Question: At Bruce Wayne's party, why does Knox (the reporter for the Gotham newspaper) seem to not know who Bruce Wayne is? Knox flat out asks him in the room with the life-size figures "Who are you?" Seems like Knox would know who such a prominent citizen of Gotham is. I understand Vicki Vale not knowing as she is a freelancer in from out-of-town, but Knox not knowing?
Answer: In the original comic book lore, young Bruce Wayne travelled the world for years seeking the expertise of the greatest cops, criminals, athletes and martial artists to become Batman. In the movie, "Batman'" had been active for a few months and was considered a urban legend, which means he may well have only recently returned from those travels. Also, at the party celebrating newly appointed Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne's seat was empty, was means he missed several other ceremonies. He was avoiding the spotlight. Forget "Batman Begins."
Question: Right before Bob brings the Joker the pictures of Knox and Vicki Vale, what are the pictures of the creepy smiling guy in the other room supposed to be of, one of which is him lying on top of a coffin?
Answer: The military nerve gas is Symlex, he stole it because it leaves the victims smiling, like him.
Answer: The Joker had somehow obtained CIA files about DDID nerve gas. The picture is of a dead man, presumably a soldier, killed by the gas. He's not on a coffin though, it looks like sandbags. He's smiling because of the effects of the gas contorted his facial muscles that way, much like how the Joker's Smylex leaves its victims with a big grin.
Answer: He considers himself a tough hard edge reporter, like Woodard and Bernstein, walking the gritty streets, going down dark alleys and coming face to face with the underworld's rogue's gallery. He regards the entertainment, gossip and high society pages as puff pieces worthy of Catherine "Cat" Grant of the Daily Planet. So he wouldn't recognize the wealthy blue blood types.
Respectfully, that's pure speculation. Bruce Wayne is the most well-known person in Gotham City and surely his name and photo would have been in the newspaper, on magazine covers and on the news many, many times. It makes no sense that Knox wouldn't know who he was. You might not care about Kim Kardashian, but most people would recognize a picture of her.
wizard_of_gore ★