The ending of The Dark Knight Rises is even more important 10 years later

at the end of 2012 The Dark Knight rises, writer-director Christopher Nolan takes Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) far from his traditional crime-fighting quest. He has apparently freed himself from the physical and psychological burden of being Batman. Now he can relax, give Alfred (Michael Caine) knowing looks from across a coffee shop, and get tipsy around Europe with the woman formerly known as Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Meanwhile, in Gotham City, ex-cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) discovers the Batcave beneath the rebuilt Wayne Manor. Blake has spent the entire film being the closest thing to Batman’s heir, from his revelation that he deduced Bruce Wayne’s secret identity to the end that his real name is “Robin”. As the credits roll and Hans Zimmer’s score blares, he steps up to take the mantle.

And then the series is over. Not paused until the next sequel or spin-off, not nominally complete until a credits scene builds a new branch of a franchise, but over. After perhaps the greatest endgame in modern superhero films not to involve Captain America’s shield, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight story ends with no intentions for a revival or sequel. In the age of expanding universes and multiplying timelines, this is not only rare, but purely singular. The Dark Knight rises came out a full decade ago, and it’s the last time a major superhero story was allowed to come to an end.

Batman movies always seem to come from another dimension, despite having a strong influence on the genre around them. The Fairy Tale Fever Dream by Tim Burton Batman returns 1992 and Joel Schumacher’s toy glow stick wonderland Batman & Robin 1997 feels more like cases of wild abandon than studio blockbusters, especially compared to the rather subdued 2000s X-Men. Nolan’s trilogy focuses heavily on George W. Bush-era politics. They’re films built around the intricacies and morals of terrorism and surveillance states, and were made when the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe was focused on relatively straightforward Good vs. Mostly Evil fantasy.

The Dark Knight rises came out the same summer as Marvel’s The Avengersand with Increases As a concrete finale to a story, it’s hard not to see it as a kind of torch passing between two series that defined their genre. The Avengers marked a major expansion point for the MCU, ending Phase One’s prologue and establishing a series in which almost every subsequent entry would be deeply connected to the others.

Shortly thereafter, Zack Snyder’s man of Steel announced the arrival of the DC Extended Universe, which included a new Batman who needed to co-exist with the comic book reverie Nolan had so eagerly grounded. For the first time ever, a live-action Batman encountered the heroes who resided outside of Gotham’s city limits. Expanded universes popped up everywhere, with varying degrees of success, from the Fast & Furious films to Universal’s failed Dark Universe series about horror icons. Heading towards films that were primarily there to build future films, the Dark Knight trilogy seemed even stranger among its peers.

Because from that point on, even when other superhero movies seemed to end and their main characters returned to a point of balance, the loose ends were never fully tied up. Even if they appeared to be, the next film in the series would eventually resolve them. When Fox’s X-Men series was gobbled up by its merger with Disney, it was a chaotic mix of schedules, spinoffs, and soft reboots. 2017 logan offered a farewell to Wolverine, the mutant who shouldered the X-Men series for 17 years, and to Hugh Jackman, the actor who never left that series, even in its most clumsy forms.

But this supposedly definitive end was also intended as a new beginning. This was revealed by Dafne Keen, who played the young mutant Laura in the film The studio had planned a sequel. And with movies like Dark Phoenix, dead pool 2and New mutants When I came out after that, it became clear logan was merely a farewell for a character and not the grand coda of the series. Now with Rumors about Fox’s X-Men appearing in the MCUs Multiverse of Madnessperhaps we brace ourselves for even more glimpses into their bewildering realities.

Other series that appeared to be ending, such as the separate Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spider-Man series that preceded the character’s inclusion in the MCU, were both wanted to continue from the behind-the-scenes pressure forced course corrections

. The dueling Peter Parkers from those films eventually reappeared Spider-Man: No Way Homea film that further illustrates Disney and Marvel Studios’ current commitment that they are not only the main exporter of superhero dreams in the present, but also have your nostalgia in their grip.

Even pre-Nolan Batmans aren’t safe. Michael Keaton, the star of Tim Burton’s Batman films, is ready to return to the role in the upcoming movie The Lightning, and will likely replace Ben Affleck as DC’s core Batman. Whatever story Schumacher was trying to tell Batman & Robin should be in a fifth series entry (called Batman triumphs or Batman unleashed) before the project was closed. There’s also the Batman from 2022 The Batmana new series, we have been assured will stay in its own lane and not mix with the other Justice League films. So next time we get the final chapter of a superhero story, maybe it’ll be Batman again.

Until then, however, Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy stands alone to finish its story with no plans for branding expansions. While other franchises have operated with a sort of “if they come, we’ll build it” ethos when it comes to sequels, the creative forces behind it are The Dark Knight rises have repeatedly said that the film is the end of the story. Although it deserves it largest worldwide gross of his trilogy, usually a clear indication that a sequel is on the way. According to Nolan, the openness of The Dark Knight rises“The final scene was just open-ended”thematic‘ and the story he wanted to tell had a cap on it. If you want the Dark Knight legend to continue, you have to imagine it.

The key cast of Increases confirm this, with Christian Bale affirming that his “Services were no longer needed‘ after the film and Joseph Gordon-Levitt destroy all hope that his “Robin” might later direct a spin-off. Thanks to the massive box office and critical acclaim of Nolan’s films, the director gained a significant creative influence on Warner Bros. that allowed him to finish his series on his own terms. If it’s 2013 man of Steel was planned and Warner execs floated the idea that it might be a nice addition to the Dark Knight universe, Zack Snyder hints that Nolan, who is working as the film’s producer, had the clout to shoot down the idea.

As part of the series is the end of Dark Knight Rises is working. While giving up his secret identity in the Bruce Wayne comic book is often viewed as a mortal sin that belittles what the character represents, the Wayne of Nolan trilogy constantly struggles with his superhero role. He is torn between ensuring Gotham’s safety and the need to live a normal life, and making Gotham believe he sacrificed himself while also putting his welfare in the hands of someone he loves familiar, he gets both. Gotham now has the iconic symbol of Batman to bring hope, a new Batguy to make sure people don’t jaywalk or whatever, and Bruce can wake up in the morning knowing he won’t be beaten up by guys in clown masks that day .

In the context of modern franchising, that’s a little confusing. There’s definitely a no-holds-barred approach to the superhero worldview in cinema, one that all but promises that every comic book daydream you’ve had will someday hit the big screen. Though we’ve strayed away from running A-to-Z through Batman’s rogues’ gallery in descending A-to-Z like the movies of the ’90s, the promise of infinite shared universes that continue with no conclusion in sight means that every plot , any reference, any adaptation should be possible. Robert Downey Jr. was the undisputed headliner of the MCU’s first 10 years, but even the death of Iron Man is now a hiccup in other people’s ever-unfolding adventures.

And yet, 10 years later, there is no sign of it Increases will serve as an unofficial “To be continued…”. After a 19-year partnership, he spat on his simultaneous theatrical/streaming release model with Warner Bros got Nolan to bring his next movie to Universal. Christian Bale’s tenure as Caped Crusader seems tied to Nolan’s presence, and meanwhile, Bale doesn’t hurt for gigs. He’s even joined the MCU set to star in the fourth Thor movie. love and thunder. Taking part in the colorful series is certainly a far cry from the gossip report, in which Bale allegedly promised “chain yourself somewhere and refuse to go to work‘ if he had to save Gotham alongside a Robin.

The Dark Knight rises wasn’t the end of an era — it was something entirely unique, a confluence of storytelling technique and behind-the-scenes influence that gave a director and his team the strength they needed to throw in the towel. Before this film, it didn’t matter if a director or star wanted to quit—the studio would Just find someone else to fill the role. At this point, the studios plan could be never give up. In an era of team-ups and crossovers, limited only by which IPs a given company owns the rights to or can negotiate for, cinematic superhero stories abound and persist, like stars ready to fall from the sky to be picked. All except the one that went dark.

The dark knight returns is streamed on HBO Max and is available to rent or buy Amazon, vuduand other digital platforms.