As anyone who knows me can attest, my range of conversation topics consists of: 1. Batman, 2.
Breaking Bad, 3. Batman, 4. Still Batman. Thus, it came as no surprise when, as my birthday party was winding down last Friday, my roommates and I began to wax philosophical about the Caped Crusader.
Specifically, we were discussing The Dark Knight Rises, so those of you who want to be absolutely, completely surprised by the movie might want to stop here. Those who are familiar with the comics or don't mind spoilers are encouraged to keep reading.
More specifically, we were discussing the implications of Christopher Nolan's realistic Bat-iverse on Bruce Wayne and his death-defying abilities.
For the final film in his series, Nolan has brought in the juggernaut Bane to be the Dark Knight's adversary. In the comics, Bane is the villain who not only figures out Batman's true identity, but also literally breaks his back. After the injury, Bruce Wayne recuperates and returns as Batman to kick Bane's big stupid head in. However, this isn't necessarily the comic world that Nolan's Bat-iverse inhabits. If Wayne gets his back broken in the film, that's a serious setback for Batman (no pun intended).
It's also the understatement of the century. Cracked.com columnist Cody Johnston speculates that the fight will kill Bruce Wayne, and the Batman we all know and love will pass the mantle on to a new Batman, in this case Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character John Blake. Since he's young, physically fit and is important enough to actually have a name, he seems like an easy enough fit for the Batsuit. Actually, they might have to do a bit of tailoring; I think he's a little shorter than Christian Bale.
As Cody details, Batman has to survive, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Bruce Wayne has to. Here's where my theory comes in. It might just be wishful thinking, but I don't think Bruce Wayne has to die; he does, however, have to pass on the mantle.
- Tom Brady as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises"
The Dark Knight Rises is set eight years after The Dark Knight, so we're dealing with an older Batman here. The question is whether Bane will actually break Batman's back or merely kick the holy crap out of him.
Let's say he breaks his back. I say Bruce trains hard, recovers and returns the favor in an epic final battle. But even if that happens, it'll be Bruce's last fight. He's older, he's tired and he just got his damn back broken. Someone else needs to take up the mantle. And who better than Blake?
But what if Bruce Wayne just gets rocked like a hurricane? In a realistic Bat-iverse, that's still a big deal. Action heroes take way more punishment than any real human being could withstand.
Either way, I don't think Bruce Wayne will be Batman for the entirety of this movie. He'll do the most Batmanning, of course, but it seems more than likely that he's going to give it up at some point. He's more brittle and he's got a foe with some serious problems with other people's spinal cords. And in the realistic Bat-iverse, late-30s is a little old for Batmannery. Now, if any of you readers are so inclined, be sure to detail your own Bat-theory at loyolaphoenix.com, or whether you think Bruce dies or even gives up the Bat-role at all. And come mid-July, we'll pool all our Bat-puns together and watch what Christopher Nolan and company have in store for us, which I'm sure will be incredi-Bat.
Posted by
Patrick Braud on March 21, 2012. Filed under
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