Comic Book Connections: The Origins of Characters in the Batman Movie
In the iconic movie "Batman" from 1989, a news broadcast reveals the tragic deaths of models Candy Walker and Amanda Keeler due to a violent allergic reaction. The broadcast takes a dark turn as their faces are shown with Joker-like grins. The news anchor, Becky, succumbs to a laughing fit and dies, revealing the Joker's involvement with a deadly chemical poison called Smylex. Interestingly, the original script had different character names, which were changed to avoid any copyright issues.
The characters mentioned in the original script, Millie Collins, Patsy Walker, and Katy Keene, have interesting origins in comic book history. Patsy Walker, created in 1944, was a teenage girl with melodramatic and humorous adventures. She later transformed into the costumed vigilante Hellcat and appeared in Netflix's "Jessica Jones." Millie Collins, on the other hand, starred in her own comic as a career woman in New York City and crossed over with Marvel's superhero characters in cameo roles.
The connections between these characters and the Batman movie highlight the intricate world of comic book lore and the potential legal issues that could arise from using characters from different comic book universes. The changes made to the script to avoid any conflicts demonstrate the careful consideration given to intellectual property rights in the entertainment industry.