HOLY COW BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT’S TRUE HISTORICAL IDENTITY REVEALED

With pretty much everyone’s attention focused right now on whether or not Christian Bale did one of these to his mom and sister, can anyone guess which American President The Dark Knight’s director, Christopher Nolan, looked to for inspiration before shooting his Bat-films?

How about our Lucky # 26 — President Teddy Roosevelt (picture below)

The History Channel is running a program right now called Batman Unmasked – The Psychology Of The Dark Knight. In it, a producer with DC Comic reveals that before filming Batman Begins, director Chris Nolan said to him: “Bruce Wayne is Teddy Roosevelt.”

So what parallels did Chris Nolan see between President Roosevelt and Bruce Wayne?

(1) Both men were born into a very wealthy, urban family

(2) Both men had strong fathers to whom they looked up and admired

(3) Both men had fathers who were considered world-class philanthropers

(Teddy Roosevelt’s father was one of the great patrician benefactors of New York City in his day; Thomas Wayne was the patron Saint of Gotham.)

(4) Both men experienced tragic family loss

(Bruce Wayne lost his parents to a shooting; as a young man Teddy Roosevelt lost his father to a tumor & his wife and mother died on the same day.)

(5) Both men were deeply, psychologically affected by family loss, but later turned their pain into a motivating force for good

(Bruce Wayne’s trauma caused him to fight injustice as Batman; after Roosevelt’s family died he traveled to the Dakota Badlands — where some believe he contemplated suicide — only to re-emerge later as a rough-riding, social activist Police Commissioner and later politician.)

President Teddy Roosevelt

The Caped Crusader’s historical inspiration revealed!

Related: DID BATMAN BEAT HIS MOMMA?

Tags: Batman, Batman Unmasked, Batman Unmasked -- The Psychology of The Dark Knight, History Channel, Teddy Roosevelt