Mirror Scenes and Dialogue in TDK Trilogy

[BlueLightning]

One of the aspects that fascinate me most about The Dark Knight Trilogy is that, even though these films were not planned in advance, they really feel like one big story. And the inclusion of similar scenes used in every sequel that embodied the same theme or sentiment added to feel too.

So I decided it could be fun to track these mirror scenes in one thread. The rules would be that they have to be from different films, because there are also mirror dialogues and scenes in the same film. If possible, post screen-caps for comparisons. (we'll have to wait until TDKR DVD/BluRay, but images from the trailers I think are ok).

So here are some ones at the top of my head. I know there are more, so share and discuss

"Very well" (Begins, Knight)
In Begins:

ALFRED: I thought I might prepare a little supper. (No response. Alfred turns.) Very well.
YOUNG BRUCE: Alfred?
ALFRED:Yes Master Bruce?
YOUNG BRUCE: It was my fault, Alfred.
YOUNG BRUCE: I made them leave the theater-
ALFRED: Oh, no, no, no-
YOUNG BRUCE: If I hadn’t got scared...

In TDK:

ALFRED: I prepared a little breakfast. (Nothing. Alfred sets down the tray.) Very well.
WAYNE: Alfred?
ALFRED: Yes, Master Wayne?
WAYNEid I bring this on her? I thought I would inspire good, not madness, not death...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In both scenes, Alfred approaches Bruce to comfort him after a tragic event. In Begins, its Bruce parents loss. In TDK is Rachel's death, and all the catastrophic previous events in the film.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Breakfast" (Knight, Rises)
In TDK:


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In both scenes Alfred goes to Bruce's bedroom to give gim breakfast, but he is not there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where is...?"(Knight, Rises)
In TDK:

(Referring to the Joker after throwing Maroni to the floor)
BATMAN: Where is he?

In TDKR:
(Referring to the Clean Slate, after throwing Dagget to the floor.)
CATWOMAN: Where is it?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In these scenes Batman/Catwoman threaten a criminal and ask him about the whereabouts of something/someone important in a similar fashion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you" (Begins, Knight, Rises)
In Begins:

GORDON: I never said thank you.
BATMAN: And you’ll never have to.

In TDK:

GORDON: Thank you.
BATMAN: You don't have to thank me.
GORDON: Yes, I do.

In TDKR:
(After saving Blake from the mercenaries)
BLAKE: Thank you.
BATMAN: Don’t thank me yet.
BLAKE: I might not get a chance later.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the end of Begins, Commissioner Gordon thanks the Batman, but he responds that there is no need for that and leaves. In TDK, after Batman saves Gordon's family, Gordon thanks him again, and the Batman responds the same way only to have Gordon assuring him that he has to. In TDKR a similar situation arises with Blake and Batman after he saves him from the mercenaries.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Does it come in black?" (Begins, Rises)

In Begins:
(After riding the Tumbler for the first time)
FOX: So what do you think?
WAYNE: Does it come in black?

In TDKR:
(After showing him the Bat)
WAYNE: What’s it called?
FOX: It has a long and uninteresting Wayne Enterprises designation. I
call him the Bat. And yes, Mr. Wayne, it does come in black.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Begins, Bruce sees a the Tumbler from Applied Sciences Division and asks Lucius Fox if it comes in black. In TDKR, when Lucius shows him the Bat, he assures Bruce that it also does come in black.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Here" (Begins, Rises)

In Begins:

THUG: WHERE ARE YOU?!!!
BATMAN: Here.

In TDKR:
CATWOMAN: He’s behind you.
MERCENARY: Who?
BATMAN: Me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Begins, in his first appearance, Batman scares a criminal by hanging upside down behind him. In TDKR, while taking down the mercenaries at the sewers in the search for Bane, Batman does the same thing, with help from Catwoman.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Prison" (Begins, Rises)
In Begins:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Begins, at the beginning, Ra's al Ghul appears inside of Bruce prison to talk to him. In TDKR, while Bruce is recovering from his back injuries, an hallucination of Ra's al Ghul appears in the same fashion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[BlueLightning]

In the last post I used my ten pictures, so here is the one I separated. It is the most obvious one :P

"Vanishing Act" (Begins, Knight, Rises)




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Begins, at Gordon's house, Batman dissapears after talking to Commissioner Gordon without him noticing.In TDK this happens two times. The first time is at the bank vault with Gordon but it is framed a little different than in the previous film. The second time is staged more accurately at the rooftop of the MCU, with Gordon and Harvey Dent. In Rises the same trick is played upon Batman by Catwoman after he saves her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[J0k3r]

Loved the idea.

I didn't found a image from Begins showed that, but Ra's stabbing Bruce in Begins and Talia doing the same, in the same place.

When Alfred rescued Bruce is Begins from the mansion burning, is kinda similar in Rises when Selina saves Batman from Bane. In both, he's on the same position and stabbed, and Alfred and Selina just have done something Bruce asked.

Ra's and Mir...Talia talk about their pasts for Bruce in front of the fire.

In Begins, Batman got someone on docks coming from the shadows and in Rises he did it again when is going find Bane with Selina.

And there's a lot more.

[Figs]

Not exactly a mirror scene but I love when Bane threw Ras Al Ghu's line about theatricality and deception at Batman while they were fighting.

[VenomShock]

"Better men"

In Batman Begins, Thomas Wayne tells Bruce that he leaves the running of Wayne Enterprises to "better men", which Bruce questions. He then replies "well... more interested men".

In TDKR Lucius tells Bruce about the faulty autopilot and said it would require a better mind, which Bruce questions once again. Fox then responds with "I mean a less occupied mind... yours".
---
Rises and Begins also feature Bruce talking to Gordon with a ski-mask on, representing his dual identity.
---
Police Chase in Begins and TDKR (featuring much of the same music which was absent from the second installment)
---
The Bats flying at Bruce/Blake in the batcave while they hold the portable light, causing them at first to duck, then ultimately stand amongst them.
---
Another from Begins and Rises, which was beautiful to me, more thematic, though. The "Why do we Fall?" clip with his father coming down the well and saving him bookended with Bruce escaping the pit which was similar in concept, except rather than being terrified by the bats, they accompany him during his escape.
---
Carried through all 3, the witty retort that's used against the original speaker. In BB it was Fox to Mr. Earl "Didn't you get the memo?". In TDK it was Fox to Lau "I'm sure a business man of your stature would understand". In TDKR it was Batman to Bane "You have my permission to die".
---
BB and TDK both had montages featuring the same music that featured Bruce and Alfred as they put a plan together. In BB it was the basics of the Batsuit and technology utilization, in TDK it was Bruce and Alfred deciding how to nab Lau from Hong Kong and "thinking of an alibi".
---
BB and TDK had that "repeated moral" that Bruce learns from somebody earlier in the film and repeats once it comes into context at the end. BB had "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me", TDK had "You either die the hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain".
---
TDK and TDKR both begin with a scene that doesn't even feature the hero, just the villains pretending to be their own goons and then devising a pretty unique and abstract escape attempt. TDK had Joker Bank Robbery, TDKR had Bane's kidnapping of Pavel.
---
TDK and TDKR both featured the same music the same time Batman appears for the first time (which is also the music heard when all three films cut to credits).
---
TDK and TDKR both feature bits of the same scene, with Gordon at a memorial service for Harvey Dent. TDK had it at the very end, TDKR had it at the very beginning.
---
TDK and TDKR feature similar ending montages, including a nice little resolution with the batsymbol. Destruction in TDK, Repair in TDKR.
---
Alfred's Tangerine Story in TDK mirrors to some degree his Florence story in TDKR, both take place infront of the bat-computer and deal with Alfred trying to bring wisdom to a dilemma Bruce is having.
---

Another I just though of: Ras tells Bruce in Batman Begins "If someone stands in the way of true justice, you merely walk up behind them... and stab them in the heart". Talia stabs him near the end of TDKR and pretty much breaks his heart at the same time.

[J0k3r]

TDK and TDKR feature similar ending montages, including a nice little resolution with the batsymbol. Destruction in TDK, Repair in TDKR.

TDKR's ending is kinda a reward for what happened in TDK ending, manly for Alfred and Gordon.

Not exactly a mirror, but when I saw the dogs on the first Batman action in Rises, made me remembered the "set the dogs on me" and that kinda shows the police was trying to restart the search for Batman exactly from the same point they began in TDK's ending.

Gordon saying "I believed in Harvey Dent" remembers Bruce saying Harvey's slogan in TDK.

[BatLobsterRises]

Originally Posted by J0k3r

Not exactly a mirror, but when I saw the dogs on the first Batman action in Rises, made me remembered the "set the dogs on me" and that kinda shows the police was trying to restart the search for Batman exactly from the same point they began in TDK's ending.

Every time I saw the movie I would take mental note of that, but then forget to talk about it afterwards. Rises had a lot of neat small details like that.

[Just_Human]

Where is he
Where is he
Where are they
Where is she
Where is the trigger




Batman needs a GPS


Asap

[rickfox]

TDK---Joker：You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul...in a fistfight with you? No. You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey Dent
I took Gotham's white knight...and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. See, madness, as you know...is like gravity. All it takes is a little push

TDKR---you didn't think Bruce'd risk assuming the future of Gotham can be secured so easy in a fistfight with Bane? No. he needs an ace in the hole. His ace is Selina Kyle

He took Gotham's Cat burglar/master jewel thief...and he brought her up to his level. It wasn't hard. you See, conscience/goodness, as he knows...is like antigravity. All it takes is a little lift.

[Just_Human]

- not a exactly mirroring, but Alfred warning Bruce about his injuries in both BB and TDK, and the result of that in TDKR

- BB-TDK: " theatricality, deception"

- BB-TDK: " restore the balance "

- not mirroring, but continuity: " whoever he is, Batman is looking for someone to take up the mantle "

- BB: " the sotrm is coming "
TDKR: " there is a storm coming "

Also, what I found interesting is that RAS advised Bruce to control his anger, or it would destroy him; in TDKR, in the pit, Bruce says **** it : " I'm angry "

Another interesting thing is that Bruce was told that vengeance and justice arent the same thing; Talia pretends to bring justice, but is ultimately killed by here desire of vengeance

[BatLobsterRises]

Originally Posted by Just_Human

Also, what I found interesting is that RAS advised Bruce to control his anger, or it would destroy him; in TDKR, in the pit, Bruce says **** it : " I'm angry "

And to add to that, when Bruce tries the second climb in a state of anger, he breaks off a brick and falls. So it "destroys him" in that sense.

Also another BB-TDKR parallel: Ra's talks to Bruce about the pain of losing a loved one (until the memory of your loved one is just poison in your veins), Blake talks to Bruce about the pain of losing a loved one (...to be angry in your bones). It stood out to me that they both use a physical analogy when discussing emotional pain. Thought it was interesting that both his mentor and his eventual successor open up to him in a similar way to show that they see themselves in Bruce.

[Nave 'Torment']

Originally Posted by Just_Human

Also, what I found interesting is that RAS advised Bruce to control his anger, or it would destroy him; in TDKR, in the pit, Bruce says **** it : " I'm angry "

Another interesting thing is that Bruce was told that vengeance and justice arent the same thing; Talia pretends to bring justice, but is ultimately killed by here desire of vengeance

I think vengeance and justice are so much important for the themes of this series. And of Batman in general. In his bloodlust he's always saying that "he is vengeance, the night" etc. but even wayy back in BTAS we had Heart of Darkness where Batman distinguishes between the two: Freeze says that it is all vendetta and Batman responds: "No... justice." In Mask of the Phantasm he asks Andrea "what will vengeance solve?" Nolan reiterates those points throughout the trilogy. Harvey becomes a "vigilante" when he's bent on vengeance, etc.

But as for that Anger bit -- I always felt like that was a response to Thomas Wayne. Remember how he told him "don't be afraid" at his death-bed in Crime Alley? It took Bruce all these years to come back with an answer: "I'm not afraid. I'm angry."

[Mr. Wooden Alligator]

I saw a thread comparing Bane to Darth Vader. In the Dark Knight Trilogy, Nolan's version of the League of Assassins--his League of Shadows--reminds me of the Galactic Empire from Star Wars.

[Just_Human]

-The way both RAS and Bane look at Batman, stunned, when he shows up for the final fights

- I also like how Joker and Bane are toal opposite when it comes to their plans :

Joker is a big fat lier lol:
Harvey Dent never made it home
Of course not
What did you do with him
Me? I was sitting right here

But Bane is rather brutally honest and straightforward`:
Whas getting caught part of your plan?
Of course !

[The Joker]

Bane taking Pavel out of the C.I.A. plane skyhook style reminded me of the skyhook incident with Batman and Lau in TDK. In both instances they were abducting someone they needed for a plan they had.

[Just_Human]

Originally Posted by BatLobsterRises

And to add to that, when Bruce tries the second climb in a state of anger, he breaks off a brick and falls. So it "destroys him" in that sense.

Also another BB-TDKR parallel: Ra's talks to Bruce about the pain of losing a loved one (until the memory of your loved one is just poison in your veins), Blake talks to Bruce about the pain of losing a loved one (...to be angry in your bones). It stood out to me that they both use a physical analogy when discussing emotional pain. Thought it was interesting that both his mentor and his eventual successor open up to him in a similar way to show that they see themselves in Bruce.

Originally Posted by The Joker

Bane taking Pavel out of the C.I.A. plane skyhook style reminded me of the skyhook incident with Batman and Lau in TDK. In both instances they were abducting someone they needed for a plan they had.

yup noticed that too

[Mr. Wooden Alligator]

Ra's rescued Bruce from a prison and saw a worthy successor in him.
Ra's rescued Bane from a prison and saw an embodiment of the horror of the Pit. He casts him out.

When Miranda meets Bruce at the mansion, her clothing/hair are similar to Rachel's (as seen in that picture of her on the table).

[BlueLightning]

Also, I don't know if it counts but...

Flipping Vehicle
In TDK, Batman ties a trailer so it flips backwards with the Batpod. In TDKR, mercenaries from the League of Shadows flips the CIA plane with their own plane.

[BatLobsterRises]

Originally Posted by BlueLightning

Also, I don't know if it counts but...

Flipping Vehicle
In TDK, Batman ties a trailer so it flips backwards with the Batpod. In TDKR, mercenaries from the League of Shadows flips the CIA plane with their own plane.

Hmm, they both do it with cables, hadn't even thought of that...I'd say it counts.

Another minor one: Bane rips Harvey Dent's photo clean in half, probably a nod to the Two-Face persona.

Also, just fire throughout the trilogy.

Things that burn in these movies: The LOS monastery, Wayne Manor, Harvey's face, the mob's money and finally the bat-symbol on the bridge (which in itself mirrors the TDK poster). That's leaving out the things that simply go boom

Dialogue relating to fire:

BB- "When the forest grows too wild, a purging fire is inevitable and natural."
TDK- "Some men just want to watch the world burn", "Everything burns!"
TDKR- "But on the nights we had a fire we would feel very rich indeed", "The fire rises!" (duh)

[Happy Jack]

The shot of Batman sliding down the glass building to catch Rachel in TDK is very similar to the shot of Bruce sliding down the mountainside to catch Ra's. Only in TDK he falls.

[Polaris23]

Ra's al Ghul and Talia both using the word "balance" a lot. That's their favourite word.

[Baramos]

Originally Posted by Polaris23

Ra's al Ghul and Talia both using the word "balance" a lot. That's their favourite word.

She also says, "You'll do what is necessary" at one point in Rises, which paralleled Ra's saying, "You must do what is necessary" and "So you've finally learned to do what is necessary?" in Begins.

If I hadn't thought she was Talia before these instances, I was certainly convinced by them far before she actually reveals herself.

These movies are full of a zillion instances of this particular thing, I guess Nolan loves doing it.

Here's another one from the Dark Knight:

Lucius: What's this I hear about a secret government telecommunications project?

Bruce: If you don't mind, Lucius, I'm playing this one pretty close to the chest.

---

*Scene after Joker tries to kill Dent in SWAT van and is subdued*

Harvey Dent: *seeing Gordon is alive* You do like to play things close to the chest!

[elgato]

Originally Posted by Polaris23

Ra's al Ghul and Talia both using the word "balance" a lot. That's their favourite word.

[Just_Human]

In all 3 movies, Gordon has a mustache

[TylerHaslett]

Originally Posted by Just_Human

In all 3 movies, Gordon has a mustache

hahhaha


this was the most easy thing to read in the thread, the rest is pretty jumbled and weirdly spaced with huge pictures small text