'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMRgKQ//xAAfEAACAQQCAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgQAAwUREhMxQdH/2gAIAQEAAT8Al4sQcQk92DLdRU619De/NXonG64UIVDEAnf2v//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABB/9oACAECAQE/AI//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAL/2gAIAQMBAT8A0A3/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Dark Knight Rises marked the end of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The apparent ending of the story makes it look like Bruce Wayne sacrificed himself by taking the bomb away from Gotham. However, the film follows that up with Alfred going to Europe and finding both Bruce and Selina Kyle (Catwoman) alive and well.
So how did Batman survive the bomb?
The film not only shows us that Bruce Wayne is alive and well, but establishes that it was necessary for Gotham to see the sacrifice of the Caped Crusader. It remains one of the most powerful movie climaxes to this day.
Events preceding the detonation in The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises showcases Tom Hardy's Bane and Talia al Ghul as villains. The superhero and Catwoman did their best to save Gotham by trying to stabilize the bomb. They take it to the reactor chamber, but Talia renders their efforts useless.
With detonation being a certainty, Bruce Wayne flew the bomb out of Gotham city. While Gotham was certainly saved, it's unclear whether Batman made it out or not. Hence, fans find themselves regularly debating about how Batman survived the bomb.
Exploring how Batman survived the bomb
Here are a few reasons that explain how Batman is alive and well. Even when we see the Bat go off into the distance, we do not see him get out. This makes fans quite skeptical of Alfred spotting Bruce in Europe.
What we need to know about The Dark Knight Rises is that it is not told chronologically. The scenes where Batman is flying off into the distance and his close-up shots within the film are not happening simultaneously.
The Bat was on autopilot
This was set up in the film earlier on, as we found out that the autopilot was not working properly. However, Nolan made sure to put in a scene later where the exchange between Alfred and Bruce revealed that the autopilot was fixed and working properly. With a lot of distance in between, it might be possible that we wouldn't even see him get out of the aircraft, but he certainly did.
As to how or when he got out, many argue that Bruce got out ten seconds before the blast. Others argued that there was another vehicle within the aircraft that the Dark Knight used to go underwater and travel as far away from the radiation resulting from the explosion.
As far as we're concerned, this is Christopher Nolan. With examples like The Prestige and Inception, the director is known to play around with what the audience sees as real or unreal.
Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan about the ending of The Dark Knight Rises
Bale revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he believes that Wayne survived the blast. He also factors in the fact that Alfred also finds Bruce to be alive and well in Europe. However, he did add that in the end, the audience's interpretation matters a lot.
He said:
"[Alfred] was content with me being alive and left because that was the life he always wanted for him. I find it very interesting and with most films, I tend to say 'It's what the audience thinks it is.'"
The actor adds:
"My personal opinion? No, it was not a dream. That was for real and he was just delighted that finally he had freed himself from the privilege, but ultimately the burden of being Bruce Wayne."
Nolan also revealed what he had in mind when he filmed the ending of the film, and therefore the series. Speaking to Collider, Nolan said that it does not matter whether Batman is dead or alive.
The director added:
"The Dark Knight Rises is specifically and definitely the end of the Batman story as I wanted to tell it, and the open-ended nature of the film is simply a very important thematic idea that we wanted to get into the movie, which is that Batman is a symbol. He can be anybody, and that was very important to us."
Final thoughts
So did the Dark Knight die? Not in the least, as far as Christian Bale is concerned. Christopher Nolan believes in the idea of the Caped Crusader instead of an individual, and since then, both Ben Affleck and Robert Pattison have taken the mantle of Bruce Wayne (in different universes).
Christian Bale was handed down the role of Batman by the likes of Adam West, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Michael Keaton. Christopher Nolan made sure that The Dark Knight got to be the most reality-rooted series. This resulted in some of the most likable portrayals of characters in the DC universe.
So as far as we are concerned, The Dark Knight did not die and got the happy ending he deserves.
