Television Live-action •
Stephen Amell appears as an older
Oliver Queen in the
Legends of Tomorrow episode "Star City 2046", with a grey goatee and missing his left arm, a nod to the portrayal of the character in
The Dark Knight Returns. This version of Oliver appears again in the crossover "
Crisis on Infinite Earths" which designates the events of "Star City 2046" not just as an alternate timeline but taking place on Earth-16. • In the episode "
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" of
Gotham, the show's first Proto-Joker,
Jerome Valeska (played by
Cameron Monaghan), confronts Bruce Wayne in a house of mirrors after the GCPD raid Jerome's carnival populated by his cult followers, which pays homage to Batman and Joker's final confrontation in
The Dark Knight Returns. In addition, Monaghan's performance as the second Proto-Joker,
Jeremiah Valeska, took some influence from the Joker in the comic. • In the
Batwoman episode of the "
Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover,
Kevin Conroy appears as Bruce Wayne from Earth-99. This version is more violent to the point of killing, as Joker is dead. While confronting
Supergirl, Bruce quotes the comic while talking about how
Clark always said "yes" to anyone with a badge or a flag, giving them too much power. Bruce says "Life only makes sense if you force it to" before attacking Supergirl with
Kryptonite. • In the
Gotham Knights TV series, Carrie Kelley plays a prominent role as one of the main characters. In the episode "Under Pressure", Carrie defeats the Mutant gang leader who is given the name of Vernon Wagner, stoking conflict between the Mutant gang against the GCPD. In the same episode, Carrie relates the circumstances of her first meeting with Batman, which seemingly involve Batman being tossed by the Mutant gang into her fire escape outside her window, a description that is identical to the comic's depiction.
Animation • In the episode "Legends of the Dark Knight" of
The New Batman Adventures, a scene is directly based on both of Batman's fights with the Mutant leader, who was voiced by
Kevin Michael Richardson.
Michael Ironside voiced
The Dark Knight Returns version of Batman. • The first episode of
Batman Beyond, "Rebirth", depicts a similarly aged Bruce Wayne repeat the book's line "never again" upon deciding to give up the Batman mantle. • Two members of the Mutant gang are shown throwing snowballs at an older
Beast Boy in a cage in the episode "How Long Is Forever?" of
Teen Titans. •
The Batman episode "Artifacts", set in a future Gotham, mostly references Miller's work, with the future Batman depicted as similarly tall and muscular and
Mr. Freeze going so far as speaking the sentence "The Dark Knight returns" upon meeting his nemesis. • There are some references in
Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In the season 1 episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!",
Bat-Mite transforms Batman into alternate versions of himself, one of which has his look from
The Dark Knight Returns. In the season 2 episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!", the Mutant gang is seen robbing a bank in a future where Bruce Wayne's son,
Damian, is the new Batman. The battle between Batman and Superman is featured in the season 3 episode "Battle of the Super-Heroes!", where Batman wears a similar armored suit as well as some moments of the fight taken straight out of the comic. • In the episode "Play Date", from
Justice League Action, Batman's entrance uses the iconic cover pose.
Film Live action • Along with
Batman: The Killing Joke,
Tim Burton has mentioned that
The Dark Knight Returns influenced his
film adaptation of Batman. • In the 1995 film
Batman Forever, director
Joel Schumacher uses some elements of the comic: when Bruce remembers falling into the cave as a child, and in a deleted scene when GNN News gives Batman a bad reputation after his fight with Two-Face in the Gotham Subway and when he follows Two-Face in a helicopter. • According to Schumacher, he proposed a film adaptation of
The Dark Knight Returns when
Warner Bros. commissioned him and writer
Akiva Goldsman to create a sequel to
Batman Forever, but the idea was shelved in favor of
Batman & Robin. After the cancellation of
Batman Unchained, Schumacher proposed an adaptation of
The Dark Knight Returns, which Warner considered during their attempts to revamp the character.
Michael Keaton (who portrayed
Batman in
Batman and in
Batman Returns) and
Clint Eastwood were considered to play
Batman while singer
David Bowie was considered again to play the
Joker. However, the project was finally canceled in favor of the also shelved
Batman: DarKnight. •
The Tumbler in
Batman Begins (2005) was inspired by the Batmobile in
The Dark Knight Returns. Both Batmobiles are designed as large, military vehicles built for special purposes. • In the 2012 film
The Dark Knight Rises, director
Christopher Nolan used a number of stories including
The Dark Knight Returns as influence for the film. After the death of
Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne retires from Batman and spends the next eight years in a depressed state caused by his experiences as a vigilante. Bruce decides to return as Batman when he realizes that
The League of Shadows has returned to Gotham; Bruce uses a special brace for his leg to compensate for his frail physicality, similar to the comics, in which he uses a brace to support his damaged arm; During a police chase, two officers witness Batman's unexpected return and the older officer comments to his younger partner, "You're in for a show, kid", a line from a similar scene in the comic. After Harvey Dent dies in
The Dark Knight, Batman is falsely accused for his death and becomes a
fugitive, as in the comic. In both works, Bruce fakes his death at the end; to fight crime secretly in the comic and to have a normal life with Selina Kyle in the film. • Director
Zack Snyder stated that although the 2016 film
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features an original premise, the film does borrow some elements from
The Dark Knight Returns. In both, Batman is older and hardened, in his mid-50s in the comic and in his 40s in the film. Similarly, Robin has died, although his identity is never stated in the film, with Snyder intending for him to be
Dick Grayson and a behind-the-scenes video as well as the
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood stating it was Jason Todd. Batman is also less averse to using lethal force to the point of using guns to dispatch enemies. Further, Batman has a fateful confrontation with Superman, who is coerced to fight him, although by Lex Luthor instead of the U.S. government as in the comics. The Batsuit and the armored suit also both closely resemble the ones shown in the comic. There are also a few shots in the film directly taken from the pages of Miller's work. • The talk show host David Endochrine from
The Dark Knight Returns served as inspiration for the character Murray Franklin in the 2019 film
Joker, played by
Robert De Niro. Joker is interviewed on a talk show, similar to the comic. In both portrayals, the interview ends with the Joker committing murder on the set. The elderly sex therapist from the book, Dr. Ruth Weisenheimer, who Joker forcefully kisses during the interview also appears in the film, named Dr. Sally instead. • The 2021 film ''
Zack Snyder's Justice League featured a version of the Batmobile similar to the one from The Dark Knight Returns''. In the film's epilogue, Batman is seen standing on a Batmobile (as it is seen in Miller's miniseries) after apprehending the Mutants. • In an interview with the
Hollywood Reporter, Zack Snyder expressed interest in returning to
DC Films if he were to direct a live action adaptation of
The Dark Knight Returns as a "true representation of the graphic novel"
. Animation •
DC Entertainment produced
a two-part animated film adaptation, starring
Peter Weller as the voice of Batman. Part 1 was released on DVD/Blu-ray on September 25, 2012, and Part 2 on January 29, 2013. • The 2018 animated film
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies had Robin dream up a sequence which seems to parody
The Lion King, where he is lifted up by the Batman from
The Dark Knight Returns continuity. Later on, Robin appears in a musical sequence where he parodies the iconic
Dark Knight Returns cover where Robin poses against a lightning effect with the title: "Robin: The Dark Hero Returns"
Comic books • Carrie makes her first canonical appearance in the mainstream DC Universe in
The New 52s
Batman and Robin (vol. 2) #19 (titled
Batman and Red Robin). She is a college student and the late
Damian Wayne's drama instructor. As a homage to
The Dark Knight Returns, she wears an imitation Robin costume as a Halloween costume in her first appearance. • Batman/Bruce Wayne and Carrie Kelley/Robin appear in a one-page article in
Comics Collector #8 (
Krause Publications, summer 1985), predating their first comic book appearance.
Merchandise In 1996, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the graphic novel, DC released a new hardcover and a later softcover release. These included original rough script text for issue #4 with some sketches by Miller. There was also a limited edition slipcased hardcover that included mini poster prints, collected media reviews, and a sketchbook by Miller. DC Direct released a limited edition statue of Batman and Robin designed by Miller. It was released in full size and then later as a mini-sized statue. DC Direct released a series of
Batman action figures based on
The Dark Knight Returns in 2004. It included figures of Batman, Robin, Superman, and The Joker. Later, a Batman and Joker Gift Set was released, including both characters with new color schemes to reflect earlier points in the story, and a 48-page prestige format reprint of
The Dark Knight Returns #1 was also released. An action figure of Batman as he appears in
The Dark Knight Returns was released by Mattel in 2013, as part of their
Batman Unlimited line of action figures. In 2022, Cryptozoic Entertainment released a
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns board game designed specifically for solitaire play. The game uses extensive amounts of art from the graphic novel and follows the story of The Dark Knight Returns, including 4 games mirroring the books as a campaign.
Miscellaneous • In the episode "Girl Meets the New Teacher" of
Girl Meets World, the new English teacher Harper Burgess gives out copies for her class to study, which creates controversy with the principal who disapproves of the comic. • In the
Rick and Morty season 6 episode "
Solaricks",
The Dark Knight Returns is mentioned by the original version of
Jerry Smith as one of the books he read at a
Barnes & Noble to overcome the grief of losing his family. ==References==