7. Readjusting to a New Gotham
Another highly famous and acclaimed storyline, which Id love to see recreated in some way on screen, is during the first volume of No Mans Land. In this book, after being destroyed by a devastating earthquake, the U.S government declares Gotham City ruined, and closes it off permanently to the outside world, after evacuating it of course. The problem? A good percentage of Gothams citizens refuse to move. Theres still a Gotham to protect, although its worse than it ever was. The tone is almost post-apocalyptic, and when Batman returns in Vol. 1, he has to completely readjust his methodology. Criminals are harder, more flagrant; they operate in the day thanks to Gothams new state of lawlessness, rendering his reliance on shadows as no longer his strength but his weakness, and in general, after what theyve suffered through, people just arent afraid of him anymore. If you ask me, this has been set up perfectly in advance by the Nolans Dark Knight Rises, which left half of Gotham in ruins. All wed need is a quick opening sequence exposing how after Banes siege, Gotham was never the same or something similar. With Batman out of his element, again, youre looking at his humanity from new angles, at the fact that his superpower isnt an intrinsic part of him, but more to do with his superhuman ability to adapt and to use his environment to his advantage. This is also, basically, a ready-made character arc for any interested screenwriters out there, essentially taking Bats from n00b all the way up to master again, for a second time, while of course having several revelations about who he is and what Gotham City means to him along the way.