By rejecting The Riddler in The Dark Knight Rises, director Christopher Nolan avoided a major issue that ended two superhero movie franchises, both in the wider DC Universe and Marvel Universe. Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy stands as one of the best superhero movie series of all time. Christian Bale was perfect — raspy Batman voice aside — as both the playboy side of Bruce Wayne and his stoic superhero alter ego, Batman, across all three movies. That said, it was Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight that elevated the franchise’s status as one of the best ever.
