Batman is, without a doubt, the most famous masked vigilante of comic book history. I won’t call him a superhero, as he is not one – superheroes have superhuman abilities, where he has none. He is not capable to fly, shoot lasers from his eyes, jump over skyscrapers or move objects around with his mind. What he has is willpower, a strong sense of justice, and some billions in his bank accounts to fund his high-tech, unique equipment. Still, superpowers or not, he is a hero, the Dark Knight of Gotham City, loved by millions of fans all over the world.
As most comic book characters, he lives a double life: during the day he is billionaire playboy and industry magnate Bruce Wayne, while at night he is the Batman, a masked vigilante who plants the seeds of fear into the hearts of the numerous villains of the city. Of course, his life as an exclusive comic book character was short – he has first found his way to the big screen a mere four years after going to print. Loaded with strong anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese rhetoric, the 15 chapter serial Batman was a huge success in 1943 (and was followed by another similar production), and eventually led to the first TV series featuring the Caped Crusader to be produced in the late 1960s.
The 1966 TV series, starring the legendary Adam West, eventually gave birth to the first feature-length movie featuring the Dark Knight. The series, as well as the movie, were much more light and funny back in the day, with no trace of the personal vendettas and demons depicted in our modern day versions.
But then the story of the Caped Crusader has reached a turning point, when famous director Tim Burton was asked to helm the revival of the franchise on the big screen. The fans of the Batman were worried about how this idea will work, as Burton was not a comic book fan. Comedian Michael Keaton also didn’t seem a good choice for the title role. But the movie turned out to be one of the most iconic renderings of the Dark Knight, with The Joker often stealing the show (Jack Nicholson was, indeed, a great choice for the role of the homicidal maniac with a permanent smile fused on his face).
What followed was more of the same medicine at first, with Batman Returns being another acclaimed Tim Burton feature film, but the following two movies fell short of the expectations of fans (George Clooney, Val Kilmer, but even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chilling jokes and Alicia Silverstone’s buttocks in spandex were unable to save the next two movies from being ridicule). The movie franchise has gone on hiatus in the late 1990s, not to return to the big screen until 2005, when the adventures of the Caped Crusader have begun – again.
Batman Begins was the next live action movie to feature the Dark Knight of Gotham City. The title role was played by one of my favorite actors, Christian Bale (I loved him in American Psycho, and greatly appreciated his character in Equilibrium, to name just a few), and he managed to once again show his worth by interpreting the nonchalant billionaire and the orphaned son filled with resentment in the same movie. Chris Nolan’s version told the same old story in a new, brilliant way, breathing new life into the big screen franchise and winning over crowds of new fans. It was followed by two sequels, both acclaimed by the audience and the critics alike. These movies introduced us to a new breed of villains, with the most memorable of them all being the brutally insane Joker, so masterfully played by the late Heath Ledger (a role that won him post-mortem Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Saturn awards for being the best supporting actor).
Chris Nolan’s version of the Batman gave birth to a series of video game adaptations, among them a couple of high quality video slot machines. Called The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, both of them are available at real money online gaming outlets like the Red Flush online casino, on desktop and mobile devices, having a series of great wins in store for their players. The Dark Knight video slot even has life-changing potential: its players have the chance to win its developer’s highest jackpot, worth over $8 million. And that’s something worth playing for, right? But The Dark Knight is not the only game worth playing at Red Flush casino, as they offer the best Microgaming slot games. Its game library consists of over 700 titles to explore, with over 100 of them available for mobile play. Besides slot machines, you can explore a world of card games, arcade titles and casual games. And if this wasn’t enough for you, take a look at the monthly promotions the Red Flush has for you – prizes worth playing for, I’m sure.
The story of the Dark Knight ended, but there is always room for more. Next year we are preparing for a new actor to take on the role of Batman – this time it will be Ben Affleck, a controversial choice for the role. He is also set to direct the yet untitled Batman reboot to be released at an unknown date. A controversial choice indeed – Affleck is a declared fan of Marvel superheroes, with Daredevil being his childhood hero. Affleck will have some big shoes to fill, but I think he will outperform some of his predecessors under the cape. And this time he will take on one of the strongest enemies he ever had: the Man of Steel himself.
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