The Dark
Knight Rises Gives Birth to a New Robin
By BRIAN
HEATON
The final scenes of The Dark
Knight Rises presented one of the most polarizing questions of the entire
trilogy: Did John Blake become Batman, or was his character Robin, the
Cape Crusader’s sidekick? Rest assured fellow Bat-fans, the bird has
taken flight. Blake is Robin.
The evidence provided by director
Christopher Nolan in the film is undeniable in its support of that assertion. It
amazes me that more than a year later, fans and pop culture analysts
continue to debate the issue.
Let’s first address something
anti-Robin advocates seem to champion: The fact Nolan has said over the years
leading up to The Dark Knight Rises that Robin (as fans have come to know the
character) has no place in his Batman universe in the manner in which
fans have grown accustomed to.
Nolan’s right. Having a teenaged
sidekick isn’t believable, nor is a “ward” that lives with Wayne at the same
time that coincidentally Batman has a new partner. That doesn’t work in
the realistic world Nolan used for The Dark Knight Trilogy. But Blake isn’t a
child. He’s an early 20-something, impressionable rookie cop.
Then there is the reveal of
Blake’s true first name, “Robin.” If Nolan intended Blake to take over
as Batman, then why would he put a scene in the movie where “Robin” is
noted at the very end as his real first name? It doesn’t make sense. If that
were the case, Nolan wouldn’t have written that scene.
The argument that the scene was
simply Nolan’s “nod” to the Robin character fails to hold water. It
creates confusion if Blake were to become Batman. Sure, there have been people
that have temporarily filled in for
Bruce Wayne as Batman in the comics, but that’s just it — it was temporary.
Bruce Wayne IS Batman. Tossing the scene aside as token gesture to fans and
adding needless confusion to the storyline isn’t Nolan’s style.
Now let’s address Blake’s
abilities. He’s got nowhere near the type of combat training or discipline that
enabled Bruce to become Batman. How realistic is it to expect Blake to
walk into the Batcave and take over? It’s not. Even if you assume he trains for
a few years, it’s not believable. Bruce’s development and training took seven
years, many spent with the League of Shadows, just to get him ready.
Do people really think Blake
can just stroll into the cave, pick up a few martial arts classes and take over
the mantle of the bat? It’s not realistic at all, which is why there’s no way
Nolan could have intended it that way. Blake would be killed in short
order by the gangsters and thugs that were released into the streets following
Bane’s occupation of Gotham, not to mention the super criminals out there like
Scarecrow and The Joker.
Taking all that into
consideration, its clear Bruce wanted Blake to find the cave and prepare
for a future as his sidekick. Nolan wasn’t going to force Robin into the trilogy
as a superhero, but he concluded Batman’s origin story by showing the birth of
the Dynamic Duo.
It all ties together with the
scene featuring Bruce and Selina Kyle on holiday in France. As all Batman
fans know, any relationship between Bruce and Selina is doomed to failure, given
their distinctly different personalities.
The Dark Knight Rises was loyal
to that. Selina came back at the very end to help, but she walked that
familiar line between doing the right thing and being selfish. It’s likely that
at some point, the relationship between them in Nolan’s universe will crumble,
setting the stage for Bruce’s return to Gotham.
Some fans have noted that
Nolan went to great lengths to show the physical punishment Batman had endured,
indicating that he’s hung up the cape and cowl for good. But don’t forget that
Nolan also showed how a new leg brace and technology helped Bruce overcome his
injuries and he came back stronger than ever after being defeated by Bane.
Bruce is 38 in film, but it’s not
like he’s 55. He’s the right age to mentor someone. And given how he rebuilt his
body to face Bane a second time, it’s clear he still has enough left in
the tank to battle Gotham’s underbelly for years to come.
In addition, it was
mentioned in The Dark Knight Rises that it would take awhile to prove the
futures trading with Bruce Wayne’s thumbprint was fraudulent. That will be
proved in time and, ultimately, restore the Wayne family fortune. This
gives Bruce a believable re-entry to Gotham.
Being abroad for a time with
Selina allows the legal process to happen and keeps Bruce out of the spotlight
until the issue has run its course. Then Bruce comes back to Gotham,
saying he faked his death and is back in the game again. Although Wayne Manor
now serves as a boy’s home, it’s not a stretch to believe Bruce will take up
residence in the penthouse he had in The Dark Knight, or build a new mansion
nearby the original Manor.
Love him or hate him, Robin is a
defining part of the Batman mythos. He’s as critical to the Batman Universe as
Alfred, Commissioner Gordon or any of the supporting cast and helps further
define and expand the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne. Time and numerous
comic storylines have proven that. Robin’s existence molds Bruce as a father
figure and Batman as a crime fighter and partner.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t time
in The Dark Knight Rises to flesh out that relationship and do it
justice. The director instead gave us a believable Robin origin story
that tied into the movie and Batman’s history, setting the stage for the Dynamic
Duo to thrive in Nolan’s realistic Dark Knight Mythology well into the
future.
When he’s not
opining on Bat-related issues, Brian
Heaton spends his days as a professional business-to-business journalist. He has
covered technology, construction, sports and politics during a writing career
that has spanned three decades. Brian has been an avid Batman fan and collector
since 1980. Contact him at briman04@yahoo.com.
