History YMMV / BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns

* FirstInstallmentWins: The story has had three followups and one loose prequel as of writing. None of them are considered even close to the quality and memorability of this one, which was an outright game-changer for comics as a medium.

** The homoerotic overtones of the Joker in relation to the Batman gets turned UpToEleven in this book.

** The book helped destroy the notion of Batman as a light-hearted camp character but he is noticeably more of a BloodKnight and borderline psychotic here than even most other "serious" interpretations of the character. This part of the character is unfortunately ramped UpToEleven in the two Miller Batman books above where the character is practically insane.

* CompleteMonster
** ComicBook/TheJoker is a psychotic murderer responsible for deaths of hundreds, including Dick Grayson's parents and Jason Todd. Beginning his criminal spree with trying to [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink poison Gotham's water supply]], the Joker continues causing chaos and destruction in Gotham by having his gang commit crimes for fun. Setting up a trap for Jason Todd, Joker manipulates several inmates in Arkham Asylum to mutilate themselves, before starting a riot, killing countless guards before escaping. After having gone into unresponsive catatonia for a decade due to Batman retiring, the Joker returns to his old habits after the return of Batman to Gotham. The Joker marks his return by [[DeadlyGas fatally gassing]] the entirety of a talk show audience with his Joker toxins, causing them to die a slow death as they [[DieLaughing laugh themselves to death]]. To goad Batman into coming after him, the Joker [[WouldHurtAChild sells poisoned cotton candy to dozens of children]], which resulted in all of them quickly dying. After Batman started chasing him, the Joker shoots randomly many innocent people and when Batman snapped his neck thus paralyzing him, the Joker [[SpitefulSuicide defiantly snaps his own neck]] the rest of the way anyways and dies with a wide smile on his face, intending to [[ThanatosGambit frame Batman for his own death]], proclaiming he'll [[SeeYouInHell meet Batman in Hell]].
** The [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Mutant Leader]] is a vicious gang boss who uses his "mutants" to terrorize Gotham City [[ForTheEvulz for the sheer sake of violence]]. Having his mutant gang commit all sorts of massacres, slayings, and crimes across Gotham, the Mutant Leader eventually has his men begin kidnapping young children for ransom, then brutally [[WouldHurtAChild murder the kids]] even when the ransoms are paid. The Mutant Leader's ultimate plan is to march on Gotham and kill countless people in a quest to [[OffWithHisHead decapitate]] Commissioner James Gordon and [[DecapitationPresentation parade his head through the streets]]. When captured by Batman, the Leader responds by ordering his mutants to raze the entirety of Gotham to the ground while he personally tears out the throat of the city's mayor when he tries to negotiate peace talks with the Leader.

* MagnificentBastard: [[Characters/BatmanThecharacter Batman]] himself, having long retired from crimefighting, returns to put Gotham back in its place. He defeats the mutant leader terrorizing the city by fighting the leader in a mud pit, the mud slows the leader, removing his physical advantage, and Batman overpowers him. When ComicBook/TheJoker comes back due to his return he intends to kill him and nearly does, only being stopped when the Joker kills himself first. He single handily brings order to Gotham by reuniting all the gangs to the point the government brings Franchise/{{Superman}} to stop him since "he's making the government look bad." He brutally beats up Superman during their fight even though Superman didn't want to fight him and even uses that fact to his full advantage, even using their battle to fake his own death and continue fighting crime more secretly.

** At the time, Miller's decision to focus on the FoeYay between Batman and Joker was considered a novel take on both characters' psyches. By the time of ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'', when [[spoiler:Dick Grayson]] is the new Joker specifically becomes so because Batman rejected his sexual advances, it comes off more as Creator/FrankMiller having personal issues with homosexuals.

* WhatAnIdiot: From the second Batman is rumored to have returned Dr. Wolper is vehemently opposed to him, claiming that everything from other criminals and gangs are all his fault to saying how wrong it is for Gotham to fight back against terror.
** '''You'd expect:''' After dealing with the Mutants Wolper would at least have some understanding of why Batman is...if not good for Gotham then at least necessary.
** '''Instead:''' He allies with ComicBook/TheJoker. ''The. Joker.'' His ''favorite patient'' and actively conspires with him to be released from Arkham. [[spoiler:Would it be considered a spoiler to say Joker kills him anyway?]]
** The mayor tries to negotiate with the Mutant leader in a jail cell and gets his throat torn out. The deputy mayor goes on TV and says he too is willing to negotiate, despite what happened.
** The whole plan to get the Joker a TV appearance. Letting him out of Arkham without so much as ''one'' guard or cop for an escort? ''Letting him use his own makeup?'' He should never have been under such lax guard that he could get that lipstick in the first place.

* FoeYay:

* CriticalResearchFailure: In one scene, to make a point about "the ends justifying the means", Commissioner Gordon cites the famous conspiracy theory about UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt supposedly knowing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in advance, but allowing it to happen to galvanize the United States into entering UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. To put it mildly, this idea is based on an incredibly flawed understanding of how the alliances in World War II actually worked. While Roosevelt ''was'' in favor of entering the war, he wanted to enter the war against ''Germany'' (not Japan), and he had no reason to believe that a war with Japan would lead to a war with Germany. [[note]] Germany was a far more immediate threat to the United States' European allies, while Japan posed the most obvious threat to China (while a nation the US was strongly sympathetic towards, they weren't on particularly close terms with). At the time, Japan's only possible threat to the US was to their overseas territory in the South Pacific--and even then, no one seriously thought they'd be brazen enough to attack the most heavily guarded American naval base in the Pacific.[[/note]] The entire Germany-Japan alliance hinged on the Anti-Comintern Pact, which was solely a defensive alliance (meaning that Germany didn't have to declare war on a country just because Japan did), and was based on both countries' [[EnemyMine shared enmity]] towards ''Russia''. Though it's impossible to know for sure, the United States might have never gotten involved in the European Front if not for Hitler's sudden decision to declare war on the country ''after'' Pearl Harbor--which was the sort of [[WhatAnIdiot monumentally stupid]] decision that no one would have predicted at the time.
** On a lighter note: a brief anecdote towards the end tells of how a nine-year-old Bruce [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior demanded]] "the killer was caught. And ''punished''" when Alfred read him [[Literature/CAugusteDupin "The Purloined Letter"]]. Except "The Purloined Letter" is a ''blackmail'' case with nary a corpse in sight.[[note]]Miller might've been confusing - or intentionally conflating - it with "The Mystery of Marie Roget", the closest the Dupin stories ever got to a conventional murder mystery, which is 100% dry speculation and never even depicts the killer, let alone bring them to justice.[[/note]]

** Including ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' & ''Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade,'' this is one of the most reprehensible versions of ComicBook/TheJoker, a psychotic murderer responsible for deaths of hundreds, including Dick Grayson's parents and Jason Todd. Beginning his criminal spree with trying to [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink poison Gotham's water supply]], the Joker continues causing chaos and destruction in Gotham by having his gang commit crimes for fun. Setting up a trap for Jason Todd, Joker manipulates several inmates in Arkham Asylum to mutilate themselves, before starting a riot, killing countless guards before escaping. After having gone into unresponsive catatonia for a decade due to Batman retiring, the Joker returns to his old habits after the return of Batman to Gotham. The Joker marks his return by [[DeadlyGas fatally gassing]] the entirety of a talk show audience with his Joker toxins, causing them to die a slow death as they [[DieLaughing laugh themselves to death]]. To goad Batman into coming after him, the Joker [[WouldHurtAChild sells poisoned cotton candy to dozens of children]], which resulted in all of them quickly dying. After Batman started chasing him, the Joker shoots randomly many innocent people and when Batman snapped his neck thus paralyzing him, the Joker [[SpitefulSuicide defiantly snaps his own neck]] the rest of the way anyways and dies with a wide smile on his face, intending to [[ThanatosGambit frame Batman for his own death]], proclaiming he'll [[SeeYouInHell meet Batman in Hell]].

** Including ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' & ''Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade,'' this is one of the most reprehensible versions of ComicBook/TheJoker, a [[AxCrazy psychotic]] murderer responsible for deaths of hundreds, including Dick Grayson's parents and Jason Todd. Beginning his criminal spree with trying to [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink poison Gotham's water supply]], the Joker continues causing chaos and destruction in Gotham by having his gang commit crimes for fun. Setting up a trap for Jason Todd, Joker manipulates several inmates in Arkham Asylum to mutilate themselves, before starting a riot, killing countless guards before escaping. After having gone into unresponsive catatonia for a decade due to Batman retiring, the Joker returns to his old habits after the return of Batman to Gotham. The Joker marks his return by [[DeadlyGas fatally gassing]] the entirety of a talk show audience with his Joker toxins, causing them to die a slow death as they [[DieLaughing laugh themselves to death]]. To goad Batman into coming after him, the Joker [[WouldHurtAChild sells poisoned cotton candy to dozens of children]], which resulted in all of them quickly dying. After Batman started chasing him, the Joker shoots randomly many innocent people and when Batman snapped his neck thus paralyzing him, the Joker defiantly snaps his own neck the rest of the way anyways and dies with a wide smile on his face, intending to [[ThanatosGambit frame Batman for his own death]], proclaiming he'll [[SeeYouInHell meet Batman in Hell]].

* CompleteMonster (also includes ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' & ''Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade''): ComicBook/TheJoker is a [[AxCrazy psychotic]] murderer, responsible for deaths of hundreds, including Dick Grayson's parents and Jason Todd. Beginning his criminal spree with trying to [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink poison Gotham's water supply]], the Joker continues causing chaos and destruction in Gotham by having his gang commit crimes for fun. Setting up a trap for Jason Todd, Joker manipulates several inmates in Arkham Asylum to mutilate themselves, before starting a riot, killing countless guards before escaping. After having gone into unresponsive catatonia for a decade due to Batman retiring, the Joker returns to his old habits after the return of Batman to Gotham. The Joker marks his return by [[DeadlyGas fatally gassing]] the entirety of a talk show audience with his Joker toxins, causing them to die a slow death as they [[DieLaughing laugh themselves to death]]. To goad Batman into coming after him, the Joker [[WouldHurtAChild sells poisoned cotton candy to dozens of children]], which resulted in all of them quickly dying. After Batman started chasing him, the Joker shoots randomly many innocent people and when Batman snapped his neck thus paralyzing him, the Joker defiantly snaps his own neck the rest of the way anyways and dies with a wide smile on his face, intending to [[ThanatosGambit frame Batman for his own death]], proclaiming he'll [[SeeYouInHell meet Batman in Hell]].

* FoeYay: Batman and The Joker. Very explicitly for Joker's side. Is it any wonder their FinalBattle takes place in a tunnel of love ride?

* AngstWhatAngst:
** Jason Todd was a good soldier. He honored Bruce.... but the war goes on.
** Bruce doesn't seem too upset about [[spoiler:Alfred's death]].

* CompleteMonster: The [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Mutant Leader]] is a vicious gang boss who uses his "mutants" to terrorize Gotham City [[ForTheEvulz for the sheer sake of violence]]. Having his mutant gang commit all sorts of massacres, slayings, and crimes across Gotham, the Mutant Leader eventually has his men begin kidnapping young children for ransom, then brutally [[WouldHurtAChild murder the kids]] even when the ransoms are paid. The Mutant Leader's ultimate plan is to march on Gotham and kill countless people in a quest to [[OffWithHisHead decapitate]] Commissioner James Gordon and [[DecapitationPresentation parade his head through the streets]]. When captured by Batman, the Leader responds by ordering his mutants to raze the entirety of Gotham to the ground while he personally tears out the throat of the city's mayor when he tries to negotiate peace talks with the Leader.
* FauxSymbolism:
** The first time in ''Part 2'' when Clark meets with Bruce out horseback riding, an eagle lands on Clark's arm. A few moments later, it takes off and seizes a defenseless mouse in front of Clark's feet.
** [[SarcasmMode Surely it's coincidental]] that Batman and The Joker's final confrontation takes place in a Tunnel of Love.
* FoeYay:
** All it takes to cure the Joker from his catatonia is [[spoiler:the discovery that Batman has returned. This is capped off by the incredibly suggestive line he spouts immediately upon "awakening"]].
--> '''The Joker''': [[spoiler:"Batman... darling!"]]
** The last battle with the Joker has plenty of this, which is deliberate, considering that their confrontation happens in a Tunnel of Love.

* MagnificentBastard: [[Characters/BatmanThecharacter Batman]] himself, having long retired from crimefighting, returns to put Gotham back in its place. He defeats the mutant leader terrorizing the city by fighting the leader in a mud pit, the mud slows the leader, removing his physical advantage, and Batman overpowers him. When ComicBook/TheJoker comes back due to his return he intends to kill him and nearly does, only being stopped when the Joker kills himself first. He single handily brings order to Gotham by reuniting all the gangs to the point the government brings Franchise/{{Superman}} to stop him since "he's making the government look bad." He brutally beats up Superman during their fight even though Superman didn't want to fight him and even uses that fact to his full advantage, even using their battle to fake his own death and continue fighting crime more secretly.

* {{Squick}}:
** At one point when Batman is "dealing" with a crook you can hear the guy's bones cracking and grinding.
** "You do have rights... plenty of them. You're also bleeding to death."
** Likewise, [[spoiler:Batman breaking the arm and leg of the Mutant's leader]] ''might'' make you cringe, provided you're not cheering.
*** The leg on the other hand, even if you are cheering.
** The Joker when [[spoiler:he breaks his neck]], not to mention the batarang ''sticking out of his eye'' during the last two-thirds or so of their fight.
* StrawmanHasAPoint:
** Regardless of their portrayal as weak and unable to do what is necessary, many of the pundits are absolutely correct when they say Batman is an outlaw and they're not far off the point when they say he must bear some responsibility for groups acting in his name. Also, creating a culture that is both heavily dependent and admiring of a disturbed outlaw with no hesitation in using brutal violence is hardly an idea worth supporting.
** Later on, [[spoiler:when Gotham is hit by a nuclear EMP]], people who are on the streets savaging/looting/both are suddenly confronted by the Mutants. They start fighting, only for Batman and the Sons of Batman to tie them all up and only let them go if they want to co-operate with each other to protect the city. The one man who objects is portrayed as a whiner, but it's perfectly reasonable to not want to ally yourself with a bloodthirsty gang of murderers and resent being lumped together with them just because you fought to protect yourself.
** The Joker's psychiatrist is portrayed as delusional and the film implies he is at least partially responsible for Joker's massacre. While he may be naive, it is hard to fault the Doctor for attempting to reach Joker and help him deal with his psychosis (You know, that thing psychiatrists working with the criminally insane are supposed to work towards).
** One man in the street says that criminals should be reintegrated into society and that people shouldn't enjoy them being beaten to a pulp. He's then portrayed as a hypocrite because he follows this up by saying he himself would never want to live in the city, but that still doesn't make his earlier points incorrect.
** The President is an idiot but he is nonetheless correct that Batman still operating after he agreed to end vigilante work does undermine the credibility of the US government. In fairness to Batman, it's implied people had already lost faith in the government at that point and that they only act when it personally benefits them.
* WhatAnIdiot:
** The mayor tries to negotiate with the Mutant leader in a jail cell and gets his throat torn out. The deputy mayor goes on TV and says he too is willing to negotiate, despite what happened.
** The whole plan to get the Joker a TV appearance. Letting him out of Arkham without so much as ''one'' guard or cop for an escort? ''Letting him use his own makeup?'' He should never have been under such lax guard that he could get that lipstick in the first place.

* TheWoobie:
** Harvey Dent has returned to his criminal ways despite years of therapy and facial reconstruction, but it's because he snapped when he saw his fixed face and believes it's completely ruined now, and [[DeathSeeker he wants to die]].
** Bruce is also an IronWoobie, since he's still carrying the pain of losing his parents and the burden of his mission on his shoulders, yet he also enjoys doing what he does (a little too much).

** Another case is Miller ends up using heroes besides Batman, notably Superman. Though accepted here, in later works, Miller displays a tendency to present heroes more powerful than Batman as utterly incompetent and ineffective.

* MisaimedFandom: Many fans take this comic's battle as proof that Batman can defeat Superman. This ignores that the fight itself wasn't actually about Batman fighting Superman, it was about Batman's battle with the United States government, and obviously Superman wasn't trying to kill Batman, and was more or less holding back, which doesn't make it a real fight any more than the airport rumble in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' was. Not to mention the book makes it abundantly clear that even if he wasn't holding back, Superman was severely weakened by the Coldbringer due to being cut off from the energies of Earth's yellow sun. Batman even states that the fight is partially him being curious how strong he still was after taking the blast.

* CompleteMonster: The [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Mutant Leader]] is a vicious gang boss who uses his "mutants" to terrorize Gotham City [[ForTheEvulz for the sheer sake of violence]]. Having his mutant gang commit all sorts of massacres, slayings, and crimes across Gotham, the Mutant Leader eventually has his men begin kidnapping young children for ransom, then brutally [[WouldHurtAChild murder the kids]] even when the ransoms are paid. The Mutant Leader's ultimate plan is to march on Gotham and kill countless people in a quest to [[OffWithHisHead decapitate]] Commissioner James Gordon and parade his head through the streets. When captured by Batman, the Leader responds by ordering his mutants to raze the entirety of Gotham to the ground while he personally tears out the throat of the city's mayor when he tries to negotiate peace talks with the Leader.

* MagnificentBastard: Franchise/{{Batman}} himself, having long retired from crimefighting returns to put Gotham back in its place. He defeats the mutant leader terrorizing the city by fighting the leader in a mud pit, the mud slows the leader, removing his physical advantage, and Batman overpowers him. When ComicBook/TheJoker comes back due to his return he intends to kill him and nearly does, only being stopped when the Joker kills himself first. He single handily brings order to Gotham by reuniting all the gangs to the point the government brings Franchise/{{Superman}} to stop him since "he's making the government look bad." He brutally beats up Superman during their fight even though Superman didn't want to fight him and even uses that fact to his full advantage, even using their battle to fake his own death and continue fighting crime more secretly.

* MisaimedFandom: Many fans, and likely also Miller himself, take this comic's battle as proof that Batman can defeat Superman. This ignores that the fight itself wasn't actually about Batman fighting Superman, it was about Batman's battle with the United States government, and obviously Superman wasn't trying to kill Batman, and was more or less holding back, which doesn't make it a real fight any more than the airport rumble in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' was. Not to mention the book makes it abundantly clear that even if he wasn't holding back, Superman was severely weakened by the Coldbringer due to being cut off from the energies of Earth's yellow sun. Batman even states that the fight is partially him being curious how strong he still was after taking the blast.

* FoeYay: Batman and The Joker. Very explicitly for Joker's side.

** ''The Dark Knight Returns'' and ''The Dark Knight Strikes Again'' presents Batman as a dangerously obsessed, deeply disturbed, paranoid control freak who is possibly a mentally ill SociopathicHero as opposed to the stalwart Caped Crusader of the Golden and Silver ages and the Adam West series. This interpretation is touched on DependingOnTheWriter and sometimes it is the basis for whole story arcs.

* AudienceColoringAdaptation: The story is not part of the main DCU, but as Alan Moore noted, it was so good and compelling, that it has influenced the Batman mythos ever since it came out. Many fans like to think that Batman can beat Superman just because of this alternate universe story even if that's not really what the fight is about. The comic has more or less codified a set of tropes that seeped into everything: Batman as an obsessed TragicHero whose mission will alienate him from his friends, partners and loved ones, whose brand of justice would be, and ''should be'', viewed with suspicion by society, and that he and Superman inherently disagree with each other, and will never be more than VitriolicBestBuds, or as close as they were in the Silver Age.

* HypeBacklash: It's very influential and popular comic that is still widely praised for its influence today and is considered one of the, if not ''the'' most iconic batman story, naturally there are people who are turned off by the praise it receive and don't think the comic it's that good.

** The fanbase likes to debate over whether or not the edit to the hostage scene was justifiable (edited to where Batman disarms his opponent as opposed to shooting her in the shoulder [[note]] WordOfGod stated Batman didn't kill that Mutant in the comic despite being [[OnlyAFleshWound a shoulder shot with a really big gun]][/note]]). Supporters argue that it 'fixes' Batman's character, detractors argue that it [[{{Bowdlerise}} bowdlerizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BondOneLiner.

** The fanbase likes to debate over whether or not the edit to the hostage scene was justifiable (edited to where Batman disarms his opponent as opposed to shooting her in the shoulder [[note]]WordOfGod stated Batman didn't kill that Mutant in the comic despite being [[OnlyAFleshWound a shoulder shot with a really big gun]][/note]]). Supporters argue that it 'fixes' Batman's character, detractors argue that it [[{{Bowdlerise}} bowdlerizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BondOneLiner.

** The fanbase likes to debate over whether or not the edit to the hostage scene was justifiable (edited to where Batman disarms his opponent as opposed to shooting her in the shoulder [[note]]WordOfGod stated Batman didn't kill that Mutant in the comic despite being [[OnlyAFleshWound a shoulder shot with a really big gun.]][/note]]). Supporters argue that it 'fixes' Batman's character, detractors argue that it [[{{Bowdlerise}} bowdlerizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BondOneLiner.

** The fanbase likes to debate over whether or not the edit to the hostage scene was justifiable (edited to where Batman disarms his opponent as opposed to shooting her dead). Supporters argue that it 'fixes' Batman's character, detractors argue that it [[{{Bowdlerise}} bowdlerizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BondOneLiner. Even more, some people don't realize that WordOfGod stated Batman didn't kill that Mutant in the comic despite being [[OnlyAFleshWound a shoulder shot with a really big gun.]]

* AudienceColoringAdaptation: The story is not canon, but as Alan Moore noted, it was so good and compelling, that it has influenced the Batman mythos ever since it came out. Many fans like to think that Batman can beat Superman just because of this non-canonical story even if that's not really what the fight is about. The comic has more or less codified a set of tropes that seeped into everything: Batman as an obsessed TragicHero whose mission will alienate him from his friends, partners and loved ones, whose brand of justice would be, and ''should be'', viewed with suspicion by society, and that he and Superman inherently disagree with each other, and will never be more than VitriolicBestBuds, or as close as they were in the Silver Age.

* HypeBacklash: This was very influential and popular comic that is still widely praised for its influence today. Naturally it can be hard to say it still holds up given how its influences have been used in other Batman stories, arguably much better than in this story. This is on top of the comic including political commentary that feels out of place for a Batman story.