It tells an alternative story of Bruce Wayne who, at 55 years old, returns from a decade of retirement to fight crime while facing opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government. The story also features the return of classic foes Two-Face and the Joker , and culminates in a confrontation with Superman , who is now a pawn of the government.
When originally published, the series was simply titled Batman: The Dark Knight , with a different title for each issue The Dark Knight Returns , The Dark Knight Triumphant , Hunt the Dark Knight , and The Dark Knight Falls , but when the series was collected into a single volume, the title of the first issue was applied to the entire series. Some of the earliest collected editions also bore the shorter series title.
The story introduces Carrie Kelley as the new Robin and the hyper-violent street gang known as the Mutants. The Dark Knight Returns is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential Batman stories ever made, as well as one of the greatest works of comic art in general, and has been noted for helping reintroduce a darker and more mature-oriented version of the character and superheroes in general to pop culture during the s.
Various elements of the series have since been incorporated into depictions of Batman in other media , while a direct animated adaptation of the story, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , was released as a two-part film across and In a dystopian version of , Bruce Wayne, aged 55, [ 2 ] has given up the mantle of Batman after the death of Jason Todd 10 years prior.
Crime is running rampant throughout Gotham City, much of which is being committed by a gang of juvenile delinquents called "The Mutants ". After watching news reports about the Mutants' crimes, Wayne decides to return to his role as a vigilante. He stops multiple assaults — including one on two young girls, Carrie Kelley and her friend Michelle — and targets the Mutants. Batman's return is reported on the news and stimulates his archenemy, the Joker , to awaken from catatonia at Arkham Asylum.
