The Dark Knight is set far away from Gotham City.
The Dark Knight (film) . In the film , Bruce Wayne/Batman ( Bale ) , James Gordon ( Oldman ) and Harvey Dent ( Eckhart ) form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City , but are menaced by a criminal mastermind known as the Joker ( Ledger ) who seeks to undermine Batman 's influence and create chaos . The Dark Knight Returns . The Dark Knight Returns tells an alternative story of Bruce Wayne , who at 50 years old returns from retirement to fight crime and faces opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government .