Promising Young Woman has actually given me an idea fora B…

Okay, so we open on a glitzy dinner. A bunch of obnoxious rich people are wining and dining together. They get into discussing their businesses, and the youngest man there starts discussing his interest in getting into the arms business, with an older man w a trophy wife (2/x)

The older man says it's a great business, but he didn't know Waynecorp was interested, the liability has gotten so high lately, what with all the school shootings. "Everyone who gets shot in an alley these days can su - I mean. Um" (3/x)

Bruce replies that it's fine, he believes companies have to make money however they can, and makes conversation with the trophy wife for a bit. He arranges a business meeting to discuss a possible acquisition of the gun company by Waynecorp (4/x)

We switch to the trophy wife (we'll call her Susan)'s POV, as she and her gun CEO husband wait for an Uber. They get into the Uber from the backseat and remark that the driver looks a little shady, and this is why the CEO always carries his own gun (5/x)

The car is in motion and the driver flips it, tumbling through the window as it careens down the side of a ravine. It lights on fire, and from Susan's POV, we see the driver's full silhouette - Batman, of course. (6/x)

Batman pulls Susan out, and shoves her roughly to the side. "He's gonna kill us, Susan! He's gonna f*cking kill us!" the husband says. He draws his revolver and fires; Batman dodges, grabs him, and beats the absolute shit out of him - but not before taking a hit (7/x)

"I hear you're planning on making a deal with WayneCorp," Batman says. "I think you're going to make that deal with me instead." Susan is screaming for him to stop, and reaches for the now dropped gun. (8/x)

The exec is in the process of giving up his company's account numbers to Batman when Susan fires, and hits her husband instead. Batman charges and knocks her out.

We cut to Gotham PD, a few hours later. (9/x)

"Jim," Renee Montoya says, coming into Deputy Commissioner Gordon's office, "it's the Batman again."
"Renee, I frankly don't care if some freak in a costume beats up an armed gang. Less our officers have to deal with."
"Jim - he killed [CEO name]. Shot him." (10/x)

"He *killed* him? Batman doesn't kill anyone. Certainly doesn't shoot them."
"What are you? His defense attorney?"
"No, it just doesn't make any sense. Every single crime he's committed has targeted armed individuals, and has been done with martial arts." (11/x)

"MOs change, Jim. We have the widow's testimony. She says Batman took her husband's gun and shot him, after demanding bank account numbers."
"Bank account numbers? He's never asked for anything like that before."
"Probably because street gangs don't have bank accounts." (12/x)

Cut to Bruce stumbling, half-clad as Batman, into the Batcave. Alfred looks up in horror.
"What the bloody hell happened to you? You let yourself get *shot*?"
"It was bound to happen eventually."
"That's why I keep asking you to *not do this,* Master Bruce." (13/x)

"I'll do what I can to get the bullet out," Alfred says, sighing. "So have you ended the scourge of firearms in Gotham yet?"
"One step closer," Bruce says. An alert goes off on Alfred's phone.
"Bloody shit," Alfred says after checking it. (14/x)

"What?" Bruce asks.
"You're actually several steps closer, Bruce. To prison."
"What??"
CUT TO outside of Gotham PD, where Susan has left after giving her statement
A man approaches her.
"I don't need condolences from a stranger," Susan says.
"I'm not here to offer those." (15/x)

"Then I definitely don't want to talk to you," Susan says, lighting a cigarette. A cop comes over, noticing that the witness seems to be being intimidated. The man puts his arm around Susan and suddenly, they both vanish - to a nearby alley.

Susan drops to the ground in fear.
"I think you've made some false claims about a friend of mine," the man says.
"No, I -"
"I don't agree with Mr. Wayne on the subject of firearms. In fact, I'm quite the enthusiast about... other types of weapons." He draws a throwing star.(17/x)

"Wait, Wayne? Bruce Wayne? What does he have to do with any of this?"
"My greatest student," R'as al Ghul says. "I won't let his foolish crusade end his potential. So, I'm sorry, my dear..." He throws the ninja weapon. (18/x)

Skip a little bit, Bruce has some of the gun manufacturer's bank and computer information, but the company has responded to the CEO and wife's murder by reaching out to the Penguin, leader of the local mafia. But R'as has gotten involved in "protecting" Bruce more. (19/x)

There's like a big action setpiece where Batman and R'as both assault one of Penguin's compounds simultaneously, which the Joker uses as an opportunity to assassinate Penguin. After the fight, Bruce has accidentally led to several shooters and been framed for Penguin's. (20/x)

R'as tries to persuade Bruce to blow up the entire building, killing all survivors and also witnesses, but Bruce fights R'as and forces him to retreat; R'as doesn't unleash all his abilities bc he doesn't want Bruce weak to the ppl coming after him. (21/x)

Bruce Wayne is found bleeding outside Wayne Manor and arrested on suspicion of being Batman. He tries to get Montoya on his side, but she rejects him entirely. But then it comes on TV - an unknown entity has acquired the gun company. (22/x)

Gordon comes into the interrogation room, and explains that he and Bruce know both that Bruce is Batman, and that the unknown entity represents the Joker. Soon, guns will be in the hands of Joker's new mob and the city will be devastated. (23/x)

Gordon says he used to want to admire what Bruce did, fighting gangs, but none of this would have happened without Bruce's crimes. Bruce tries to tell Gordon that he's in danger, that R'as al Ghul is coming, but Gordon is focused. (24/x)

Gordon says that six police died in the same assault Batman just participated in, and most of them were shot. Batman isn't reducing gun violence.

"I have to end it *all*," Bruce says. "My mom might have dodged a knife. My dad might have blocked a punch." (25/x)

"Yeah," Gordon says. "I know, son. You do understand that attacking the deputy commissioner, incapacitating him in such a way that he won't be a target for the... ninja assassin... he's been warned about... will lead to additional charges?" (26/x)

"Of course," Bruce says, unlocking his cuffs with a key Gordon slipped him. He waits a moment, then *whooshes* to the other side of the table and chokes Gordon *nearly* out. "Thank you. I'll see you when it's over." (27/x)

Bruce doesn't change into the Batman costume, but instead steals Gordon's cell phone and locates Joker's new hideout. He drives there in a stolen police car, and R'as appears in the backseat. (28/x)

"A ninja always hides his identity, Bruce," R'as says. "What good is an assassin if his name is known?"
"My name is known," Bruce says. "And if you're planning to come along, I don't need any more bodies on my hands." (29/x)

"You never had to have any bodies on your hands, you know," R'as says. "I let you believe you could have saved your parents, because I wanted you as a student. But you never could have. I lied to you, Bruce. And I want you alive." (30/x)

"I'm not like you."
"Never said you were. The difference between us is that I'm willing to own the death I cause. I know a bullet ricochet that misses me and hits a child is the same as if I shot that child. Even lawyers from your world know this." (31/x)

"You're right, R'as. I couldn't have saved them. I couldn't have saved them because he had a gun, and he got it out first. There can't be a thousand more like me."
"You think you can end a technology? Going to come for throwing stars next?"
"You know there's no next, R'as."(32/x)

"There could be, Bruce. The League of Shadows has changed the fate of many assassins who made an error."
"Nothing can change my fate, R'as." Bruce flips the police cruiser in front of the gun company, crashing into their gardens and sign. (33/x)

A Matrix-lobby scene level of guards are already waiting. "Is it the Bat?"
"Of course not. The Bat knows how to drive."
Bruce appears behind that guard, disarms his AR-15, and bashes him in the head with the hilt. "I know how to drive *when I need to*."

R'as is incapacitated as Bruce ninjas his way through guards. The Joker is waiting in an office, but he realizes Bruce isn't coming for him - he's headed for the stockpile of weapons at the base of the building. Meanwhile, GCPD arrives to evacuate. (35/x)

R'as pulls out of the police cruiser and vanishes to the rooftop of a nearby building to watch, saddened by having been unable to pull his pupil back. He realizes he has Bruce's cellphone, and Alfred is calling - desperately

So I don't know how to seriously write the Joker, but he shows up, Batman and him exchange Jokerisms, and they have it out, igniting parts of the weapons stockpile, but not enough to destroy the building. Eventually, the Joker and and unredeemed Harley beat Bruce severely (37/x)

After a few bat (literal baseball bat blows to the head), Bruce is basically totally incapacitated. R'as, from a distance, can sense the end coming - but the code of the League of Shadows says he cannot help a member who has refused help. (38/x)

Harley is sorting through various melee weapons with which to finish Bruce, but Joker gets a call - the GCPD is about to move into the building and basically finish the organization.He orders an evacuation, and a random henchman enters to help him get out w/ his own injuries(39x)

Bruce regains consciousness for a moment and disarms Joker before Harley can beat him down again.

The random henchman approaches. "Could use some help here," Harley says. "He's gonna get up again." (40/x)

Bruce has a flash memory of his parents, of his dad catching a bullet, then his mom. He hasn't finished his job. He has to -

"Not a problem," the henchman says. He fires his Glock. Everything goes black. (41/x)

R'as is no longer bound by the ninja code here. The building is in disarray. He disarms a cop and assumes his appearance before he can be identified and moves into the building, where the remnants of Joker's organization are fleeing. (42/x)

R'as makes a copy of the financial records proving that the gun company worked directly with the criminal organizations.

The next day, Gordon is in his office, being informed charges have to be dropped against basically everyone involved bc Batman/Bruce tainted everything (43/x)

R'as appears, still in the disguised form of the police detective, and says that he obtained this hard drive as part of a lawful search he carried out after the raid. He hands it to Gordon, and resumes his normal form (44/x)

The final scene is Alfred sobbing at Bruce's grave. R'as appears.

"I'd shoot you right here if he wouldn't hate that," Alfred said.
"No, you wouldn't," R'as says, ninja-ing to demonstrate why. "But you're right. I failed him."

"He never had a father. I did my best to be what I could," Alfred says.
"Would you believe me if I said I did as well?" R'as asks.
"I'd say you should never try again with anyone else, if so."
"I can't argue." (47/x)

"He would have done it anyway," Alfred says, after a long pause. "Probably not with the costume. Or the *ninja related gestures*" R'as ever so slightly nods. "How do you walk away from that alley?"
"He didn't," R'as replies.
{ROLL CREDITS}

I forgot about Gordon being the one who traditionally was with Bruce after his parents were shot, so I feel like there would also be a couple of scenes where Gordon pulls out all the stops to get Bruce to stop as well

Promising Young Woman has actually given me an idea fora Batman pitch, which I am going to post here since I obviously have no aspirations of ever working for DC Comics. For all I know, it's been done in some elseworlds, but I'm gonna try anyway. (1/x)

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