The Dark Knight Rises Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake VI

[NoMoreDeadCops!]

Third time in IMAX today...it occurred to me that perhaps Bruce isn't necessarily giving Blake the costume (though I guess one copy is still intact once he fixes the Talia stab hole...), but his detective technology. Blake has proven himself a pretty good detective despite not having Batman's resources (and not being a civil engineer ) and Batman made it a point to have him rescue people instead of beating up bad guys. Even in a pinch, Batman/Bruce will choose to rescue people instead of getting the bad guy, as we saw in TDK as well as TDKR. So. Batman is meant to be a symbol of hope, and Bruce probably hopes for Blake to adopt the detective role and helping Gotham that way, more than the "beating up bad guys and making himself vulnerable to violence" role. At the very least, he expects Blake to be better at sticking to his morals instead of going all paranoid cell phone spying on everyone in Gotham.

 

[Chrisbarnes182]

 

[Anti-Venom]

The reason I was so completely shocked to hear the name "Robin" uttered at the end is that it never occurred to me that Robin would be some big secret.

Why do you think they chose to make it a big reveal at the end? Why not introduce him as Robin Blake from the beginning? Why did it have to be a surprise?

 

[BatLobster]

I think because having it at the end was Nolan's way of having his cake and eating it too. Having us think of him as "John Blake" throughout the movie gave them license to create their own original character without distracting fans with how much of a departure from the traditional Robin it is.

This way, the Robin namedrop is just more of a wink to the fact that Blake had been assisting Batman throughout the film.

 

[LostSon88]

The reason I was so completely shocked to hear the name "Robin" uttered at the end is that it never occurred to me that Robin would be some big secret.

Why do you think they chose to make it a big reveal at the end? Why not introduce him as Robin Blake from the beginning? Why did it have to be a surprise?

Because it's more fun that way...

 

[Anti-Venom]

Good thoughts. Another possibility: Maybe Nolan really wanted it to be a surprise when Blake inherited the batcave at the end. If we already knew he was Robin from the beginning, we (both fans and general audiences) would be expecting something like that to happen.

 

[Anti-Venom]

I wish Blake had worn a dark red or green shirt under his jacket at the end. Nothing costumey. Just...something subtle that can say "Robin" if you want it to.

 

[shauner111]

You know, i wouldnt have been against that. If i remember correctly, the colors he was wearing especially on his jacket at the end were a little more Nightwing-esque.

 

[BatLobster]

Jonah Nolan on the Robin reference:

http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/10/1...-rises-jonathan-nolan-discusses-the-films-end

 

[Anti-Venom]

 

[Kane52630]

 

[<(o_o)>]

Why not just make him Dick Grayson instead?

 

[HighFivingMF]

Why not just make him Dick Grayson instead?

Because of the audience.

"I like that name, Robin." = "Oh! He was Robin!"

"I like that name, Dick." = "Heh. ... What does her liking Dick have to do with anything?"

 

[CoolCadaver49]

Nightmares. You're gonna give me nightmares, Mr. Kane.

 

[Anno_Domini]

He's like Agent Smith, but to make copies, he has to kiss you.

 

[Kane52630]

Nightmares. You're gonna give me nightmares, Mr. Kane.

You're welcome.

 

[BatmanBeyond]

Regardless, he wouldn't be Robin. That's his name. That's why the comics don't have Bruceman, NightDick, Red Jason, Tim Robin, and BatBarbara.

I was just skimming through the thread when I came over this gem of a post and laughed my ass off. Time for a change of sig. t:

 

[Mike_D202]

I would have never put any thought into JGL even coming back to any Batman franchise until Nolan went on record saying "I can't talk about that. You know that." Normally he shoots rumors right down, that's one of the rare occasions he's actually being coy.

 

[Savage]

I was just skimming through the thread when I came over this and laughed my ass off. Time for a change of sig. t:

Someone pleeeease change Nightwing's name to Nightdick. They can say it's because he's a private eye who operates at night or something.

 

[Anno_Domini]

Nightdick

 

[BatmanBeyond]

Someone pleeeease change Nightwing's name to Nightdick. They can say it's because he's a private eye who operates at night or something.

I subscribe to this line of thought.

 

[KalMart]

Did anyone else see John Blake as basically a younger Agent John Dogget from the X-files?

 

[tekken]

i still think he'd take on the name robin as a masked crime fighter (ESPECIALLY because that's his real name). the guy said himself he wasn't afraid to show himself in the face of corruption, but batman told him to wear a mask to protect his loved ones. being "Robin" in the mask is doing both. and unlike Bruce Wayne, john blake's a nobody...bruce wayne created "Batman" out of a childhood fear of bats - i could totally see john blake not using the name "Robin" because of some kind of childhood tragedy. it would be poetic from him to adopt the name again to fight crime. am i alone here?

oh well. I still don't think he'd be the next Batman though...that would undo everything bruce accomplished as batman. why would he be mad at the copycats, but be okay with blake dressing up as batman? i'm pretty sure he wants blake to find his own way, but offered his tools and gadgets. i sort of get why people would want him as nightwing, but that identity belongs to dick grayson and the ancient kryptonian.

for me, blake will always be this trilogy's robin.

 

[BatLobster]

i still think he'd take on the name robin as a masked crime fighter (ESPECIALLY because that's his real name). the guy said himself he wasn't afraid to show himself in the face of corruption, but batman told him to wear a mask to protect his loved ones. being "Robin" in the mask is doing both. and unlike Bruce Wayne, john blake's a nobody...bruce wayne created "Batman" out of a childhood fear of bats - i could totally see john blake not using the name "Robin" because of some kind of childhood tragedy. it would be poetic from him to adopt the name again to fight crime. am i alone here?

oh well. I still don't think he'd be the next Batman though...that would undo everything bruce accomplished as batman. why would he be mad at the copycats, but be okay with blake dressing up as batman? i'm pretty sure he wants blake to find his own way, but offered his tools and gadgets. i sort of get why people would want him as nightwing, but that identity belongs to dick grayson and the ancient kryptonian.

for me, blake will always be this trilogy's robin.

I think that's as fair an interpretation as any. They left Blake's open pretty open for the audience to fill in the blank, I think this is just another viable way to look at it.

I think the only concrete thing is the fact that Blake was shown to be different from Bruce Wayne in several ways, so it's natural to assume that he will use the tools Bruce gave him and forge his own path. Even if he was Batman, he'd be a different type of Batman.

 

[KalMart]

i still think he'd take on the name robin as a masked crime fighter (ESPECIALLY because that's his real name). the guy said himself he wasn't afraid to show himself in the face of corruption, but batman told him to wear a mask to protect his loved ones. being "Robin" in the mask is doing both. and unlike Bruce Wayne, john blake's a nobody...bruce wayne created "Batman" out of a childhood fear of bats - i could totally see john blake not using the name "Robin" because of some kind of childhood tragedy. it would be poetic from him to adopt the name again to fight crime. am i alone here?

oh well. I still don't think he'd be the next Batman though...that would undo everything bruce accomplished as batman. why would he be mad at the copycats, but be okay with blake dressing up as batman? i'm pretty sure he wants blake to find his own way, but offered his tools and gadgets. i sort of get why people would want him as nightwing, but that identity belongs to dick grayson and the ancient kryptonian.

for me, blake will always be this trilogy's robin.

I still feel a better idea would be if he started his own underground 'Sons Of Batman' with a select group from the orphanage. Plenty of opportunity there for future moral implications as well...is it the League of Shadows all over again, is it rally better to go about it lone, etc...?