You've probably thought about it at some point. That if any director had the stones to kill off Batman, it'd be Christopher Nolan, and the end of The Dark Knight Rises would be the time to do it. In 2008, after The Dark Knight proved to be a $1B grossing monster hit, Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer met to talk about the next film, which they both knew even at the time to be the final part of the story. The discussion eventually turned to what the final scene of The Dark Knight Rises would be, and how they would close out Batman's story. In the most recent issue of Empire, Goyer talks just a little bit about the impact of that scene...
"The final scene of The Dark Knight Rises is exactly that scene we talked about then," says Goyer, speaking to Empire from his LA office almost four years later. "It remained completely unchanged. We both knew in our hearts that we were onto something special. I have to tell you, having finally seen everything strung together a little while ago and seeing that scene, I got a complete lump in my throat."
Now, Goyer could just be talking about the end of the franchise giving him a lump in his throat, as he's been just as much a part of it as anybody. Then again, it could be something considerably more. Empire, smartly, pressed him on it by asking, : "Nolan, it would seem, is committing commercial sacrilege,"
To which Goyer replied, "Yup. That's why it's f*cking exciting!"
The talk of Batman meeting his ultimate fate at the end of the film has been constant for months, so much so that I can't think Nolan would ever do something so obvious. Even the trailers seem to be hinting at his death. Nolan is, if anything, a director who relishes running counter to popular notions, so I don't think Batman will die. An ambiguous conclusion seems the more likely scenario. Maybe a spinning Batarang on a table?
What do you think? Will Batman survive his battle with Bane?
