The big twist in The Dark Knight Rises leads to a surprising change in Christian Bale’s Batman performance that makes the DC movie moment even better. Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale reinvigorated the Batman franchise after the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher era, rebooting the film series with a focus on relative realism and a more grounded, serious, tone than before. Even with two live-action Batman successors (and a third due to debut in the new DC Universe timeline), Bale’s Batman performances and The Dark Knight trilogy itself are fondly remembered.

Ever since Michael Keaton’s debut in 1989’s Batman, it has become common for different live-action iterations of Batman to use a drastically different voice when playing Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight. Bale’s Batman is known for using a guttural growl when wearing the cowl, and while some viewers criticized this choice, it nevertheless became a signature trait of this beloved iteration of the character. This element of Bale’s Batman performance undergoes a mᴀssive change at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, however.

Christian Bale’s Batman Uses His Bruce Wayne Voice After Talia’s Betrayal

In The Dark Knight Rises’s climax, Batman – having just defeated Bane – is suddenly betrayed by Miranda Tate, who reveals herself as Talia al Ghul, the daughter of the late Ra’s al Ghul and the mastermind of the League of Shadows’ plot to destroy Gotham City. It is upon this revelation (in which Batman is also non-fatally stabbed) that Batman “breaks character,” using his Bruce Wayne voice while wearing the cowl. The sheer devastation of Talia’s revelation and betrayal likely caused Batman to use his normal voice, even though he normally tried to always use the growl when wearing the mask.

Throughout The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman maintains the growl while in the Batsuit, even while speaking to allies who know his secret – like Alfred, Lucius Fox, Catwoman, and John Blake. Batman even speaks to himself out loud with the growl when wearing the cowl, as shown in The Dark Knight Rises when Catwoman sneaks away from him. Batman also uses the growl when battling enemies who know his secret, such as Ra’s al Ghul and Bane.

Batman Allowed Himself To Be Human & Vulnerable With Catwoman

Although Batman uses the growl once again while speaking to Commissioner Gordon at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, there is a brief moment when he continues to use his Bruce Wayne voice while wearing his mask. After Catwoman kills Bane to save Batman’s life, he speaks to her for the rest of the scene in his Bruce Wayne voice. This was most likely not only due to his continued devastation by Talia’s betrayal, but also his trust in Catwoman, allowing himself to be human and vulnerable with her, if only for a moment.

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