Batman: Conundrum

Rough, skeletal outline, obviously blanks in plot and all dialogue has to be filled in, this is a general jist of what I have in mind and like to do something with, hope you enjoy.

Thank you!

BATMAN: Conundrum

For the past 3 years Gotham has been a near peaceful oasis, crime is pretty non existent, 6 months before that, Batman had to go out of his way to find even a street mugging. Batman is nearly forgotten or looked at as like a had been celebrity. (Or like A Year Without Santa Clause). People don't really speak of him anymore, even a couple younger officers turned the signal just to prank him. Almost all of his rogues are either in Arkham or off the grid. Bruce has told the rest of the family (oracle and Nightwing) to move on with their lives and leaves bitter-strained tension between them. Bruce sees this as a means of proper retirement, Gordon has been serving his last year before retirement/ new commissioner coming in, him going out. GCPD has been able to downsize and lay off many, including Bullock... The new commissioner is on the process of taking down the signal and doing away with Batman all together.

During this peaceful period, Alfred becomes old, sick and dies, Bruce by his side, they speak, and Alfred dies, mid-sentence of asking Bruce a promise, which he interoperates as 'never be Batman again' ... So with crime seemingly gone, he feels he has fulfilled his promise to his parents, but now must live on, carrying this one.

In Arkham, Joker can not stand the idea of crime-less Gotham, and gets several fellow rogues together to incite a riot and break out... Although the riot is just a ruse that Joker uses as a distraction, to break himself out, because 'there's only room for one!'..

For some reason, the Joker's escape and betrayal amongst fellow rogues, sparks something in Two-Face's mind like 'screw this, we all deserve a piece of Gotham and some of Batman's blood, Joker must be stopped' and sends a letter to the GCPD saying, 'I must speak with the bat, urgent ... -Dent'

Gordon gets it JUST as he's about to leave on his last day and realizes that since its signed 'Dent' it must be important, runs up to the roof and shouts 'TURN IT ON!', before the signal can be taken down.

Bruce is on a date with Selina, hoping to rekindle ️an old lost flame from choosing Batman years prior, and his natural impulse tells him to go, although he still remembers his promise to Alfred and is reluctant.. He goes to Alfred's grave and apologizes.

He goes to the HQ and reads the note, goes to Arkham and sits down with two-face, who alternates between helping and taunting (silence of the lambs style), he walks past several cells including 'J. Tetch' 'E. Nygma' and others, asking for input as they were involved in the riot. They also taunt him but offer little help.

Penguin is still functioning in society as a wealthy club owner, but with the downfall of crime, is forced to run it legitimately. He is approached by Joker to ask for his wealth and capital to obtain things needed in his master plan. Penguin, eager for power and credibility in the city again, reluctantly agrees. Joker also goes to a derelict industrial area in Gotham where Scarecrow is living, as a sort of Boo Radley type myth, and found as a babbling mess by Joker, who enlists his help as well.

With Gordon aware of the Joker's escape and what that might bring, he goes to Bullock's to ask him to join his task force, at first, Bullock is stubborn, saying he's happy on unemployment in his dump of an apartment, but Gordon convinces him and he agrees. We Bullock actually having pride in himself and asks what to do about the Joker... Gordon says 'we got Batman on it,' and Bullock goes back to being himself and says 'of course' and still agrees.

Eventually things pick up and joker, along with scarecrow create a 'Nightmare Joker' toxin and release it upon the city.

Bruce, on his knees at Alfred's grave, begs for forgiveness as he must continue being Batman to stop Joker and being peace once again.

Dent's is in his cell reading law books when he remembers Joker talking to Professor Strange shortly before the organization of the riot, immediately getting into contact with the PD again to talk to Batman. Once Batman arrives and goes to talk to Strange in his cell, he sees that Strange is a quivering, shaking she'll of himself, Batman states that Joker had got what he needed and then got into his psyche to twist him up. When Batman stops to thank Dent, e notices the law books and is aware that therapy sessions are going well. Instead of asking anything, he simply says 'Thanks, Harv', for the first time in a long time, calling him Harv.

He has enlisted help from Oracle, again, but Nightwing refuses, feeling in-appreciated.

Batman finds that there is something new with this toxin and that a mysterious person (joker) has gone to Santa Prisca, knowing that can mean one thing, he has Oracle look into it, finding out that the Venom drug's

supply on earth is nearly diminished and Bane has been using it solely as a means of survival, joker found the stash of it and extracted the rest from Bane himself, and some of his DNA, and, as Batman can see on his Bat-computer, from being security being hacked by Orcale, Bane is left un-recognizably emaciated and dying, with eyes and a smile drawn on his mask in blood. The Venom, mixed with Bane's DNA and the Joker/Scarecrow toxin creates a fusion of Nightmare Joker/super soldiers, (like 28 days later zombies on steroids).

Then Batman realizes why Joker needed Strange. DNA blending.

Desperate for answers, Batman goes to Penguin at his club, who, at first, smugly, treats him like an old friend, once Batman grows impatient, he pushes Penguin around for answers and he confesses he needed his money to get to Santa Prisca and equipment to make the toxins, in exchange for power over the new Gotham. Batman puts the fearful idea of how is He sure Joker won't go after him and keep his word or feed him to his army. Upon realizing Batman has a point, he flees gotham out of fear.

Batman then tells Oracle he has one more option, he decides to go to Freeze, whom he believes is still working on his own cure for his wife in the Arkham cellar lab, Oracle tells him his research privileges (given to him from Batman himself) have been revoked by the coming in commissioner, Batman goes there to confront Freeze and offers full restoration of his privileges and any money and resources he'll ever need of agrees to help coming up with a non-lethal freezing plasma to stop the infected while Lucius can find and mass produce a cure. Freeze agrees only of Lucius works along side him as collateral if Batman fails to own up to his part.

(Some fill in parts)

Batman is at the Bat-computer asking ️an unseen person for help but is answered with (oh now you need my help? You never have before, figure it out yourself, yada yada yada'

Batman is able to find and stop Scarecrow but now his final battle with Joker takes place. It's brutal both physically and psychologically. Coming in (like that silly scene in Civil War with Spiderman catching cap's sheild) nightwing pops up saying, 'I guess you do need my help', and he helps with some of the infected and what not. Batman gets the upper hand, as he savagely beats the Joker until his laughter dies down and is almost killed, we see glimpses of flashbacks of their most pivotal moments (the murder of Jason, the shooting of Barbara, etc). Nightwing, knowing Bruce will not be able to live with himself if he kills him, tries to stop him, but Batman pushes him away, Screaming 'NO! THIS IS THE END!' He rips off his cowl (but we don't see his face), and as the Joker starts horrifically screaming (think when Jim Carrey sees the big bat at the end of 'Forever'), Batman says 'THIS IS ME, WHO I AM! NOW YOU KNOW!"... Joker keeps screaming and yelling NO!

6 months later, the last of the infected are caught and treated, Joker is a model inmate, never speaking or acting up. Upon returning to Gotham, Penguin is apprehended for his involvement, and Dent is deemed sane and released, in his new apartment, he unpacks law books, talking to himself about a new start for himself, his coin falls and we see it spin on the floor as he watches, nervously, and it lands bad side up, he breaks down, hands over his face, sobbing, then giving a sinister giggle and grin as he uncovers his face, he deviously asks, 'what'd you have in mind?'

Nygma thinks of a solution of escape and says a riddle where the answer is: freedom

We see Bruce and Dick in Wayne Manor discussing the outcome of what happened, unbeknownst about Dent and Nygma, and Dick asks how he knew to reveal his face, we find out now that he wore latex to give himself a different appearance, he said it was a contingency plan, and that he knew dick would keep him from killing, and that Joker knowing who he was was his ultimate weakness. Dick leaves and Bruce thinks about his promise to Alfred, and takes the secret stairway to the cave, he sees a note taped to the wall from Alfred, it goes on say how proud he's always been of Bruce and that his parents would be proud, and that if he had one wish, it'd be that Bruce to carry on his destiny however he saw fit, whether it be as Bruce, Batman, or both, and all with classic Alfred sarcasm. Bruce wipes away a tear and chuckles, 'you didn't waste a moment tellin me, old man!' And walks down to the cave to turn on the lights, he then turns to look at the stairway and imagines Alfred walking down them, as he always did, and (in an attempt at humor), laughs and says, 'he knows I never use the stairs!'

As a little epilogue, we see a boy on his knees with his head down (straight shot looking at the top of his head) a woman's voice says, 'you must go to Gotham, go to Gotham and find your father.' The boy doesn't move, she starts to say 'do you understand-' the boy looks up, revealing his face as she finishes -Damian?' He replies 'yes, mother'.

- End