Batman Moments That Will Never Be On The Big Screen

Say what you will about DC's attempts at moviemaking, but there's one thing you have to give the company: It goes out of its way to recreate moments from the comics. Movies like "Batman Begins" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" are full of scenes lifted directly from the page. The problem, of course, is that the filmmakers tend to only pull from the same few stories, and while it's always nice to give fans something they recognize, it's a real shame when they don't dig deeper.

Eventually, they're going to realize that they have over 75 years of Batman comics to draw from, and when that happens, we're going to start seeing some really interesting stuff. That said, even when the filmmakers start going through long boxes and scouring the archives, there are going to be plenty of moments that are just too weird to ever be on the big screen.

In the movies, the Dark Knight's seemingly endless arsenal of crimefighting equipment is either provided by Lucius Fox or made down in the Batcave by Alfred and Batman himself. It's a pretty good answer, as long as you don't think about it too hard and start wondering why nobody down in WayneTech R&D realizes they spend so much time sewing up wearable hang-glider capes and bat-shaped boomerangs. But honestly? It actually makes way more sense than what we got in the comics.

When Denny O'Neil, Alan Grant, and Norm Breyfogle decided to answer the question of who pumps the Batmobile's tires, the answer they came up with was Harold Allnut, who was both hunchbacked and mute, and also turned out to be a mechanical genius. After Batman rescued him, he moved into the Batcave and spent the next few years tinkering with the Batmobile and never leaving. Again, just so we're clear here: in the '90s, the Batmobile was built and maintained by a modern-day Quasimodo who never, ever went outside.

To make matters even weirder, his presence was rarely acknowledged despite the fact that he spent roughly a decade as a pretty prominent member of Batman's supporting cast. There would just be scenes in those comics when Batman would be down in the cave talking to Alfred about the Riddler or whatever, and there'd be someone hunched over a table in the background, silently working on his next project. He was eventually killed off in the pages of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's "Hush" after being briefly cured of his kyphosis in exchange for revealing Batman's secrets, only to be immediately murdered. Then he was even more improbably brought back in the pages of Scott Snyder and John Romita Jr.'s "All-Star Batman" #3, but this time, he didn't have to live in the basement — he was a tech expert living upstate from Gotham City who sent new gadgets to Batman via an underground river.

Despite the fact that Batman only has room for one true love in his life — the love of justice – the movies are always quick to try to add a little bit of romance. They've even made a point of creating entirely new characters just to give Batman someone to smooch, which seems a little weird. Why start your movies off with Vicki Vale and Catwoman, two characters drawn from the comics, and then move into movie originals without going any deeper? If they'd just done a little digging, we could've gotten a movie about Nocturna and the time Batman had a custody battle with a vampire over who got to raise Robin.

Okay, so Natalia Knight wasn't an actual blood-drinking vampire when Doug Moench and Gene Colan introduced her in "Batman" #363, but that's only because someone down at the Comics Code would've thrown a fit. She was, in fact, the victim of a radioactive accident that left her extremely pale and vulnerable to sunlight, happened to dress like Elvira, and was also an arch-criminal who adopted Jason Todd, discovered Batman's secret identity, and tried to convince the Caped Crusader that Robin could only be raised properly if they got married.

Even if it sounds like the best possible plot for a movie, a supernatural action-adventure rom-com in which Batman had to marry a sexy vampire criminal in order to get custody of his sidekick doesn't really sound like something we're going to be seeing on film. It's a shame, too. There's something for everyone.

As much as "Batman Begins" relied on Frank Miller and Mazzucchelli's "Batman: Year One" for inspiration, it's kind of surprising that nobody ever bothered to look at its canonical sequel: Mike W. Barr, Alan Davis, and Todd McFarlane's "Batman: Year Two," which ran in "Detective Comics" #575 to #578 just a year after its well-known predecessor. Or at least, that would be surprising, if "Year Two" wasn't the weirdest possible way to follow up the gritty, street-level reboot that would define Batman for the next 30 years.

To be fair, "Year Two" did have a pretty big influence on one theatrical "Batman" movie, the animated "Mask of the Phantasm." The title vigilante of that film and her relationship with Bruce Wayne owes more than a little to the Reaper, a gun-toting, scythe-wielding antihero who shows up in "Year Two" as a challenge for the Dark Knight. What that movie completely avoids, however, is everything else about the story — and that's where the weirdness comes in.

For one thing, it's revealed in this story that when his parents were murdered, Batman picked up the discarded handgun that killed them and kept it in a drawer for the next 15 years, in case he ever tracked down the mugger who shot them in Crime Alley. For another, the Reaper ends up being such a huge threat that Batman not only has to dig out his parents' murder weapon, he also has to team up with the mugger himself, Joe Chill. It's certainly the team-up you never expected, but ... that may actually be for the best.

Remember how weird it was to see the KGBeast showing up in "Batman v Superman," just sort of standing around as a human-shaped wink at anyone who bothered to Google "Anatoli Knyazev" to see if he was someone from the comics? Honestly, with the sheer number of characters in the DC Comics library, there's really no need to include anyone who didn't spend at least three months in Arkham Asylum, even if they're just lingering in the background being vaguely menacing.

On the upside, if these movies go long enough, the filmmakers are eventually going to have to get down to the villains they never would've thrown in otherwise — and that means characters like Professor Gorilla, also known as Karmak. Originally appearing in the "Batman" manga by Jiro Kuwata that ran in Japan's Shonen Ace magazine in the '60s, he was ... well, he was exactly what he sounds like. A gorilla who gained genius-level human intelligence and then tried to exact revenge on the entire human race.

While there are certainly people who would pay good money to see a movie where Batman had to battle against the scourge of super-intelligent gorillas — because seriously, if they're going to keep making "Planet of the Apes" movies, they might as well put Batman in at least one — the problem with Karmak might be that he's just too sympathetic to work as a villain. In the original story, even Robin admits "If I were a gorilla who got super-powers, I'd probably want to exact revenge on humans, too," and when you think about it like that, it might be the most solid argument for villainous behavior in the history of fiction.

If you were looking for a great story that dealt with the psychological trauma inherent in the idea of Batman, you could do a lot worse than to go back to Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff's "Robin Dies At Dawn." Originally printed in 1963's "Batman" #156, it's arguably the single best "Batman" story of the decade, showing a Batman who's struggling with, and ultimately overcoming, paralyzing fear that his life as a superhero will inevitably lead only to more death and suffering — specifically to Robin's, which would cause him to lose his only family a second time.

Of course, it's also a story that opens with Batman battling aliens in space and ends with him fighting crooks while wearing most of a gorilla costume over his bat costume because he's too afraid of bats, so, you know, there's that. As much as the themes might feel modern, the storytelling is pure Silver Age, with Batman volunteering to help an experiment on "space medicine" and ending up plagued by hallucinations of an alien world where he saw Robin die, leading him to temporarily give up on crimefighting until he gets his groove back.

That said, of all the stories on this list, this is the one that might actually make it. In 2008, Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel recontextualized it as a psychological experiment meant to break Batman down over the course of years, with the "space medicine" doctor being reintroduced as one of his deadliest enemies. That's the kind of thing the films can definitely work with, but we're guessing if they do, that gorilla suit ain't gonna make the cut.

KGBeast has been a regular foe of Batman since he was introduced in 1988 during the events of "Batman" #417. Trained by the KGB as an assassin, KGBeast is often known by his birth name, Anatoliy Knyazev, and has killed hundreds of people throughout his deadly career. A master of martial arts and skilled with almost every type of weapon, KGBeast also has several cybernetic enhancements to augment his strength, endurance, and speed. The villain has fought with the Caped Crusader dozens of times and returned in 2018 during a three-issue arc known as "Beasts of Burden."

This story, which takes place between "Batman" #55 and #57, sees KGBeast return to Gotham to confront his longtime adversary on behalf of Bane — who is masterminding a war against Batman. He fights Nightwing and almost kills the vigilante, leading Batman to seek out KGBeast to stop his machinations. The graphic brawl concludes when Batman's zipline seemingly breaks KGBeast's neck.

With the villain apparently suffering fatal injuries that leave him motionless on the floor, Batman walks away, with KGBeast being slowly covered with snow. As the fight took place in such an isolated area, it appeared as if the hero simply decided to leave his foe to slowly die, as he is buried alive by snow. However, it is later revealed that KGBeast survived.

The nature of Batman as a brooding and dark hero means that there are always some stories more mature than others. While plenty of traditional DC Comics show a grislier side to the Dark Knight, his most ominous tales have often come in one-shots or graphic novels. A great example of that is "Batman: Night Cries." Released in 1992, it was written by Archie Goodwin, with art principally done by Scott Hampton, and follows Batman as he and Commissioner James Gordon track down a serial killer.

"Batman: Night Cries" quickly delves into morality when it is revealed this killer is a masked vigilante bringing a gruesome form of justice to child abusers. There are harrowing accounts from children who have had their innocence ripped away, and although nothing explicit is ever shown, there are moments that can have the emotional weight of a kick to the chest.

Batman and Gordon must come to grips with the devastating cases they see, weigh whether this killer is justified, and confront their personal demons. The comic delves into how Gordon cares more for the job than his own family, depicting him nearly hitting his son before stopping himself. The entire story is beautifully written and drawn, but something major movie studios would avoid like the plague because of its complicated and controversial subject matter.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Frank Miller is one of the world's most respected comic book writers. Having won every major award for his work in the industry, he is also responsible for some of the most important "Batman" comics. Arguably his most prominent release was "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," a 1984 miniseries that helped propel the franchise into a grittier and more mature setting. Of course, that doesn't mean that everything Miller has worked on has been a hit. For example, his "All-Star Batman And Robin, the Boy Wonder" series has been widely panned for portraying Bruce Wayne out of character.

Much of this is to do with the way Batman treats Dick Grayson. Essentially kidnapped by Batman after witnessing the death of his family, Grayson is trained to become the new Robin and suffers physical and mental abuse at the hands of the Caped Crusader. In what became a popular meme, Batman, at one point, even uses the R-word when talking to Grayson, saying: "What are you, dense? Are you re***ded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the goddamn Batman!"

At another point in the story, Batman slaps his sidekick across the face and shouts down at Alfred when the butler shows any kindness towards the young Grayson, who is still mourning the death of his entire family. Batman doesn't even provide his ward with food and instead suggests he hunt for rats in the Batcave.

The early days of "Batman" comics were a weird world. The character was still being fleshed out while writers were experimenting with how Batman would act and how far he was willing to go. For example, his no-kill rule was not established until the winter of 1940 in "Batman" #4, a year after his debut in "Detective Comics" #27. Until that point, Batman didn't seem to have any issue with using lethal force — something effectively demonstrated in "Batman" #1.

In this comic, Batman is once again fighting against Hugo Strange, who has created an army of mutated Monster Men causing havoc throughout Gotham. After convincing several of them to fight each other, he captures a second one by using a machine gun to destroy the vehicle the Monster Man is using. Swinging a rope around this adversary's neck, Batman hangs the figure from the Batplane, parading the body over Gotham as it slowly stops struggling and becomes limp. It's a dramatic image considering Batman is usually against using lethal force and is backed up later in the same issue when the hero disables another Monster Man and causes him to fall to his death.

Barbara Gordon has had a tough time in the "Batman" continuity. Like many members of the Bat Family, she has had her fair share of hardships and had to put up with a lot of punishment as both Batgirl and Oracle. However, arguably the most disturbing thing she had to endure came in "The Killing Joke," a one-shot from "Watchmen" writer Alan Moore. Not only is it one of the most horrifying moments in "Batman" comics, but also one of the most controversial in DC Comics' entire history.

The story primarily revolves around the Joker's mission to make James Gordon snap and become as mentally unstable as himself. Believing that every person is capable of that same kind of depravity, the Joker goes to ever more extreme lengths to prove his theory, which involves torturing Batgirl. The villain shoots her through the spine, paralyzing her, and then forces her to struggle on the floor strewn with glass, unable to get up and in agonizing pain. The Joker then goes on to undress Batgirl and photograph her, sending the photographs to Commissioner Gordon.

Although Batman has certainly had more reckless moments and even came close to killing the Joker on several occasions, none have been quite so violent and crazed as a particular incident in "Batman: Hush." Written by Jeph Loeb, with art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams, the story focuses on a relatively new villain in the "Batman" mythos known as Hush. Once a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, Hush develops a vendetta against the Waynes and wants nothing more than to destroy Bruce and his reputation.

Before Hush even appears, Batman is forced to battle several of his oldest enemies, who act out of character. This culminates in the Joker seemingly shooting noted surgeon Dr. Elliot dead, an act that finally pushes an exhausted Batman over the edge. In a rage, the hero savagely beats his nemesis, almost killing him despite the protestations of several of his friends, who try to stop him.

Commissioner Jim Gordon eventually ends the madness, and it is later revealed that Hush framed the Joker. Batman committing such a violent attack is something movie fans will likely never see in a live-action adaptation.