History YMMV / TheDarkKnightTrilogy

** CrackShip: Possibly doubles with CrossOverShip on TWO levels if you consider shipping a character from Nolan's trilogy with a character from the (''Film/SuicideSquad'') and (''Film/BirdsOfPrey'') to be a CrossOver Ship. Apparently, there has been a noticeable rise in AO3 stories shipping
Cillian Murphy's Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn since Barbenheimer summer 2023 began to wind down.

* CrackShip: Possibly doubles with CrossOverShip on TWO levels if you consider shipping a character from Nolan's trilogy with a character from the (''Film/SuicideSquad'') and (''Film/BirdsOfPrey'') continuity to be a CrossOver Ship. Apparently, there has been a noticeable rise in AO3 stories shipping

* CrackShip: Arguably doubles with CrossOverShip on TWO levels if you consider shipping a character from Nolan's trilogy with a character from the (''Film/SuicideSquad'') and (''Film/BirdsOfPrey'') continuity as a CrossOver because apparently, there has been a noticeable rise of AO3 stories shipping
Cillian Murphy's Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn since Barbenheimer summer 2023. This is itself a CrossoverShip CrackShip memem inspired by another CrossoverShip CrackShip meme.

* CrackShip: Arguably doubles with CrossOverShip on TWO levels if you consider shipping a character from Nolan's trilogy with a character from the (''Film/SuicideSquad'') and (''Film/BirdsOfPrey'') continuity as a CrossOver because apparently, Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow)/Harley Quinn fics have gained a substantial rise since Barbenheimer summer 2023.....which means that this CrackShip CrossOverShip is itself a meme inspired by a meme of a CrackShip CrossoverShip.

* DracoInLeatherPants:

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow, who is the only actor outside the series' core ensemble to appear in all three films which also makes Scarecrow the only Batman villain to appear in three films in a row, something the Joker can't even lay claim to.

** [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow Professor Jonathan Crane]] is a [[PsychoPsychologist sadistic doctor]] who experiments on his patients with his fear gas, leaving them irreparably mentally shattered in some instances. Attempting to torture Rachel and Batman with said gas, Crane is eventually apprehended after having used it with [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows Ra's al Ghul]] to hold the city hostage. While the city is dying, Crane gleefully participates in the uprising to kill at will. In the intervening years following his freedom, Crane enjoys using the gas to [[WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight inspire others to serial murder]] and to destroy the minds of random drug customers. Finally freed from Arkham, Crane presides over {{Kangaroo Court}}s in [[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]]'s "utopia" of Gotham, sentencing countless members of the upper crust to certain death by "exile," including Jim Gordon and his police.

** {{Novelization}}s, by Dennis O'Neil (''Film/BatmanBegins'' & ''Film/TheDarkKnight'') & Greg Cox (''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''): [[PsychoPsychologist Jonathan Crane]], aka [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow the Scarecrow]], started out using several of his students as test subjects, [[DrivenToMadness driving them mad]] in the process. In the present, Crane allies with the [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows League of Shadows]], creating and supplying them with [[IKnowWhatYouFear Fear Gas]] so as to unleash it onto Gotham and drive the city to tear itself apart. Along the way, Crane [[PlayingWithSyringes performs more experiments in fear]] on his hapless patients at Arkham; orders the murder of a nosy attorney; and drives his partner, Carmine Falcone, insane to silence him. During the attack on Gotham, Crane led a prison riot, murdered a police officer, and tried to run down Rachel Dawes and a child she is protecting. Crane then becomes a drug dealer and kills a junkie as a test run for a lethal hallucinogen. In his final appearance, Crane takes a spot in [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]'s conquered, anarchy-filled Gotham, presiding over a KangarooCourt where everyone from corrupt politicians to innocent people are forced to walk across the icy river of Gotham, invariable leading to their deaths as they break through the ice, much to Crane's delight.

** [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow Professor Jonathan Crane]] is a [[PsychoPsychologist sadistic doctor]] who experiments on his patients with his fear gas, leaving them irreparably mentally shattered in some instances. Attempting to torture Rachel and Batman with said gas, Crane is eventually apprehended after having used it with [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows Ra's al Ghul]] to hold the city hostage. While the city is dying, Crane gleefully participates in the uprising to kill at will. In the intervening years following his freedom, Crane enjoys using the gas to [[WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight inspire others to serial murder]] and to destroy the minds of random drug customers. Finally freed from Arkham, Crane presides over {{Kangaroo Court}}s in [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]'s "utopia" of Gotham, sentencing countless members of the upper crust to certain death by "exile," including Jim Gordon and his police.
** [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]] from ''YMMV/TheDarkKnight''. (see that page for more details)

* CommonKnowledge: A lot of people are under the impression that Creator/JackGleeson, who later played [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] on ''Series/GameOfThrones'', played Commissioner Gordon's son, leading to people joking that Batman should have left Two-Face kill him or calling it ironic since in the comics, James Gordon Jr. becomes a serial killer. However, Gleeson did not play Gordon's son, he played the unnamed kid in the Narrows in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. Gordon's son in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' was played by Nathan Gamble. It's likely that people conflated the two characters due to both being blonde boys who are saved by Batman.

** On a franchise note, Christopher Nolan's films codified the idea that superhero trilogies tell an ongoing character arc that builds on the previous film rather than simply repeat beats. Before Nolan, Superhero trilogies (Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men trilogy to some extent) generally had {{Static Character}}s[[note]]Creator/TobeyMaguire's Spider-Man is more or less the same character at the end of 1 as he is at 3, with only changes coming because of plot and character developments from his supporting cast and from devices such as the Symbiote suit, Christopher Reeve's Superman likewise, and Batman in the Schumacher/Burton movies was a SupportingProtagonist to his villains who were the true stars of his movies[[/note]]. Nolan however had Batman and Bruce Wayne visibly grow and change from film to film, with the resolutions and events from the previous film carried forwards organically, which in ''Rises'' allowed Nolan to give his screen version of Batman an actual conclusion, which was unprecedented for any superhero movie, and which inspired ''Film/{{Logan}}'' a few years later. The MCU took inspiration from this in their ongoing serial nature, and while they have not indicated to go all the way as Nolan did, their movies have [[Dynamic Character]]s, with changes and actions carrying on from film-to-film especially in Phase 2 and Phase 3, and in general Nolan's movies are credited for raising the standard of storytelling in the superhero movie genre, as well as cementing the idea among audiences that each actor's take on a character is unique and separate from another's and deserves a conclusion to that version independent from the serial nature of the overall IP.

** On a franchise note, Christopher Nolan's films codified the idea that superhero trilogies tell an ongoing character arc that builds on the previous film rather than simply repeat beats. Before Nolan, Superhero trilogies (Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men trilogy to some extent) generally had [[Static Character]]s[[note]]Creator/TobeyMaguire's Spider-Man is more or less the same character at the end of 1 as he is at 3, with only changes coming because of plot and character developments from his supporting cast and from devices such as the Symbiote suit, Christopher Reeve's Superman likewise, and Batman in the Schumacher/Burton movies was a SSupportingProtagonist to his villains who were the true stars of his movies[[/note]]. Nolan however had Batman and Bruce Wayne visibly grow and change from film to film, with the resolutions and events from the previous film carried forwards organically, which in ''Rises'' allowed Nolan to give his screen version of Batman an actual conclusion, which was unprecedented for any superhero movie, and which inspired ''Film/{{Logan}}'' a few years later. The MCU took inspiration from this in their ongoing serial nature, and while they have not indicated to go all the way as Nolan did, their movies have [[Dynamic Character]]s, with changes and actions carrying on from film-to-film especially in Phase 2 and Phase 3, and in general Nolan's movies are credited for raising the standard of storytelling in the superhero movie genre, as well as cementing the idea among audiences that each actor's take on a character is unique and separate from another's and deserves a conclusion to that version independent from the serial nature of the overall IP.

* MisaimedMarketing: All three movies were very, very, ''very'' heavily marketed to young children -- complete with coloring books, gimmicky child-safe toys and costumes, and fast food kids' meals depending on the region. This has happened once before with the Batman movieverse, though this time around no kids seemed to be complaining.

** Entire trilogy & ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight Gotham Knight]]'': [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow Professor Jonathan Crane]] is a [[PsychoPsychologist sadistic doctor]] who experiments on his patients with his fear gas, leaving them irreparably mentally shattered in some instances. Attempting to torture Rachel and Batman with said gas, Crane is eventually apprehended after having used it with [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows Ra's al Ghul]] to hold the city hostage. While the city is dying, Crane gleefully participates in the uprising to kill at will. In the intervening years following his freedom, Crane enjoys using the gas to inspire others to serial murder and to destroy the minds of random drug customers. Finally freed from Arkham, Crane presides over {{Kangaroo Court}}s in [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]'s "utopia" of Gotham, sentencing countless members of the upper crust to certain death by "exile," including Jim Gordon and his police.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** Many were leery about casting Creator/HeathLedger as ComicBook/TheJoker. As everyone knows by now, he proved them all wrong.
** With ''Rises'', Creator/AnneHathaway as Catwoman and Creator/TomHardy as Bane. While not to the same extent of Creator/HeathLedger, they've also been praised for their performances.

* CommonKnowledge: A lot of people are under the impression that Creator/JackGleeson, who later played [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] on ''Series/GameOfThrones'', played Commissioner Gordon's son, leading to people joking that Batman should have left Two-Face kill him or call it ironic since in the comics, James Gordon Jr. becomes a serial killer. However, Gleeson did not play Gordon's son, he played the unnamed kid in the Narrows in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. Gordon's son in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' was played by Nathan Gamble. It's likely that people conflated the two due to both being blonde boys who are saved by Batman.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Is it ever! Nolan's Batman films are considered by critics to be both darker ''and'' better than other ''Batman'' films, let alone most superhero films. ''The Dark Knight'' in particular sold like hotcakes and is especially notorious for its bleak tone. Which is strange because it's the one of the only versions of Batman [[spoiler:to conclude on a very happy ending, especially in ''Rises'']].

* BrokenBase:

** In general, the more serious and grounded style of the trilogy, as compared to more stylized and less serious comic book movies -- including the previous Batman movies -- have divided some fans.
--> '''[[Creator/ChristopherPriestNovelist Christopher Priest]] (author of ''Film/ThePrestige''):''' I've got kids who like superheroes, and they think the Batman films are boring and pretentious. They like things like ''[[Film/TheAvengers2012 The Avengers]]'' and ''[[Film/IronMan1 Iron Man]]'' because they're fun.

** The Tumbler (aka this film's take on the Batmobile) is either seen as being a incredibly badass CoolCar or a bulky, ridiculous and overly militarized tank.

** [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]] from the ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' {{Novelization}} by Dennis O'Neil. See the [[YMMV/TheDarkKnight main
page]] for details.

** Entire trilogy & ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight Gotham Knight]]'': [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow Dr. Jonathan Crane]] is a [[PsychoPsychologist sadistic psychopharmacologist]] who experiments on his patients with his fear gas, leaving them irreparably mentally shattered in some instances. Attempting to torture Rachel and Batman with said gas, Crane is eventually apprehended after having used it with [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows Ra's al Ghul]] to hold the city hostage. While the city is dying, Crane gleefully participates in the uprising to kill at will. In the intervening years following his freedom, Crane enjoys using the gas to inspire others to serial murder and to destroy the minds of random drug customers. Finally freed from Arkham, Crane presides over {{Kangaroo Court}}s in [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]'s "utopia" of Gotham, sentencing countless members of the upper crust to certain death by "exile," including Jim Gordon and his police.

** Entire trilogy & ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanGothamKnight Gotham Knight]]'': [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow Professor Jonathan Crane]] is a [[PsychoPsychologist sadistic doctor]] who experiments on his patients with his fear gas, leaving them irreparably mentally shattered in some instances. Attempting to torture Rachel and Batman with said gas, Crane is eventually apprehended after having used it with [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows Ra's al Ghul]] to hold the city hostage. While the city is dying, Crane gleefully participates in the uprising to kill at will. In the intervening years following his freedom, Crane enjoys using the gas to inspire others to serial murder and to destroy the minds of random drug customers. Finally freed from Arkham, Crane presides over {{Kangaroo Court}}s in [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]'s "utopia" of Gotham, sentencing countless members of the upper crust to certain death by "exile," including Jim Gordon and his police.

** {{Novelization}}s, by Dennis O'Neil (''Film/BatmanBegins'' & ''Film/TheDarkKnight'') & Greg Cox (''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''): [[PsychoPsychologist Jonathan Crane]], aka [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow the Scarecrow]], starts out using several of his students as test subjects, [[DrivenToMadness driving them mad]] in the process. In the present, Crane allies with the [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyLeagueOfShadows League of Shadows]], creating and supplying them with [[IKnowWhatYouFear Fear Gas]] so as to unleash it onto Gotham and drive the city to tear itself apart. Along the way, Crane [[PlayingWithSyringes performs more experiments in fear]] on his hapless patients at Arkham; orders the murder of a nosy attorney; and drives his partner, Carmine Falcone, insane to silence him. During the attack on Gotham, Crane led a prison riot, murdered a police officer, and tried to run down Rachel Dawes and a child she is protecting. Crane then becomes a drug dealer and kills a junkie as a test run for a lethal hallucinogen. In his final appearance, Crane takes a spot in [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]]'s conquered, anarchy-filled Gotham, presiding over a KangarooCourt where everyone from corrupt politicians to innocent people are forced to walk across the icy river of Gotham, invariable leading to their deaths as they break through the ice, much to Crane's delight.

** Unlike his more passive film counterpart, the novel version of [[PsychoPsychologist Jonathan Crane]], aka [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow the Scarecrow]], is presented as a [[AdaptationalVillainy terror-loving maniac]]. Starting out using several of his students as test subjects, [[DrivenToMadness driving them mad]] in the process, Crane allies with the League of Shadows in the present, creating and supplying them with [[IKnowWhatYouFear Fear Gas]] so as to unleash it onto Gotham and drive the city to tear itself apart. Along the way, Crane performs more experiments in fear on his hapless patients at Arkham, orders the murder of a nosy attorney, and drives his partner, Carmine Falcone, insane to silence him. During the attack on Gotham, Crane led a prison riot, [[CopKiller murdered a police officer]], and tried to run down Rachel Dawes and [[WouldHurtAChild a child]] she is protecting. Crane then becomes a drug dealer and kills a junkie as a test run for a lethal hallucinogen. In his final appearance, Crane takes a spot in Bane's conquered, anarchy-filled Gotham, presiding over a KangarooCourt where everyone from corrupt politicians to innocent people are forced to walk across the icy river of Gotham, invariable leading to their deaths as they break through the ice, much to Crane's delight.