Bruce tries to hide his reaction. Falcone lowers his gun.
People from your world always have so much to lose. That’s why they keep me in business – I stop the desperate heading uptown the way Joe Chill did. You think because your mommy and daddy got shot you know the ugly side of life, but you don’t. You’ve never tasted desperation – you’re Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham – you’d have to go a thousand miles to meet someone who didn’t know your name. So don’t come down here with all your anger … trying to prove something to yourself – this is a world you’ll never understand. And you’ll always fear what you don’t understand.
Falcone nods – a Thug punches Bruce’s side, Bruce turns – is grabbed by two Thugs – he fights back, but is overwhelmed.
You got spirit, kid, I’ll give you that. More than your old man, anyway.
Bruce looks at Falcone. Blood on his face. Surprised.
In the joint Chill told me about the night he killed your parents … said your dad begged for mercy. Begged. Like a dog.
Bruce stares back at Falcone.
EXT. FALCONE’S BASEMENT CLUB, DOCK AREA – MOMENTS LATER 52
Two Bouncers toss Bruce into the street – he hits the deck, rolling across the asphalt. A Homeless Man, warming at a flaming oil drum, watches Bruce struggle to his feet.
MALE VOICE
Shoulda tipped better.
Bruce turns. Walks over to the Man, wiping the blood off his face. The Homeless Man looks him up and down.
Bruce stares at the Man. Thinking. Takes out his wallet. Removes the money. Hands it to the Homeless Man.
HOMELESS MAN
For what?
BRUCE
Your jacket.
Bruce drops his wallet into the fire. The Homeless Man laughs. Bruce pulls off his tie, throws it into the fire. He pulls off his overcoat, bundles it up ready to –
HOMELESS MAN
Lemme have it, that’s a good coat.
Bruce looks at the Homeless Man, who has removed his own. They exchange clothing.
BRUCE
Be careful who sees you with that. (Off look.) They’re gonna come looking for me.
HOMELESS MAN
Who?
BRUCE
Everyone.
Bruce, less incongruous in his ‘new’ coat, wanders the stacks. A horn sounds. Bruce’s eyes lock on to the ship preparing to leave. Bruce runs towards it through the shadows …
INT. WALKWAY, MONASTERY – DAY (PRESENT) 53
Ducard watches Wayne face off against a shaven-headed Warrior.
As they spar, shouting from across the monastery distracts Wayne and he gets put down. Ducard shakes his head.
DUCARD
Childish, Wayne.
Wayne sits there, looking over as two Warriors drag a screaming man towards a cage …
WAYNE
Who is he?
DUCARD
He was a farmer. Then he tried to take his neighbor’s land and became a murderer
Wayne watches them lock the Murderer into the cage …
Now he’s a prisoner.
The cage is winched ten feet off the ground. The Murderer’s arms hang through the cage. He is whimpering.
WAYNE
What will happen to him?
DUCARD
Justice. Crime cannot be tolerated – criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s ‘understanding’. You know this.
Wayne nods, staring at the Murderer in the cage, troubled. Ducard watches Wayne.
Or when you lived among the criminals … did you make the same mistake as your father? Did you start to pity them?
Wayne looks at Ducard, thinking … shrugs.
WAYNE
The first time you steal
EXT. CROWDED MARKET, AFRICAN PORT TOWN – EVENING (MEMORY) 54
Bruce picks up a mango from a stack to examine it.
WAYNE
(voice-over)
… so that you don’t starve …
He uses his lower hand to slip a plum into his pocket.
EXT. ALLEY, AFRICAN PORT TOWN – LATER 55
Bruce squats in a doorway. Bites hungrily into his plum. He looks up. A Child in rags sits in the next doorway, staring. Bruce stares back, juice dripping.
WAYNE
(voice-over)
… you lose many assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong.
Bruce hands the Child the plum. Licks his fingers. Hard.
EXT. CAR PARK, LONDON – DAY 56
Bruce watches an Old Man slim-jim a sports car’s window.
WAYNE
(voice-over)
As I traveled, I learned …
EXT. BUILDING, SHANGHAI – DAY 57
Wayne and Stocky Chinese Man sit in a car, watching a truck being loaded.
WAYNE
(voice-over)
I felt the fear before a crime …
INT. WAREHOUSE, SHANGHAI – DAY 58
The truck races in – two Criminals yank the doors shut after.
WAYNE
(voice-over)
… and the thrill of success …
Bruce and Stocky jump down from the cab, laughing.
BRUCE
Where’s your friend?
STOCKY
(shrugs)
Not friend. Friend of friend.
Bruce stops laughing. Looks at Stocky with contempt. The doors explode – Cops burst in, shouting in Mandarin.
INT. SAME – LATER 59
The back of the truck is opened – Cops inventory piles of boxes pulled out of the back.
WAYNE
(voice-over)
… without becoming one of them.
Bruce sits in a line of criminals, hands cuffed behind back. A Cop yanks him to his feet, hauling him over to an Officer.
COP
(in Mandarin)
He refuses to give his name.
OFFICER
(to Bruce)
Fool, what the hell do I care what your name is? You’re a criminal.
BRUCE
(in fluent Mandarin)
I’m not a criminal.
OFFICER
Tell that to the guy who owned these!
He kicks a box: close on the Wayne Enterprises logo.
INT. PRISON COURTYARD – DAY 60
Wayne is led across the courtyard. The Prisoners stare.
DUCARD
(voice-over)
You travelled the world to understand the criminal mind and conquer your fear …
INT. THRONE ROOM – NIGHT 61
Close on Wayne’s blue poppy – now shriveled dry – on the altar. Wayne, clad in black Ninja uniform, watches as Ducard, also in black, picks it up, takes a pestle and mortar, drops in the dried flower, and grinds it to dust.
DUCARD
But a criminal isn’t complicated, and what you really fear is inside yourself. You fear your own power. Your own anger. The drive to do great or terrible things … you must journey inwards …
Ducard pours the dust into a small brazier. Lights it. Motions to Wayne.
Drink in your fears. Face them. You are ready.
Wayne breathes the smoke. He shakes his head. Reacting to the effects of the smoke, his mind is plagued by images: Chill’s trembling gun – Young Bruce falling – Thomas staggering.
Ducard puts on his Ninja mask. Motions Wayne to do the same. Wayne struggles to think through the effects of the smoke …
Dozens of identical Ninjas step forward from the shadows: Ducard has melted into the crowd. Wayne raises his guard …
To conquer fear, you must become fear … you must bask in the fear of other men … and men fear most what they cannot see –
Ducard strikes at Wayne – Wayne spins, parries – but Ducard has gone. The Ninjas move in unison, forming walls …
It is not enough to be a man … you have to become an idea … a terrible thought … a wraith …
The Ninja nearest Wayne turns and slashes – it is Ducard. Wayne leaps sid
eways, rolling through the wall of Ninjas. He looks at his arm – it has been slashed, the uniform torn – a dead giveaway. Wayne looks around, crouched, ready …
One wall of Ninjas parts, revealing a wooden box. Wayne stares at it, mind spinning from the smoke.
Embrace your worst fear …
Wayne cautiously approaches the box. Carefully lifts the lid. Peers inside …
Bats explode from the box, filling the air – Wayne dives away from the box, staring up at the squawking bats – flinching …
Ducard leaps at Wayne, who rolls sideways, blocking. Wayne turns to face Ducard, but he is lost in the Ninjas, bats filling the air, Wayne flinching with their attacks …
Wayne stays low. Slashes the arm of the Ninja nearest him – the man does not move. Wayne turns. Fighting to think.
A Ninja paces softly through the crowd. As he speaks, we can tell this is Ducard …
Become one with the darkness …
Ducard falls in behind a Ninja with a slashed sleeve … He knocks him to his knees, sword against throat –
You cannot leave any sign …
Ducard pulls off his own mask. Disappointed.
WAYNE
(o.s.)
I haven’t.
A sword is at Ducard’s neck – Wayne is behind him, pulling off his mask. Ducard looks around … several of the Ninjas around them have slashed sleeves. Ducard smiles. From across the chamber … clapping. Rā’s al Ghūl sits, watching.
RĀ’S AL GHŪL
Impressive.
The Ninjas turn, in unison, and sit. Wayne releases Ducard. Ducard leads Wayne in front of Rā’s. Rā’s leads them to a brazier, with a branding iron sticking out over the rim. Rā’s al Ghūl begins speaking in Urdu.
DUCARD
(translating)
We have purged your fear. You are ready to lead these men. You are ready to become a member of the League of Shadows.
Rā’s al Ghūl indicates the Murderer kneeling before them.
(continues translating) First you must demonstrate your commitment to justice.
Ducard hands Wayne his sword. Wayne looks at the Murderer, who looks back with pleading eyes.
WAYNE
No. I’m no executioner.
DUCARD
Your compassion is a weakness your enemies won’t share.
WAYNE
That’s why it’s so important. It separates me from them.
DUCARD
You want to fight criminals. This man is a murderer.
WAYNE
This man should be tried.
DUCARD
By whom? Corrupt bureaucrats? Criminals mock society’s laws. You know this better than most.
Rā’s al Ghūl steps forward, eyes burning. Starts speaking …
RĀ’S AL GHŪL
(accented English)
You cannot lead these men unless you are prepared to do what is necessary to defeat evil.
WAYNE
Where would I be leading these men?
RĀ’S AL GHŪL
Gotham. As Gotham’s favored son you will be ideally placed to strike at the heart of criminality.
WAYNE
How?
RĀ’S AL GHŪL
(accented English)
Gotham’s time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it … the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice … it is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the League of Shadows. It is one we have performed for centuries. Gotham must be destroyed.
Wayne turns to Ducard.
WAYNE
You can’t believe in this.
Ducard looks at Wayne, then looks down, troubled.
DUCARD
Rā’s al Ghūl rescued us from the darkest corners of our own hearts … what he asks in return is the courage to do what is necessary.
WAYNE
I’ll go back to Gotham. And I’ll fight men like this. But I won’t be an executioner.
Wayne looks at the Murderer kneeling next to the brazier.
DUCARD
(low, emphatic)
Wayne, please, for your own sake … there is no turning back …
Wayne looks at Ducard. Then raises his sword, preparing to strike. The Murderer’s head is bowed, trembling.
Wayne strikes down with his sword, missing the Murderer’s neck by inches, striking the white-hot branding iron, flipping it off the brazier and through the air into the mezzanine where the explosives are stored.
DUCARD
What are you doing?
WAYNE
What’s necessary.
Wayne strikes Ducard in the head with the flat of his sword …
Rā’s strikes at Wayne – Wayne parries – explosions roar from the balcony, shooting flame across the ceiling. Rā’s and Wayne fight as explosions surround them …
Wayne leaps clear as flaming debris collapses onto Rā’s, crushing him … the flames are rising, Ninja bodies are strewn around, fresh explosions rip across the hall as Ninjas flee, and Wayne spots Ducard lying unconscious.
Wayne picks up Ducard, hauls him out of the throne room into a passage, smashing through an ornate screen …
EXT. MOUNTAINS – CONTINUOUS 62
Wayne and Ducard crash down onto a steep slope of ice and rock, the monastery exploding above them … Wayne rolls over, grabs a rock, looks across to see –
Ducard, unconscious, sliding down the icy slope. His limp form rotates, spinning as his body gathers momentum, rushing towards the edge of the cliff …
Wayne dives after him, sliding head-first down the ice … the cliff closer and closer, as Wayne races after Ducard …
Mere feet from the cliff edge, Wayne grabs Ducard – raises his free gauntlet-clad arm, and smashes at the ice, digging in with the bronze scallops … stopping on the edge. Ducard hangs limply over a tremendous drop – Wayne struggles with the dead weight. Wayne pulls Ducard up onto the ice. Breathing.
EXT. TINY HAMLET, HIMALAYAS – DAY 63
Wayne carries Ducard down the road.
INT. SHERPA’S HUT – MOMENTS LATER 64
Wayne kicks the door open. The Old Man he saw on his way up the mountain stares back at him. Then motions Wayne to put Ducard down onto some mats. The Old Man wipes blood from Ducard’s temple. Looks at Wayne, who is moving to the door …
OLD MAN
I will tell him you saved his life.
Wayne stops. Turns. Looks back at Ducard.
WAYNE
Tell him … I have an ailing ancestor who needs me.
Wayne puts his hands together in formal salute. Bows.
EXT. LANDING STRIP, KATHMANDU – EVENING 65
A gleaming G5 sits on the runway. Wayne, ragged, filthy, approaches the plane. The door opens: Alfred stands there in the doorway. Wayne pauses at the foot of the steps.
ALFRED
Master Wayne. It’s been some time.
WAYNE
(smiles)
Yes. Yes, it has.
Alfred looks him over.
ALFRED
You look rather fashionable. Apart from the dried blood.
INT. PRIVATE JET – DAWN 66
Wayne sits, drink in hand, ragged against rich leather.
ALFRED
Are you coming back to Gotham for long, sir?
WAYNE
As long as it takes.
Alfred looks at Wayne, curious.
I’m going to show the people of Gotham that the city doesn’t belong to the criminals and the corrupt.
Alfred looks at Wayne, thinking.
ALFRED
During the depression your father nearly bankrupted Wayne Enterprises combating poverty … he believed that his example would inspire the wealthy of Gotham to save their city …
WAYNE
Did it?
ALFRED
(nods sadly)
In a way … Their murder shocked the wealthy and powerful into action.
WAYNE
/>
(nods, bitter)
People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. I can’t do this as Bruce Wayne. A man is just flesh and blood, and can be ignored or destroyed. But a symbol … as a symbol I can be incorruptible, everlasting …
ALFRED
What symbol?
WAYNE
I’m not sure, yet. Something elemental. Something terrifying.
ALFRED
I assume, sir, that since you’re taking on the underworld, this ‘symbol’ is a persona to protect those you care about from reprisals?
WAYNE
(nods)
You’re thinking about Rachel?
ALFRED
Actually, sir, I was thinking of myself.
WAYNE
Have you told anyone I’m coming back?
ALFRED
I haven’t figured out the legal ramifications of raising you from the dead.
WAYNE
Dead?
ALFRED
It’s been seven years.
WAYNE
You had me declared dead?
ALFRED
Actually, it was Mr. Earle. He wanted to liquidate your majority shareholding. He’s taking the company public. Your shares brought in an enormous amount of capital.
WAYNE
Good thing I left everything to you, then.
ALFRED
Quite so, sir. (Closes his eyes.) You’re welcome to borrow the Rolls, by the way. Just bring it back with a full tank.
EXT. GOTHAM – SUNRISE 67
Moving over spires of the city, catching gold of first light.
INT. UNMARKED POLICE SEDAN – EVENING 68
Gordon, now forty-six and a Detective, in the passenger seat. Worn eyes watching his partner, Flass, forty-two, glad-hand the owner of the liquor store they are parked outside. Flass squeezes into the driving seat holding a wad of cash.
FLASS
Don’t s’pose you want a taste?
Gordon looks at Flass, cold. Flass shrugs. Counts his money.
I keep offering ’cause who knows, maybe one day you’ll get wise.
THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY: The Complete Screenplays with Storyboards Page 5