The Dark Knight Rises Clearing up the ending of TDKR (MUST READ)

[Nevincer]

Blake knows because he was left those coordinates.

Well that about wraps it up. They all know

 

[GalleryOfRogues]

i'd like to point out that we don't know what it would be like for batman to eject from the bat. if it were constructed anything like the tumbler, than it's possible the shot we see of batman in the cockpit is post-ejection and he is still inside a smaller flying pod once housed within the bat. we see batman turning slightly in his final shot before almost smiling, perhaps he had just ejected from the main bat and was flying off to safety in a sort of flying batpod machine? of course this is speculation, he could've just dropped into the ocean the moment the bat got over the water.

also, we don't really know exactly how far away the bomb got before it blew up, all we know is that the explosion was visible from the island. definitely would be some tidal damage to the coast and wildlife, but i'd say that is a small price to pay for saving the entire city.

 

[jonnywhc]

Exactly. Batman's ejector seat isn't normal lol.

 

[GalleryOfRogues]

i actually had that thought immediately in the theaters when they showed the final shot of Batman sitting in the cockpit.

"what was he turning for? what does that face mean? did batman just smile?"

i had my doubts immediately about his supposed "death". great work by nolan in directing this scene. never seen batman make a face so close to happiness before. also great work by Bale to capture that sort of emotion with his face covered in inch and a half thick rubber.

 

[Midnight Black]

I really can't understand how people are even confused, disappointed, or frustrated with the ending of how Batman escaped the explosion, but was shown in the Bat all the way up until the end. IT'S BATMAN! How can you call yourself a Batman fan, but then say, "how did he escape the blast?"

Out of all the Batman comics, tv shows, and even past movies. You mean to tell me Batman can disappear all these other times, escape impossible situations, etc. etc. but the one time Batman does so and we don't "see him" that it is unbelievable

He's Batman. Just take it for what it is lol

How did he get back to America from the foreign land pit? How did he get into Gotham? How does he do anything....Because he is BATMAN!!! Lol

 

[Ecuanime]

HE LIVED!!!

The proof is fixing the autopilot. Why would they show that if he didn't live????

is anyone making the argument against this over the age of 10??????

That's only hope that he lived. The auto-pilot was fixed, but then we have the time factor to get rid of the bomb and eject in time, if he did eject.

 

[Ecuanime]

Whats your problem?

He ejected and survived. Done.

Does the movie ever show him ejecting? That's where people can have different conclusions

 

[GalleryOfRogues]

check out the novelization, it's makes it pretty clear what the ending meant. and the only person who has any proof that bruce still lives is the person who was closest to him in life, Alfred. Gordon receives the enigmatic clue of the batsignal (which who knows, could've been repaired by the new vigilante in town calling himself Nightwing). Fox hears about the autopilot being fixed, but doesn't have proof that Bruce used it. Only Alfred actually sees and knows that Bruce is alive, at that is by design. He is the only one Bruce has trusted his entire life, like a father-figure. Everyone else only has hope that Bruce lives, including Blake. Who knows when Bruce left those coordinates to the Batcave, definitely not Blake.

Beautiful and captivating - best written/directed movie of the year so far, probably of that last several years.

 

[Ecuanime]

Again, HOW/WHEN did Bats escape from the bat?

Someone help me out, please. Someone drop some knowledge on me. Because i'm slow. Like, explain it to me as if I were one of these third graders. I'd love to know.

I believe he escapes when he blows through the building, that's my thought on it. But I'm not sure if you can see him through the Bat when its shown passing over the bridge where John Blake and the bus of kids are. If you can't see him, he definitely made it out before then and had the auto pilot on. I would have to see it a third time.

 

[jonnywhc]

Does the movie ever show him ejecting? That's where people can have different conclusions

I don't need to see him ejecting

 

[GalleryOfRogues]

Also, for those saying that Alfred fantasized seeing Bruce in Paris because this is the language he used earlier in the film: Alfred never actually saw Bruce's face in his fantasies. He only saw the back of a man's head, who he wished would be Bruce. In the final scene we see him not fantasizing, but actually seeing Bruce's face. Pretty cut-and-dry.

 

[jonnywhc]

Plus, Bruce is FACING the table that Alfred sits at. The other time the guy had his back to him.

Also, Alfred didn't know much about Bruce and Selina. Most of that happened after he left.

 

[Midnight Black]

I'm sure Bruce trusted them all enough to say hey I'm alive, just in his own way. I mean he sure had no problem keeping his identity secret. Heck he laid it out for Selina and she was a jewel thief/pimp/hooker or whatever lol.

Man this was the summer for letting the cat out the bag. Superheroes just threw keeping their identities to the wind. Batman, Spiderman, Avengers lol.

 

[macphisto96]

check out the novelization, it's makes it pretty clear what the ending meant. and the only person who has any proof that bruce still lives is the person who was closest to him in life, Alfred. Gordon receives the enigmatic clue of the batsignal (which who knows, could've been repaired by the new vigilante in town calling himself Nightwing). Fox hears about the autopilot being fixed, but doesn't have proof that Bruce used it. Only Alfred actually sees and knows that Bruce is alive, at that is by design. He is the only one Bruce has trusted his entire life, like a father-figure. Everyone else only has hope that Bruce lives, including Blake. Who knows when Bruce left those coordinates to the Batcave, definitely not Blake.

Beautiful and captivating - best written/directed movie of the year so far, probably of that last several years.

Amen.

And the greatest movie trilogy ever made. Plenty of competition for that one, but this one rises above the rest.

I had no problem understanding the ending or conceiving how it could happen. I think Bruce began contemplating it as soon as Alfred left as that is when he just began to volunteer information about Batman to Blake during the car ride with him. It may have been in his mind to be a staged accident in the Bat where he escapes as it is destroyed, but no one knows he fixed the autopilot.

 

[kvz5]

Man this was the summer for letting the cat out the bag. Superheroes just threw keeping their identities to the wind. Batman, Spiderman, Avengers lol.

 

[UaalaDan]

I was just thinking about this...you know what would've made this movie great?

If Bane in his speech told that Bruce Wayne is Batman. It makes no sense why he wouldn't?!?

THIS IS WHAT IT'S MISSING TO ME.

Then, his whole faking his death would have made sense,Gordon wouldn't look like a fool because Blake found out his identity and people wouldn't have to guess what happened to Bruce Wayne.

You easily solve a bunch of problems of this movie and raise the stakes with one simple thing.

 

[Midnight Black]

I was just thinking about this...you know what would've made this movie great?

If Bane in his speech told that Bruce Wayne is Batman. It makes no sense why he wouldn't?!?

THIS IS WHAT IT'S MISSING TO ME.

Then, his whole faking his death would have made sense,Gordon wouldn't look like a fool because Blake found out his identity and people wouldn't have to guess what happened to Bruce Wayne.

You easily solve a bunch of problems of this movie and raise the stakes with one simple thing.

I could careless about Bane telling everyone. I mean it's just like in the comics & cartoons when villains or other people find out about a superheroes secret identity and they don't immediately go to the press and tell the world. It's not a plot whole IMO, it's part of the Superhero/Supervillain mythos relationship.

I mean seriously, how many people should know who superman is, but don't because of a pair of horn-rimmed glasses If it was a real world Superman would be figured out in less than 2 mins lol. You just have to suspend belief.

 

[robthorn24]

I was just thinking about this...you know what would've made this movie great?

If Bane in his speech told that Bruce Wayne is Batman. It makes no sense why he wouldn't?!?

THIS IS WHAT IT'S MISSING TO ME.

Then, his whole faking his death would have made sense,Gordon wouldn't look like a fool because Blake found out his identity and people wouldn't have to guess what happened to Bruce Wayne.

You easily solve a bunch of problems of this movie and raise the stakes with one simple thing.

If Bane would have let Gotham know that Batman is really Bruce Wayne, it would have went against everything that his "rally speech" was about. That actually may have inspired Gotham's citizens, instead of them falling under Bane's army ruse.

 

[TDKR2012]

question i've been dying to figure out

Wouldn't anyone recognize Bruce Wayne at the cafe??????? sure it's in another country, but he's billionaire Bruce Wayne.

he was buried and all, which declares him dead.

 

[jonnywhc]

Bane telling everyone would ruin his plan...lol this is a painful thread.

 

[Campo74]

Did they show any other clips during or after the credits? Had to run to make it to work on time.

 

[UaalaDan]

Why? To most people Batman is an outlaw who is responsible for all the deaths in TDK and a lot of public damage. Batman isn't loved by the people like Superman is.

 

[ComicStalker]

UaalaDan,
I agree with you. It makes no sense that Bane wouldnt have told Gotham that Bruce Wayne was Batman. At that point in the movie most of Gotham believed he was a cop killer and murdered of Harvey Dent. If anything, it would have made most of Gotham mistrust and hate him even more.
Bruce Wayne was Batman? Bruce Wayne's been a vigilante? Even if the rest of what Bane is saying about Batman and Commish Gordon is true and he didn't murder all those people, he lied about what really happened and help cover it all up with Gordon. And if there is one thing people in America dont like its a coverup and lying about what really happened.
Plus exposing Wayne would have had the added benefit of making it impossible for Bruce to ever be Batman again. Whether he wanted to or not.
I dont agree that NOT exposing Bruce follows some unwritten villain vrs hero law.
Also this might have made the whole Bruce moving on with his life a little easier to swallow.

 

[AnneFan]

The novelisation says the 'real' Bat was destroyed in the nuclear explosion. Fox and the technicians are inspecting the last surviving version of the vehicle, running a system analysis, checking the software which they say had been fixed. Software that would've applied to all Bats, not just the one Batman flew.

 

[UaalaDan]

UaalaDan,
I agree with you. It makes no sense that Bane wouldnt have told Gotham that Bruce Wayne was Batman. At that point in the movie most of Gotham believed he was a cop killer and murdered of Harvey Dent. If anything, it would have made most of Gotham mistrust and hate him even more.
Bruce Wayne was Batman? Bruce Wayne's been a vigilante? Even if the rest of what Bane is saying about Batman and Commish Gordon is true and he didn't murder all those people, he lied about what really happened and help cover it all up with Gordon. And if there is one thing people in America dont like its a coverup and lying about what really happened.
Plus exposing Wayne would have had the added benefit of making it impossible for Bruce to ever be Batman again. Whether he wanted to or not.
I dont agree that NOT exposing Bruce follows some unwritten villain vrs hero law.
Also this might have made the whole Bruce moving on with his life a little easier to swallow.

Bane could've easily warped the whole thing and put the blame on Batman for what happened to Dent. Same with Gordon. Didn't Dent consider Gordon and Batman responsible for his fall? For the death of Rachel?

Bane should've told people the secret identity. This would've made people hate him even more for ruining Dent's life and people's hope. People hated Batman in TDK and continued to do so in TDKR. Not only that, he was a vigilante, an outlaw destroying public properties with not a care in the world. Moreover, to the public eye, he was also an ******* as Bruce, the public persona. Just another billionaire who thought he was better than people. It would've added to his struggle.

This would've raised the stakes in the final act, turned people even more against Batman. People could never trust the guys who lied to the public. Then salvation would've came when he saved Gotham from the bomb.

Now Bruce has a legit reason to fake his death, start a new life and retire from being Batman. He would've never been left alone.

Moreover, it would've added unpredictability to such a predictable movie.

It's like things like this that stop TDKR from being amazing in my mind.

The way it is in the movie, Bane had the greatest weapon in his Arsenal but never used. He is a stupid lackey again who died one of the most ridiculous deaths ever in a comic book movie and is just another villain who is stupid as hell.

This could've added something unique to the character: He's the guy who ruined Bruce Wayne's life forever. A last moment of revenge.