Rachel Dawes
Encyclopedia
Rachel Dawes is a fictional character
who first appeared in Christopher Nolan
's 2005 feature film, Batman Begins
. She was portrayed in that film by Katie Holmes
and as a child in flashback
scenes by Emma Lockhart
. Katie Holmes also voiced Rachel in the Batman Begins video game
. Maggie Gyllenhaal
replaced Holmes in the 2008 sequel The Dark Knight
. Gyllenhaal also appeared as Dawes on the viral marketing
website I Believe in Harvey Dent, giving Harvey Dent her endorsement in the District Attorney election. The character has not made a transition to the comics media to date.
, and the two would often play together on the grounds. After Bruce's parents are murdered by Joe Chill
, Rachel's mother seeks other employment and leaves Wayne Manor with Rachel.
Rachel enrolls in law school
and gets an internship at the Gotham City
District Attorney
's office during her first year. After Chill is murdered for testifying
against Mafia
boss Carmine Falcone
, Bruce reveals to Rachel that he intended to murder Chill himself, and is angry that Falcone had him killed, depriving him of his chance for revenge. Rachel is horrified, and tells Bruce that his late parents would be ashamed of him. She then takes Bruce down to the slums and shows him that Falcone's criminal empire has worsened the poverty created by Gotham City
's economic depression, and states that every day more people just like Joe Chill turn to crime out of desperation. Soon afterward, Bruce leaves the United States and Rachel continues her studies in law school. Years later, she becomes an Assistant District Attorney and has a brief romantic relationship with her boss, District Attorney Carl Finch, who is later murdered by Ra's al Ghul
's disguised henchmen.
, in the process making enemies of Falcone and later Dr. Jonathan Crane
, Arkham Asylum
's corrupt chief psychiatrist
. Falcone eventually sends two thugs to kill her, but she is rescued by Gotham City's mysterious vigilante
, Batman
. Around the same time, Bruce returns to Gotham. Rachel is surprised that he did not contact her, and later feels disappointed in Bruce, taking his playboy façade at face value.
Later, shortly after her boss is murdered, Crane drugs her with his fear toxin at Arkham while she is evaluating Falcone, who has suffered a psychotic breakdown from the hallucinogen. Batman rescues her again, administers an antidote and tells her that Crane is working with the League of Shadows
, a terrorist organization led by Ra's al Ghul
. He then gives her instructions for a plan to save the city from the League's attack, after which he sedates her and has his butler, Alfred Pennyworth
, return her home. She wakes up in her bed, remembers Batman's instructions immediately, and delivers samples of an anti-toxin to Batman's ally, Gotham City Police Department
sergeant James Gordon
.
The League starts a riot in one of Gotham City's slum
s, and Rachel is trapped. Crane, who has now assumed the criminal alter ego
of "The Scarecrow", attacks her again. She defends herself and a boy caught in the riot by firing a taser
at Crane's face, driving him away. Soon, the city is overrun by Arkham's inmates, whom the League has released, and Rachel and the boy are surrounded by lunatics led by Falcone's henchman, Victor Zsasz. Batman saves them at the last minute and gives Rachel a hint as to his secret identity
. As Rachel realizes that her childhood sweetheart is also her masked savior, he leaves to save the remaining innocent bystanders and defeat Ra's in battle.
Towards the end of the film, Rachel visits the remains of Wayne Manor
, finding Bruce and Alfred sorting through the wreckage. She and Bruce share a kiss, but she tells him that they cannot be together until Gotham no longer needs Batman. At the end of the movie's novelization, she is named interim District Attorney.
, creating a conflict between him, herself, and Bruce Wayne. Dent soon asks Rachel to marry him, but she does not have a clear answer, being torn between her love for both men.
At one point, the Joker confronts Rachel at Dent's fundraiser, holding her at knifepoint. Batman arrives and fights off the men, but the Joker grabs Rachel and throws her from the skyscraper window. Batman, without thinking twice, jumps out the window after her, breaking their fall on a car below.
Rachel is next seen at the funeral of police commissioner Gillian Loeb, who was murdered by the Joker. Masquerading as a police honor guard, the Joker attempts to assassinate the mayor but fails when Gordon puts himself in the line of fire. One of the Joker's henchmen is quickly caught; Dent goes into a fit of rage upon seeing a tag with Rachel's name on his shirt, marking her as the next victim. Dent promptly threatens to kill the man, at which point the Batman intervenes. Rachel then takes shelter in Bruce's penthouse at Dent's insistence. There she and Bruce briefly rekindle their romance. He admits that he desires to turn himself in as Batman and hopes they could eventually be together, to which Rachel says that she meant what she said about waiting for him. He leaves for Dent's press conference, where he sees Dent claim to be Batman and take Bruce's fall. Rachel is disgusted, and gives Alfred an unsealed letter to be delivered to Bruce "when the time is right." She promptly leaves the penthouse.
After Batman and Gordon capture the Joker, Rachel and Dent are kidnapped by corrupt Gotham City police officers working under crime lord Sal Maroni's
payroll. Batman interrogates the Joker and soon learns that the lives of both Dent and Rachel are at stake. The Joker tells Batman that he must choose which one of them to save and gives him both locations. However, the Joker has switched the addresses, with the intention of orchestrating Dent's downfall. Batman speeds off, believing that he is traveling to Rachel's destination. Both Rachel and Dent are tied up in rooms surrounded with gasoline drums and a phone-bomb, allowing them to talk to one another. Rachel tells Harvey that she accepts his proposal and wants to marry him. Batman arrives at Dent's location (thinking it's Rachel's as Joker mixed up the locations) in time to save him, but Gordon arrives at the other location too late, and Rachel is killed in the explosion.
In a note written for Bruce that Rachel leaves with Alfred hours before the kidnapping, she reveals that while she cares for both Bruce and Dent, she says she has chosen Dent because she loves him and wishes to marry him, and knows now for sure Bruce will not be able to give up being Batman. She says she can only love Bruce now as a friend and says not to give up faith in people.
Alfred is about to give the note to Bruce after her death but, upon hearing Bruce ponder that his only solace is the knowledge that she would have waited for him, he decides to burn the note instead.
to an extent, but says Nolan sought ways to empower her character, so "Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change" from the many conflicted characters whom she has previously portrayed.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who first appeared in Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...
's 2005 feature film, Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
. She was portrayed in that film by Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
and as a child in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
scenes by Emma Lockhart
Emma Lockhart
-Career:She had numerous small roles in television, movies, and the stage. Her most memorable role was as young Rachel Dawes in the 2005 blockbuster Batman Begins.Lockhart also appeared in The Seeker, as Gwen Stanton....
. Katie Holmes also voiced Rachel in the Batman Begins video game
Batman Begins (video game)
Batman Begins is a 2005 video game based on the film of the same name. It was released June 14, 2005, a day before the 2005 American superhero film was released. It was developed by Eurocom and published by Electronic Arts in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...
. Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Margaret Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal born November 16, 1977) is an American actress. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She made her screen debut when she began to appear in her father's films...
replaced Holmes in the 2008 sequel The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
. Gyllenhaal also appeared as Dawes on the viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
website I Believe in Harvey Dent, giving Harvey Dent her endorsement in the District Attorney election. The character has not made a transition to the comics media to date.
Fictional biography
Rachel is Bruce Wayne's closest childhood friend. Rachel's mother worked as a domestic servant at Wayne ManorWayne Manor
In DC Comics, Wayne Manor is a fictional setting, the personal residence of Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. The residence is typically depicted as a huge stately mansion on grounds outside Gotham City, maintained by the Wayne family's servant, Alfred Pennyworth...
, and the two would often play together on the grounds. After Bruce's parents are murdered by Joe Chill
Joe Chill
Joe Chill is a fictional character in the DC Comics Batman series. He is best known for murdering young Bruce Wayne's parents , thus making him indirectly responsible for Batman's existence....
, Rachel's mother seeks other employment and leaves Wayne Manor with Rachel.
Rachel enrolls in law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
and gets an internship at the Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office during her first year. After Chill is murdered for testifying
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
against Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
boss Carmine Falcone
Carmine Falcone
Carmine "The Roman" Falcone is a fictional character in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe, who made his debut in the four part story Batman: Year One written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in 1987.- Publication history :...
, Bruce reveals to Rachel that he intended to murder Chill himself, and is angry that Falcone had him killed, depriving him of his chance for revenge. Rachel is horrified, and tells Bruce that his late parents would be ashamed of him. She then takes Bruce down to the slums and shows him that Falcone's criminal empire has worsened the poverty created by Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
's economic depression, and states that every day more people just like Joe Chill turn to crime out of desperation. Soon afterward, Bruce leaves the United States and Rachel continues her studies in law school. Years later, she becomes an Assistant District Attorney and has a brief romantic relationship with her boss, District Attorney Carl Finch, who is later murdered by Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...
's disguised henchmen.
Batman Begins
Years later, Rachel dedicates her career to eliminating crime in Gotham CityGotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
, in the process making enemies of Falcone and later Dr. Jonathan Crane
Scarecrow (comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
, Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to simply as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe, usually appearing in stories featuring Batman...
's corrupt chief psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
. Falcone eventually sends two thugs to kill her, but she is rescued by Gotham City's mysterious vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. Around the same time, Bruce returns to Gotham. Rachel is surprised that he did not contact her, and later feels disappointed in Bruce, taking his playboy façade at face value.
Later, shortly after her boss is murdered, Crane drugs her with his fear toxin at Arkham while she is evaluating Falcone, who has suffered a psychotic breakdown from the hallucinogen. Batman rescues her again, administers an antidote and tells her that Crane is working with the League of Shadows
League of Assassins
The League of Assassins is a group of fictional comic book villains, an organization of killers formerly led by Ra's al Ghul, an enemy of Batman in the DC Comics Universe.-Doctor Ebeneezer Darrk:...
, a terrorist organization led by Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...
. He then gives her instructions for a plan to save the city from the League's attack, after which he sedates her and has his butler, Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
, return her home. She wakes up in her bed, remembers Batman's instructions immediately, and delivers samples of an anti-toxin to Batman's ally, Gotham City Police Department
Gotham City Police Department
The Gotham City Police Department is a fictional police department servicing Gotham City, as depicted in comic books published by DC Comics, in particular those tied into the Batman books.-History of GCPD:...
sergeant James Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
.
The League starts a riot in one of Gotham City's slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s, and Rachel is trapped. Crane, who has now assumed the criminal alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
of "The Scarecrow", attacks her again. She defends herself and a boy caught in the riot by firing a taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
at Crane's face, driving him away. Soon, the city is overrun by Arkham's inmates, whom the League has released, and Rachel and the boy are surrounded by lunatics led by Falcone's henchman, Victor Zsasz. Batman saves them at the last minute and gives Rachel a hint as to his secret identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
. As Rachel realizes that her childhood sweetheart is also her masked savior, he leaves to save the remaining innocent bystanders and defeat Ra's in battle.
Towards the end of the film, Rachel visits the remains of Wayne Manor
Wayne Manor
In DC Comics, Wayne Manor is a fictional setting, the personal residence of Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. The residence is typically depicted as a huge stately mansion on grounds outside Gotham City, maintained by the Wayne family's servant, Alfred Pennyworth...
, finding Bruce and Alfred sorting through the wreckage. She and Bruce share a kiss, but she tells him that they cannot be together until Gotham no longer needs Batman. At the end of the movie's novelization, she is named interim District Attorney.
The Dark Knight
By the start of the second film, Rachel is in a relationship with newly elected District Attorney Harvey DentTwo-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
, creating a conflict between him, herself, and Bruce Wayne. Dent soon asks Rachel to marry him, but she does not have a clear answer, being torn between her love for both men.
At one point, the Joker confronts Rachel at Dent's fundraiser, holding her at knifepoint. Batman arrives and fights off the men, but the Joker grabs Rachel and throws her from the skyscraper window. Batman, without thinking twice, jumps out the window after her, breaking their fall on a car below.
Rachel is next seen at the funeral of police commissioner Gillian Loeb, who was murdered by the Joker. Masquerading as a police honor guard, the Joker attempts to assassinate the mayor but fails when Gordon puts himself in the line of fire. One of the Joker's henchmen is quickly caught; Dent goes into a fit of rage upon seeing a tag with Rachel's name on his shirt, marking her as the next victim. Dent promptly threatens to kill the man, at which point the Batman intervenes. Rachel then takes shelter in Bruce's penthouse at Dent's insistence. There she and Bruce briefly rekindle their romance. He admits that he desires to turn himself in as Batman and hopes they could eventually be together, to which Rachel says that she meant what she said about waiting for him. He leaves for Dent's press conference, where he sees Dent claim to be Batman and take Bruce's fall. Rachel is disgusted, and gives Alfred an unsealed letter to be delivered to Bruce "when the time is right." She promptly leaves the penthouse.
After Batman and Gordon capture the Joker, Rachel and Dent are kidnapped by corrupt Gotham City police officers working under crime lord Sal Maroni's
Sal Maroni
Salvatore "The Boss" Maroni is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as one of Batman's first enemies, and among the toughest gangsters in Gotham City...
payroll. Batman interrogates the Joker and soon learns that the lives of both Dent and Rachel are at stake. The Joker tells Batman that he must choose which one of them to save and gives him both locations. However, the Joker has switched the addresses, with the intention of orchestrating Dent's downfall. Batman speeds off, believing that he is traveling to Rachel's destination. Both Rachel and Dent are tied up in rooms surrounded with gasoline drums and a phone-bomb, allowing them to talk to one another. Rachel tells Harvey that she accepts his proposal and wants to marry him. Batman arrives at Dent's location (thinking it's Rachel's as Joker mixed up the locations) in time to save him, but Gordon arrives at the other location too late, and Rachel is killed in the explosion.
In a note written for Bruce that Rachel leaves with Alfred hours before the kidnapping, she reveals that while she cares for both Bruce and Dent, she says she has chosen Dent because she loves him and wishes to marry him, and knows now for sure Bruce will not be able to give up being Batman. She says she can only love Bruce now as a friend and says not to give up faith in people.
Alfred is about to give the note to Bruce after her death but, upon hearing Bruce ponder that his only solace is the knowledge that she would have waited for him, he decides to burn the note instead.
Development
Gyllenhaal has acknowledged her character is a damsel in distressDamsel in distress
The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction,...
to an extent, but says Nolan sought ways to empower her character, so "Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change" from the many conflicted characters whom she has previously portrayed.