The Dark Knight Rises initially came out in 2012, but since then, the superhero genre and how people react to it has completely transformed. When Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins came out in 2005, superhero films were slowly shifting to become a bigger part of the cinematic landscape.
Nolan’s groundbreaking The Dark Knight trilogy further cemented this change, with these movies earning nominations for Academy Awards. And before the trilogy concluded, the MCU was already on the rise, with The Avengers coming in the same year as The Dark Knight Rises. But, that was just the beginning, considering how much has changed across the genre.
The Last 10 Years Of Superhero Movies Has Changed How A Lot Of People See The Dark Knight Rises’ Ending
From the beginning of the MCU, which began with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, both released in 2008, these movies attempted to create a link between their stories, and tease the audiences about future releases. Since then, this has become a staple of the genre that extended into the DCEU, and now the DCU.
It’s extremely common for franchise superhero films to include teasers, clues, and signals that point towards future stories, both in the main body of the film, but also especially in the final scenes and mid or post-credits scenes.
With that in mind, The Dark Knight Rises’ ending, which dedicates a whole sequence to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character finding the Batcave and potentially carrying on Batman’s legacy, while also revealing his name is Robin, seems to hint at another story that is set to pick up where this trilogy left off.
Why The Dark Knight Rises’ Ending Was Never Intended To Make Another Film
However, Nolan has revealed that there was no intention to continue the story, and Gordon-Levitt has confirmed that there was never any discussion about starring in a future Batman movie.
Christopher Nolan is a visionary director whose films have earned global recognition and accolades. When he builds a story, he does so with the intention of making it complete, and giving it a beginning, middle, and end, though not always in that order, as he often plays with time in his movies.
The Dark Knight Rises was always meant to close the door on this Batman Saga, and Nolan’s time attached to the character. It was already a break from the norm for the director who had never before or since delivered movies as part of a larger series.
However, looking back through the lens of over a decade’s worth of superhero movies that all appear to be building towards bigger stories, it’s easy to see why The Dark Knight Rises’ ending could be seen as a setup for another movie. It was just never meant to be.
