The Mark of Zorro

The Dark Knight Returns

It’s been fully established by now that Bruce Wayne’s parents watched The Mark of Zorro with him shortly before they were killed. Well, at least in the comics – on the big screen, Tim Burton changed it to Footlight Frenzy, for some reason, and Chistopher Nolan classed things up by changing it into a performance of Mefistofele.

But in the comics, The Mark of Zorro it is:

Batman Adventures (v2) #1

Most writers have taken it to be the 1940 version, starring Tyrone Power. It makes sense, since that film is essentially all about a dude pretending to be a foppish, wealthy playboy while secretly acting as a dark-clad vigilante who uses theatrics to bring justice to his hometown.

It’s also a pretty cool movie. It’s fast-paced and moody-looking and it exudes a genuine sense of hell-for-leather swashbuckling adventure. I dig all those shadows and lavish costumes! The plot is basically Robin Hood in Southern California, with Tyrone Power as a charming hero who seems to be having as much fun as the audience. Sadly, the amazing Linda Darnell isn’t given much to do outside the romantic subplot (she was 16 at the time of shooting – it took another few years before the studios let her have a go at meatier roles). Then again, you’ve got to love Basil Rathbone as a smarmy villain who waves his sword around like a Freudian metaphor.

Batman #459

Like many aspects of Batman’s origin, the actual film the Waynes watched on that fateful night was only determined retroactively, decades later. Indeed, some have pointed out that, at least as far as the original Batman is concerned, the chronology doesn’t fit. After all, the Dark Knight debuted in 1939, a year before the Tyrone Power film. With that in mind, it would be more fitting to assume Bruce’s parents took him to watch the 1920 silent version of The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr (which was in fact an obvious influence on Bill Finger and Bob Kane when they created Batman).

Personally, I prefer the Tyrone Power movie, even though the Douglas Fairbanks one does feature a Batman-like secret passage through a grandfather clock, plus a handful of frantic swordfights and action scenes!

The Caped Crusader isn’t the only Gotham citizen to draw conscious inspiration from Zorro. There is also the Cavalier, especially in the rebooted version that James Robinson and Tim Sale introduced with their excellent story ‘Blades.’

Legends of the Dark Knight #32

Don’t take my word for it. The Mark of Zorro poster is right there on the wall of the Cavalier’s apartment:

Legends of the Dark Knight #32

All in all, the Zorro connection is a neat little piece of Batman lore, one that pays homage to the character’s pulp origins. It’s particularly cool for fans of both classic cinema and superhero comics (I know I’m not the only one). And it’s nice to know that, even with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo having radically reinvented the Dark Knight mythos over these past years, this is one bit of continuity that is still firmly in place.

Hopefully, it will carry on from generation to generation:

Batman and Robin #20

NEXT: Batman vs gorillas.