History TearJerker / BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns

* The fact that Batman and Superman are to fight each other. Despite the epicness, it is heartbreaking to see them fight. It's just as much of a TearJerker when it’s clear that neither of them wanted this to happen. When this first, came out this was a very emotional scene to the readers as well.

* Superman begging the Earth for his life after being nuked and blocked from the sun.]]
* Poor Gordon sees a woman fall from his burning apartment building, and for a fleeting moment he thinks it's his wife Sarah. It's not. Jim ''barely'' gets his HeroicResolve after seeing this, firmly denying it's her, but doesn't reunite with Sarah for a couple of pages.
* The fact that Batman and Superman are to fight each other. Despite the epicness it is to see them fight, it's just as much of a TearJerker when its clear that neither of them wanted this to happen. When this first came out this was a very emotional scene to the readers as well.

** "At least both sides match now, right? Look at me! And have your laugh..."

'''All spoilers are unmarked YouHaveBeenWarned'''

* [[spoiler: The glass case containing the empty Robin suit]].
-->[[spoiler:'''Bruce:''' I will never forget Jason. He was a good soldier. He honored me. But the war goes on.]]

* The night Bruce decides to take up the cowl once more: News keep pouring about the increasingly heinous crimes that are happening in Gotham which begin to erode Bruce decision to stay in retirement as they keep reminding him of what happened to him, and then the Mark of Zorro appears on one channel and Bruce has a silent breakdown as [[DeathByOriginStory that night plays in his mind once again.]]
** [[spoiler: The narration of the Batman in Bruce's mind is somber as it's a reminder of how deep the wound that the death of his parents left on his psyche is.]]

* [[spoiler:While watching Wayne Manor explode and burn, Alfred has a fatal stroke]].
-->[[spoiler:A jolt travels the length of Alfred's spine. "Of course", he thinks as his head goes light. "How utterly proper."]]
* And let's not forget [[spoiler:the Cub Scouts]] at the county fair. God...
** One of the few times Bruce doesn't respond with anger or stoicism but looks genuinely sad.
* Superman [[spoiler:begging the Earth for his life after being nuked and blocked from the sun.]]
* Poor Gordon sees a woman fall from his burning apartment building, and for a fleeting moment he thinks it's his wife Sarah. [[spoiler: It's not. Jim ''barely'' gets his HeroicResolve after seeing this, firmly denying it's her, but doesn't reunite with Sarah for a couple of pages.]]

* [[spoiler:Superman holding Batman's body in his arms.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Superman:''' Don't ''touch'' him.]]
* Bruce's [[spoiler: funeral. To those who did not realize he was faking it.]]
* For the past ten years, Harvey Dent's been undergoing psychiatric and cosmetic reconstruction into his old self... And the day he's released, it all begins to fall apart. [[spoiler:It turns out his obsession with duality has begun to subside not as a result of restored mental health, but because ''Two-Face'' is subsuming the original Harvey Dent. Harvey then tries to hold Gotham Towers for five million dollars' ransom, implied to be an effort of repayment towards Bruce out of a twisted sense of gratitude. During a fight with Batman, he's saved from a possible suicide attempt and, rendered helpless, suffers a complete breakdown in Batman's arms.]]

** The worst part of it all may well be seeing the affair through Batman's eyes. [[spoiler:Keep in mind that like Harvey, Bruce has spent most of the issue being subsumed by his darker side, with part of his determination in finding Harvey doubtless stemming from his own desperate hope that both of their psychological tears can be remedied after all. Not only is what he finds a brutal refutation to hope that Harvey will ever heal, but also the suggestion that ''neither will he''.]] It's telling that this is the ''only'' time in the comic where Batman treats an enemy not with contempt or rage, but genuine sadness. However, there ''is'' a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} when [[spoiler:he gives Harvey a CooldownHug.]]
** Another thing to keep in mind is what Harvey says next [[spoiler: "Who are we kidding? They couldn't fix me! Nothing can change what I am."]], the tired and despondent tone in which he says it can imply that [[spoiler: the real Harvey was Two-Face all along and without his duality motif, he has realized it and has resigned himself to his villainous nature]].
* From the film, [[spoiler: Joker's death, in a very twisted manner. Batman paralyzes Joker, who ends up breaking his neck entirely to kill himself. What's tragic, however, is that at the end, ''[[TheBadGuyWins Joker won]]''. He, after all these years, managed to make Batman effectively kill him. Not only is their seemingly endless game of cat and mouse over, but it ends in [[DownerEnding the villain's favor]].]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Joker''': You're in trouble now... Go ahead... Say this has never happened to you before.\\

'''Joker''': Make me. Come on, finish me. ''(sighs)'' It doesn't matter... I win. I made you lose control... and they'll kill you for it. '''''See you...in Hell.''''' ''([[LaughingMad cackles]] as he fully breaks his neck, before stopping with a snap, dying instantly)'']]
** The moments leading up to it also count. [[spoiler:Batman briefly stares at the trail of death the Joker has left before he attacks and yells at him that he blames himself, for every single innocent Joker killed, all because he always lets him live. And now, he shows no hesitation to just ''end it.'']]

--->'''Batman''': '''I did!'''

--->[[spoiler:'''Bruce:''' I will never forget Jason. He was a good soldier. He honored me. But the war goes on.]]

--->'''Batman''': ''You try to hold me back, but you are weak...you know it in your soul: you are nothing but a hollow shell...a rusty trap. [[HesBack The time has come]].''

--->[[spoiler:A jolt travels the length of Alfred's spine. "Of course", he thinks as his head goes light. "How utterly proper."]]

-->'''Batman''': ''No more!...All the people I've murdered...by letting you live.''
-->'''Joker''': ''I never kept count.''
-->'''Batman''': '''I did!'''

* For the past ten years, Harvey Dent's been undergoing psychiatric and cosmetic reconstruction into his old self... And the day he's released, it all begins to fall apart. [[spoiler:It turns out his obsession with duality has begun to subside not as a result of restored mental health, but because ''two-face'' is subsuming the original Harvey Dent. Harvey then tries to hold Gotham Towers for five million dollars' ransom, implied to be an effort of repayment towards Bruce out of a twisted sense of gratitude. During a fight with Batman, he's saved from a possible suicide attempt and, rendered helpless, suffers a complete breakdown in Batman's arms.]]

** Another thing to keep in mind is what Harvey says next [[spoiler: "Who are we kidding? They couldn't fix me! Nothing can change what I am."]], the tired and despotent tone in which he says it can imply that [[spoiler: the real Harvey was Two-Face all along and without his duality motif he has realized it and has resigned himself to his villanous nature]].
* From the film, [[spoiler:Joker's death, in a very twisted manner. Batman paralyzes Joker, who ends up breaking his neck entirely to kill himself. What's tragic, however, is that at the end, ''[[TheBadGuyWins Joker won]]''. He, after all the years, managed to make Batman effectively kill him. Not only is their seemingly endless game of cat and mouse over, but it ends in [[DownerEnding the villain's favor]].]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Joker''': It doesn't matter... I win. I made you lose control... and they'll kill you for it. '''''See you...in Hell.''''' ''([[LaughingMad cackles]] as he fully breaks his neck, before stopping with a snap, dying instantly)'']]

** Another thing to keep in mind is what Harvey says next [[spoiler: "Who are we kidding? They couldn't fix me! Nothing can change what I am."]], the tired and despotent tone in which he says it can imply that [[spoiler: the real Harvey was Two-Face all along and without his duality motiff he has realized it and has resigned himself to his villanous nature]].

** The worst part of it all may well be seeing the affair through Batman's eyes. [[spoiler:Keep in mind that like Harvey, Bruce has spent most of the issue being subsumed by his darker side, with part of his determination in finding Harvey doubtless stemming from his own desperate hope that both of their psychological tears can be remedied after all. Not only is what he finds a brutal refutation to hope that Harvey will ever heal, but also the suggestion that ''neither will he''.]] It's telling that this is the ''only'' time in the comic where Batman treats an enemy not with contempt or rage, but genuine sadness. However, there ''is'' a HeartwarmingMoment when [[spoiler:he gives Harvey a CooldownHug.]]

** The moments leading up to it also count. [[spoiler:Batman tells to Joker that he blames himself, for every single innocent Joker killed, all because he always lets him live. And now, he shows no hesitation to just ''end it.'']]
-->'''Batman''': ''No more!'' All the people I've murdered...''by letting you live.''

-->[[spoiler:'''Joker''': It doesn't matter... I win. I made you lose control... and they'll kill you for it. '''''See you...in Hell.''''']]

** The worst part of it all may well be seeing the affair through Batman's eyes. [[spoiler:Keep in mind that like Harvey, Bruce has spent most of the issue being subsumed by his darker side, with part of his determination in finding Harvey doubtless stemming from his own desperate hope that both of their psychological tears can be remedied after all. Not only is what he finds a brutal refutation to hope that Harvey will ever heal, but also the suggestion that ''neither will he''.]] It's telling that this is the ''only'' time in the comic where Batman treats an enemy not with contempt or rage, but genuine sadness. However, there ''is'' a HeartwarmingMoment when [[spoiler:he gives Harvey a CooldownHug.]]

* Bruce's [[spoiler: funeral. To those who did not realize he was faking it]].

** The worst part of it all may well be seeing the affair

* And let's not forget [[spoiler:the Cub Scouts at the county fair]]. God...
** One of the few times Bruce doesn't respond with anger or stoiciness but looks genuinely sad.

* "At least both sides match now, right? Look at me! And have your laugh..." Poor Harvey...

--->[[spoiler:'''Bruce:''' Jason was a good soldier. He honored me. But the war goes on.]]

* And Superman [[spoiler:begging for his life after being nuked and blocked from the sun.]]

* Superman holding Batman's body in his arms.
-->'''Superman:''' Don't ''touch'' him.

-->'''Superman:''' Don't ''touch'' him.'

* "At least both sides match now, right?" Poor Harvey...

* "At least both sides match now, right?"

* Bruce's [[spoiler: funeral. To those who did not realize he was faking it]].

* Poor Gordon sees a woman fall from his burning apartment building, and [[spoiler: for a fleeting moment he thinks it's his Sarah. It's not.]]

* The fact that Batman and Superman are to fight each other. Despite the epicness it is to see them fight, it's just as much of a TearJerker when its clear that neither of them wanted this to happen.