History Comicbook / Knightfall

* IKnowKarate: Scarecrow. No, really. It's, of course, [[IncrediblyLamePun crane style]]. Crane's combat style, at least per other comics from the '90s, was actually a self-taught and designed style, 'violent dancing', based around weaponizing his Crane's namesake crazy dancing from ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow'', part of a popular trend of retconning a lot of Batman villains during those years to have studied hand to hand combat at some point, to explain how they could actually fistfight Batman and last longer than three seconds. So perhaps it's more IKnowMortalKombat.

DC then introduced readers to ComicBook/{{Bane}}.[[note]]Technically, he'd been introduced in a one shot ''Batman: Vengeance of Bane'', but ''nobody'' outside of DC imagined it would be the start of one of Batman's biggest foes.[[/note]] Born and raised in a prison, the super-intelligent Bane underwent experiments to turn him into a nearly-unstoppable SuperSoldier. Those experiments worked, but they also made Bane dependent on a drug known as Venom to achieve his full physical potential. After escaping from his "home", Bane makes it his goal to rule Gotham City; to achieve his goal, he must dethrone Gotham's "king" -- The Batman.

** During the aftermath of while ComicBook/{{Azrael}} is [[TakeUpMySword filling in]] for Bruce as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Jean-Paul's {{darker and edgier}} (and [[BrainwashedAndCrazy crazy]]) version of The Dark Knight starts off as a commentary on [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks comics of the time]], but slowly he explicitly becomes Creator/FrankMiller's [[ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns Dark Knight]], cemented when Jean-Paul makes himself gauntlets with metal claws.

* RedSkiesCrossover: In the lead-up to this, Batman and Robin were sporting black armbands in honor of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman then-recent death]].

For a long time, rumours competed over whether DC/O'Neil had planned the whole thing from the start as a way of sticking it to readers clamouring for a DarkerAndEdgier Batman, or had seriously intended to replace Bruce Wayne as Batman.[[labelnote:*]]Comic Book Legends Revealed even debunked the rumour that it was a ploy to stop paying Bob Kane royalties - incidentally, even if it had been, that wouldn't work, as long as they published a ''book'' called "Batman", regardless of the character's identity[[/labelnote]] Since then, many of the series' writers have been upfront about the fact that Az-Bats' rise and subsequent fall had indeed been planned from the start, at least in part as a TakeThatAudience towards the "Batman should be like Comicbook/ThePunisher!" MisaimedFandom. In retrospect, it's rather obvious, particularly when they introduced [[PlotTailoredToTheParty Shondra Kinsolving and her healing powers]] fully months before the start of the crossover.

* CreateYourOwnVillain: Paul fully expects Cassius Clay Payne, the son of Clayface 3 and Lady Clayface, to return as a villain when he grows up. [[spoiler: He's right, and Cass eventually returns as Clayface 5.]]

** During the aftermath of while ComicBook/{{Azrael}} is [[TakeUpMySword filling in]] for Bruce as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Jean-Paul's {{darker and edgier}} (and [[BrainwashedAndCrazy crazy]]) version of The Dark Knight starts off as a commentary on [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks comics of the time]], but slowly he explicitly becomes Creator/FrankMiller's [[Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns Dark Knight]], cemented when Jean-Paul makes himself gauntlets with metal claws.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: This is averted at first. The build-up to Paul's [[spoiler: failure to save Abattoir]] is very gradual... after that [[spoiler: he plays this trope straight.]]

* SaveTheVillain: Many examples from both Batmen, one notable example being the conclusion of the fight with [[spoiler:Two-Face]]. [[spoiler: Averted with Abattoir. During a System-induced hallucination, Jean-Paul lets him die, which in turn lets a prisoner Abattoir had die and caused a recovered Bruce to realize he made a mistake in appointing Jean-Paul to fill in and forces Bruce to take back the cowl.]]

* TranquilFury: Shondra admits her entire life has been stifling bitter rage. [[spoiler: It's the reason she reverts to childhood at the end.]]

*** Bird, Trogg, and Zombie are all played up to be co-[[TheDragon Dragons]] to Bane, and that Bane is actually loyal and fond of them. They never appear again after Knightfall. In fact, they don't reappear until nearly 25 years later, in ''Bane: Conquest'', a [[ComicBook/TheNew52 reboot]] and [[ComicBook/DCRebirth soft reboot]] later!

DC then introduced readers to ComicBook/{{Bane}}.[[note]]Technically, he'd been introduced in a one shot Batman: Vengeance of Bane, but ''nobody'' outside of DC imagined it would be the start of one of Batman's biggest foes.[[/note]] Born and raised in a prison, the super-intelligent Bane underwent experiments to turn him into a nearly-unstoppable SuperSoldier. Those experiments worked, but they also made Bane dependent on a drug known as Venom to achieve his full physical potential. After escaping from his "home", Bane makes it his goal to rule Gotham City; to achieve his goal, he must dethrone Gotham's "king" -- The Batman.

* GoodAngelBadAngel: The spirits of Saint Dumas and Jean-Paul Valley's father (the former Azrael) are "nineties comic book" versions of this trope. Specially when Batman had to decide the fate of Abattoir (see "take the third option"). Not that Jean-Paul Valley ''wants'' non-existent ghosts guiding, confusing, ordering and harassing him at every step, even in the middle of the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique. This became subject to ''heavy'' amounts of DependingOnTheWriter between the arc's three principal writers; no one could seem to keep track of which spirit supported which position. By the time of the climax, the spirits are actually ''in agreement with one another''.
** Considering they're the products of a literal System of brainwashing/hypnosis that's gradually breaking down after being exposed to Scarecrow's fear gas, inconsistency is almost to be expected. They're basically elaborate versions of Az-Bats' brain, sculpted since he was young to serve solely as a heartless weapon of terror, crashing up against his attempts at morality and decency and throwing up error messages.

* JourneyOfReclamation: ''[=KnightsEnd=]'' is about Bruce reclaiming the Batman identity. When he gets back to Gotham at the end of ''Knightquest'', he considers giving up being Batman and letting Jean Paul continue full time -- then he hears about how Jean Paul acted, he letting Abattior die, and how Abattoir. After his confrontation with Jean-Paul failed (the result of being out of shape thanks to being in a wheelchair for months), he decides to go to Lady Shiva to retrain and regain his edge, which the first half of ''[=KnightsEnd=]'' is about and the second features Bruce in full Batman costume fighting to stop Azrael.

* GeneralRipper: Mayor Krol is a very mild version of this; instead of the normal "they're just misunderstood people" Gotham bureaucrats, he flat-out tells Gordon that if his men want to minimize casualties, they should shoot to kill. However, JerkassHasAPoint as he ''was'' get elected on a strong law-and-order platform, and he points out that hundreds of Gothamites will die at the hands of serial killers if Gordon's men don't employ lethal force.

* GunPorn: The "final" story that takes place during Knightquest, featuring Gunhawk, features an ungodly amount of this. Fitting, considering that its writer, Chuck Dixon, is a self-proclaimed gun enthusiast.

* IKnowKarate: Scarecrow. No, really. It's, of course, [[IncrediblyLamePun crane style]]. Crane's combat style, at least per other comics from the '90s, was actually a self-taught and designed style, 'violent dancing', based around weaponizing his Crane's namesake crazy dancing from ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow'', part of a popular trend of retconning a lot of Batman villains during those years to have studied hand to hand combat at some point, to explain how they could actually fistfight Batman and last longer than three seconds. So perhaps its more IKnowMortalKombat.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: This is averted at first. The build-up to Paul's [[spoiler: failure to save Abbatoir]] is very gradual... after that [[spoiler: he plays this trope straight.]]

* NotDistractedByTheSexy: Bruce hunts for Lady Shiva and finally finds her - sitting naked in the snow, her back to him. Without turning around, she informs him that if he takes a step closer, he'll be killed quickly. Bruce shrugs and says he has no interest in dying, nor her. He just wants her training. Shortly after, Shiva has ''Bruce'' strip naked to examine him professionally. She then has ''him'' sit in the snow, because this is the part of his training where his ass freezes.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} Every man has a breaking point. Even the Batman]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: If you thought [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman Supes' death]] hit you hard, get a load of this.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/knightfall_tpb1_4891.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: If you thought [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman Supes' death]] hit you hard, get a load of this.]]

** There's also a bit of UncannyValley in this scene, as the Joker's men are all dressed in drab grey clothing, have completely bleached-out skin, and are moving in a comically "jerky" manner (apparently in an attempt to look like actual silent-movie characters). As is true of most things with the Joker, this twists the humor into a horrific dimension: you can't tell whether these thugs are human beings, incredibly lifelike robots, or some unspeakable combination of the two.

Shortly after ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'', Batman loses his edge when he becomes unable to meditate and unwilling to rest. Bane watches from a distance as Batman begins to break down and undermine himself, then ups the ante by interfering a bit more directly (he sends both Killer Croc and a Venom-enhanced Riddler after the hero). His big move -- the moment the [[ExpoSpeakGag excrement impacts the rotating device]] -- comes when he busts open Arkham Asylum and gives the escaping inmates enough weapons and supplies to terrorize all of Gotham. An ill and sleep-deprived Batman forces himself to find and take down almost every last escapee.

Around the time of ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'', DC started publishing ''Knightfall'', a BatFamilyCrossover featured in ''Detective Comics'', ''Batman'', and other related DC titles in the early [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Longtime ''Batman'' writer and editor Denny O'Neil, not a fan of the new NinetiesAntiHero trend, planned out a storyline wherein Bruce would face each of his major foes one last time before being crippled and replaced with a DarkerAndEdgier Batman-For-The-Nineties, before eventually being healed and taking back the cowl. The prelude to the storyline took place from September 1992 to February 1993; this part focused on introducing several new players in Gotham City and showing the mental state of Bruce Wayne. The main storyline took place from April 1993 to August 1994, and follow-up storylines lasted from August 1994 to February 1995.

* IAmAHumanitarian: Cornelius Stirk and Abattoir.

** The novel even {{lampshades}} this with its opening quote:

* CursedWithAwesome: Shondra's healing power. When employed UpToEleven, it actually ''kills'' by sending the body into system shutdown as ''too much'' healing occurs.

** Bane's henchmen are based on the allies of Franchise/DocSavage.

* NiceHat: Mad Hatter's all-important top hat, which serves as both a two-way radio and the central controller for his mind-controlling hats. And his exploding bowler hats.

* MrFanservice: Director. Joker. [[http://pics.livejournal.com/lovedatjoker/pic/000gq4xx OM NOM NOM.]]

* KnifeNut:
** Zsasz.
** Zombie is one as well, being a professional knife-thrower and such.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Seriously, this arc reaches into the deepest depths of CListFodder, fishing out guys like Abattoir, The Cavalier, and The Ratcatcher when they've run out of big-name villains. The main arcs of the story also dig out Film Freak and Anarky.

* WouldHitAGirl: Batman hurls a Batarang at Poison Ivy's head while battling her and her brainwashed slaves, breaking the skin of her lower lip and making her bleed. Then, just before handcuffing her, he [[MoralDissonance kicks her in the face, purely out of spite]].

Batman manages to take down most of his major foes in quick order before they can cause too much damage (some of the more obscure ones don't get captured, and Two-Face doesn't even make an appearance in the first arc, publication-speaking-wise), but doing so takes a huge toll. After ComicBook/TheJoker and Scarecrow push him to his limits, Batman returns home to ''finally'' rest his weary body. When he arrives, he finds Alfred lying on the floor -- and Bane standing over him. Thanks to Batman's exhausted physical state, Bane wipes the floor with Bruce in a mostly-one-sided fight that ends when Batman is lifted into the air by Bane, who then uses his knee and a healthy dose of downward momentum to ''break Batman's spine.''

For a long time, rumours competed over whether DC/O'Neil had planned the whole thing from the start as a way of sticking it to readers clamouring for a DarkerAndEdgier Batman, or had seriously intended to replace Bruce Wayne as Batman[[labelnote:*]]Comic Book Legends Revealed even debunked the rumour that it was a ploy to stop paying Bob Kane royalties - incidentally, even if it had been, that wouldn't work, as long as they published a ''book'' called "Batman", regardless of the character's identity[[/labelnote]]. Since then, many of the series' writers have been upfront about the fact that Az-Bats' rise and subsequent fall had indeed been planned from the start, at least in part as a TakeThatAudience towards the "Batman should be like Comicbook/ThePunisher!" MisaimedFandom. In retrospect, it's rather obvious, particularly when they introduced [[PlotTailoredToTheParty Shondra Kinsolving and her healing powers]] fully months before the start of the crossover.

[[folder:A -- F]]

* BatmanGambit: An infamous villainous example. Bane takes advantage of Batman's ChronicHeroSyndrome while knowing that he's sick to bust out the most violent criminals in Arkham, and just wait for Batman to tire himself out while he observes him from afar. By the time Batman returns to Wayne Manor he is exhausted, Bane has discovered his SecretIdentity and is waiting inside the manor for him. [[CurbStompBattle The fight is basically over before it even begins]].

** Clayface III's condition, which forces him to stay inside a containment suit at all times. Also, Deke Mitchell AKA The Corrosive Man, whose skin literally exudes powerful acid. Which he ''can feel every second''.

* CurbstompBattle: [[ItWasHisSled Batman (Bruce) vs. Bane]].

* DamselInDistress: Many, including Mayor Krol, Shondra Kinsolving & Jack Drake, etc. [[spoiler:[[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by The Joker during Az-Bats' stint as protector of Gotham, where he actually HIRES a college-age girl to act this part for Az-Bats. It almost works, too.]]

[[folder:G - L]]

* IHaveManyNames: In regard to the saga itself. Despite the use of "Knightfall" to talk about the whole saga, the title was only used to describe Bane's reign of terror, his attack on Bruce Wayne, and Jean-Paul Valley taking up the identity of Batman. Then you've got "Knightquest," which was two story arcs under the same umbrella name. One was "The Crusade," which details Jean-Paul's tenure as Batman and descent into madness, though outside of these elements, most of the stories published were standalone stories. The other was "The Search," which follows Bruce Wayne's search for Jack Drake and Shondra Kinsolving and his recovery from his injuries. There's "[=KnightsEnd=]", where the first half deals with Bruce Wayne's retraining and getting back into shape, and the second half deals with Bruce redonning the Batsuit and--with Nightwing, Robin and, briefly, Catwoman--confronting Jean-Paul and taking back the identity. Following that is ''Prodigal'', about Dick's tenure as Batman while Bruce finished resting up and reevaluating stuff. Lastly, there's ''Troika'', where Bruce comes back as Batman permanently.

* IKnowKarate: Scarecrow. No, really. It is, of course, [[IncrediblyLamePun crane style]]. Crane's combat style, at least per other comics from the 90's, was actually a self-taught and designed style, 'violent dancing', based around weaponizing his Crane's namesake crazy dancing from ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow'', part of a popular trend of retconning a lot of Batman villains during those years to have studied hand to hand combat at some point, to explain how they could actually fistfight Batman and last longer than three seconds. So perhaps its more IKnowMortalKombat.

** The treatment Robin gets from BOTH Batmans (Batmen?) throughout this series.

[[folder:M - R]]

[[folder:S - Z]]

* ShoutOut: One of the Ventriloquist's puppets is an Irish-accented cop named "O'Hara."

* ThemeNaming: Bane's henchmen, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(band) Bird]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troggs Trogg]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zombies Zombie]], are all named for 60s UK rock groups.

Around the time of ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'', DC started publishing ''Knightfall'', a BatFamilyCrossover featured in ''Detective Comics'', ''Batman'', and other related DC titles in the early [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Longtime ''Batman'' writer and editor Denny O'Neil, not a fan of the new NinetiesAntiHero, planned out a storyline wherein Bruce would face each of his major foes one last time before being crippled and replaced with a DarkerAndEdgier Batman-For-The-Nineties, before eventually being healed and taking back the cowl. The prelude to the storyline took place from September 1992 to February 1993; this part focused on introducing several new players in Gotham City and showing the mental state of Bruce Wayne. The main storyline took place from April 1993 to August 1994, and follow-up storylines lasted from August 1994 to February 1995.

[[folder:A - F]]
* AdaptationDistillation / PragmaticAdaptation:

* AirVentPassageway: Az-Bats uses one to ambush his foes.
* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: Bane's Venom switch

* AntiHero: Jean-Paul Valley.

* NietzscheWannabe: Mr. Zsasz.