As for the plot, Batman has been following leads in an
attempt to bust the clandestine criminal organization known as the “Mask
Society,” so named for their members wearing theatrical masks. This group seems
to have the resources to not only stay one step ahead of Batman and the Gotham City
police, but keep chiseling away at the power held by the Italian and Russian
mobs.
Fed up with working for the Italian crime bosses, Tony Zucco
tries to make a name for himself with the Masks. He takes several small jobs in
the hopes of earning his place in their Society, unaware that only those
considered Gotham’s aristocratic elite weld
any real power in the organization. This is where Roman Sionis comes in. He is
from one such affluent family; his parents even hobnobbed with the Waynes back in the day.
Roman is treated like a failure by his parents, even going so far as to give
him a ‘do nothing’ job within the family owned cosmetics factory to keep up the
façade of the family’s success. After discovering that his parents are part of
the Mask Society, Roman is reluctantly inducted, but again held to doing
remedial jobs. It is Roman who gives Tony Zucco the order to give the returning
Haly’s Circus a “shakedown” for the cut of the profits owed to the Masks.
Bruce Wayne is in attendance at the circus when Zucco,
wearing a ‘tragedy’ mask, sabotages the high wire. When the Flying Graysons
tragically fall to their deaths in what appears to be an accident, Wayne notices a man
quickly leave the scene when everyone else rushes over to help. He changes into
Batman and engages Zucco. After a brief fight with Zucco trying to shoot
Batman, the police find an unconscious criminal tied up and dangling from a
tent pole.
Bruce Wayne shows up at the police station to give his
deposition as a witness. Upon speaking with Commissioner Gordon, he finds out
Zucco is believed to have connections to the Mask Society and that the
surviving son of the Flying Graysons may have seen something that could lead to
convictions. Wayne
remembers his own past upon seeing the devastated Dick Grayson, so he offers to
take the boy in both out of sympathy and the will to protect him.
To be honest, the rest of the movie isn’t completely there.
I would be more concerned if I were actually writing this script, but since I’m
not, I will highlight some of the key plot points. Dick Grayson proves to be a
bit of a detective himself by piecing together Wayne’s strange habits and figuring out he’s
hiding something. He ends up finding the Batcave. Dick wants Bruce to train him
to fight so he can avenge his parent’s deaths, but is refused. Grayson becomes
obsessed with the idea of vengeance and finds Ted Grant’s gym. Despite being a
kid, he demands to be trained, which Grant laughs off. Dick challenges and
coaxes a boxer to face him in the ring. Because of Dick’s gymnastic and acrobatic moves, the boxer can’t lay a hit on
the boy. Grant is impressed. Wayne
shows up at the gym (how did he find Dick Grayson? He’s Batman, duh!). Grant
(who it is implied knows Bruce’s secret) tells him that either Batman can train
Grayson or Grayson will go it alone and probably get killed. Bruce reluctantly
agrees to train the kid.
Roman Sionis strikes a deal with “The Beast” to gain his
services and help clean up his mess. The Beast manages to get Tony Zucco out of
police custody in an extremely violent and awesome sequence. Batman arrives and
takes on The Beast, but before the fight gets really brutal, he and Zucco get
away with the help of Roman in a car. Batman lets them escape because he put a
tracer on the escaping vehicle, so they can lead him to the Mask Society. He
arrives, a fight breaks out. Somehow the metal skull mask that Roman wears is
grafted to his face, probably by fire. Like I said, these are just plot notes.
The Mask Society is left in ruin. Though they escaped, the
members know that it’s only a matter of time before Batman and the police catch
them. When his father confronts Roman and blames him, things get ugly. Roman,
who insists on being called The Black Mask, has clearly lost it. He cites the
ridiculous nature of his socialite parents and their spoiled peers putting on
their ‘false faces’ to the world as philanthropists and secretly are monsters
preying on the weak to get richer. He murders his father and mother. With the
help of Tony Zucco and The Beast, Black Mask seizes control of the Mask
Society, rechristening them the False Face Society and wages all out war on the
Italian and Russian mobs until he is the king of Gotham’s Underworld.
Inevitably Batman and Robin (still not sure how he gets that
identity) fight the False Face Society. Batman has an awesome battle with The
Beast. Black Mask is beaten and apprehended by Gotham’s
Finest. The climax of the film will probably center on Robin taking down Tony
Zucco and whether his pain and anger gets the better of him and he kills Zucco
or lets the courts decide his fate. Ultimately, he chooses not to enact his own
vengeance, proving himself to Batman and setting the stage for him to become a
great hero and for sequels! Plus I seem to remember something about a Teen Titans
movie featuring the already introduced Garth, Donna Troy and Kid Flash.
With this, the next stop is the actual Justice League movie…
coming soon (hopefully sooner than it took me to put up this article!)
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