The homage is featured in “Legends of the Dark Knight,” the 19th episode of “The New Batman Adventures,” which serves as a sequel to “Batman: The Animated Series.” Within this episode, Carrie Kelley, voiced by Anndi McAfee, envisions herself as the Robin to an older Batman, portrayed by Michael Ironside, as they combat Gotham City’s Mutant gang. This segment is a direct nod to the narrative found in “The Dark Knight Returns.”

Bruce Timm, co-creator of the show, shared that Miller was thrilled with the episode. In “Modern Masters Volume 3: Bruce Timm” (via /Film), Timm recalled, “After I sent [Miller] the show, he called three times to discuss it with me. He was ecstatic. Each voicemail he left was longer than the last, raving about the adaptation. ‘Wow, I just watched it again,’ and Lynn [Varley] was overjoyed, exclaiming, ‘Oh, my God! There’s Carrie Kelley!’”

Beyond this animated tribute, “The Dark Knight Returns” was also brought to life in a two-part animated film. Additionally, director Zack Snyder drew inspiration from it for his portrayal of Ben Affleck’s Batman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

In truth, Snyder seems ideally suited to helm such an adaptation. His cinematic style, characterized by dark and intense themes, mirrors the grim and violent essence of “The Dark Knight Returns,” a narrative that underscores the impossibility of Gotham ever becoming a utopian city—a theme that resonates deeply in Snyder’s filmography.

Snyder has never been shy about his love of the source material either. In fact, while discussing the 10-year anniversary of “Batman v Superman” with “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Snyder admitted that’s one comic book movie he’d still like to do. “I would still make ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ as a film if that opportunity arose,” he said. “Did I steal, or borrow, or homage as much as I could within the context of the mythology that I was creating? Yes. But the thing about ‘Dark Knight Returns’ is it is a closed loop of awesomeness that owes nothing to anything except for a masterful deconstruction of gods that we all grew up with.” 

Truth be told, Snyder would be a perfect director. On top of knowing who he’d want to star in his adaptation, “The Dark Knight Returns” is a grim and violent affair that proves Gotham will never turn into a beacon of sunshine, which is in line with the narratives and themes found in Zack Snyder’s movies.