The Dark Knight Rises: Ending Examined
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers related to the film. Scroll down to continue reading the article.
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If you’ve seen the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s epic, you know that it’s a fairly straightforward ending. Or so it seems. Whilst Bruce Wayne seemingly has lived on and can enjoy his life, free of the grasp of Gotham’s needs, perhaps this is but one interpretation of the final scene.
I’m a big fan of films that leave a certain amount of ambiguity about the plot, whilst acknowledging the majority of questions that viewers may have. Deciding whether or not you believe that Bruce Wayne survives doesn’t damage the plot, which reaches its resolution with the explosion of the bomb away from the city, the villains having been defeated and order seemingly set to be restored. So, whether Bruce has died or is alive, there’s no difference in the story to be troubled by our thoughts.
So, why is there any maybe about it? We see Bruce Wayne dining at the cafe at the end. And he’s with Selina Kyle! If he had died, he’d be with Rachel. Isn’t that evidence enough?
Well, starting with the first point; Alfred acknowledged that he would make an annual visit to this cafe and hope that he would see Bruce – not Batman – enjoying his life, carefree and Gotham-free. In reality Bruce wasn’t there, but in Alfred’s fantasies, he was.
Now, it’s true that no matter how creative Alfred’s mind was, he wouldn’t think about Selina Kyle. However, why would he imagine Bruce with anyone else? An integral part of the plot, and the moment when Michael Caine is prematurely chucked out of the film comes when he reveals that Rachel chose Harvey Dent over Bruce – the man who has been pining over her since her death nearly a decade ago. He refused to acknowledge this, but perhaps Bruce finally realised and accepted the reality that Rachel was never his to lose.
Batman also enjoys a steamy kiss with Selina, boasting an audience of the few people who are aware of Batman’s true identity. Perhaps, somebody might have mentioned to Alfred about this woman who assisted him in his most triumphant hour. And, knowing about this cat-burglar that Bruce was so interested in, would Alfred really be so naive as to guess that this wasn’t the same woman? So, if he knew that his master’s death was preceded by an intimate moment with a woman that matched him more perfectly that any other (how many costume-wearing, ass-kicking superheroes are there?), wouldn’t he imagine Bruce and Selina together in a perfect fantasy when the only other options are a random woman, the woman who tried to kill him or Rachel, whose true feelings Alfred knows of. And, the latter would lose the wonderful mystery of the ending, and instead cement his death as fact, rather than an interpretation.
Now, the main crux in the decision over whether Bruce dies is that we’re shown very prominently that the autopilot was fixed, well in advance of the actions of the finale. So, Bruce was definitely able to flee the Batwing well in advance of any explosion – nuclear or not. But, the autopilot was fixed in advance of his knowledge of the atomic bomb. And, if he chose to use the autopilot to save Gotham, this would serve to completely undermine a large and integral plot point – ‘the pit’.
Remember when Batman’s back was broken, and Bruce had to rebuild himself and escape the jail in the ground. Well, when did he succeed climbing out? Not the first time, nor the second. It was after he took off the rope and accepted his fate if he failed; as the blind prisoner tells him: “You do not fear death. You think this makes you strong. It makes you weak.”
So, after being strengthened mentally by the acknowledgement that his fate is death in failure, not for him, but for the city and people he has spent his life and fortune protecting, Bruce Wayne’s mentality is changed. As he tells Selina after she tells him he has given the people everything: “Not everything. Not yet.”
And so, when it comes down to it, and Bruce is fighting the clock to remove a highly volatile bomb from the city, one which will no doubt destroy and kill all in its path, would he put faith in autopilot? Of course, he’s smart. Of course, he has managed to do miraculous things with technology before, but nothing that, if unsuccessful, would unleash such terrible consequences. This is an action that would require more than sheer optimism.
And even more so, it would be a heroic way to give Gotham your all. He has fixed the autopilot, but held Gotham so close to his heart that he wasn’t willing to let its fate be left out of his hands. Chancing some things is fine, fun even, but risking the lives of your loved ones, your friends, colleagues, board members and everyday citizens who thrive in your home, simply as a test of your own belief in an algorithm, is beyond reason.
And now we’re back in the Italian cafe, with Alfred looking at the table opposite. He knows Bruce is dead, that he’s free from being a slave to Gotham. He’s at peace. Just look at the state he has been in since Batman Begins. Physically destroyed from being Batman, mentally tortured from losing Rachel, and yet he has now eased that pain by doing exactly what caused it in the first place – protecting Gotham. We saw Alfred greave in the funeral scene, and this is now his period of acceptance that Bruce is gone; he’s in a better place.
Either that or he’s alive, and you’ve just wasted some of the time that you could have used to queue up for your second viewing of The Dark Knight Rises!
About the Author
Matthew Gildea is (almost) a Journalism and Broadcasting graduate. With a keen eye for football and gaming, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Charlie Brooker and have really crap hair.
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HE IS STILL ALIVE!!!
Bruce Wayne is dead. The cafe is a dream. Dreamers don’t choose their dream symbols. The main person is Bruce.
Dreaming or fantasizing about Rachel is an obvious dream. Nolan never makes anything look obvious. It is never that easy. Clues give hope.
Good article.