).
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{{quote| '''Wayne''': Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. Just have to figure out what he's after.}}
* [[Jerkass Facade]]: Bruce Wayne combines this with [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] to protect his Batman identity.
* [[Kill It Withwith Fire]]: Attempted {{spoiler|by Crane, on Batman,}} and done successfully {{spoiler|by Joker, on mob accountant Lau.}} It's horrifying both times.
* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]: Jim Gordon, especially in the first movie.
* [[Messianic Archetype]]:
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** Batman's eyes when using the sonar become hidden behind a white glare. In most depictions in the comics, the character's eyes are never seen when he's in costume, replaced by white slits.
** When Bruce is describing his problems with the old suit, Fox sums up his complaints with "You'd like to be able to turn your head." None of the previous modern Batsuits, starting with the 1989 film, allowed the actor wearing them to do this.
** During the press interview where Harvey Dent {{spoiler|claims he is Batman}}, the most prominent of the news microphones says "News 26". Wasn't that the news channel in ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series]]''?
** And of course, lest we forget: "What the hell are you?" "I'M BATMAN!"
** ''"You complete me..."'' could possibly be a reference to ''[[The Batman vs. Dracula]]''.
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** Judging by his [[Curb Stomp Battle]] in the jail in Begins, it would seem that, even before he became Batman, Bruce was skilled at [[The Dark Knight Returns|fighting in the mud]].
*** And speaking of, the Tumbler was inspired by the hulked-out tank of a Batmobile featured in ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]''.
** When Joker is having his [[Money to Burn]] moment, he says, "Everything burns," a line which parallels Mr. Freeze's line in ''[[Batman and Robin (Filmfilm)|Batman and Robin]]'': "Everything freezes."
** The people who are strung out out Crane's fear gas beating on Batman is very similar to a scene in the third episode of ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series]]''.
*** So is the scene where Crane gets shot with his own fear poison and sees Batman as an inhuman monster.
** The interrogation scene with Batman and the Joker from ''The Dark Knight'' seems to be inspired by an interrogation scene from an episode of the [[Batman (TV series)|60s TV series]] called ''The Penguin Goes Straight'', oddly enough. Of course, the 60s version is a hell of a lot campier, but in both cases the police turn the lights off in the interrogation room and Batman (along with Robin in the TV episode) appears in the dark to intimidate the crook. The (double) episode even has Batman hunted by the law, which also happens in ''The Dark Knight'' and will carry over into ''The Dark Knight Rises''.
** Batman will have a conversation with Gordon, then disappear in the middle of it, followed by a snarky comment from Gordon when he realizes Batman's gone (subverted the first time when Gordon almost catches him). This happens in other Batman works, especially [[Batman: theThe Animated Series|the animated series]].
** There is a scene with Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle dancing at a masquerade in ''The Dark Knight Rises'' where her dialogue cryptically hints at her nature and intentions. Tim Burton's ''[[Batman Returns (Film)|Batman Returns]]'' also had a scene with both at a masquerade, dancing, in which {{spoiler|they reveal their secret identities to each other.}}
** Selina Kyle's Catwoman outfit in ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is very similar to those of the Catwomen from [[Batman (TV series)|Batman]] '66, only it doesn't have golden necklaces or belts and the cat-ears are actually hi-tech goggles.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Just like in the comics, Bruce Wayne downplays his intellect and behaves like a [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job|stereotypical eccentric billionaire]] so that no one would suspect he is really Batman.
** After Bruce puts his lamborghini in between the big truck and the police SUV, he acts like this to Gordon.
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* [[Shoot the Bullet]]: Batman pulls one of these off in Gotham Knight, except since he doesn't use guns, he simply punches the bullet out of the air with the armored part of his gauntlet (because, you know, a batarang wouldn't be half as badass). This is a bullet fired from a high powered sniper rifle, from a train moving at full speed, towards a moving target.
* [[Shown Their Work]]: When Bruce Wayne dumps his wine over the balcony. (To clarify: in the comics Batman doesn't drink alcohol ''ever'', and when it looks like he is then it's actually apple juice. This is perhaps the least known thing about Batman.)
* [[Songs in Thethe Key of Lock]]
* [[So Last Season]]: The batsuit from ''Batman Begins'' proving inadequate to the task in ''The Dark Knight''. At least now he can move his neck for the first time in twenty years.
* [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]]: Crane, one of the main villains from ''Batman Begins'', was reassigned in the sequel to the head Mook of the [[Batman Cold Open]]. On the other hand, [[The Joker]] ends up being worse than ''the entire mob'' put together!
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{{quote| ''"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."''}}
* [[Western Terrorists]]: Ra's Al Ghul is...{{spoiler|Liam Neeson}}. (Oddly, the name ''is'' Arabic for "The Demon's Head", and the organization is multiethnic and headquartered somewhere in or near the Himalayas.) And Joker is referred to as a terrorist multiple times, though terrorists [[Terrorists Without a Cause|usually]] have some sort of motivation ''beyond terrorism''.
* [[What You Are in Thethe Dark]]: More or less the point of the series. Everyone stares into the abyss, [[Drama Ensues]], and the abyss stares back.
* [[Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?]]: Bruce appropriates most of his equipment from Wayne R&D.
** Deconstructed in the second movie, when an accountant realizes millions of dollars of equipment have disappeared, including an experimental car that looks exactly like the Batmobile. He tries [[Blackmail]]... which, well, see [[Blackmail]], above, for how it's reconstructed.
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{{quote| '''Dawes''': Do you really believe that a man who butchers people for the mob doesn't belong in prison?<br />
'''Crane''': Well, I would hardly have testified to that otherwise. }}
* [[Death Byby Secret Identity]]: When he was an ally of Bruce's, {{spoiler|Ducard knowing Bruce's true identity made him valuable.}} Once [[The Reveal|he showed his true colors]], though, his knowledge was another reason to blow him up.
* [[Deceptive Disciple]]: Inverted, Bruce is guilty of this to the League of Shadows.
** Or [[A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil|A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Good]].
* [[Doing It for Thethe Art]]: In story example. In the novelization, it's hinted that Bruce considers the Batman an art that he is willing to sacrifice many things to achieve its perfection. Alfred even calls him out on it.
{{quote| '''Alfred:''' "What you have created is akin to architecture. [The Batman] has a practical aspect, but also an aesthetic one."}}
* [[Don't Think, Feel]]: Inverted. Bruce Wayne starts out driven by rage and guilt. The League of Shadows teaches him to use his head.
* [[Due to Thethe Dead]]/[[Antagonist in Mourning]]: At the end of the novelization, {{spoiler|Bruce buries Ducard, or what was left of him after the monorail crashed, next to Thomas Wayne.}}
* [[Dull Surprise]]: The Wayne employee overseeing the water is remarkably blase about the idea of {{spoiler|the entire city's water supply exploding}}.
* [[Entitled Bastard]]: [[Inverted Trope|Inverted]] with Ra's.
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{{quote| '''Bruce''': Am I supposed to understand any of that?<br />
'''Fox''': [[Deadpan Snarker|No. I just wanted you to know how hard it was]]. }}
* [[Face Death Withwith Dignity]]: Ducard took his death rather well. Then again, he is {{spoiler|Ra's Al Ghul, who may or may not be immortal.}}
* [[Face Your Fears]]: A major theme. Ducard tells Bruce to breathe in his fears, to become fear so as to conquer it, makes him open a case of bats during training, etc... but after Bruce leaves the League of Shadows he decides to walk into a cave where he surrounds himself with bats, and he learns to not let fear get in his way... hence his later courage in confronting crime.
* [[Finish Him!]]: Ducard's final test in ''Begins.'' Bruce, of course, refuses, and then {{spoiler|defeats a whole ninja school by himself}} in order to get away.
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{{quote| ''I wasn't always here in the mountains. [[Harsher in Hindsight|Once I had a wife... my great love... she was taken from me.]] Like you, I was forced to learn there are those without decency, who must be fought without hesitation, without pity.''}}
* [[Funny Background Event]]: When [[Da Chief|Loeb]] is talking to Gordon during the climax, it's on a cop's chest-mounted radio and the guy's being dragged along behind him as he paces around.
* [[Fun Withwith Acronyms]]: The music on the soundtrack is named after species of bat, containing six listed in order as;
{{quote| '''B'''arbastella, '''A'''rtibeus, '''T'''adirida, '''M'''acrotus, '''A'''ntrozous, '''N'''ycteris.}}
* [[Genre Savvy]]: When told that Batman had infiltrated Arkham, Jonathan Crane told his men to do "what anyone does when a prowler's around. Call the police." His plan was to lure Batman outside, where the cops would take care of him, reasoning that his own operation had gotten far enough that there was no way it could be stopped. It didn't work, but it was a much more intelligent decision than most villains tend to make.
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* [[The Hero's Journey]]: {{spoiler|After being told of a chance to join the League of Shadows, Bruce climbs the mountains and manages to fight off Ra's Al Ghul. After defeating the League to return to Gotham, he gains weaponry, becomes Batman, enlists the help of Lucius Fox and saves Gotham from the League, freeing the people from chaos.}}
* [[High Altitude Interrogation]]: Batman performs this on Det. Flass, repeatedly dropping him and lifting him back up from mere inches away from the ground with his batclaw.
* [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard]]: {{spoiler|Ducard}} is apparently killed when the train, which he was trying to use to destroy Gotham City, explodes. And Jonathan Crane is poisoned with his own fear toxin.
** The first doesn't really apply, as the only reason he died is because Gordon {{spoiler|blew up the tracks, causing the train to do a nosedive into the ground.}}
* [[If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him]]:
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* [[Millionaire Playboy]]: [[Invoked Trope|Invoked]]; it goes hand in hand with [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job]].
* [[Mind Rape]]: Jonathan Crane routinely does this to his patients.
** [[Mind Rape]] also happens to {{spoiler|Carmine Falcone}} at the hands of Jonathan Crane; and {{spoiler|ironically Batman gases Jonathan Crane [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard|with his own toxin]]; removing any sanity that Crane had and leaving only the fear-obsessed Scarecrow}}.
* [[Mr. Exposition]]: A bit part exists to quickly recap the train situation as it's happening. {{spoiler|After it blows up spectacularly}}, he cheers, so anyone who hasn't been paying attention knows that it's a good thing.
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Ra's Al Ghul translates in Arabic to "Head of the Demon". Ra's is obviously not one of the heroes with that name.
* [[Near Villain Victory]]: If Bruce hadn't been saved by Alfred from his mansion and Gordon hadn't been able to blow up {{spoiler|the monorail tracks}}; Gotham's citizens would have all been {{spoiler|driven insane or killed each other due to Scarecrow's fear toxin and Ra's Al Ghul's plan.}}
* [[Needle in Aa Stack of Needles]]: Ducard's training, where he hides amongst his followers.
* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: A lot of promotional material made Scarecrow look like he was the [[Big Bad]].
* [[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain]]: Carmine Falcone's [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] to Bruce Wayne gives him the idea of becoming Batman.
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'''Thomas Wayne''': ESPECIALLY the scary ones. }}
* [[Rule of Three]]: Instead of having one main [[Big Bad]], Batman Begins has 3; there's the [[Smug Snake|arrogant]] [[The Don|crime boss]] Carmine Falcone, there's the [[Knight Templar|self-righteous]] [[Ancient Conspiracy|ancient vigilante group leader]] Ra's al Ghul, (who would probably hate the kind of lawlessness men like Falcone stand for) and then there's some corrupt psychiatrist called Jonathan Crane who stated that he works for the latter but is implied to also work for the former. [[Captain Obvious|That can't end well.]]
* [[Saved for Thethe Sequel]]: At the end of the movie, the plot is resolved, but there's unresolved romance between Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes to provide fodder for the next movie.
* [[Save the Villain]]: Bruce saves Henri Ducard when {{spoiler|his lair [[Stuff Blowing Up|explodes]].}} Later, {{spoiler|Henri Ducard returns as Ra's Al Ghul to destroy Gotham}} and tells Bruce that he warned him about compassion. After {{spoiler|Ra's Al Ghul and Batman's last battle}}, Batman leaves {{spoiler|Ra's Al Ghul}} to die as the monorail crashes.
* [[Say Your Prayers]]: One could see {{spoiler|R'as/Ducard's}} [[Obi-Wan Moment]] as this as well.
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* [[Self-Deprecation]]: Bruce Wayne mentioned that Batman "clearly has psychological issues". Justified since he kinda has to do that in order to maintain his secret identity as Batman.
* [[Sequel Hook]]: The film ends with Gordon summoning Batman to inform him of a particularly violent and unusual bank robbery committed by a man who left an unusual calling card... a [[The Joker|Joker]].
** Contains a great [[Freeze -Frame Bonus]] - if you look at who recovered the Joker card, the name says "J. Kerr"
* [[Shamgri La]]: The headquarters of the League of Shadows.
* [[The Shrink]]: Dr. Jonathan Crane is a villainous example of the trope.
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* [[Smug Snake]]: [[The Don|Carmine Falcone]] is easily the most arrogant and contemptuous villain in the movie. At least [[Mad Scientist|Crane]] is fairly [[Affably Evil|polite]], and at least [[Evil Mentor|Ducard]] acts somewhat respectful to Bruce Wayne, saying Bruce [[Worthy Opponent|was his best student]], {{spoiler|albeit while having said student's house burned to the ground}}. Falcone, on the other hand, just acts so smug that he ends up being arguably more hateable than Crane and Ducard despite doing much less damage.
** During the "secrets of scary people" scene, Flass warns Falcone that there's something going on and they should bail. Falcone just sits there in his car for a little while, then decides to get up to see for himself what's going on... namely, that Batman's beating up several of Falcone's goons at the same time. Apparently even with this going on right in front of him it takes him a little while to figure out that Batman's someone to be feared. So, he decides to get back to his car to get a gun. {{spoiler|Too late.}}
* [[Soiled City Onon a Hill]]: Gotham City is this from the point of view of Henri Ducard and the League of Shadows.
* [[Star-Making Role]]: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. While ''[[American Psycho]]'' was a cult hit, ''Batman Begins'' is the film that made him a bona-fide star.
* [[Suspect Is Hatless]]: During the Batmobile chase with the increasingly frantic cops.
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* [[Art Shift]]: Of a sort. Christopher Nolan stated in an interview that as opposed to the gritty grimy look of ''Batman Begins'', ''The Dark Knight'' would be slightly... cleaner, so to speak.
** ''The Dark Knight'' was largely missing ''Batman Begins''' classic Gotham deco-influenced skyscrapers. It's also a lot less crowded and a bit brighter in ''The Dark Knight''. Nolan also got rid of the Batcave, presumably for the same reasons.
* [[As Long Asas It Sounds Foreign]]: All of the Asian characters in Hong Kong speak flawless Chinese... in the wrong dialect. The standard dialect used in Hong Kong is Cantonese, whereas the characters all speak Mandarin. However, it's possible that they were simply from Mainland China, wherein the dominant language is Mandarin.
* [[Ax Crazy]]: The Joker is the living embodiment of this trope.
* [[Badass]]: Aside from the obvious, special mention goes to Harvey Dent, {{spoiler|pre-Two Face}}. A witness pulls a gun on him from the witness stand, and without missing a beat, Dent disarms him, decks him and recommends he buy his weapons American next time he wants to assassinate the DA.
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* [[Broken Pedestal]]: When Harvey Dent imprisons 549 criminals at once in a RICO case, the mayor warns him that he has to be very careful not to slip up, or everything will be undone. The Joker spends the rest of the movie trying to bring this about, while Batman tries to stop it. Eventually {{spoiler|the pedestal ''is'' broken when Harvey loses Rachel, half his face, and eventually his mind. He goes on a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] in which he kills five people, two of them cops. At the end, Batman decides to take the blame for Harvey's crimes, so that his prosecution can be upheld. We have to wait for the next film to see if this works.}}
* [[Bus Full of Innocents]]
* [[The Cameo]]: US Senator Patrick Leahy shows up (the avowed lifelong fan's ''third'' [[Batman: theThe Animated Series|such]] [[Batman and Robin (Filmfilm)|appearance]] to date) and says to the Joker "we're not intimidated by thugs." Now ''that'' is a campaign platform.
* [[Canon Immigrant]]: The Batbunker. Introduced here as the replacement for the Batcave, it's a big white military-style installation built under a Wayne skyscraper. It eventually made its way to the comics when Bruce Wayne was temporarily killed off and replaced by Dick Grayson: Dick decided he wanted his HQ to be in the heart of the city instead of a mansion on a hill, so he moves into a bunker inspired by the film. He keeps using this base even after Bruce returns.
** This is especially appropriate since the original Batcave is also a canon immigrant. It was introduced in the black and white Batman serials of the 1930's (mostly as a way to save money by re-using an already available cave set the studio had sitting around.)
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* [[Chewing the Scenery]]: The Chechen. '''[[This Is Sparta|MY DOGS! ARE! HONG-RAY!]]'''
* [[Choke Holds]]: Bruce Wayne does this to Harvey Dent.
* [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]: When Lau, the accountant who tried to hide millions of dollars in mob money, was captured by the police, he gave them the names of all his mob clients as a means of softening his own punishment. Later in the movie, Lau was freed from his jail cell by the Joker... [[Kill It Withwith Fire|only to probably wish he hadn't been]].
** It bears mention that Lau is extremely clear that he'll give up the criminals. Not the location of all that money he's safeguarding for them. His plan is clearly to run home with the combined wealth of SEVERAL mob bosses.
** There's also how quickly and shamelessly Joker murders his own henchmen, but he's probably not as likely to suffer consequences for doing so. It also should be noted that the Bank manager, who himself is implied to be a member of the mafia, [[Even Evil Has Standards|disapproved of and lamented the course its taken]].
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** Even though he's only in the film for a few minutes, Crane gets in a few good ones too:
{{quote| '''Scarecrow''': I said my compound would take you places. I never said they'd be places you wanted to ''go''. }}
* [[Deal Withwith the Devil]]: {{spoiler|Harvey Dent accuses Gordon of this for not getting rid of all the possibly corrupt officers in the Gotham Police Department.}}
** The Mob's decision to hire the Joker, [[Evil Is Not a Toy|which comes back to bite them later on.]]
* [[Delayed Explosion]]: When The Joker {{spoiler|attempts to demolish Gotham General Hospital.}}
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* [[Dragon-in-Chief]]: The Joker offers to work as [[The Dragon]] for the mob to take out Batman, but he really wants to use their money to bring chaos to the streets and become Batman's archenemy. He doesn't think highly of the mob and believes the city deserves a better class of criminal... so he takes over. [[Complete Monster|In a decidedly hostile way]].
* [[Dramatic Irony]]: Dent {{spoiler|believes that the police and Batman decided to save him instead of Rachel, when in reality, the Joker set it up such that they'd be saving the person they hadn't intended to save}}. Also counts because you already know what's bound to happen to Harvey: When Bruce talks about him at the fundraiser, he says, "Look at that face. [[Analogy Backfire|That's the face of Gotham's future.]]"
* [[Drinking Onon Duty]]: This is how {{spoiler|Commissioner Loeb dies, via his alcohol being spiked with poison.}}
* [[Empty Promise]]: Harvey Dent makes one to Rachel.
* [[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas]]: Or grandmamas, in Gambol's case.
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** And a real world example with Christopher Nolan's statement that {{spoiler|Harvey didn't survive the fall. Many fans take this as an implication that the good man Harvey Dent died, leaving only the evil Two Face.}}
* [[Excuse Me, Coming Through]]: People run to get out of Batman's way when he drives the Batcycle through a mall.
* [[Expy]]: Detective Wuertz was originally going to be Detective Harvey Bullock, a long-time member of the Batman supporting cast from the comics, and Detective Ramirez was going to be Detective Renee Montoya, who was created for ''[[Batman the Animated Series|Batman: The Animated Series]]'' and was then [[Canon Immigrant|introduced into the comics]]. The producers decided to recreate them as original characters because of what happens in the third act, which did not match the character of the characters as previously established. This is clearest in ''Batman: Gotham Knight'', an animated anthology film that bridged ''Batman Begins'' and ''The Dark Knight'', which introduced Ramirez and featured her partnered with Montoya's comic-book partner [[Gotham Central|Crispus Allen]].
* [[Eye Scream]]: ''"How about a magic trick? I'm going to make this pencil disappear."''
* [[Face Heel Turn]]: {{spoiler|Harvey Dent --> Two-Face.}}
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* [[Hellish Copter]]: A police chopper participating in an [[Escort Mission]] {{spoiler|Gets clotheslined by the Joker's [[Mooks]] using harpoon launchers and highrises.}}
* [[Hero Insurance]]: Batman doesn't have it, but Gordon does: {{spoiler|The chase sequence results in a very high bodycount among the police escorts (see [[Hellish Copter]] for instance), but they do arrest the Joker at the end of it, so Gordon gets promoted to commisioner. And he isn't even demoted back once it turns out the Joker planned to get arrested and breaks out.}}
* [[Hero Withwith Bad Publicity]]: {{spoiler|Batman himself}} at the end of the movie.
* [[Heroic Wannabe]]: A gang of doughy vigilantes with bat-costumes and guns. {{spoiler|One ends up being a victim of The Joker}}.
* [["Hey You!" Haymaker]]
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'''Batman''': (just off-screen) Then you're gonna love me. *PUNCH* }}
* [[High Altitude Interrogation]]: [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]] and [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in ''The Dark Knight''. Batman wasn't threatening to kill Maroni to get his information but looking to use the situation in a novel way that would actually make this [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]].
* [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard]]: {{spoiler|[[The Joker]] feeds the Chechen gangster to [[Right-Hand Attack Dog|his own dogs]]. Fortunately, this happens offscreen.}}
* [[Hollywood Law]]: Local district attorneys cannot charge RICO offenses. Not even the local US Attorneys can, it has to come directly from the Department of Justice. Dent's mass-trial would also count, but the movie points out that he doesn't expect it to succeed and it's only proceeding because of his local stature.
* [[Hope Spot]]: An [[In -Universe]] one for {{spoiler|Harvey; he's lying in a hospital bed recovering from a bomb blast, convinced that Rachel is dead. Then he finds the lucky coin he gave her the last time he saw her alive, left by the side of his bed. He turns it over... the other side's been charred by an explosion.}}
* [[Hot Chick in Aa Badass Suit]]: Rachel ([[Maggie Gyllenhaal]]) while interrogating a guy. Looks like she should be carrying a rapier.
* [[The Hyena]]: The Joker, of course
* [[I Am Spartacus]]: When the Joker threatens to keep killing people until Batman unmasks and turns himself in, {{spoiler|Harvey Dent makes a public confession that ''he'' is Batman and surrenders to the police.}}
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'''Salvatore Maroni:''' [incredulous] Friends? Have you *met* this guy? ... No one's gonna tell you nothin'. They're wise to your act. You got rules. The Joker, he's got no rules. No one's gonna cross him to you. }}
** Dent ain't so bad at this himself. He uses his flip-a-coin Russian roulette technique several times to get some answers. Although, because he uses a 2 sided coin, he doesn't exactly leave a man's life to chance. {{spoiler|Not for the first half of the film, anyway.}}
* [[Joker Immunity]]: Played ''straight'' here, despite being [[Darker and Edgier]] than the [[Batman (Filmfilm)|previous film series]], which killed him off.
** Subverted between movies on account of [[The Character Died Withwith Him]].
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** Jonathan Crane early in the film too, though he was a much more significant character in Begins.
** The Bank Manager (William Fichtner) who very calmly reacts to robbers in his bank... by whipping out a shotgun.
* [[Only Known Byby Their Nickname]]: The Joker, if "nickname" is a good word for it.
* [[Orbital Shot]]: The Joker and Rachel. "Is it the scars? Want to know how I got them?"
* [[The Other Darrin]]: Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes in ''The Dark Knight'', replacing Katie Holmes from ''Begins''.
* [[Overshadowed Byby Awesome]]: In ''The Dark Knight'', The Joker overshadows Batman. In the first movie Batman was given central focus, and the villains did not eclipse him. The sequel is more of a "Joker movie" than a "Batman movie", with Heath Ledger getting all the best lines and outperforming Bale in every scene. Overall the movie suceeds, since [[The Villain Makes the Plot]].
* [[Palantir Ploy]]: The {{spoiler|Bat-Cell-Phone-Sonar machine}}.
* [[The Paragon]]: Harvey Dent. This makes him the target of just about everybody.
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'''Alfred''': Oh, yes.<br />
'''Bruce''': How?<br />
'''[[Determinator|Alfred]]''': [[Kill It Withwith Fire|We burned the forest down]]. }}
* [[Right Behind Me]]: "Don't tell me it's Wayne. The guy's a complete [[Curse Cut Short|f--]]"
* [[Right-Hand Attack Dog]]: The Chechen owns a pack of them. {{spoiler|After [[The Joker]] apparently [[Hoist Byby His Own Petard|feeds The Chechen to his own dogs]], he adopts the pooches and uses them against Batman in the final showdown}}.
* [[Rousseau Was Right]]: See The movie's a little too complicated to be summed as "People are really nice," but generally speaking, yep, you heard me right. ''Not all people are bastards''. In a [[Darker and Edgier]] ''Batman movie''.
* [[Rule of Three]]: The Joker's third "scar story" is subverted by Batman.
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** Possibly also a reference to [[The Musical|that musical]] [[Vaporware|they never made.]]
** William Fichtner as the banker with the shotgun in the opening heist was an intentional [[Casting Gag]] by Nolan, who built the sequence as an homage to ''[[Heat]]''.
** The Joker's goons don clown masks during the opening scene as a reference to Stanley Kubrick's heist film ''[[The Killing (Filmfilm)|The Killing]]''.
*** Joker's mask is also the same as the one the character uses in ''The Joker's Wild'', his very first appearance in the 60's series.
* [[Shown Their Work]]: The [[SWAT Team]]'s tactics when entering the building the Joker's minions have occupied are based on real-life SWAT procedure: the officers approach the suspects with weapons at the ready and identify themselves, demanding that the suspects surrender and put their weapons down. Until the suspects present a threat to either the officers or innocents, they have to hold fire. More than one reviewer [[Reality Is Unrealistic|questioned why SWAT wasn't opening fire, not realizing that this was how they really operate.]]
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* [[Smash the Symbol]] {{spoiler|This moment is after [[Batman]] said he would take the blame for Harvey Dent's murders; it's implied that people are smashing the bat-signal to symbolize their increasing disapproval of Batman. This is a somewhat unconventional approach to this trope, seeing as how rather than portraying it as destroying the symbol of a villain, it is instead destroying the symbol of a hero who is (willingly) being mistaken for a villain.}}
* [[Smug Snake]]: Maroni. [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/RobertsMaroni.jpg/250px-RobertsMaroni.jpg Just look at that smile].
* [[Spanner in Thethe Works]]: The Joker is a self-proclaimed " Agent of Chaos" - he really doesn't plan, he just sizes up his enemies' plans and attacks the weak point that causes the most chaos.
{{quote| '''[[The Joker]]''': I just did what I do best — I took your little plan, and I ''turned it on itself''.}}
* [[The Spook]]: Both Batman and The Joker.
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** The {{spoiler|final dilemma Joker presents is similar to the Prisoner's Dilemma. One of the parties in the dilemma is a ferry full of convicts}}.
** Bruce Wayne drives a Lamborghini Murcielago... [[Bilingual Bonus|Murcielago is Spanish for "Bat".]]
* [[Strike Me Down Withwith All of Your Hatred]]: A major theme of the Joker's actions in this movie.
* [[Stuffed Into the Fridge]]: One of the main criticisms of the film, besides Batman's voice, {{spoiler|is Rachel's unceremonious death at the end of the second act}}.
* [[Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome]]: {{spoiler|Rachel, though not in the first few minutes.}}
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* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: The Joker has an understated version of this at the end of ''The Dark Knight'', in contrast to his usual over-the-top theatrics: {{spoiler|when the people of Gotham refuse to play his game and reveal themselves to have a core of decency, and it looks like his ultra-nihilistic view of the world might be wrong after all, he goes very, very still...}}
** When a guy named The Joker suddenly becomes very sullen and grumpy...
* [[Villain Team-Up]]: Joker and Two-Face... [[Playing Withwith a Trope|ssssssssorta.]] {{spoiler|Harvey hates Joker with a passion, but Joker ''is'' the one who pushes Two-Face into villainy, and Joker uses Two-Face to sow extra chaos and divert the Gotham PD's attention long enough to set up his next major "social experiment".}}
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: Two-Face, and maybe even the Joker. Two-Face has simply given up on the law, while the Joker is trying to wake people up Tyler Durden style.
** He's not trying to wake them up, he's trying to break them down so they'll be at his level. Tyler thought he was at the top; [[The Joker]] knows he's at the bottom, ''and loves it''.
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** Gordon's wife's reaction to his [[Faking the Dead|faking his death]]. He offers up a small excuse about how it was for her protection, but she still smacks him.
** Lucius makes it clear that he is ''not happy'' with Batman's plan to {{spoiler|use sonarised mobile phones to eavesdrop on the entire city and track down the Joker.}}
* [[What You Are in Thethe Dark]]: The Joker tries to do this on Batman, Harvey Dent, and a lot of citizens/criminals of Gotham on the boats. {{spoiler|Only Harvey falls, while both Batman and the citizens/criminals both decide not to blow each other up. Batman even [[Lampshades]] this trope by asking the Joker why he was doing this.}}
* [[Where's the Kaboom?]]: Well, more "Where's the Rest of the Kaboom? Clickclickclick''[[Oh Crap]]''"
* [[Why Am I Ticking?]]: Joker orchestrates a prison break with a cell-phone bomb, which is sewn inside the body of one of his mooks.
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* [[Be All My Sins Remembered]]: A leaked photograph, regarding a mention of Harvey Dent, reveals that Bane ends up exposing Dent's crimes to the public after eight years of secrecy.
* [[The Cameo]] / [[As Himself]]: Pittsburgh Steelers player Hines Ward cameos as himself, playing for the "Gotham Rogues". He outruns the imploding football field and drops the football in shock. McFarlane toys even made a special action figure of him in the Gotham Rogues uniform.
* [[The Character Died Withwith Him]]: It is unclear how his absence will be addressed (or if it ''will'' be addressed), but, on account of [[Heath Ledger]]'s death, [[Word of God]] has confirmed that the Joker will not be returning.
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: [[Word of God|Tom Hardy]] described Bane's fighting style as this, less about a fair fight and more about caving your ribs in and crushing your skull.
* [[Combat Stilettos]]: Catwoman [http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/WmsPX5r22bY.9fEYu55RZg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/theprojector/250_catwomanbatman_092611.jpg apparently] [http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Dpg4m23n0BmRx9SOTC1.4A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/theprojector/250_catwomanalone_092611.jpg wears them.]
** The trailer shows her fighting in regular boots, but that could just be movie magic editing, since staging actual fight scenes with high heels is kind of...impossible. They did the same thing with Silk Spectre in [[Watchmen (Filmfilm)|Watchmen]].
** And then this [http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=90729 poster] pops up.
* [[Darker and Edgier]]: Bane is every bit as formidable a fighter as in the comics, but his ostentatious luchadore gimmicky mask has been completely discarded, in favour of a rather intimidating looking breathing apparatus.
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