; currently in his 80s; Wayne's faithful butler, healer, and confidant. Carrie Kelley / Robin: A thirteen-year-old orphan who eventually becomes Batman's sidekick. She is regularly mistaken for the previous "Boy Wonder" throughout the narrative. After she saves the Dark Knight's life, the elderly Batman, despite Alfred's objections, invests his faith in her. A thirteen-year-old orphan who eventually becomes Batman's sidekick, Robin. She is regularly mistaken for the previous "Boy Wonder" throughout the narrative. After she saves the Dark Knight's life, the elderly Batman, despite Alfred's objections, invests his faith in her. James Gordon: The Gotham City Police Department's old Commissioner, who retires on his 70th birthday. He is well acquainted with Batman's actual identity.
A late-night talk show presenter who hosts the Joker and Dr. Wolper; he and his audience are subsequently assassinated by the Joker's deadly gas. He is a parody of David Letterman. Lola Chong: A Gotham City news anchor who acts as the story's primary talking head, delivering explanation and narrative via her reporting. Bruno: The head of a neo-Nazi gang. She attacks Batman and Robin for the Joker but is apprehended by Superman.
The Dark Knight Returns follows an elderly Batman as he emerges after ten years of retirement, unable to accept how Gotham City has been overrun by terror and violence. Throughout the novel's 200 odd pages, Batman strives to rid Gotham of crime in a manner reminiscent of Dirty Harry, with a feeling of recklessness and the willingness to break the law as long as it fits his own code. Batman has grown bitter as a result of age and tragedy, which manifests itself in his actions and motives as he resumes his fight against crime. His enlightenment is sparked by the weather metaphor in combination with excerpts from news sources. At the start of the novel, Gotham is besieged by a heatwave, and as the temperature increases, so does crime and Bruce Wayne's loathing for it. The heatwave ultimately breaks as a result of a storm that washes away Batman and the beginning of crime from the city. It's a clever notion since it creates tension and serves as a contrast to his old existence.
