Recent Batman Comics Make a Nolan Bat-verse Revival Possible

Since my job is pretty boring, I usually have a lot of time to think about stupid shit.  The other day I was thinking about recent Batman comics they could use for their stalled solo movie.  And then it occurred to me that some of Tom King’s recent Batman comics would be a perfect way to revive the Christopher Nolan Batman movies.  I know Christian Bale hasn’t expressed any interest in returning but after 6 years maybe he’s ready, especially financially.

The perfect revival story (with some tweaking) is the second story arc of Tom King’s Rebirth-era Batman comics called I Am Suicide.  In that Batman, Catwoman, and his personally chosen Suicide Squad go to Santa Prisca to steal the Psycho Pirate from Bane, who controls the island.

At the end of the Nolan Batman movies Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle had run off to Europe under assumed names to live it up.  Bane was presumably killed in the final battle to liberate Gotham, though really you don’t see a body or anything, which paves the way to make this happen.

So we start in Europe somewhere.  Bruce and Selina are hanging out when they’re suddenly surrounded by armed goons.  There’s a scuffle until a black woman shows up--Amanda Waller whom you might remember from the Suicide Squad movie.  She gets everyone to stand down and then she, Bruce, and Selina go off to talk.

She reveals that in the old days Bane did some off-the-books work for her.  After he “died,” her agents took the body that was barely alive.  They injected it with an experimental drug codenamed Venom and Bane came back to life stronger and meaner than ever.

To make it worse, Bane took the head scientist who made the Venom drug and bust out of there.  From her sources, Waller knows Bane is working on producing the drug in the prison he came from.  They’ve tried storming the place but failed.  Since Batman is the only one who’s defeated Bane, Waller decided to track him down.  They make the offer he can’t refuse:  clean up her mess or she exposes that he’s still alive and ruins his retirement.  Reluctantly he says yes, and Selina agrees to help. (If we need to stretch the story then the location can be less sure so they have to do a little tracking.)

In the comics they recruited Bronze Tiger and Punch & Judy but I suppose they recruit some different characters who are maybe established already like Captain Boomerang or Katana or Deadshot.  (Not Harley Quinn.  Ugh.)  Scarecrow with his fear toxin might make a good ally.

Then they head off to the desert.  Their plane is shot down but they’re able to escape.  Still, now they have to hoof it through a lot of desert with few supplies.  And there are a lot of unfriendlies among the locals who hinder them.  But the team bonds along the way.  (You could have Batman in a duster and goggles like in the Knightmare sequence of BvS too.)

By now Bane is tipped to their arrival.  He’s contracted Deathstroke to work for him and sends him out to bring down the Bat and company.  During a sandstorm or something Deathstroke and goons fall upon the team.  There’s a fierce battle but in the end Batman and the rest except for Selina are captured.  They’re taken to the prison to face Bane.

Meanwhile, Selina sneaks into the prison.  She finds the scientist and his team working on the Venom.  With his help she’s able to locate the rest of the team and spring them.  Meanwhile Bane is beating up Batman out of spite.  That is until the alarms sound.  Then Batman reveals that getting captured was all part of his plan.  Now they really begin to fight while Deathstroke and goons go to find the rest of the team.

There are some fights between the team and goons with Selina knocking out Deathstroke using some cunning strategy.  Then they get the scientists and haul ass.  Meanwhile Batman is fighting Bane and finally gets the upper hand.  He leaves an unconscious Bane in one of the old prison cells he used to inhabit, leaving him, Deathstroke, others for Waller to clean up.  (More fight specifics would depend on which characters you're using.)

Later Waller meets with Bruce and Selina to thank them and say that she’ll keep her part of the deal.  They’re free to go.  That night in a secluded place Bruce proposes to Selina...and then you could use more of the engagement story arc for sequels.  If you want a cookie scene then Waller could sneak away a sample of Venom maybe even to Lex Luthor.

So there we go we used some of the old and some of the new.  Is it perfect?  No, but is it better than what they’re likely thinking of doing?  Probably.