^Agreed. I don't know how people don't like the new batman series. Its dark, its gritty, and has a realness too it. The others were like.. kids movies. And this is coming from someone who hates superhero movies.
In the comics, there are different origination stories for the various villains, but the Joker was a petty thief who feel into an acid tank and was "transformed", and Ra's al Ghul was several hundred years old. The Nolan takes were way more realistic indeed. I'm sure he will give Catwoman and Bane a similarly more realistic edge, so I'm really excited to see what it'll turn out like. The first two movies give me no reason to not look forward to the third.