[ENGlNES REVVlNG]
[TlRES SCREECHlNG]
WOMAN: Bruce. You're pushing the car
too hard. It's not meant to take it.
I'll coax it.
That's it,
I'm engaging computer override.
[BEEPlNG]
Don't think it's working.
You son of a bitch,
are you trying to kill yourself?
Hmm.
[BEEPlNG]
[ALL GASPING]
BILL [OVER TV]: Spectacular finish
to the Neumann elimination.
Looked like a flaming coffin
for billionaire Bruce Wayne for sure.
Turns out Wayne bailed
at the last second...
...suffering only minor burns.
Hideous slaying of a group of nuns
last night...
...the latest in the brutal crime spree
attributed to the Mutant gang.
Crime is at a record high,
the city has gone to hell...
...and no one seems to be
doing anything about it.
Death threats have once again
been leveled by the Mutants...
...against soon-to-retire,
...who had this to say in response:
I've got one more month at this job,
and I'd love to spend it nailing the Mutants.
If they want to take me on, I'm delighted.
Come and get me.
Nearly coinciding
with Gordon's retirement...
...tonight also marks the 1 0th anniversary
of the last sighting of the Batman.
Most of our younger viewers
now think of him as a myth...
...many others still debate
whether his one-man war on crime...
...was right or wrong...
...but this reporter hopes that wherever he is,
he's enjoying a toast with good friends.
To 1 0 years and my finally joining you.
[PlANO MUSlC PLAYING]
That was some stunt
you pulled at the racetrack.
Keeps the blood flowing.
So long as most of it stays inside you.
Worried about me?
Let's just say I'm glad
you survived Batman's retirement...
...and I was hoping you'd keep
it that way.
[OVERTV] Some officials have speculated
that Gordon's departure...
...may help de-escalate violence...
...from the Mutants, as the mysterious
Mutant Leader has repeatedly singled out...
...the commissioner as a target.
You're not worried about me, are you?
No more than I am the rest of the city.
People have given up, Jim.
They're hiding, turning a blind eye.
These are scary times. And the Mutants,
they're not like the usual street crooks.
A mugger, he's after a wallet.
It makes sense.
These kids, it's just random violence.
-There's no humanity in them at all.
-Sounds like someone l used to deal with.
Thank God he's keeping quiet.
Remember how you had us all going
back then?
You with that ginger ale of yours,
pretending it was champagne.
Made up for lost time on that since.
-Makes it easier.
-Makes what easier?
-Staying retired.
-Things are different now, Bruce.
The government, the public,
they wouldn't stand for you anymore.
-Talk to Dick lately?
-You know l haven't.
Shame you didn't keep up with him.
Could've been a shoulder to lean on,
after what happened with Jason.
Let's call it a night, Jim.
MAN:
The day ofjudgment is coming, brother.
[TECHNO MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
One
Two
One, two, three, four
Come on, baby
Come alive
[GRUNTS]
MUTANT:
Aces. He sees us.
Don't go all billy. Go around, behind him.
Slice and dice.
Show him we nasty.
I don't know man, spud's awful big.
And look at him.
-Come on.
-Jeez, man, spud's into it.
-So, what? Slice and dice.
-Come on.
No.
Can't do it when they into it.
Blow this, let's go to the arcade.
[SlGHS]
[CHlLD LAUGHING]
THOMAS:
Wow, look at him go.
MARTHA: What are you gonna do
when you catch him, Bruce?
[YOUNG BRUCE LAUGHlNG]
[YOUNG BRUCE SCREAMlNG]
[YOUNG BRUCE WHIMPERING]
[GRUNTS]
[THUD]
ALFRED: Master Bruce.
You set off the alarm, sir.
This somnambulism
is becoming a problem...
...especially for those of us
with a penchant for sleeping at night.
Sir?
BRUCE:
Just remembering a promise, Alfred.
ALFRED: Which was?
BRUCE: Never again.
Sorry I woke you.
When did you shave?
MAN [OVER TV]: Still feeling this
record heat wave in Gotham...
...temperatures reaching
into the upper 90s, friends.
But rains should come in soon
and cut all this heat.
[MUTTERlNG]
Hah!
ORDERLY:
Think he cares about the weather?
I don't think this one's cared about anything
for a long time.
Guess crazy has its moments.
Guy doesn't even sweat. Look at him.
You look at him. He makes me sick.
[DOOR OPENS]
WOLPER:
Don't be nervous, Harvey.
Doctor Willing and l have done outstanding
work on you, inside and out.
Doctor Wolper, I have to agree.
WOLPER: Psychologically, I'm confident you're
ready to face the world and say, "Hey, l'm okay."
And you look great too.
Harvey Dent, meet Harvey Dent.
Ah. Looks like the patient
needs a little convincing.
Been a long time
since both sides matched.
-It's some of my finest work ever, Harvey.
HARVEY: Both sides match.
WOLPER:
You look completely normal.
-I don't know what to say.
-Say thank you.
I can't express enough gratitude
to my plastic surgeon, Dr. Herbert Willing...
...and my psychiatrist,
Dr. Bartholomew Wolper.
I don't expect the people
of Gotham City...
...to forgive my crimes overnight...
...I only ask that they give me
a second chance.
MAN 1 :
Harvey. How do you feel?
MAN 2:
Why should we think this time is different?
MAN 3: Are you nervous about starting over?
MAN 4: ls Two-Face gone for good?
[REPORTERS CLAMORlNG]
[CAMERAS CLlCKlNG]
Those were Harvey Dent's last words
before he disappeared.
The one-time district attorney,
later known as Two-Face...
...immediately evaded supervision
upon his release earlier today...
...from the Arkham Home.
Husband and wife found murdered
in their sleep this morning.
Wayne, who sponsored Dent's rehabilitation,
had this to say just days before Dent's release:
As a city, we have to give Harvey every chance
to return to society.
We must believe we can all defeat
our own private demons.
LOLA: After today's developments,
Wayne was unavailable for comment.
TED: Murder rates on the city's
subways have reached an all-time high.
Kidnapping and murdering
young children...
...a line even the Mutants
hadn't crossed until now.
Despite the family paying the ransom,
the Mutants still took the boy's life.
This marks a chilling escalation...
...from a group many are already calling
the worst criminals Gotham City...
...has seen since the Joker.
[UPBEAT MUSlC PLAYS OVER TV]
NARRATOR: Tonight's presentation of
Tyrone Power in The Mark of Zorro--
[CHUCKLES]
[GRUNTS]
[CHUCKLES]
[GRUNTS]
Take that. Yah!
--can only assume Two-Face
will return to his criminal ways.
TED:
Four killed in a senseless attack--
BILL: --the assault and mutilation and terror
that poor little boy must have felt.
Storm coming in,
like the wrath of God about to hit Gotham.
[GRUNTS]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
BATMAN: You try to hold me back,
but you're weak.
[PANTlNG]
You know it in your soul.
You're nothing but a hollow shell.
[GUNSHOT]
A rusty trap.
The time has come.
[BAT SCREECHES]
[RAIN PATTERlNG]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
[GRUNTS]
MAN:
Come in here where it's warm, Mommy.
No. Please.
[WOMAN WHIMPERING]
I need you, Mommy.
Talk soft and make me feel safe.
[MAN SCREAMS]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
Get your ass in the car.
We're taking a ride.
Please, Silk. Not the face.
[SOBBlNG]
You're paining me, Joannie.
You're messing with my livelihood.
Hey, man, take it somewhere else.
I just had the seats cleaned.
SILK:
Shut your hairy face and drive.
-Dog-eat-dog world, l guess.
JOANNlE: Aah!
SILK: Look, Joannie,
you went and grew a new nostril.
[THUD]
What the hell was that?
Something's on the roof.
Someone thinks they're gonna mess with me?
[SlLK SCREAMING]
[SOBBlNG]
Oh, man, oh, man. Start already.
[GROANS]
CARRIE:
Great. Figure I wanna get all soaked.
Come on, we'll cut through here.
I don't know.
I heard the Mutants hang here.
A little backbone, Michelle?
Better in here than out there.
At least the lights are bright.
MICHELLE:
Carrie?
Don't go all billy.
They'll come back on in a sec.
[MAN SlNGS]
MUTANT:
Chick, chick, chick.
Chicken legs, licking legs.
Slice and dice.
Oh, my God, Carrie. Aah!
I got the little one. Slice and dice them.
[THUNDER CRASHING]
[SCREAMS]
-What? What happened?
-My arm. Something's stuck in my arm.
I got my nine. Anything moves, l'll--
[BLOWS LANDING THEN MUTANT GROANlNG]
Where'd you go?
[GRUNTS THEN SCREAMlNG]
[ELECTRlClTY POPPlNG]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
[ELECTRlClTY BUZZlNG]
DlSPATCHER [OVER RADlO]: Repeat, all units,
robbery in progress, Gotham City Trust.
[SlRENS WAlLlNG]
You see that other car?
Just went the other way.
Forget it.
We're gonna lose this one as it is.
[THUNDER CRASHING]
Damn, that sucker can move.
-What the hell is that?
-Can't exactly look right now, kid.
Up there. Freaking weird.
You gonna tell me or-- Holy....
You're slowing down?
Yeah. We're in for a show, kid.
[ALL SCREAM]
[GROANS]
That was the Batman.
[SlREN APPROACHlNG]
I never thought he was real. Look.
These men are mine.
-You heard the man.
-You crazy? I'm going in.
You don't wanna do that. Kid.
Batman would have to be old.
-Turk said he killed Batman.
-Yeah, well, Turk says a lot of things.
-This floor don't feel safe.
-Live dangerously. And shut up.
[GRUNTS]
[PANTlNG]
[GRUNTING]
There.
[FLOOR CREAKlNG]
This is freaky, he never made noise before.
[CREAKlNG CONTlNUES]
[FOOTSTEPS]
[GUN CLlCKlNG]
Watch it. You're gonna hit--
Mackie? Yeah, l think l did.
But l still don't see-- Uhn!
Everybody freeze.
[THUNDER CRASHING]
[BONE BREAKS]
[FEMUR GROANlNG THEN WHIMPERING]
You're under arrest, mister.
You just crippled that man.
He's young, he'll walk again.
But you'll stay scared, won't you, punk?
[WHlMPERS]
-I mean it. Get away from him.
-He's being patient with you as it is, kid.
Nice to have you back, Bats.
-Go to their car, kid. Get the loot.
FEMUR: The pain.
I can't stand it.
-I don't believe this.
-It's not in their car.
Was there a second car at the bank?
-Yeah, an old jalopy. Didn't think--
-You weren't supposed to.
You know, I saw you once before.
Years ago, I was a rookie
like schmuck-face there and--
BATMAN:
Tell Gordon we have to talk.
Sure thing, Bats.
But how's he supposed
to get in touch with you...?
Oh, yeah. Now l remember.
Reports stream in this morning
of sightings of a bat-like creature...
...throughout the city last night.
You don't suppose--?
A group of cat burglars, seriously injured--
A wild animal that snarled and growled.
-A werewolf for sure.
-It was a flying monster...
-...with wings and fangs.
-Reality check, Michelle. lt was definitely a man.
But he had to be, like, 12 feet tall.
Two abducted children were found alive
in a riverside warehouse...
...along with six critically injured
members of the Mutant gang.
The children describe the gang's attacker
as "A man dressed as Dracula."
We will kill the old man Gordon.
We will chop him. We will grind him.
We will bathe in his blood.
I myself will kill the fool, Batman.
I will rip the meat from his bones
and suck them dry.
Don't call us a gang.
Don't call us criminals.
We are the law.
Gotham City belongs to the Mutants.
[PHONE RINGlNG]
My client has yet to be charged with anything.
And for good reason.
Where'd l put that stuff?
LAWYER: Your men found no stolen money,
you've got no witnesses connecting him...
...to the robbery, and to say
he suffered brutality is an understatement.
Batman shattered his femur.
Like it's got a mind of its own.
There it is.
I insist you drop this entire matter immediately.
My client's the victim here.
Done. Merkel, draw up release papers
for Victim here.
-Sir?
-Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now wait a second.
My client also has to be ensured
of protection.
You heard me, Merkel.
Gum?
[GRUNTS]
ALFRED: If it's suicide you're after,
I have an old family recipe.
It's slow and painful. You'd like it.
[PHONE RINGlNG]
Wayne infirmary.
One moment, it's Commissioner Gordon.
No doubt calling for details on the funeral.
Yes, commissioner.
You're releasing him right now? lnteresting.
[GRUNTS]
I'm still the prime beneficiary in your will,
aren't I?
[SlGHS]
Face? Anyone here?
Two-Face has already moved on.
He was smart enough to know l'd track him.
You weren't.
So now you're going to tell me
what he's up to.
Stay away from me. l got rights.
BATMAN:
Sure, you've got rights. Plenty of them.
You're also bleeding to death.
And right now, I'm the only one in the world
who can get you to a hospital in time.
So how quickly you decide to talk
is up to you.
Commissioner, something you have to see.
Follow me.
MERKEL:
He set it back up?
Isn't there any other way to contact him?
GORDON: At least a dozen.
-Then why?
So everyone knows. Hit it.
MAN:
The guy's a fascist. No regard for civil rights.
WOMAN:
I know, and people eat it up.
It's like all that marching we did
never happened.
MAN: Don't say that. We made a difference.
Give me another hit of that, will you?
You made sure the doors are locked, right?
GORDON:
Two helicopters stolen last night.
One a state-of-the-art attack chopper,
the other an old army surplus job.
-Got to be Two-Face.
-His Lackey didn't know much.
Just that whatever Dent's planning,
it goes down tomorrow night.
Sure. lt's Tuesday
and the second of the month.
And that Two-Face said it would be
twice as big as anyone can imagine.
He's also re-wrapped his face in bandages.
-Not letting anyone see him.
-Why?
What did he do to himself?
You don't suppose he...?
Maybe. He's scratching both sides now.
As if he's become consumed
by his dark side.
I wouldn't rule out that he's hurting himself.
It must have been impossible
to resist the compulsion.
We still talking about Dent?
You know you can't just bring in Harvey
and be done with it.
It's bigger than that now.
-You've already ruffled--
-The Mutants.
They're next on my list. But first things first.
A target that needs two helicopters...
...that's twice as big as anyone can....
GORDON:
The Gotham Life Building.
Merv, l'm absolutely convinced
of Harvey's Dent's innocence.
But that's not to say he hasn't returned
to crime.
I know that sounds confusing to the layman,
so let me explain.
You see, it all comes down
to this Batman fellow.
His psycho-erotic behavior
is like a net...
...trapping weak-minded neurotics
like Harvey...
...drawing them into corresponding,
intersecting patterns.
You could say Batman
creates his own enemies...
...committing the crimes using his
so-called villains as narcissistic proxies.
ln other words,
the real villain here is Batman.
[GRUNTING]
[ALL GASP]
MAN 1 : Look out. Look out!
MAN 2: Oh, my--
Report just coming in of an explosion
at the Gotham Life Building.
[BEEPS]
People of Gotham. This is Harvey Dent.
Sorry to interrupt
your television-viewing pleasure.
Right now, l'm sitting atop
the beautiful Gotham Life Building...
...with two bombs big enough
to make both towers rubble.
You have 22 minutes to save them.
And my price is $22 million.
[BEEPS]
[MEN COUGHING]
[GRUNTING]
[MEN COUGHING & GRUNTlNG]
[BLOWS LANDING THEN MEN GROANING]
[GUNSHOTS]
[GRUNTS THEN SCREAMS]
[GRUNTS]
[GROWLS]
[WHlMPERlNG]
-What's happening?
-Your favorite nightmare.
Should last about an hour.
[BEEPlNG]
[GRUNTS]
-How do l stop it?
-Stop it? lt shouldn't be going.
Two-Face lied to you.
He said we'd get the money and run.
The bombs are just for show.
He wants to die.
And take thousands with him.
-Can you stop it?
-I'm not sure. Cross your fingers.
[GRUNTS]
[GUNFlRE]
[SCREAMlNG]
[PANTlNG]
[BEEPlNG]
[BATMAN GROANS]
[GRUNTING]
Show me. What did you do?
HARVEY:
No.
[HARVEY PANTING]
I played along as long as I could.
While you and the docs had your joke.
You got everyone to smile and keep
their lunches down when they looked at me.
-Pretending I looked normal.
-You think--?
Cut it out.
Just look at me and have your laugh.
Get it over with.
At least both sides match now, right?
Look at me and have your laugh.
Who are we kidding? They couldn't fix me.
Nothing can change what l am.
You and me both.
WOMAN: I think it's a mistake to look at
Batman's return in purely physical terms.
I think it's a symbolic resurgence
of the common man's will to resist.
A rebirth of the American soul.
Okay, easy on the rhetoric, Lana.
The only thing Batman signifies
is an aberrant psychotic force.
The man's a danger to every citizen.
-Hardly as dangerous as the criminals, is he?
-Batman knows exactly what he's doing.
His kind of fascist always does.
Sorry, Morrie and Lana, we're out of time.
But l'm sure this debate is far from over.
-Commissioner.
-Mr. Hudson.
Sure, you should be out so late?
Not safe, even for our top cop.
-Wife forgot bean sprouts.
-Sounds like she's got you eating right.
Gotta watch the red meat, you know.
Everyone's a doctor.
You have a good night.
[HUDSON GRUNTS]
[BOTTLES SHATTERING]
[CHUCKLES]
[GUNFlRE]
A parents group called the Council of Mothers
filed a petition with the mayor's office today...
...as did the Victims' Rights Task Force...
...both calling for renewed sanctions
against the Batman.
The mayor spoke to reporters this afternoon.
We're still in consultation on this.
Still in consultation.
LOLA: Incidents of violence against criminals
continue to rise in Gotham.
Which of these acts are the work
of Batman...
...and which are by others he's inspired,
is impossible to tell.
Batman? I think he's A-okay.
He's kicking all the right butts.
Beating the heads that need beating.
Know what l mean?
I'd like to see him show up
for my landlord next.
It makes me sick, to see such a violation
of people's rights.
We have to strive to reintegrate
the disenfranchised into society...
...not revel in their punishment.
We have to show patience.
Excuse me? No, I'd never live in the city.
One moment, I've just been handed this.
"Commissioner James Gordon
has been shot and killed."
Wait, l'm sorry. I read that wrong.
"Commissioner Gordon has shot
and killed a 1 7-year-old-mutant."
[OVER TV] Gordon was attacked not far
from his west-end apartment.
MAN:
What a downer.
-Seventeen years old.
WOMAN: Macho cops.
Just like Chicago. Remember Chicago?
MAN:
Not really. I was tripping the whole time.
[GASPlNG]
Whoa. lnstant pizza.
[GASPS THEN SCREAMS]
[GRUNTING]
Some Robin.
Gordon is set to retire later this week...
...while the mayor has yet to announce
his replacement.
I'm still polling opinions.
Still polling opinions.
In entertainment news,
Galaxy Broadcasting president James Olsen...
...assured viewers that the television
writers' strike, now in its fourth year...
...will not affect programming.
A spokesman for the Ridley Chewing Gum
family has revealed that the Mutants...
...have kidnapped Kevin Ridley,
the 2-year-old heir to the Ridley fortune.
[WAlLlNG]
You ever wanna hear him again?
Do like we said. You got one hour.
[MUFFLED GRUNTING]
Oh, man. The kid messed himself.
Hold your breath. Once we get the ransom,
we flush the whole kid.
[CREAKlNG]
[BAT SCREECHlNG]
-Get it off me. Get it off me.
-Chill, Spot. It's just a bat.
[SCREAMlNG]
Get out of the way.
[GUNSHOTS]
Should have got out of the way, Spot.
[SCREAMS]
Back off or l'll kill him.
Believe me man, l'll do it.
[GRUNTING]
[KEVlN WHlMPERlNG]
I believe you.
[GRUNTS]
[PANTlNG]
Didn't suck.
BATMAN:
Do you know who I am, punk?
MAN: Where am l? I can't see.
BATMAN: l'm your worst nightmare.
The kind that makes you wake up
screaming for your mother.
MAN:
I think I'm bleeding. What's on my face?
BATMAN:
Quite an arsenal you had in that apartment.
Combat weapons.
You're going to tell me where you got them.
MAN: Solid, man, l'll tell you.
But no cops, and l walk. Deal?
BATMAN: You're in no position to negotiate.
Let me show you.
[SCREAMlNG]
For the record, no, that place wasn't worth
coming to this neighborhood.
Don't worry, it's easy to get a cab
on the next block.
-If we make it to the next block.
-Will you chill out?
They can smell the fear on you, you know.
CARRIE:
Eyes slideways.
Hoo! Haah!
Look out.
What the hell?
I'm trying to make an honest living here.
Stay out of my business.
You're welcome.
So many years of service.
My men, my country, that's all I cared about.
You've been selling weapons
to the Mutants.
My wife...
...she's dying.
And after all those years,
they wouldn't pay for the treatment.
You sent them enough firepower
to stage a small war.
If it's a war they want, l've got just the thing.
Nice way to end your career, general.
[GUNSHOT]
DRlVER:
Leader says everyone, so get in.
MUTANT 1 : Sure. Figure we got plenty time
for speeches.
DRlVER:
Not talking speeches, man. Talking war.
The dump, in one hour. So get in.
-Okay, okay.
-The dump.
[RUMBLlNG]
[BEEPlNG]
ALFRED: Master Bruce?
-Who else?
-Of course, but the signal is coming from--
-Been a while since l've taken her out.
Still purrs. Like it was yesterday.
LEADER:
They call us a gang.
They think we just noisy kids.
Only when they die by our hands
will they know...
...Gotham City belongs to the Mutants.
[MUTANTS CHEERlNG]
Take the guns. Take the bombs.
Storm police headquarters and kill, and kill.
Bring me the head of the old man Gordon.
I will carry it through the streets.
And the Batman,
who thinks he can mess with us.
I will tear him limb from limb.
[FlREWORKS WHlSTLlNG THEN POPPING]
BATMAN [ON SPEAKER]:
Mutants. Surrender now or be destroyed.
They don't even wait for an order.
Kids today. No respect.
[GRUNTING]
[THUDDlNG]
[GROWLS]
Rubber bullets.
LEADER: All this metal,
and you don't even use it to kill?
It's just a shell to keep you safe?
What's the matter?
Ain't you got the stomach for it?
I call you coward.
Come out here and face me like a man.
I kill you. I eat your heart.
Prove you can take me.
Prove you can fight with your hands.
Come on, man. You boring me.
ALFRED: Sir, you can't seriously be....
BATMAN: Mm-hm.
ALFRED:
He's in his prime. He'll kill you.
It's the only way I'll know.
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTS]
Yeah, get him.
[BONES BREAK]
[BATMAN SCREAMS]
Ha! You slow, spud.
[GROANS]
No.
[CHUCKLES]
-That it? You getting tired, old man?
-Shut up.
[GROANS]
[MOANS]
[BATMAN GROANlNG]
[SlGHS]
[LEADER YELLlNG]
[CARRlE SCREAMS]
[LEADER GRUNTlNG]
[GROANlNG]
Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead.
Good, you're alive.
Now, wake up.
[GRUNTING]
Come on.
[BATMAN MOANS]
[BATMAN SlGHS]
ALFRED:
Good girl. Thank you. Now, run along home.
[RUMBLlNG]
ALFRED: Please, dear.
You're in the way of the sensors.
Uhn! Watch it.
You're bouncing around too much.
BATMAN:
It's all right.
Stretcher's gyro stabilized.
Cool. What is this thing?
-Dick called it the Batmobile.
ALFRED: Sir.
Something a kid would say.
I like it. Now, hold your breath.
[BATMAN GROANS]
[BONES CRUNCH]
[CARRlE GRUNTS]
Where'd you learn to do that?
What's your name?
Carrie. Carrie Kelley.
Robin.
-Mine's Bruce.
ALFRED: Sir, you are delirious.
You should stay quiet from now on.
We're moments from the hospital.
No Alfred, no hospital.
The cave.
-But sir--
-The cave.
And Robin comes with us.
[BATMAN GROANlNG]
[BEEPlNG]
Hands to yourself, please.
Where did he go?
To find his strength.
Where are you?
I'm not finished yet.
And you're not finished with me.
You're never finished with me.
[SCREECHING]
He is a monster, striking at the foundations
of democracy.
Where are the principles that make
this the noblest country in the world?
I'm surprised there aren't more like him.
People are sick of being afraid.
He's taking back what's ours.
Those are but a few of the reactions
to the return of the Batman.
Tonight, we'll examine his impact
on our society.
From Metropolis, managing editor
of The Daily Planet, Lana Lang.
And from Gotham City,
popular psychologist...
...and author of the best-seller, Hey, I'm Okay,
Dr. Bartholomew Wolper.
Dr. Wolper, you've claimed the Batman
is responsible for inciting the crimes he fights.
Yet, crime in Gotham has dropped steadily
since his return.
-Explain.
-I'm glad you asked that, Ted.
Picture the public psyche as a vast,
moist, membrane.
Batman has struck this membrane
a vicious blow, and it has recoiled.
Hence the misleading short-term statistics.
But in the long term...
...a whole generation of young people
will be bent to the matrix...
...of Batman's pathological self-delusion.
In this context,
Batman could be considered a social disease.
That's the biggest load of bull
I've ever heard.
Miss Lang, you've been perhaps
the Batman's most vocal supporter.
How can you condone behavior
that's so blatantly illegal?
What about due process?
What about civil rights?
Ted, we live in the shadow of crime.
Resigned to be the victims of fear,
of violence, of social impotence.
A man has risen to remind us that the power is,
and always has been, in our hands.
For years, we've been under siege.
This one man is showing us
that we can take a stand.
[lNDISTlNCT POLlCE RADIO CHATTER]
A total of 83 members
of the Mutant gang have been arrested...
...most suffering from bullet
and shrapnel wounds.
Among those captured,
is one they're calling the Mutant Leader.
Batman is a coward. l broke his bones.
Now, my Mutant army is coming
to storm Gotham City.
We will come for our leader.
We will kill Gordon.
We will raze Gotham and taste its blood.
Prepare for war.
This whole mutant situation is the result
of commissioner Gordon's incompetence...
...and the Batman's terrorist actions.
To address these matters,
Deputy Mayor Stevenson and l...
...are proud to announce the appointment
of Captain Ellen Yindel...
...as Gordon's replacement
upon his retirement.
Captain Yindel stands
firmly against the Batman...
...and upon taking office,
will aggressively pursue his capture.
Furthermore, right after this conference...
...I intend to personally sit down with
the Mutant leader to negotiate a settlement.
What do you think, Trish?
Has the mayor gone nuts?
Not at all, Ted. l expect the mayor's
credibility rating to go through the roof...
...especially if he's successful
in the Mutant negotiations.
Between this, his strong stand on Batman,
and his choosing a woman...
...as the next police commissioner,
I think we're seeing whole new mayor.
Public-perception-wise, that is.
[FOOTSTEPS]
You sure you wanna go through with this?
Ahem. l, um--
GORDON: At least, you don't have
to do it alone. l could be in there with you.
No, I have to resolve this.
That's what the polls say.
How you doing, Mr. Mayor?
[GULPS]
[MAYOR SCREAMS]
The Mayor is dead.
The Mutant Leader
has been returned to his cell.
A frightened silence has fallen over the city,
as Gotham braces itself for attack.
Deputy Mayor-- Excuse me.
Mayor Stevenson, had this to say.
If there are any members
of the Mutant g--
Organization listening, l urge you,
the city is still willing to negotiate.
You've been through a lot.
Your head wasn't clear at the time.
I knew exactly what l was doing.
-Bringing the girl here.
-She's perfect. Smart, brave.
With her help, I can end the Mutant problem
once and for all.
It all comes down to their leader.
They worship him.
-Perhaps your judgment was impaired.
-I tried to match his savagery last time.
-That was my mistake. l have to be smarter.
-Very well, sir, I shall cut right to it.
Have you forgotten
what happened with Jason?
BRUCE:
I'll never forget what happened to Jason.
He was a good soldier. He honored me.
But the war goes on.
Robin.
Your training begins tomorrow.
It'll take weeks
to prepare you properly.
But l have a job for you, tonight.
Alter my plan in any way,
stray from my instructions at all...
...and you're fired.
Batman, he nasty.
Tossed spike right through that sign.
Yeah, l figure that real cool, Rob.
Leader pegged Batman.
Leader say that, but Leader in a cell, Don.
Leader don't ship out no cell.
ROB: Eyes slideways.
DON: Oh, chicken legs.
-In colors.
-Chicken legs. Licken chegs.
Chegs kind of my nasty, Rob.
Chegs billy.
Chegs pre-school Mutant.
Leader take your face for touching me, spud.
Yeah, right. You Leader's squeeze, I figure.
Yeah? You really mutants, I figure.
We mutants. We slicer-dicers.
Sure you are. That's why you at the pipe.
Whatever. l don't shiv.
[CHUCKLES]
She don't shiv.
-What pipe? What you billy about?
-Ears only, spud.
-As in members.
-We Mutants.
-What pipe?
-The pipe.
West River and 40.
Attendance. As in mandatory.
Yeah, sure, l knew about the pipe.
Sure you did. Didn't hear it from me, spud.
Heh. Real cool, Rob.
Shut up and come on.
GORDON: l don't care if his mother's pregnant.
We need every hand on deck. Now.
[DOOR OPENS]
-What can l do for you?
-I'm reporting for duty.
-You're a few days early, captain.
-Any duty, sir.
Sorry. Not much left to do but wait.
But you're welcome to wait here.
I've read your record, Yindel.
-You're a good cop.
-Thank you, sir.
Truth is, you've been a hero of mine
since l was a kid.
The only thing I don't understand
is how far apart we are on Batman.
Then let's not talk about Batman.
-Of course we heard about the pipe.
-Of course you did. Whatever.
I don't understand how you can support
a vigilante. Our job is to uphold the law.
No thanks.
Wife made me quit the cigars.
I'm sure you've hears old fossils like me
talk about Pearl Harbor? Mostly, we all lie.
Make it sound like we leapt to our feet...
...and went after the Axis
the second it happened.
Truth is, we were scared stiff.
Rumors were flying, we barely had an army.
Hell, we were hiding in our beds
with our heads under the sheets.
And then we heard President Roosevelt
on the radio.
That voice, strong and sure...
...taking our fear
and turning it into a fighting spirit.
He's why we won that war.
MUTANT 1 : You ain't heard about the pipe?
Leader says everyone.
MUTANT 2:
We heard, we heard. We're on our way.
Years later, this report came out...
...that Roosevelt might have known
Pearl Harbor was coming...
...and let it happen.
That rattled around in my head for days.
How horrible it would be if it were true.
Then again, it's what got us into the war.
A lot of men died.
But in the end it saved millions.
I bounced back and forth like that...
...until I realized...
...it was too big for me to judge.
He was too big.
I still don't see
what that has to do with Batman.
Maybe one day, you will.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Commissioner, you better see this.
-Where to?
-Take the cycle back to the cave.
-You're done for tonight.
-How do you know it worked?
GORDON: There must be thousands of them.
Why? Why there?
-Because l want them there.
-It'll take an army to surround them.
I could call in the National Guard.
No. You can't arrest and hold them all.
The only way to finish this is to defeat them.
Humiliate them.
I'm counting on you, Jim. One last time.
You got kids, Officer Thompson, badge 5861 ?
-Shut up.
-Just asking.
I love kids. How about a wife?
You got a sweet little wife
all alone at home, 5861 ?
-I said shut up.
-Thompson. Go get some air.
With pleasure.
-Come down to say hello, old man?
-No. I came to say goodbye.
[LEADER GRUNTS]
[MUTANTS MURMURlNG]
[MURMURING CONTlNUES]
[LEADER GRUNTS]
[YELLS]
Batman. Show yourself.
Face me, fool, and I will kill you.
I will show you who rules Gotham City.
Okay, son. Show me.
[GRUNTING]
You're weak, old man. You're slow.
True, but we're all slow
when we're thigh high deep in mud.
And you're not too bright.
What was that?
Just the right kind of cut
above the eyes.
The kind that bleeds.
Ah. You see, Don? Batman nasty.
MUTANT 1 :
Shh.
-Leader's bogging.
-Leader billy berserk, Rob.
-He peg Batman, you see.
MUTANT 1 : Shh.
[PANTlNG]
[SCREAMS]
That a tickle?
That was a nerve bundle in your deltoid.
Might not hurt, but you won't
be moving that arm for a while.
[YELLS]
He dusted. Batman dusted.
Batman don't shiv. You see.
You finished, old man.
You don't get it, son.
This isn't a mud hole.
It's an operating table.
And I'm the surgeon.
[SCREAMS]
[BONES CRUNCH]
[BLOWS LANDING]
The Mutants are dead.
This is the new face of the law.
We are the sons of Batman.
And Gotham's criminals
are about to enter hell.
It worked.
We rounded up about half of them,
no fight left in them at all.
Those that got away have broken off
into smaller gangs.
I'll deal with the rest of them in time.
You'll be doing that on your own.
Good luck, Bruce.
You're gonna need it.
I'm telling you, l didn't do nothing.
Instances of Batman-inspired vigilantism
are on the rise.
Regular people fighting to take back
their neighborhoods.
How are you feeling, sir?
I know l should have been afraid.
But this is my block.
The guy was mugging a lady
in front of my shop.
Like it was yesterday.
Exactly as l warned, the Batman has infected
the minds of Gotham's youth.
Poisoned these so-called
"Sons of Batman"...
...with an insidious excuse
for the most violently anti-social behavior.
Batman? I'm tired of hearing about him.
Why can't he just let things go,
the way the rest of us do?
We count too.
A bunch of psychopaths
turn on criminals...
...instead of the rest of us,
and you wanna blame Batman?
I say more power to them.
Do not expect any further statements.
The Sons of Batman do not make speeches.
-We act.
-Batman...?
-Gotham City belongs to the Batman.
-Batman.
Batman.
Darling.
[English - US - SDH]