10. Joseph Gordon -Levitt Becomes Robin
Yeah, I know it seems fairly obvious and carries the majority of the weight behind the closing moments of the film, but you’d be surprised at how many people didn’t realize that John Blake, or Robin Blake, becomes THE Robin, as in Batman’s partner and sidekick. Not only did the film reveal his real name, but it shows Blake swinging across a ravine into Bruce Wayne’s bat cave. He then steps up onto the main platform, which rises just before the movie fades out and the credits roll. I know the movie isn’t called The Boy Wonder Rises, but if that isn’t a set up for another film or two…or three, then I don’t know what is.
9. What Did He Say?
It’s no secret that Bane, the main villain played by Tom Hardy, is a little hard to hear at times during the film. The muffled and digitally remastered voice is supposed to give the audience the feeling that Bane is trapped beneath the mask, and has become who he is as a result of his pain. Regardless of the plot relevancy, it doesn’t change the fact that a majority of moviegoers most likely uttered, “What did he say?” at least a couple times during the film. Warner Bros. is well aware of the problem, but director Christopher Nolan is hesitant to change anything about the film. Having no intention of completely reworking the dialogue and audio, Nolan has said that he will only alter it slightly and that he won’t have a new cut of the movie for a few months.
8. New Bat-Signal
When the movie concludes and Bruce Wayne is “dead,” Commissioner Gordon climbs to the top of the police station, only to find that the Bats-Signal spotlight has been magically repaired. Although the Batman’s time has ended, it’s a bittersweet way for Bruce Wayne to let Gordon know he is still alive and well.
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7. Robin Logo in the Stands
I didn’t notice this one until it was pointed out to me, but any old comic book fan will know the font when they see it. As seen in the film, and also the trailer, this Easter egg occurs in the hauntingly brilliant football stadium scene in which a young boy sings the national anthem. As the fans cheer in the background, a group of excited sports fanatics hold up letters spelling out “Rogues”. The ‘R’ on the leading sign is distinctly similar to the ‘R’ that is used in the Boy Wonder’s logo.
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6. A Clean Slate
One of the final scenes depicts Alfred sitting down for his yearly meal at the same café in Italy. He glances up and sees Bruce having a meal with Selina Kyle. This affirms that the “clean slate” device worked and Selina is free to start a new life, presumably at Bruce Wayne’s side.
5. Foley’s Last Stand
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Matthey Modine plays Deputy Commissioner Foley, a proud and arrogant cop who ends up in hiding when the final confrontation with Bane draws near. Commissioner Gordon urges Foley to join the fight, rather than cowering on the sideline. He says, “I’m not asking you parade down Main Street in your dress blues.” In the end Foley comes around, leading the charge in the final fight against Bane and his militia. And yes, he is suited up in his full dress, an ironically beautiful end to his character arc.
4. Judge Jonathan
Cillian Murphy returns as Jonathan Crane, better known as Scarecrow from the first film, Batman Begins. He made an appearance in the second film, The Dark Knight, but only briefly during the opening sequence. He returns in TDKR as the presiding judge during martial law, after everything goes to shit of course. He might only play a very small role in the last two films, but it’s a nice bonus to fans of the entire trilogy. So, shall it be Death? Or Exile?
3. Gotham Rogues (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Sports fans might recognize the stadium in the football scene as Heinz Field, home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It also helps that the Gotham City Rogues are garbed in the same home team colors as that of the Steelers. Looking even closer, it can be seen that the player running back the kickoff is actually Steelers wide receiver, Hines Ward. During the live shoot, there were real explosions going off around him, adding a bit of realism to the very heavy CGI work. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ward admitted, “I’ve run scared before, but I really ran scared that day. They told me, ‘Don’t look back.’ I felt the explosion when I was running.”
2. Robin at the Masquerade
Upon some intense observation during the scene with Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, director Christopher Nolan throws in yet another Robin reference. In the closing moments of the scene you can see a masked man dancing behind Bruce Wayne, touting the familiar Robin mask and baring a striking resemblance and similar facial structure to that of Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
1. Robin and Knightwing
Remember the scene where (Robin) John Blake is talking to the kid at the boys home who continues to draw bats on the pavement with chalk? I know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t think those were very good looking bats. Later, Blake also ends up drawing bats around Gotham while the city is under martial law. Well, flip that “bat” upside down and now what? That can’t be a robin could it?
In the long history and somewhat confusing lore of the DC universe, Robin later becomes the superhero Knightwing after growing weary of being Batman’s trusty sidekick. As a respected new superhero, he gets his own brand new logo as well. Now let’s go one step further. I took the original chalk bat and spliced it together with the upside down chalk robin (removing the wings) and lo and behold, a figure that seems amazingly similar to that of Knightwing’s new symbol, a superhero who was the product of both Batman and Robin. How’s that for symbolism?
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