When The Dark Knight Rises hit theaters back in 2012, fans wondered whether Christopher Nolan would ever return to expand the franchise. After all, The Dark Knight trilogy ended with Sgt. John Blake walking into Bruce Wayne’s top-secret Batcave after he resigned from Gotham’s Police Force. And, for course, that’s not even to mention the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character had kept his real name secret from fans. Moviegoers were understandably shocked to learn Sgt. Blake’s first name was actually Robin, a clear connection to Batman’s comic book sidekick. But, surprisingly, it appears as if Joseph is fine with leaving both Batman and Robin in the past. The actor recently said he thinks The Dark Knight trilogy had the perfect ending, one he doesn’t want to see mucked-up by future reboots.
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Speaking with CinemaBlend, the actor briefly discussed The Dark Knight Rises‘ ending after being asked whether he’s interested in taking on the role of Batman. Nodding towards other on-going superhero flicks, the actor said, “I know we’re all used to the sort of Marvel movies, which are just kind of endless series. They don’t really have a beginning, middle, and end. But I think Nolan very much thought of that movie as a conclusion.”
“There’s a theme that runs through all three of those movies that begins in the first movie, runs through the second movie and it concludes in that moment where he says that Batman is more than a man, Batman is a symbol,” Joseph explained. “And so to have another man other than Bruce Wayne kind of becoming Batman at the end of that trilogy, I think that’s the perfect ending to that story.”
Clearly, the actor thought out his answer to the question ahead of time. Joseph’s logic is on-point as Christopher Nolan did emphasize his version of Batman had an expiration date. Batman Begins set the hero up to be a temporary figure – a hero whose reputation would wipe Gotham’s seedy underbelly clean. And, by the end of The Dark Knight Rises, that’s exactly what Bruce Wayne has done. Presumed dead, the hero finds himself sequestered away in Europe with Selina Kyle after saving Gotham, no doubt relieving a heartbroken Alfred. The city, however, was still recovering from Bane’s onslaught and needed a hero to inherit Batman’s mantle. This, of course, is where Sgt. Blake would step in.
While it’d be interesting to see someone aside from Bruce Wayne take up Batman’s moniker on the big screen, there was never any plans for Joseph to do that in The Dark Knight films. So, it seems that fans will just have to wonder how the actor’s iteration of Robin could’ve grown and become capable of fillin in for Gotham’s Bat while he’s away. Given Gotham’s gritty personality, it wouldn’t have taken too long after The Dark Knight Rises ended for criminals to come out and play.
