Batman (Jason O'Mara) finds himself under attack by the mysterious bandage-faced adversary calling himself Hush (Geoffrey Arend). A villain who seems to know everything about the Dark Knight, Batman must run the gauntlet of some of his deadliest foes and figure out who this adversary is. At the same time, something seems to be blossoming between him and Catwoman (Jennifer Morrison)...
This movie
was released digitally on July 20, 2019 and released on DVD on August 6.
Tropes Featured in the Movie:
- Adaptation Name Change: Edward, the boy whose kidnapping kicked off the plot, had his last name changed from "Lamont" to "Dupree".
- Adaptational Heroism: Thomas Elliot is not Hush and truly is Bruce's friend and a good man.
- Adapted Out:
- Jason Todd, who played a major role in the original comic, is omitted, as is Harold Allnut. Additionally, the Huntress, Killer Croc, Tim Drake and — because of their deaths in earlier movies — Ra's al Ghul and Talia had their roles given to other people.
- There is no flashback of Bruce Wayne and Thomas Elliot witnessing the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott battling his enemy the Icicle when they were kids.
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: The Arkham inmates really enjoy the sight of Clayface pounding on Batman and Gordon.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: Hush's murder of Thomas Elliot leads Batman to conclude that the villain is aware of his real identity and is targetting his loved ones to spite him. As a result, the hero visits Catwoman and attempts to convince her to leave the city, revealing that he is Bruce Wayne in the process.
- Animal Reaction Shot: When Damian expresses his disapproval of his father dating another villainess, Titus barks in agreement.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Hush knocks out Catwoman and chains her up over a giant grinder, but doesn’t bother to remove her claws or her whip, two tools that she uses to escape when he is distracted.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Poison Ivy can brainwash people by kissing them. She manages to take control of Superman by using a special kryptonite-laced lipstick.
- Bittersweet Ending: Hush is finally defeated, but Thomas Elliot, one of Bruce's few friends, is dead; and Selina breaks up with Bruce due to their conflicting views regarding the worth of a murderer's life and Selina wanting to leave her life of crime behind.
- The Cameo:
- Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) arrives to save Batman and take him to the Bat-cave after he almost dies from a fall while pursuing Catwoman.
- Amanda Waller has to work with Batman to capture Bane and then hauls the villain away to add to her Squad.
- Damian cameos during a telecall with his father to show his displeasure of Bruce dating Selina Kyle.
- Penguin, Two-Face, and Mr. Freeze appear in a silent, freeze-frame montage of Batman and Catwoman taking them down together.
- Cast as a Mask: Maury Sterling, who voices Thomas Elliot, also voices Hush, who is not his alter ego in this movie. Instead, Hush is Edward Nygma/The Riddler (voiced by Geoffrey Arend).
- Chekhov's Boomerang: Catwoman wears noseplugs to protect herself from Poison Ivy's pheromones. Fortunately she still has them when she and Nightwing are ambushed by Scarecrow in the cemetery.
- Composite Character:
- Killer Croc's role is filled by Bane.
- Huntress is absent in the film, with Batgirl taking her place.
- Damian Wayne is Robin here, rather than Tim Drake in the original comic.
- In the original comic, Thomas Elliot and The Riddler were the Big Bad Duumvirate of the storyline. Here, Riddler is working completely solo and assumes the mantle of Hush.
- While both Lady Shiva and Lex Luthor were in the comic, Shiva was a lackey for Ra's al Ghul and Luthor's appearance was to help set up the first arc in Superman/Batman Public Enemies (2004) (which saw the end of his tenure as President Evil) with Talia al Ghul acting as Lexcorp's CEO. With both Ra's al Ghul and Talia dead in this universe, Shiva takes Ra's's role as the person to inform Batman of an outsider to the League of Assassins using a Lazarus Pit and Luthor takes Talia's role as the person in Lexcorp who helps Batman find Ivy.
- Costume Evolution:
- Batman wears both his current New 52-like black and grey costume and a dark blue and grey costume closer to what he wore in the original storyline - with trunks on the outside.
- Nightwing ditches the black and red New 52-like look he wore in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and goes back to the more popular black and blues - but with the pre-New 52 striped design like in the comic storyline, instead of his previous black and blue "bird logo" suit as seen in Son of Batman.
- Scarecrow gets a costume change. His appearance in the Nightwing and Robin short shows him wearing a burlap sack as a mask and Civvie Spandex akin to The Dark Knight Trilogy, while here he now wears a costume resembling a less creepier version of the one from The New Batman Adventures.
- Harley Quinn wears her classic harlequin suit instead of her modern-style casual outfit from Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.
- Continuity Nod: Lex Luthor mentions how he saved the Justice League from Cyborg Superman, a reference to the events of Reign of the Supermen.
- Curse Cut Short: Poison Ivy almost drops an f-bomb in the film twice just before something distracts her from doing so. She and other characters do swear on other occasions.
- Death by Adaptation: Thomas Elliot is Killed Off for Real by Nygma (who frames the Joker for it) during the Opera; and Edward Nygma dies at the end.
- Decomposite Character:
- Barbara's original role, as Oracle, was given to both Alfred and Nightwing.
- Tommy Elliot isn't Hush; the Riddler is.
- Combined with their deaths in the earlier films, Ra's al Ghul and Talia had their respective roles taken as Lady Shiva and Lex Luthor.
- Deducing the Secret Identity: With the intelligence boost he received from being exposed to the Lazarus Pit, the Riddler is able to finally figure Batman is Bruce Wayne.
- Demoted to Extra:
- In the comics, a reformed Harvey Dent was a key player in Hush's plans. Here, Two-Face appears briefly in the montage of Bruce and Selina working together after Bruce reveals his identity to her.
- Robin. In past Batman movies set in the DCAMU, Damian Wayne was always a major player. In this movie, he only appears in one scene to confront Bruce about his relationship with Selina.
- Depraved Bisexual: Poison Ivy uses her mind control powers to make Selina say "purr-fect" and kisses her against her will. Note that she is only using Selina to commit crimes because Hush is blackmailing her so her cruel treatment of Selina is entirely her idea.
- Disney Villain Death: This nearly gets subverted when Batman grapples Nygma's ankle before he falls into the pits of the burning factory. Unfortunately for Ed, Catwoman has had enough of Batman's moral code, and slices the rope to send him tumbling to his fiery demise.
- Disproportionate Retribution: While taking the opera theater hostage, Harley Quinn considered shooting a person at the audience because she doesn't like his beard.
- Dodge the Bullet: Catwoman (also Nightwing) dodges an SMG burst from some mook through a series of hand flips. Batman briefly dodges the fire from Gatling guns! before blowing them up with batarangs.
- Dodge This!:Bane: Where's my money?!
Batman: Here's your money. (*PUNCH*) - Dont Make Me Do This: Gordon pleads Batman not to make him have to shoot him over the Joker's life.Gordon: "Gotham needs Batman!"
- Foe Romance Subtext:
- Before he really does start Dating Catwoman, Batman is chasing her across the rooftops, giving him a Male Gaze view of her behind.Catwoman: Like the view? It's the only thing you'll catch tonight.
- Entirely one-sided when Batman is fighting Clayface outside The Joker's cell.Joker: You're seeing another villain already? I thought we had something special! [snip] How many others were there! No, don't tell me! (breaks down sobbing)
- Before he really does start Dating Catwoman, Batman is chasing her across the rooftops, giving him a Male Gaze view of her behind.
- Fighting from the Inside: Superman avoids killing Batman and Catwoman while under mind control because his code against killing is that strong. Even after Poison Ivy gives him a booster, seeing Lois in danger snaps him out of it completely.
- Genius Bruiser: Hush/Riddler's exposure to the Lazarus Pit has increased his mental capacity and improved his skills as a hand-to-hand fighter.
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: A variation; when Catwoman tells Batgirl to look after her "boss" she snaps back, "He's not my boss!"
- Heroic Fatigue: Commissioner Gordon expresses this sentiment, asking if it's too much to ask for one quiet week.
- I Am What I Am: Bruce and Selina both have this trope in effect when it comes to issues in regards to their own desires in life and what they represent, which is everything from personal philosophies and even implied mental illness (i.e. Selina's kleptomania, Bruce's obsession, etc.). Bruce's unwillingness to give up the Batman mantle and Chronic Hero Syndrome towards people even like the Riddler and Selina's own desires for an unattached life dismantle their relationship.
- I Shall Taunt You: In their final battle, Batman mercilessly taunts Hush, mocking Nygma for being a C-lister with a stupid gimmick, and pointing out that the boost he got from the Lazarus Pit is starting to wear off.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Hush shoots Batman's grappling line with a sniper rifle while he's in mid-swing.
- Irony: After revealing his secret identity, Bruce admits to Selina that he broke things off with her in the past because he believed she was unstable and could not control her kleptomania impulses. In the end, Selina decides Batman's dedication to his code makes him too unstable to be with.
- Incriminating Indifference: Batman finds the Joker standing over the dead body of Thomas Elliot with a gun in his hand. Despite protesting his innocence, the clown keeps laughing and making jokes throughout the scene which only enrages Batman.
- Maybe Ever After: The film closes with Batman and Catwoman realizing they can't be in a serious, long-term relationship, but agree the day will come when they're ready.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: After Batman gets a serious head injury from his fall and has to be taken to the hospital, the others crash one of Bruce Wayne's cars to give a plausible explanation.
- Ms. Fanservice:
- Catwoman, who wears a skin-tight shiny black catsuit with a lot of scenes focusing on her backside; also on her cleavage in evening gowns.
- Poison Ivy wears a tight leotard of plants with shots of her cleavage and backside.
- Mythology Gag:
- Selina's cat is named "Eartha," after Catwoman actress Eartha Kitt.
- Catwoman mocks Harley Quinn's traditional jester costume as being out of style since the 1990s, which is when Quinn (and her costume) debuted.
- In both versions of the story, Batman was confronted with the face of his friend Thomas Elliot and received a riddle relating to the importance of friendship during the finale. The difference here is that in this case, he was staring at Thomas' corpse.Comic!Hush: What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies...
Movie!Hush: The less of me you have, the more I am worth. What am I? Answer: a friend. - A Gotham television news program is called "News 52".
- Not the first time we see Batgirl and Catwoman fight each other.
- Ivy retrieving lipstick from her cleavage is a possible nod to the BTAS episode "Pretty Poison" where she did the same thing.
- Not His Sled: Edward Nygma is Hush, not Thomas Elliot, who is Killed Offscreen mid-movie.
- Not Me This Time: The Joker when caught standing over a dead body. Once Batman has a chance to cool off and look at the evidence, he quickly realises the Joker was manipulated into being the fall guy.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Batman when Superman doesn't immediately break free from Ivy's control at the sight of Lois held hostage.
- Ivy when Batman and a recently freed from her control Superman shoe up.
- Only Six Faces: Poison Ivy appears rendered with Lois Lane's face, with different hair and colorings.
- Out-of-Character Alert: When the Riddler does a standard smash-and-grab, Batman knows Hush must be involved because Riddler doesn't leave any clues or riddles for Batman to follow. It's just mundane, and that isn't Riddler.
- Reformed, but Not Tamed: Catwoman honestly wants to turn her life around, but her methods and fighting carry a certain viciousness that Batman scolds her for.
- Rudely Hanging Up: Bruce Wayne's response when Damian Wayne (having found Dad is involved with Selina Kyle) starts criticizing his poor romantic choices (specifically including Damian's own mother) and starts telling Dad to use protection and cover his drinks.
- Scar Survey: The post-coitus version when Selena notes the extensive scarring on Bruce, including the claw marks she gave him.Selina: Your scars...so many.Bruce: You ah...remember these?Selina: I'd just gotten my retractable claws. Cost a small fortune.Bruce: They worked. I had to upgrade my Kevlar body armor after that.Selina: Uh, sorry?
- Schmuck Bait: Batman tells a brainwashed Superman that he's broken a gaspipe in the Absurdly Spacious Sewer, so if Superman uses his Eye Beams it'll blow up the building above them, "And you know what building that is." Superman peeks upwards with his X-Ray vision and gets sucker-punched on the chin with kryptonite knuckle dusters.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Three punks try to unmask and kill Batman after the hero is injured by Hush. Catwoman intervenes and they fight her, but when Batgirl also joins in, they flee.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Dick wholehearted ships "
Brucelina" as he dubs it, even before the start of their official relationship. - After both Bruce and Selina walk out on him, Thomas Elliot calls them a "perfect couple" in disbelief.
- Dick wholehearted ships "
- Shoot the Rope: Hush does this to Batman's grapple-line while he's chasing Catwoman.
- Shout-Out:
- Harley's 3 hyenas are named Moe, Larry, and Shemp. And she mocks Bruce by calling him a "wascally wabbit" .
- A Lex-Corp shipment routed to Poison Ivy was sent to an address at a "Triffid Building".
- Shower of Love: Very briefly we see Bruce and Selina having one after a night of crime fighting. Nothing is shown but Sexy Silhouette of the two.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: After Hush gives a self-aggrandizing speech and asks Batman what does he think of him now, Batman tells him "You talk too much".
- Slashed Throat: Batman does this to Nygma, having deduced that he's actually Clayface in disguise and the voice is coming through a transmitter. Unfortunately that destroys the device Hush was using to maintain control of Clayface, leaving him free to go berserk.
- Status Quo Is God: The film ends with Bruce and Selina breaking up to reset things back to baseline.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Batman gives one to Riddler that doubles as Shut Up, Hannibal! after he gloats about his transformation From Nobody to Nightmare.
- Thou Shall Not Kill: Discussed. Batman explains that his no-killing rule is what keeps him from becoming a criminal, but he nearly breaks it when he attempts to strangle the Joker to death, believing he was responsible for Thomas Elliot's murder. Though he manages to grab a hold of himself and firmly stands up for his beliefs by the end of the film, Catwoman realizes that Batman's moral code can sometimes lead him to make poor decisions, as he nearly sacrificed his own life trying to save Nygma, a deranged criminal.
- Took a Level in Badass: After being overcharged with the Lazarus Pit, Edward Nygma, in a matter of minutes, deduces Batman's true identity and goes to formulate a plan to break Bruce Wayne's spirit by killing his loved ones while taunting him for his inability to stop him. He also becomes a skilled enough fighter to trade blows with Batman on an even basis.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: Bane's vocabulary and combat style take a massive hit when he attacks Batman. Alfred and Batman take notice of this and Batman theorizes that the new style of Venom he's using has affected him.
- Traitor Shot: Thomas Elliot smirks for the camera out of Bruce's line of sight. Though it's subverted when he turns out not to be Hush unlike the comic.
- Tranquillizer Dart: Bane with his new improved Venom just shrugs off the tranquilizers that Walker's people pump him with, so Batman provides a magazine of 20mm darts meant to be fired from her helicopter's Gatling guns!
- Trespassing to Talk: Lex Luthor is not happy when Batman turns up in his bedroom at 3 in the morning, looking for information (in fairness, Batman did consult his clerk first but the information had been erased). As he's a (probationary) member of the Justice League however, Lex helps out, if only to get rid of him.
- Unscrupulous Hero: Lampshaded by Batman when he's fighting Superman, but Catwoman manages to top even him. She has Lois Lane hostage at the top of the Daily Planet skyscraper, hoping this will snap Superman out of Poison Ivy's control. When this doesn't work she throws Lois off the edge.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Hush, a.k.a. the Riddler, may be able to fight evenly against Batman thanks to possessing enhanced strength and reflexes courtesy of his Lazarus Pit exposure, but it's pretty clear he lacks the decades of experience in hand-to-hand combat that the likes of Batman and Catwoman have. He fights with pretty much the same "swing wildly with a staff weapon" technique that he's always used, and Batman gets way more hits in on him than he does on Batman. Really the only reason he gives as good as he gets is because he's armed and Batman isn't.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Where Poison Ivy stores her Kryptonite lipstick.
- Villainous Breakdown: Hush gets a pretty good one during the finale, whining about Batman not taking him seriously and ineffectually telling him to shut up.
- Will They or Won't They?: In the end of the film, Batman and Catwoman break up over their conflicting views on morality. However, before she departs, Selina strokes his face and says "Maybe someday, but not today", implying she hopes to resume their relationship some time in the future.
- Vocal Evolution: Damian's voice is notably lower than it used to be in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. Understandable, since time has continued to move forward in this universe.
