The Dark Knight Writer Jonathan Nolan Reveals the Meaning Behind the Film’s Most Iconic Line

It’s safe to say The Dark Knight is one of the most beloved comic book movies of all time. The film was released back in 2008 and marked the second movie in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The project went on to win two Academy Awards, one for Heath Ledger’s performance as Joker and one for sound editing. There are many iconic moments in the movie, but co-writer Jonathan Nolan recently admitted that he is “plagued” by one line in particular and that’s, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

“I’m plagued by a line from The Dark Knight, and I’m plagued by it because I didn’t write it,” Nolan told Deadline last month. “My brother [Chirstopher] wrote it. It kills me because it’s the line that most resonates. And at the time, I didn’t even understand it … I read it in his draft, and I was like, ‘All right, I’ll keep it in there, but I don’t really know what it means. Is that really a thing?’ And then, over the years since that film’s come out, it just seems truer and truer. In [Oppenheimer], it’s absolutely that. Build them up, tear them down. It’s the way we treat people.”

“It came later in the script,” Nolan shared with THR at SXSW. “We’ve done a version or two of the script where we were looking for something that would distill the tragedy of Harvey Dent, but that would also apply to Batman. The richness of Batman is in the way this principled, almost Boy Scout-like figure is wrapped up in this kind of ghoulish appearance and his willingness to embrace the darkness. So I was looking at Greek tragic figures.”

David Dastmalchian Talks Reuniting With Christopher Nolan:

Back in December, ComicBook.com had the chance to catch up with David Dastmalchian, who played William L. Borden in Oppenheimer. Of course, this isn’t the first time the actor has worked with director Christopher Nolan. Dastmalchian’s first role was playing one of Joker’s thugs, Thomas Schiff, in The Dark Knight. 

“A lot that I didn’t get to talk about,” Dastmalchian said when asked what he was hoping to share about his Oppenheimer experience. “Hopefully we’ll talk about for the rest of my life. That was a life-changing experience, getting to reunite with the director who gave my first break, Who has made films that I think about constantly that changed my life as a viewer, as a fan being in his presence again, it’s so inspiring. He’s a true auteur. He is a genius and he’s an incredible leader. And I feel like he got something out of me that I didn’t know, maybe it was possible and it’s a small role, but I’m really proud of the fact that I felt like I did something maybe different than I would normally do. So, yeah, it’s a lot.”

The Dark Knight is currently available to stream on Max.