History YMMV / TheDarkKnightReturns

** Nazi Transvestite

* ToughActToFollow: PeterWeller as Batman is sometimes compared unfavorably with MichaelIronside who voiced Batman in a ''Dark Knight Returns''-based segment of an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]''.

* AngstWhatAngst: Bruce Wayne does no seems upset about [[spoiler: the death of his father-figure Alfred.]]

* GenreTurningPoint: ''TheDarkKnightReturns'' and ''{{Watchmen}}'' pretty much ushered in the DarkAge of comics.

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

* LawfulStupid: Everyone but Batman and Gordon. Especially the replacement Commissioner AND again, ''Superman'' of all people.

* FoeYay: [[spoiler: [[TheJoker "Batman... darling!"]].]]

** For those Superman fans, the MEH that Superman commits his his blatant killing of Soviet military personnel. [[spoiler: Since apparently Frank forgot that Superman has a ThouShallNotKill code even more verbatim than Batman.]]

* {{Squick}}: At one point when Batman is "dealing" with a crook you can hear the guy's bones cracking and grinding.

* MoralEventHorizon: In-universe, this happens when the mutants murdered a kidnapped child.

* LawfulStupid: Everyone but Batman and Gordon. Especially the replacement Commissioner.

** Bruce is very much an IronWoobie, since he is 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).

* FoeYay: {{Batman}} and TheJoker, of course. Very explicity for Joker's side.

** Likewise, the revelation that Jason Todd was murdered before the events of the story held a lot more weight when the book first came out, since the character's death hadn't yet happened in the regular comics (''A Death in the Family'' didn't come out until 1988), and the idea of Robin being KilledOffForReal was still unthinkable to most readers. Now that Jason has since [[ComicBookDeath died and been resurrected]] as a {{badass}} AntiHero with his own series, hearing {{Batman}} angsting about his death can cause some eye-rolling.

* ToughActToFollow: PeterWeller as Batman is sometimes compared unfavorably with [[MichaelIronside Michael Ironside]] who voiced Batman in a ''Dark Knight Returns''-based segment of an episode of ''[[BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]''.

* CompleteMonster: The Mutant leader.

* LawfulStupid: Everyone but Batman and Gordon.

* FauxSymbolism: The first time in ''Part 2'' when Clark meets with Bruce out horseback riding, an [[EagleLand eagle lands]] on Clark's arm. A few moments later, it takes off and siezes a defenseless little mouse in front of Superman's feet.

* CompleteMonster: The Joker, but Byron Brassballs shows that you don't have to be a twisted criminal to be an incredible jackass by beating a helpless priest and pushing a handicapped man in front of a subway train, and then remorselessly trying to justify his actions when being interviewed by the news (both times).

* FanonDiscontinuity: Lots of people like to imagine that ''TheDarkKnightStrikesAgain'' doesn't exist. And even though WordOfGod confirms that ''AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' is this book's prequel, plenty of fans are happy to ignore this.

--> '''Mutant Gang Member''': ''(after being attacked by a bat)'' It's just a [[AllstarBatmanAndRobin goddamned]] [[GoddamnedBats bat]].

* BrokenBase: 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 [[{{Bowdlerization}} bowlderizes 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 did not kill that Mutant in the comic despite being a shoulder shot with a really big gun.

* CompleteMonster: The Joker and [[TeensAreMonsters The Mutants]] to name a few, but Byron Brassballs shows that you don't have to be a twisted criminal or a rowdy teenager to be an incredible jackass by beating a helpless priest and pushing a handicapped man in front of a subway train, and then remorselessly trying to justify his actions when being interviewed by the news (both times).

* BrokenBase: 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 [[{{Bowdlerization}} bowlderizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BondOneLiner.

* BrokenBase: 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 them). Supporters argue that it 'fixes' Batman's character, detractors argue that it [[{{Bowdlerization}} bowlderizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BondOneLiner.

* BrokenBase: 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 them). Supporters argue that it 'fixes' Batman's character, detractors argue that it [[{{Bowdlerization}} bowlderizes the scene]], doesn't fit Frank Miller's [[AntiHero characterization]] of [[SociopathicHero Batman]] and dilutes the effectiveness of his BoneOneLiner.