Batman Begins, the first entry in a trilogy that brought Gotham City to the real world.
Nolan’s approach to the characters and settings was more realistic than what Tim Burton did in Batman and Batman Returns and way different from what Schumacher did, and he also gave their stories a much darker tone. Batman Begins, then, introduced the audience to The Dark Knight Rises – and in all movies, no characters from DC Comics outside of Batman’s bubble are mentioned or acknowledged.
Batman has crossed paths with other DC Comics characters in the comics, but it doesn’t happen often in other media. The Caped Crusader recently did so in the DCEU thanks to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but Nolan’s version stayed away from references and appearances from characters from the wider DC Comics universe. Rather than being a coincidence, this was done on purpose by Nolan, who wanted the motivations of his Bruce Wayne not to be tainted or influenced by those of others, making him a more unique hero.
Speaking to Gotham City didn’t “lend itself to that kind of cross-fertilization”. He went on to explain that the idea of other superheroes existing in his universe was something they discussed in the early stages of the development of Batman Begins, and they decided that comic books and superheroes aren’t a thing in this version. This was done so Bruce’s decision to put on a costume and act as a vigilante was an original idea of him and not something he took from Superman or any other character he could have seen in comic books. Nolan added that they went back to “the very original concept and idea of the character”, as in his first appearances, he “invents himself as a totally original creation”.
Christopher Nolan didn’t want his Bruce Wayne to be influenced by others, not even the universe of the Dark Knight is not a big loss nor a problem, as it allowed the characters to do their own thing without the pressure or influence of other heroes and villains, and it was done so well many viewers didn’t notice that comic books and superheroes don’t exist in this version.
