The Dark Knight Rises is fast approaching its highly anticipated arrival on July 20, and that begs the question, which characters will make it through to the end?
Those of you who are unaware, this will be the final film in director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale’s Batman trilogy. What this means is, Nolan has free reign to kill off any characters he so wishes, with little to no grief from studio execs at Warner Bros.
It is, after all, his masterpiece.
So with the epic finale approaching, we take a look at who will live through the carnage that the brutal villain, Bane, is sure to bring to Gotham City. If you’ve seen Inception, Nolan’s last film, you’ll know that he has no qualms leaving his fans with their jaws unhinged on the theater floor, vehemently attempting to decipher the ending as the credits roll.
Who will live – Who will die
Jim Gordon
Gordon is played by Gary Oldman and was promoted to police Commissioner in The Dark Knight. Not only is he now a high profile target for a villain such as Bane, he’s also a good friend of Batman, which can be disadvantageous when armies rumble into Gotham in stolen camo-colored Tumblers. He’s also a good friend of Bruce himself, being one of the officers who assisted in bringing his parents’ killer to justice during his childhood.
“We were in this together, and then you were gone…the Batman must come back”- Gordon
In the first teaser trailer, we see Gordon laid up in a hospital, pleading to Bruce Wayne to bring Batman back from retirement, due to Gotham being gravely in need of a hero once again. He appears extremely weak and is having trouble breathing; this leads one to believe he is severely injured early on in the final film. His death could potentially be the tipping point for Bruce, giving him the necessary push to put the black suit back on.
Prediction: Gordon dies
Lucius Fox
Lucius, played by Morgan Freeman, remains the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He’s not only Bruce’s friend and company head, he appears to have continued his role as Bat-gadget engineer, despite Batman’s retirement.
“Let me show you some stuff anyway, just for old time’s sake.”- Lucius
Lucius seems a bit safer than most, although as mentioned before, Batman’s friends often pay for their loyalty with their lives. From this most recent TV spot we see Bruce is looking to strap on his suit once again, which means Lucius will be doing his utmost to help him get properly geared back up. This puts him in a vulnerable position, but honestly, I don’t think even Christopher Nolan can get away with killing off Morgan Freeman.
Prediction: Lucius lives
Selina Kyle – Catwoman
Selina is new to the Nolan Batman crew, but her alter ego, Catwoman, is well known from previous films. Selina is played by Anne Hathaway, and if you’re unfamiliar with her character, she’s a leather-wearing cat burglar that looks to go from committing crime to fighting crime alongside the Caped Crusader.
“I’m adaptable.”- Catwoman
She appears to be taking multiple rides on the Batpod, as well as in the new flying machine – Batwing. She’ll be amidst the battles fighting alongside Batman, so she’s bound to get her fair chance at injury, but I imagine she’ll make it through with at least a few of her nine lives left.
Prediction: Catwoman lives
Alfred
Bruce’s father figure/butler Alfred, played by Michael Caine, has been essential to Batman’s success since Nolan’s first film in the trilogy, Batman Begins. He’s also the closest person to Bruce since the passing of Rachel in The Dark Knight. This leads one to believe that he may be in grave danger in the Batman finale. We know from the third trailer that he’s worried about Bruce returning to Gotham as Batman.
“I won’t bury you, I’ve buried enough members of the Wayne family.”- Alfred
Sadly I think it will be Alfred that gets buried in this film, due to how gut-wrenching it would be to see the loveable butler’s life cut short on the big screen.
Prediction: Alfred dies
John Blake
Blake is a bit of a mystery in The Dark Knight Rises. He’s being played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception), and in the trailers we see that he is a Gotham City policeman, that may or may not get a promotion during the finale. This character leaked to the public late in the game, but I have a feeling that he will play an integral part in this film. We even see him questioning Selina Kyle in the most recent trailer.
“Why would you run…Bane?”- Blake
Levitt’s star is rising since his roles in Inception and 50/50, and he’s proven himself a highly capable actor. He’ll get to see the end of The Dark Knight Rises and possibly play a much larger role than we’d ever imagined.
Prediction: John Blake lives
Bane
Bane is the brutal villain in The Dark Knight Rises, played by another one of director Christopher Nolan’s recent favorite actors: Tom Hardy. Despite what you may remember from Batman films prior to Nolan’s reboot, Bane is no muscle-bound brute. Quite the contrary.
“I’m Gotham’s reckoning.” – Bane
Possible Character Spoilers: In the comics, Bane is born and raised in the prison system, serving out his father’s sentence after his father escapes prison. Bane is exceptionally intelligent and has supernatural strength due to building up his body throughout prison life, but also because he was made a test subject for a drug called “Venom,” which had killed all previous inmates and nearly kills Bane. He survives the experimental drug and realizes it increases his strength immensely, but he must keep administering it to sustain his strength, hence the reason we see him in the tube-laced mask in the trailers.
Bane in the comic world is known as “The man who broke the Bat,” so it may be wise to keep that in mind. Villains usually don’t fare well in superhero films, so I see Bane ending up with his own mask broken by the end of The Dark Knight Rises.
Prediction: Bane dies
Bruce Wayne – Batman
We’ve been told that Batman, played by Christian Bale, has since retired the Bat suit, and in this film’s timeline it’s been eight years since The Dark Knight events occurred. So Bruce Wayne has apparently been living a life of luxury, sans crime fighting when the film begins. From the trailers we know he’s forced to don the dark suit once again to rescue Gotham City from Bane, but how will he fare against the super-human “Bat Breaker”?
“As a man, I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed.
But as a symbol…as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.” – Bruce Wayne
Possible Character Spoilers: When Batman faces Bane in the comics, Bane literally breaks Batman’s back. During the last trailer we see Bruce without his mask, injured, lying down while speaking to Bane. “Why didn’t you just kill me?” for which Bane responds, “Your punishment must be more severe.” One can assume Bane simply wants Bruce to witness the death of everyone he cares for and for Gotham City to be destroyed before Bruce takes his final breath. Throughout the first two Batman films, we’re reminded time and time again that although Batman may be a legend, and Bruce Wayne a hero, he still remains just a man.
Every hero has a journey, but every journey has an end. So will Batman’s legend have grown resilient enough to prosper, even without Bruce Wayne? Only director Christopher Nolan knows for sure and so will we, on July 20.
Prediction: Bruce Wayne dies
Prediction: Batman lives
We’re very excited about The Dark Knight Rises and seeing what this epic finale has in store for us. Which characters do you think will live or die in the trilogy’s finale? Could another character end up having to carry on the legacy of Gotham’s Dark Knight?
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