Aside from reporter Vicki Vale, who appeared infrequently in the comics and starred in the 1989 Batman film, Batman has never had a recurring girlfriend-type figure like Superman or Spider-Man. For the new Batman films, Nolan gave us original character Rachel Dawes, who was Bruce Wayne's childhood playmate. As they grew older, Rachel and Bruce went their separate way: Bruce going to learn martial arts in the Orient and Rachel studying law and joining the District Attorney's office. When the two of them reunite, Rachel sees Bruce's playboy facade as real and chides him for not doing more to help the city. To be fair, it's understandable she didn't automatically realize her former playmate was fighting criminals dressed as a giant bat. By the time Batman Begins is over, Rachel learns Bruce's secret and tells him that although she understands what he's doing, she can't be with him while he's Batman. Fast-forward a year, and Rachel is in a relationship with new District Attorney Harvey Dent, but as we see later, she still has feelings left for Bruce. This becomes clear when she doesn't give Harvey an answer to his marriage proposal. When the Joker's reign of terror plagues Gotham, Bruce has Rachel hide at her penthouse to keep her safe, but she promptly leaves after seeing Harvey take the fall for Bruce's actions as Batman. Before leaving, she gives Alfred a note to give to Bruce. After Harvey and Batman's high speed chase from the Joker, we learn Rachel's been kidnapped. Seemingly getting the address of where she is from the Joker, Bruce goes to save her, but Harvey is there instead. To make matters worse, Harvey and Rachel were able to talk with each other over a phone-bomb, and right before she gets blown up, she tells Harvey that she chose him. Her death drives Harvey insane and devastates Bruce, not realizing the contents of her letter were to tell him she picked Harvey over him. Alfred burned the letter to spare Bruce the pain, but tells him years later to get him to stop being Batman.
Adam Holmes is a writer who loves a good story whether it's fact or fiction. When he's not day-dreaming about time travel, he's usually immersing himself in all things film, television and comic books. He hopes to one day break into the entertainment journalism industry. Yes, he is aware of his resemblance to Clark Kent and McLovin. Keep up on the latest geek news by following his articles at Unleash The Fanboy: http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/author/adam-holmes