So what was shown at The Dark Knight panel then?

By Matt Holmes / June 25, 2011

AICN. Beware there are mild spoilers until you reach a certain point where I have forced you to click further if you want to read it. This is a massive spoiler to the fate of one of the characters in the film but if you are at all familiar with the Batman universe either cinematically or in comic book lore, then you know this already.

Paul Levitz president and publisher of DC comics took the stage to thunderous applause, and introduced David Goyer, Jona Nolan, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Christian Bale, and then Chris Nolan himself! Oldman through Nolan all got standing ovations. They did Q&A for about 45 mins, which was incredible, but having just left, I haven't let my mind sort it all out yet. Then, they showed the footage. Chris Nolan seemed really nervous about showing footage. He said it was rough and incomplete and uthat he had a hard time showing anyone unfinished product. Honest to God, I don't know what he was worried about. Any apprehension I had about the Joker's apperance disappeared. He doesn't look like the classic Joker in any way shape or form, and from what I can tell he has visable makeup lines, so I am guessing whatever causes his "Transformation" in this one will be nothing like any other telling of the joker. It was short, and didn't give away to much, so I'll try and just bring up the highlights. -- The Joker looks terrifying. There is footage of him in interrogation with a voice over from Gordon, they can't find whatever it is they are looking for on him, "All he had in his pockets was lint, and a knife." --There are explosions, shots of the batmobile, and what looks like a tube holding the bat costume rising from the floor. -- There is a shot of the Joker walking down and apparently enflamed city street, laughing and firing what looked like a tommy gun, but really could have been another automatic rifle. -- Bruce Wayne meets Harvey Dent for the first time, Dent: "The famous Bruce Wayne, Rachel has told me all about you!" Wayne: "I hope not." A lot of quick cuts, the batmobile exploding through a wall of flame, the joker holding Maggie Gyllenhal at knife point, and Batman kicking through the door in the interrogation room from the beginning of the clip, he lifts the Joker over his head and slams him on the table... HARD.

AND THEN... (STILL TIME TO LOOK WAY GUYS BUT CLICK FURTHER IF YOU CAN'T RESIST)

A coin flips onto a counter next to a glass on a bar, the bartender starts to pour the shot before looking up, his response, "Jesus, Harvey, I thought you were dead!" A hand picks up the shot, and it is slammed off screen before Aaron Eckhart's voice answers, "Half." That was it, the crowd went nuts, before con volunteers started running up and down the isles of the pannel with blacklights, and the shirts had in I guess blacklight reactive ink HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA printed all over them. I was in one line or another for about 11 hours today, and it was completely worth it. The trailer and footage were incredibly badass, and I am now looking forward to this movie even more than I was.