Why Batman WON'T Die in The Dark Knight Rises

[Rorschach II]

It has come to my attention that many fans are convinced, for a number of reasons, that Bruce Wayne will die in the last chapter of Nolan's Dark Knight saga.

Now, after reading this article -http://www.cracked.com/blog/advanced...l-bruce-wayne/, and this one http://collider.com/dark-knight-rise...iction/167755/, plus the countless other articles and forum discussions throughout the internet asserting that, yes, Batman will die in The Dark Knight Rises, I am here to tell you that I firmly believe he WON'T.

First of all, I don't think DC or Warner Brothers will allow it. Yes, Nolan has made them a lot of money and yes, I'm sure he has a large degree of creative freedom because of his pedigree as a director. But he's no Batman. There's no director on the planet whose name is as well-known as the word "Batman" or whose face is as recognizable as the sharp black bat outline inside a yellow oval. Batman is simply too iconic to kill, and I just have a feeling the execs at WB wouldn't let a story that killed Batman get to the scripting stage. This is the same company that did not allow fatalities in DC vs MK because they didn't want to see their iconic characters brutally murdered in a video game. Now they're going to turn around and let the same thing happen with their biggest franchise of all? No way.

Secondly, word of mouth. A movie as expensive as The Dark Knight Rises has to make a TON of money, and after the box office performance of The Dark Knight and The Avengers just this year, I'm fairly certain WB won't settle for less than $1 billion global box office take for this film. For that to happen, this movie not only needs to have a strong opening weekend but a strong word of mouth, too. Audiences are fickle. They go into certain types of movies, such as gangster movies, crime movies, murder mysteries, etc, with no expectations of who should come out alive, or who should "win" at the end. But, at the end of the day, Batman is a superhero. This is a superhero film. However seriously Nolan treats the source material (making TDK resemble Heat much more than any previous Batman film, for example), it doesn't change the fact that people go to these movies to escape from the real world, to see a battle between Good and Evil, and to see Good triumph.

Now, that doesn't mean you can't do different or unique things or make meaningful statements about the human condition, such as in the previous two films in this trilogy, but at the end of the day, people want to see Batman emerge victorious - one way or another. If he doesn't, this movie won't get the glowing reviews and positive word of mouth that The Dark Knight or The Avengers had. Fanboys may not care, but the general public will. And without the general public going out in droves to see this movie, it won't make the money WB wants it to. They won't allow that to happen.

But forget the studio execs. Let's talk about Nolan for a moment. One of the major reasons why I think Bruce Wayne won't die in The Dark Knight Rises is because Nolan, the cast & crew, and the marketing team have all been TELEGRAPHING the fact that Batman dies. The poster says "THE LEGEND ENDS". Bale has gone out of his way to tell everyone he's never going to be Batman again (which I believe, but doesn't necessarily mean his Batman is killed - just ask Michael Keaton). Nolan has said, repeatedly, that TDKR ends in a way that brings his trilogy to a conclusion and leaves no room for sequels. Clearly, everyone involved with TDKR wants you to think Bruce Wayne meets his demise at the end of it - and that's exactly why I think it WON'T happen.

Look at Nolan's track record. He is infamous for keeping secrets, and for not allowing studios to show any footage from the last act of his films in marketing. Why would he all of a sudden not only allow but TAKE PART IN an effort to telegraph the ending to the biggest movie he's ever made? He wouldn't. And that's why it doesn't make any sense. Nolan & Co want you to think Bruce Wayne will die. They want you to sit in the theater and wait in suspense for the moment it happens with the same mix of certainty and anticipation you have for the moment he dons the cowl in the Batman Begins. And they'll give us something completely different.

As for his assertions that The Dark Knight Rises will close out the trilogy in a way that requires no follow-up: think of it from a writer's point of view. He may not be saying, necessarily, that a fourth picture would be impossible because the protagonist is dead, but that it will not be necessary because he's completed the story arc he wants to tell. Take another Nolan picture, Memento, for example...

SPOILER ALERT Leonard Shelby, the protagonist of that story, survives the film... but it never received a sequel, and never will - because it told the story it needed to tell. That could be what Nolan means about TDKR - it concludes HIS Bruce Wayne story, but not necessarily in a way that requires Bruce's demise. END SPOILER

So there you have it. I'm sure many of you will disagree vehemently with me, and a few of you might agree with everything I've said. But I've been reading quite a bit of fan speculation on this movie, and I have to say, there's not much dissent - the popular opinion is that Bruce Wayne will die in TDKR.

I hope you guys are wrong, if only for the twenty dollars I have riding on it.

[Mr. Cy]

I believe "the legend ends" is all about Harvey Dent's legend. That he was the white knight.... but somehow, BANE brings out the truth of what really happened at the end of TDK and that is really the "legend" that will end. (The laws/legend of Harvey will be axed because of it.)

BANE wants to rule Gotham his own way, and crush anyone that gets in his way. He believes his is doing the right thing....

The marketing/etc... with "The Legend Ends" all over it is exactly what you mentioned. Nolan and Co. want us to think that Batman/Bruce is going to meet his demise. But really, I think it is going to be about the Harvey Dent "legend."

I agree, Batman is not going to DIE in this film....nor is Bruce Wayne. Just my opinion.

[KalMart]

As long as the story arc ends with no sequels/spinoffs/vague continuity tie-ins to it in future movies or what have you, it doesn't really matter whether he does or not. As long as any Batman movie after this is a reboot and/or a continuity completely unrelated to this, it makes no difference whether he lives or dies in this one...so might as well have him live because we like him. If he does die, then at least make it an interesting take on the story.

[Excelsior.]

I wonder if OP is aware of the notion of a reboot.

[solidsnake86]

If they do make him die, I wouldn't be surprised if they make it ambiguous. It would give something for people to talk about.

[Polaris23]

He's not going to die, period. I don't know WHY people are freaking out.

[KalMart]

If he does or doesn't die, it's because Nolan wanted it that way.

[GREEN =w= DAY]

perhaps Batman "dies" but Bruce still lives

[batlovescatDC]

^ That's what I'm thinking may happen. Perhaps Bruce Wayne brings it out in himself to fight one last battle as Batman, but since he is now crippled that one last fight is all he can ever do again and ends up permanently walking with a cane (or worse, in a wheelchair) for the remainder of his life... therefore can no longer be Batman.

[Greens]

I don't think people are convinced he's going to die. It's just a plausible possibility.

[The Joker]

Originally Posted by GREEN =w= DAY

perhaps Batman "dies" but Bruce still lives

As long as Bruce is not buried six feet under, I'm fine with that.

[AnneFan]

Originally Posted by The Joker

As long as Bruce is not buried six feet under, I'm fine with that.

I am on Team Batman 'dies' Bruce Lives.

[Nevincer]

Originally Posted by Greens

I don't think people are convinced he's going to die. It's just a plausible possibility.

And there's no reason to freak out over it either.

[Rorschach II]

Originally Posted by Excelsior.

I wonder if OP is aware of the notion of a reboot.

I know exactly what a reboot is. I wonder if you read the entire post. I also wonder what that has to do with the topic in question.

I'm talking about whatever happens in the two hours or so on screen in The Dark Knight Rises. I'm not talking about what's going to happen to the Batman franchise or anything of the sort. They are rebooting this whether he lives or dies. All I wanted to do was present my opinion on why I think they will not kill Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Rises; anything else is absolutely irrelevant.

This isn't about continuity, it's about the ending of one trilogy. Period.

[BRUCEHATESME]

Bruce Wayne isn't a superhero nor is Batman. Batman is a symbol. As a man Bruce Wayne can be destroyed.

I want Nolan to take this in any direction he wants. I don't want my vision or any other's vision. This is Nolan's baby and he will end it in who knows what way. But if Nolan kills off Batman to tell his story and people pout I have to say they are close minded.

[TDKR2012]

AWESOME Thread

and I agree (but not fully). I agree in the sense that Warner Bros/Nolan is pushing this to be THE LAST ONE with phrases like THE EPIC CONCLUSION and THE LEGEND ENDS making it seem like they want us to believe he dies.

The more i think of the bigger picture. I think Nolan could leave us with an "inception" like-ending as we don't know whether Batman/Bruce Dies or not.

(this is just one possibility i could see, is Batman taking "The Bat" out to sea and submerging himself along with the Nuke to save the city) with his body nowhere to be found. that sorta thing.

But THEN AGAIN, i read somewhere in a recent interview that Nolan said some people said TDK's ending left them hanging, and this one won't, he said it's a very nice ending (or something along those lines.

that's the only thing preventing me from seeing an inception-esque ending is that Nolan won't want people to think there could be a sequel.


How about this:

Inception-like ending, where the city/selina skyline/etc... question as to whether Batman/Bruce is dead or not..

and the LAST QUICK SCENE before the credits, we see a man somewhere, maybe out in the mountains or something like that, (whom we speculate is Bruce Wayne having finally laid down the cowl,) whom has finally found peace...

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

[Superhero 101]

I think he lives. If they do kill Batman i will be really sad.

[lililatigresse]

I don't know about Batman, but I'm sure Bruce Wayne won't die. Afred said he has buried enough Waynes, it's not happening.

[Nevincer]

Originally Posted by TDKR2012

AWESOME Thread

and I agree (but not fully). I agree in the sense that Warner Bros/Nolan is pushing this to be THE LAST ONE with phrases like THE EPIC CONCLUSION and THE LEGEND ENDS making it seem like they want us to believe he dies.

The more i think of the bigger picture. I think Nolan could leave us with an "inception" like-ending as we don't know whether Batman/Bruce Dies or not.

(this is just one possibility i could see, is Batman taking "The Bat" out to sea and submerging himself along with the Nuke to save the city) with his body nowhere to be found. that sorta thing.

But THEN AGAIN, i read somewhere in a recent interview that Nolan said some people said TDK's ending left them hanging, and this one won't, he said it's a very nice ending (or something along those lines.

that's the only thing preventing me from seeing an inception-esque ending is that Nolan won't want people to think there could be a sequel.


How about this:

Inception-like ending, where the city/selina skyline/etc... question as to whether Batman/Bruce is dead or not..

and the LAST QUICK SCENE before the credits, we see a man somewhere, maybe out in the mountains or something like that, (whom we speculate is Bruce Wayne having finally laid down the cowl,) whom has finally found peace...

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Reverse psychology is too obvious a trick for Mr. Nolan. This is the same guy who gave you dreams within dreams within dreams, he knows the audience are used to a marketing campaign that hypes up tragedy and loss for a character only for him to come through at the end... won't it be more surprising if he doesn't?

[joker1524]

im on team "joker card found" at the end

[Rowsdower!]

I think Bruce will die but Batman will live.

[Greens]

Originally Posted by joker1524

im on team "joker card found" at the end

I hope that team doesn't really exist.

[TheFuture]

The thing that would make me doubt the "Batman dies Bruce lives" argument is the question of whether or not Bane exposes Batman's identity. If he does, it would make the Batman dies but Bruce lives scenario redundant. But I don't think Bane will do that, so this type of ending is a strong possibility.

I'd also question the Inception style ending argument as Nolan suggests that he's bringing a definitive ending to the trilogy, so I don't think there will be any grey area: Bruce either lives or dies and the audience gets to see it, simple as.

[KalMart]

I'd still like a Dark Knight Returns like ending in which he's believed to be dead and found out that it was Bruce Wayne, but he secretly lives on as the leader of a new League Of Shadows.

[Nevincer]

Originally Posted by Greens

I hope that team doesn't really exist.

Agreed. Eww... that's full circle getting out of hand here.