Batman: Justice

Batman: Justice is a 2020 American television miniseries taking place in a semi-realistic DC world in 2020, where Bruce Wayne, after retiring as Batman; is serving as a New Jersey senator for the Republican Party. Paul Giamatti portrays Bruce Wayne. The miniseries was directed by Jay Roach. Kirk Ellis wrote the screenplay inspired by several works of DC Comics that portrayed a dark future. The series of the vigilante turned public figure and the story of the semi-realistic DC adaptation was broadcast in ten different episodes by HBO between November 30 and December 22, 2020. Batman: Justice received widespread critical acclaim and many prestigious awards. The show won five Golden Globe awards and 9 Emmy awards, the second most that a miniseries had ever gotten, with the first being John Adams, also a mini-series that starred Paul Giamatti as the main character.

Episode I: Filibuster
Episode 1 opens directly in the middle of a session of the Senate; Senator Bruce Wayne stands up and prepares to recite an hours-long filibuster regarding an immense water poisoning problem in several New Jersey counties, that has taken 196 lives; the episode mostly takes place through this speech; being intercut with several scenes that happen without a chronological order.

The first cut-away shows a flashback to New Year, in 1999; in Gotham, Batman prepares to foil a plan by the malevolent Joker, who plans to blow up a nuclear reactor in the outskirts of the city, however, when he presses the detonator, the Joker is caught in the explosion, which was not big enough to destroy the plant, the Joker's mutilated body parts land all around the city as the clock hits Midnight, with half his head landing directly in front of Batman. He narrates how Joker was identified as an underdog of the organized crime world, John Napier, describing how he was inept and not a criminal mastermind as some portray him as.

The second cut-away also shows a flashback to the aftermath of the Joker's death, Batman ponders leaving the cowl while talking with an elderly, bedridden Alfred; Alfred proposes that crime in Gotham has practically been abolished, and that Bruce should search to destroy what's left of criminal activity in Gotham through actually legal ways, proposing a political career; Bruce narrates how Alfred died later that week and he took his advice to heart.

In the senate, Wayne is confronted by democratic senator from Delaware Alexander Luthor Jr.; Wayne then narrates a basic description of Luthor's life, with Luthor being Lex Luthor's son, His father, Lex Luthor's violent crimes are not revealed to the public to not provoke a public scandal, creating a rift between Clark Kent and Wayne. However, Luthor's crimes are leaked, creating a political scandal known as 'Luthorgate', however, since most things in the leak were not massive crimes, Luthor is not imprisioned, but his public image is heavily damaged, this cut-away (in 1997) also shows us the dissolution of the Justice League, revealing that Barry Allen died in a speeding accident, Green Lantern was destroyed by a supernova and Aquaman was beheaded by a malfunctioning high-level fishing ship; leaving Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as the only members of the Justice League.

The next cut-away shows how Bruce made his way around the political world, quickly making friends with the governor of Florida, Thomas Elliot; who managed to become Vice President of the United States; he also reveals through narration that Elliot is running for President, and that Wayne himself is his running mate. The Democratic Primaries are still happening, but Luthor Jr. will probably get the nomination.

A senator brings up that Gotham Crime Rates are rising, ending the Pax Gothamia that had been peacefully dominating the city since the start of the New Century. With the next cutaway showing what happened through the Pax Gothamia, with Bruce visiting the decrepit Arkham Asylum, to give the announcement that it would be closing down. He meets with several of his old enemies, sharing a laugh with a few of them. That night, he meets up with Selina Kyle to definetly part ways with her, he also says how Kyle died in a motorbike accident a few years back.

Six hours later, the filibuster ends, and Wayne meets up with Elliot to discuss their presidential campaign, after the meeting is done, Wayne travels to Gotham City, to the old Wayne Manor, he discovers the entrance to the Batcave, and reenters his old hideout, he explores the decrepit cave, he walks over to his suit tank, discovering that an envelope had been left there, Wayne opens it, and the episode ends there.