The Dark Knight Rises Do you believe Batman Quit?

[velocityc6]

In this universe, Batman fulfilled his purpose, he was never intended to rid Gotham of all crime and pursue a one-man war on criminals. Batman was created to provide the citizens of Gotham with an inspiration, a symbol, a legend...something to motivate them to fight for their city again. He's done that, he's no longer needed. To a lesser degree I felt he was created as an outlet for Bruce's pain and anger...Bruce finally was able to come to terms with his pain and anger...again, Batman is no longer needed.

I don't like nor agree with the opinion that Batman wanted Blake to take over as Batman or to even follow in his footsteps exactly...I believe he left him the Batcave because he figured out who he was, and that if Gordon/Gotham ever needed help, Blake could use the RESOURCES of the Batcave, but not be Batman or Robin.

Agree with most of what you said but not the last part. I don't think Bruce thinks of Blake as a L. Fox type, he sees Blake having the potential to carry on as Batman......he says to Blake directly Batman can be anyone.

 

[BatManFan_NYC]

Let's hope he doesn't pull a Favre.

If anyone actually 'quit'...it was Alfred.

lol @ the Favre reference

 

[lililatigresse]

Let's see: Stay in Gotham and have your life get worse and worse.... OR, run off to a beautiful foreign country with a beautiful girl (perhaps the only girl in the world who can understand how screwed up you are, because she's equally as screwed up)? Hmm. Not a hard choice.

If that's how he thinks, why even bother deciding to fight crime and becoming Batman? He could have had the easy life, enjoyed his money and had all the girls he wanted! Why choose the hardway?

Yes, in Nolan's last film, Alfred decided to abandon him and Batman quit!

 

[kthevs]

If that's how he thinks, why even bother deciding to fight crime and becoming Batman? He could have had the easy life, enjoyed his money and had all the girls he wanted! Why choose the hardway?

Yes, in Nolan's last film, Alfred decided to abandon him and Batman quit!

Because he accomplished what he wanted to. He became a symbol for hope and inspired people. Plus, the Batman legacy can continue. He had to become batman for those reasons. Now that he has served his purpose, he's moving on and having a life of his own.

And he didn't care about having all the girls he wanted. It was a matter of which girl. Those models that we saw him with in TDK for example, they would never understand how broken he was. It had to be someone equally as broken as him, which is why Jonah insisted on having Selina in this movie. He needed someone who was a match for him. A yin to his yang.

I'm sensing that you had a serious problem with Bruce quitting and running away with Selina.

 

[Anno_Domini]

Let's hope he doesn't pull a Favre.

Coming back or taking pictures of his junk?

 

[KalMart]

Whichever you prefer.

 

[kthevs]

The more important question is: By the time we see the cafe scene after Bruce retires, has Selina already found out what's in his pants besides his wallet?

 

[KalMart]

Several times...per day...hopefully.

 

[kthevs]

Several times...per day...hopefully.

Ah. Then the question becomes how she would compare to Miranda/Talia, and if Bruce would tell her that he slept with Miranda.

 

[KalMart]

Ah. Then the question becomes how she would compare to Miranda/Talia, and if Bruce would tell her that he slept with Miranda.

One word.....heels.

 

[gvalladare]

Bruce Wayne quit.

Batman didn't. As seen in the very last image.

Boom! here's your answer. Batman never quit.

 

[ComicStalker]

I dont like the fact that Bruce quit being Batman either. I also dont like the fact that his first lie about Harvey Dent didnt work, so he ended up trying a different lie about Batman. Sounds like a great way to inspire people...
I also dont get this thing where everyone thinks Batman died saving the city right? So thats gonna keep crime from coming back? If anything criminals from far and wide including the mob from other cities are gonna come and try to claim Gotham. Oh sure, Robyn is there, but they dont know that and he will never be as effective as Bruce. He doesnt have the money and training.
Yep I get the fact that in this Universe Bruce is just a man. He has limits and took alot of beatings in his one year as batman. In fact they went out of their way to show how beat up and worn out he was and just a scene or two later he's back to 99% like he nevah skipped a beat. I suppose that all makes sense considering he healed from a protruding vertebre in less than 5 months and even fell from a 30-50 foot fall with a rope tied around his waist not once but twice. But that didnt affect his healing broken back either. Are we sure Bruce didnt have superpowers in this film? I thought Nolan was trying to stay grounded in reality for these films.
Its not Reality... Its Actuality...

 

[DACrowe]

Batman quit. Twice. I guess you could say he retired, but he also quit.

If he couldn't do it anymore, then how did he do it?

He quit. But not before he lied to Gotham. Again.

 

[Golgo-13]

Now that i think about it; Bruce should never want to quit being Batman. I think Nolan miss the mark on the aspect that the pain of his parents death was the prime motivation for Bruce wanting to be Batman, as opposed to being in 'love with Gotham', etc as Nolan painted it.

Eventhough he saved the city, crime would always be there. Joe Chills would always run the street...hell, moreso that ever now that Harvey Dents lie has been exposed and blackgates inmates will likely get released..or at least early release. Leaving Gotham in the hands of a vigilante who has no training other than police training, is mighty irresponsible. SWAT are the polices most elite units and Batman owned them in TDK, and look at the wear and tear his body received despite his ninja training. Blake doesn't stand a chance.

Bruce moving on at the end suggests that he's accepted the death of his parents..and that's NOT Bruce Wayne.

 

[JackWhite]

I could definitely see Bale's Bruce continuing to mentor Blake, either from a far, or in secret while training him. I wouldn't even be surprised that if Blake became overwhelmed that Bruce would make yet another return as Batman to help him out. Especially considering he would be in a better frame of mind if such a return was needed.

 

[JackWhite]

Now that i think about it; Bruce should never want to quit being Batman. I think Nolan miss the mark on the aspect that the pain of his parents death was the prime motivation for Bruce wanting to be Batman, as opposed to being in 'love with Gotham', etc as Nolan painted it.

Eventhough he saved the city, crime would always be there. Joe Chills would always run the street...hell, moreso that ever now that Harvey Dents lie has been exposed and blackgates inmates will likely get released..or at least early release. Leaving Gotham in the hands of a vigilante who has no training other than police training, is mighty irresponsible. SWAT are the polices most elite units and Batman owned them in TDK, and look at the wear and tear his body received despite his ninja training. Blake doesn't stand a chance.

Bruce moving on at the end suggests that he's accepted the death of his parents..and that's NOT Bruce Wayne.

We got the "Batman is on-going" thing at the end of TDK, and at the beginning of TDKR Bruce was not able to move on from being Batman, even though the Harvey Dent act was in affect. So I'd say Nolan covered Bruce's inner struggle of getting lost inside the Batman persona pretty well. And I like how Chris was able to actually do what the comics cannot do, at least financially - which is end Bruce's arc.

 

[The Guard]

The comics have ended Bruce's story many times.

Just not in regular continuity.

Although I believe Earth 2 Bruce Wayne retired and lived with Selina while passing on the mantle of the bat, much like he did here.

 

[zmystico]

I do not say this to sound insulting, so I hope no one takes this personally, but I think a lot of us are missing something about Bruce's purpose with Batman.

Think back to Batman Begins, Rachel takes Bruce to the Narrows I believe and shows him the poor and the corruption...and how the citizens were afraid to do anything, they just carried on like nothing was wrong. Ra's al Ghul even comments that Gotham is so corrupted that they were able to infiltrate ever aspect of it. When Bruce returns and is on the plane with Alfred, he says that people need dramatic examples.

Unlike the comic Batman, he never intended to be Batman forever, it was something he did to inspire Gotham to fight for their city and fight the corruption...at the end of TDKR, that is exactly what Gotham is doing. They are fighting back, Matthew Modine's character is the epitome of how the citizens of Gotham were. He was willing to give up and give in to Bane, but he became inspired and laid down his life for Gotham. That is what Bruce wanted and intended for Batman...the purpose was served, job accomplished.

 

[Brother Jack]

We got the "Batman is on-going" thing at the end of TDK, and at the beginning of TDKR Bruce was not able to move on from being Batman, even though the Harvey Dent act was in affect. So I'd say Nolan covered Bruce's inner struggle of getting lost inside the Batman persona pretty well. And I like how Chris was able to actually do what the comics cannot do, at least financially - which is end Bruce's arc.

There were basically only three major ways that the ending could have gone. Bruce quits being Batman, Batman dies outright, or Batman continues on indefinitely. What I love about what Nolan did is that he combined all of those elements together, giving us a scenario in which Bruce is able to let go of the Batman persona, letting it truly become a legend, and have it continue on through another.

 

[Devil-In]

Does your friend realize the physical toll it takes to be Batman? Did he not see the condition Bruce's body was in? Did he see the beatings he was taking? He is not superhuman. He cannot continue this forever. He HAS to stop at some point. He finally realized his limits. So he went out one last time and used up what was left in him physically.

And after giving it all, he knows he has Blake as insurance to continue to protect the city, if Batman's "death" wasn't enough of an inspiration and symbol for the city to completely rise up and persevere after all the madness.

And yes, no reason to believe that Bruce couldn't mentor Blake and share with him his extensive knowledge.

This.

It was excellent that they tackled this in the film. Something I have always wanted them to tackle in the comics that I fear they never will. No matter how good of a human specimen Bruce Wayne has trained himself to be, he is still human. Professional athletes don't die on the field wearing their jerseys. Even professional dancers have difficulty keeping up past the age of around 40.

Bruce will not always be Batman. Batman, however, will always be around.

 

[Spuzz]

The movie implied he did so....yeaaaaahh. He kinda did.

 

[DACrowe]

Now that i think about it; Bruce should never want to quit being Batman. I think Nolan miss the mark on the aspect that the pain of his parents death was the prime motivation for Bruce wanting to be Batman, as opposed to being in 'love with Gotham', etc as Nolan painted it.

Eventhough he saved the city, crime would always be there. Joe Chills would always run the street...hell, moreso that ever now that Harvey Dents lie has been exposed and blackgates inmates will likely get released..or at least early release. Leaving Gotham in the hands of a vigilante who has no training other than police training, is mighty irresponsible. SWAT are the polices most elite units and Batman owned them in TDK, and look at the wear and tear his body received despite his ninja training. Blake doesn't stand a chance.

Bruce moving on at the end suggests that he's accepted the death of his parents..and that's NOT Bruce Wayne.

You describe the comics's Bruce. Nolan has a different take.

 

[AnneFan]

Nolan's Bruce retired and passed the torch to a replacement.

 

[DerTommissar]

This is my take. Constructive criticism is welcomed if any of you think my interpretation is off.

Saying Batman QUIT does not express the full meaning of his choice.

Bruce wants renewal, or to no longer be defined by the suffering of his past.

After years of self-sacrifice, Bruce finally learns to save himself and ends Batman.

This also means ending Bruce Wayne, the prince of Gotham.

Bane revealed Batman was Bruce Wayne before his mercenaries. Those mercenaries are apprehended, but Batman's secret identity has been compromised.

Wayne no longer has a "mask" to protect those he cares for, including himself.

So Bruce allows his own passing with the demise of Batman. His tombstone rests on the family plot.

With Bruce’s death established, those in his close circle encounter clues, (or in one case living proof), regarding his survival.

Care of the “Clean Slate”, Bruce and Selina now inhabit new lives.

Batman’s mission lives on through Robin John Blake.

Bruce Wayne and Batman are no more.

Bruce did not quit so much as he saved himself.

And after three movies of suffering for others, he earned it.

 

[The Guard]

So he quit being Bruce and Batman.