10 Surprising Things Sixties Batman Shares With The Dark Knight

6. The Bat Plane

That doofy plane that Christian Bale's gruff-voiced Dark Knight used to get rid of that big old nuke it a total pull from the sixties Batman TV show, too. After spending two-and-a-bit movies trying to be grounded and realistic, with the Batmobile based on a concept for a military vehicle, Nolan threw that all away when he introduced the Bat-Plane. It's a vehicle that has appeared, in a very different guise, in the animated Batman series and the last handful of movie adaptations. But the ways he takes to the skies in The Dark Knight Rises is a lot different from those weird, gravity-defying jet planes that can somehow navigate the Gotham skyline safely. In fact, it had more in common with the aforementioned Bat-Copter, operated by Robin whilst Batman goes and wrestles that totally convincing shark. It's big, it's unwieldy, it's mainly staying in the air thanks to a couple of propellers in the wings. It's just a more realistic take on the Bat-Copter, really. Another one right there.