8 Ways Batman 1989's New Sequel Changes Tim Burton's Dark Knight Movies

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Batman: Resurrection

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35 years after Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) kicked off the modern cinematic love affair with DC’s Dark Knight, a new sequel has expanded his universe, adding new villains and dealing with the gap between the movie and sequel Batman Returns. The novel picks up after Joker’s death expanding the world of Burton’s Batman movies with an incredibly compelling story.

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As with any belated sequel, the key for Batman: Resurrection is picking up threads from the original in logic ways and dropping fans back into the story in a satisfying way. Writer John Jackson Miller deftly manages both, basing his whole story on some unresolved issues with Batman ’89, and offering more closure to the Joker’s story. His story feels like we’re spending more time in the company of Michael Keaton’s Batman, as well as celebrating the legacy of Jack Nicholson’s beloved villain.

That said, Batman: Resurrection is also focused on fresh storytelling, and Miller’s story does have some pretty big implications for both of Burton’s Batman movies. Those changes are strong ones, and I’m happy to say that this is an excellent new addition to Batman’s movie timeline.

9 Why Joker’s Goons Were On The Cathedral Roof

A 35-Year-Old Plot Hole Finally Solved

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One of the biggest plot holes in Batman movie history concerned the climax of Batman (1989) when Joker flees to the roof of Gotham Cathedral with Vicki Vale as his hostage. He makes the decision in the moment, radioing ahead to tell his escape helicopter to liaise on the roof, and Batman follows, only to encounter several of Joker’s goons already up there.

Their presence makes no sense: they don’t enter with Joker and Vicki, and there was no obvious reason why they’d just be hanging around on the roof. Batman: Resurrection solves the plot hole by making it a driving part of the plot and the inspiration for Batman’s fear that the Joker faked his death. He is led to believe that Joker always intended to go to the roof to pull a switcheroo with a stand-in who actually fell off the roof. Obviously, that made equally little sense, but at this point, Batman is unraveling.

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In the end, it’s revealed – thanks to the testimony of one of the henchmen (Lawrence the boom box holding goon) – that Joker stationed his men on the roof as look-outs for the Feds. He’d never actually planned to escape the city, but was concerned about the FBI’s greater fire power and the threat to his chopper.

8 Joker Didn’t Work Alone

Batman: Resurrection Retcons One Character Into An Iconic Villain

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Batman: Resurrectionintroduces iconic DC villain Hugo Strange to Tim Burton’s universe. The novel deals with the fallout of Joker’s Smylex attack on Gotham, and features a new character, Professor Hugh Auslander, who runs the Smylex Ward at Gotham Central Hospital. It is eventually revealed that Auslander is actually Hugo Strange, whose real plan is to create grotesque Monster Men using a Smylex variant.

Not only that, but it’s also revealed that Hugo Strange actually worked with Joker during the events of Batman (1989). He is a former Axis Chemicals scientist – briefly seen in the original movie – who worked on the development of Smylex. Strange was instrumental in helping Joker flood Gotham with Smylex-tainted products, and was inspired to develop his own variants, poisoning victims who used the products.

He then used his access to the Smylex ward to track patients who reacted in different ways to determine the effects of his chemicals in his quest to create the perfect mix to make his Monster Men. One such unlucky victim was struggling actor Karlo Babić (stage name Basil Karlo).

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7 Clayface And The Riddler Both Exist In Burton’s Universe

Batman’s Rogues Gallery Expands With Iconic Characters

Batman: Resurrection also expands Michael Keaton’s Rogues Gallery by introducing Clayface as the first successful victim of Strange’s monstrous plan. He uses Smylex-tainted make-up that transforms him into Clayface – a name given to him cruelly by Gotham’s newspapers – and uses his acting skill to mimic other people. He ends up embroiled in Strange’s plans to terrorize Gotham and distract Batman by impersonating the Joker.

On top of Clayface, Batman: Resurrection also sets up a new take on The Riddler, who helps Batman connect the dots on Auslander’s real identity and believes himself to be Gotham’s true hero. His secret identity in this universe is unassuming newspaper employee Norman Pinkus. He uses an early riddle to reveal Strange to Batman, and is responsible for saving his life later in the novel.

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Norman Pinkus’ Riddler could return in
Batman: Resurrection
‘s 2025 sequel
Batman: Revolution

Not only are those villains added to the Burton continuity, but Resurrection also confirms that there have been rumors of the Penguin living in the sewers for years. One of his henchmen – the Strongman from the Red Triangle Gang – appears a couple of times, revealing he would come out to the surface to buy pizzas (with extra anchovies for Penguin).

6 What Happened To Vicki Vale

Why Batman’s First Love Didn’t Return For The Sequel

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Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale was introduced in Batman (1989) but by the time Batman Returns came around 3 years later, her relationship with Bruce Wayne had ended and she was missing from the sequel. The question of why Vicki Vale didn’t return was addressed only in passing when Bruce talks to Selina about the breakdown of the relationship:

Selina:
What went wrong? Hang on, I think I know … You kept things from her.

Bruce:
Nope, I told her everything.

Selina:
And the truth frightened her?

Bruce:
Well … How can I put this. There were two truths … and she had trouble reconciling them. Because I had trouble reconciling them.

Resurrection dives deeper into why their relationship fell apart: Vicki felt pushed aside by Bruce’s obsessive commitment to his Batman duties, and was forced to heal him when he came back broken. Unable to deal with his double life, she threw herself back into her work, taking up an extended posting in Corto Maltese.

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Vale actually returns to Gotham in Resurrection when it seems the Joker has returned, both for her own safety but also out of concern for Bruce. Their relationship isn’t rekindled, because his life remains problematic for her, but the novel at least bridges the gap between the two movies.

4 Joker Lied About Bruce Wayne’s Parents

Another Batman Plot Hole Solved

When Batman confronts Joker on the roof of Gotham Cathedral, another plot hole rears its head. Bruce reveals their link, telling Napier he killed his parents so many years ago, and Joker’s response seemingly makes no sense:

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Batman:
You killed my parents.

The Joker:
What? What? What are you talking about?

Batman:
I made you, you made me first.

The Joker:
Hey, bat-brain, I mean, I was a kid when I killed your parents. I mean, I say “I made you” you gotta say “you made me.” I mean, how childish can you get?

The issue here, of course, is that Joker could have no idea that Bruce was the son of the Waynes, and saying he was “just a kid” offered too much of a specific hint. Batman: Resurrection includes a vision of Joker in the afterlife as Bruce is close to death from drowning in the sewers. He confirms that he wasn’t being truthful, and Batman was foolish for taking his words at face value. It’s perhaps a bit of a contrivance, but it really was just a coincidence.

3 What Happened To The Doctor Who Cut Joker’s Face

Jack Napier’s Hidden Victim Revealed

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After Jack Napier takes a nose dive into the Axis Chemicals vat with a bullet wound to the face, he’s patched up by a backstreet doctor later revealed to be called Dr Davis. He butchers Napier’s face, transforming it into the grim rictus grin that his Smylex victims would later cruelly copy. Napier laughs demonically when he’s shown the results of the botched plastic surgery, and the doctor’s fate is left unresolved.

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Batman: Resurrection finally answers his fate. Davis (full name Arthur Davis – a fake after he was struck off) somehow escapes with his life, despite Joker killing everyone else, but meets his end after the events of Batman (1989). Joker again catches up with him as he’s recording a videotaped confession of his involvement with his gang, and suffocates him to death. His decomposing corpse is later made-up and used as a stand-in for Joker, when Strange attempts to dupe Batman into believing Joker actually survived.

2 Max Shreck Worked With The Joker’s Gang To Destroy His Business Rivals

How An Evil Empire Was Consolidated

Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck debuted as nefarious businessman and Selina Kyle’s abusive boss Max Shreck in Batman Returns, but his presence in Gotham is acknowledged in Batman: Resurrection in a big way. In the wake of Joker’s death, his gang remained active and are given the name the Last Laughs by reporter Alexander Knox. They effectively operate as criminals for hire, led by henchman Lawrence, and in the employ of Shreck.

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Resurrection reveals that Shreck used the gang to commit arson against his business rivals, as well as destroying buildings – like the theater Karlo Babić works in – on land that he wishes to buy cheaply for his own business plans. Shreck also ends up working with Strange’s fake Joker and pledges financial support in exchange for a protection racket on his businesses, explaining, in part, how Shreck’s empire thrives so much by the time of Batman Returns.

1 The Joker Is 100% Dead But His Legacy Lived On

Gotham’s Residents Can’t Escape Joker Even After His End

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Most comic book movie deaths come with some cynicism, but Joker’s death at the end of Batman (1989) always seemed pretty final (despite the fakeout of his laughter box). Batman: Resurrection does away with all doubt, after initially hinting that Joker faked his death, but does explore the idea that Joker’s influence actually grew among Gotham’s warped citizens after his attacks. The Last Laughs grow in number, and his terrorism left gaping wounds in Gotham, not just among his countless victims, but also in the collective psyche of the city.

In an interesting touch, Resurrection also reveals that the artwork that Joker defaced during his attack on Gotham’s Flugelheim Museum in Batman (1989) sold at auction for outrageous prices in the wake of his death. Gothamites really do have a perverse sense of value.

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8/10 25 9.2/10 Batman (1989) PG-13

Batman is a 1989 superhero movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. The film features Jack Nicholson’s chilling portrayal as Jack Napier, who turns into the Joker and reigns terror on Gotham. Kim Basinger also stars in the film as Vicki Vale, along with Michael Gough as Bruce’s trusty butler named Alfred.

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*Availability in US Director Tim Burton Release Date June 23, 1989 Cast Michael Keaton , Jack Nicholson , Kim Basinger , Billy Dee Williams , Robert Wuhl , Pat Hingle , Michael Gough Runtime 126 Minutes

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Category: Entertainment