40 Years Ago Today, DC Comics Concluded the Batman Story That Changed Comics Forever

It has been 40 years since DC Comics released the final issue of one of the most important Batman stories ever told. Batman has undergone some massive transformations over the years. When he was introduced in 1939 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, he was a dark vigilante who fought and brought down mobsters, gangsters, and common criminals. He soon changed to begin fighting a more dangerous sort of villain when superpowered characters began to infiltrate his world. However, by the 1970s, Batman had become kitsch thanks to the classic Adam West TV show. That all changed in the 1980s, and one of the biggest reasons was thanks to a book by Frank Miller.

On August 26, 1986, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #4 went on sale, and the issue concluded Miller’s groundbreaking Batman story that has influenced almost everything in the world of the Caped Crusader ever since.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Ended 40 Years Ago

Titled “The Dark Knight Falls,” Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #4 brought Batman into conflict with Superman as the Caped Crusader came out of retirement to save Gotham City, and the United States government stepped up and sent Superman to stop him. Batman had a new Robin (Carrie Kelley), and he was influencing a young group of heroes to follow his lead, something that the government had cracked down on as it attempted to stop vigilantes from operating outside the law. It also didn’t help when the Joker died by suicide, but he made it look like Batman had killed him.

What is most ironic about this story is that Batman knew what was happening, and Superman allowed the U.S. government to use him as a puppet. Superman’s actions almost destroyed everything, even himself, and Batman’s actions saved Gotham City once again. Despite this, this story was iconic because it painted Batman as a vigilante who had to be stopped, at least in the eyes of his own government, putting its power above even the safety of the people. This was like no Batman story ever told before.

The final fight between Batman and Superman was masterfully executed, with Green Arrow showing up to deliver a kryptonite mist that evened things, and as Batman called Superman a joke and himself a liability, his heart was starting to give out, and it was time for both of them to die. That wasn’t what happened, though, as it was Batman who died of a heart attack in Superman’s arms. But that wasn’t what happened. Batman used a drug to fake his death, and even when Superman realized the truth, he hid it so Batman could live in peace and train the next generation of heroes.

The Dark Knight Returns Influenced Batman For Decades to Come

The character of Batman took quite a beating in the 1970s thanks to the Adam West TV show. While that series was popular and very enjoyable, it created a campy Batman who danced, cracked jokes, and delivered as many puns as he did right jabs. In the 1980s, it was time to start to make him serious again, but it was an uphill battle after years of kitsch. Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams tried to bring back the dark nature of Batman in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until The Dark Knight Returns in 1986 that Batman fully moved back into the gritty, more mature character that he has been known as ever since.

The Dark Knight Returns led to more dark tales, including Batman: Year One, Batman: The Killing Joke, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, and the “A Death in the Family” storyline in 1988, where the Joker murdered Jason Todd. The new Absolute Batman comic books have a strong similarity to what Miller did in The Dark Knight Returns.

The comics also had a strong influence on movies and television. Tim Burton’s movies’ gothic atmosphere and Batman’s willingness to get very dark were highly influenced by Miller’s story. The Dark Knight Trilogy kept things dark and mysterious, which never would have happened without this change two decades earlier, in the 1980s. Ben Affleck’s Batman in the Zack Snyder DCEU was directly pulled from The Dark Knight Returns, and Snyder delivered his own Batman vs. Superman storyline in those movies.

The comics even had sequels, including The Dark Knight Strikes Again, The Dark Knight III: The Master Race, and Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child. A one-shot prequel called Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade was set ten years before the original series. Miller also considers Batman: Year One, All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder, and Superman: Year One to be canonical to The Dark Knight Returns.

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