Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy about the superhero Batman is considered one of the greatest trilogies of all time; the films made over two billion dollars at the box office and have inspired many other superhero films, such as Black Panther or Man of Steel. The action scenes, performances, and music in the films were all praised by critics. But these reviews seem to avoid any criticism of the troubling messages conveyed in the trilogy, specifically messages of right-wing nature.
The politics of the themes of the second film (The Dark Knight) in relation to terrorism, torture, and surveillance are clear just from a summary of the plot, but they become particularly noticeable when viewed in the context of the time. The Dark Knight was released in July 2008, towards the end of George Bush’s presidency.