Gary Collinson with an alternative theory on the final scene of The Dark Knight Rises…
“The final scene of The Dark Knight Rises is exactly [the] scene we talked about [when Christopher Nolan and I started the trilogy with Batman Begins],” stated David S. Goyer in a recent interview with Empire Magazine (via Screen Rant). “It remained completely unchanged. We both knew in our hearts that we were onto something special. I have to tell you, having finally seen everything strung together a little while ago and seeing that scene, I got a complete lump in my throat.”
Anyone who has been following the development of The Dark Knight Rises over the past year will be all too aware of the big question circling the ‘epic conclusion’ to Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga – will the Dark Knight die? The theory that Christian Bale’s Batman will meet his maker seems to have a lot of support with fans, and Goyer’s comments appear to support the fact that the upcoming sequel will truly mark the end of the Dark Knight legend (or Nolan’s Dark Knight legend, at the very least). However, I’m not so convinced.
While Batman’s death is certainly a possibility, how exactly would this play out, especially with regards to this ‘final scene’? Is The Dark Knight Rises really going to end with Batman, beaten and broken on the streets of Gotham City, surrounded by a bunch of extras in GCPD uniforms? Or is he going to limp back to Wayne Manor, slump down in an armchair and pass into the night? Personally, I just can’t see it. Instead, I have an alternative theory that I’d like to share, and if you want to avoid any potential plot spoilers, then you might want to wait until after July 20th (at which point I’ll probably be proven wrong anyway)…
Still here? Well then, in a nut-shell, I think the final scene of The Dark Knight Rises will see Bruce Wayne standing over the grave of his parents. And here’s why…
Nolan has promised that the story he started back in 2005 with Batman Begins will come full circle in The Dark Knight Rises, so there will no doubt be various connections between the two films. Given the likely storyline for the upcoming sequel – not to mention its title – I’m going to assume that one of these will be Thomas Wayne’s “And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up” line. We already know that flashbacks will be featured in the film, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine we’ll see more of Bruce’s parents, even if it is just re-hashed footage from Batman Begins, and I fully expect this line to at least be referenced at some point, if not a direct flashback. However, there is another line from Thomas Wayne that I think will prove important, and it’s when he explains to Bruce about the monorail: “Gotham’s been good to our family, but the city’s been suffering. People less fortunate than us have been enduring very hard times.”
More so than Batman, Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is the story of Bruce Wayne; in the latest trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, when Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) says, “You’ve given them everything,” it isn’t Batman she’s referring to, it’s Bruce Wayne. Batman has given nothing, whereas Bruce has given his parents, his true love and indeed, his entire existence, to Gotham City. Still, under Bane’s (Tom Hardy) reign of terror, Thomas Wayne’s statement will never have rung so true; the city will suffer, and the people will endure very hard times, but instead of having to rely on the Wayne family, this time they’ll rise together and the day when Gotham no longer needs Batman will finally have arrived.
Nolan’s trilogy began with Bruce Wayne, so it seems logical that it will end with Bruce Wayne. When we first met him in a Bhutanese prison in Batman Begins, Bruce had nothing, and when we say goodbye to him in The Dark Knight Rises, we’ll leave him that way too. A symbol of hope no longer needed and his debt to Gotham paid, the legend of The Dark Knight will come to an end. Perhaps Bruce will find ‘happiness’ with Selina Kyle – or maybe even Marion Cotillard’s character, on the off chance that she doesn’t turn out to be evil – but deep down inside he’ll be left with nothing but emptiness, and as he stands over the Wayne Family plot facing up to this realisation, we’ll all be getting complete lumps in our throats…
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
Originally published May 31, 2012. Updated April 12, 2018.
