100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
#2. The Dark Knight Returns
Medium
Comic Book
Release Dates
February 1986 (“The Dark Knight Returns”)
April 1986 (“The Dark Knight Triumphant”)
May 1986 (“Hunt the Dark Knight”)
June 1986 (“The Dark Knight Falls”)
Credits
Writer: Frank Miller
Penciller: Frank Miller
Inker: Klaus Johnson
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Lynn Varley
Editors: Dick Giordano, Dennis O’Niel
The Reason It’s Great
Writer Frank Miller creates one of the most memorable Batman stories in the four-issue The Dark Knight Returns. The story is set in an alternate universe (now designated as Earth-51 or the Dark Knight Universe) where a 50-year-old Bruce Wayne comes out of retirement and once again dons the cape and cowl to fight crime and face off with the US government.
In a future dystopian Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman after the death of Jason Todd years prior. When a gang called “The Mutants” terrorize the city, Bruce returns to being Batman. Soon, Two-Face holds Gotham hostage with the threat of detonating a bomb. Batman defeats Two-Face and, later, the Mutants.
Batman’s activities don’t go unnoticed, as Superman is sent by the White House to control him. In Gotham, Batman is declared a wanted criminal and pursued by the authorities. The Joker awakens from a coma and frames Batman for his own death. Coincidentally, a nuclear explosion wipes out power in the United States.
Batman creates a team to fight looters and rioters in Gotham—soon making it the safest city. An embarassed US government sends in Superman to arrest Batman, and the two have their famous battle—resulting in Batman having a heart attack and seemingly dying. In the epilogue, Bruce is shown to be alive and well, traning new recruits.
Ever since the release of The Dark Knight Returns, the story has influenced multiple Batman narratives. Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman drew its dark nature from the seminal comic. And 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had a fight scene between Batman and Superman that was heavily inspired by Miller’s story. Those who have read The Dark Knight Returns know why Miller’s work still stands the test of time.