Christian Bale has said he would play Batman again if Christopher Nolan asked, which may seem exciting, but it would actually ruin The Dark Knight Rises' ending in 4 big ways. Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy is widely considered to be one of the best superhero series of all time, and its third installment really stuck the landing, perfectly concluding the themes, story, and characters that the films had been developing since Batman Begins. In this era of returning superheroes, with movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home bringing back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and The Flash set to bring back Michael Keaton's Batman, many hope to one day see Bale's Caped Crusader return - but this would severely damage The Dark Knight Rises in several ways.
The Dark Knight Rises sees Christian Bale's Batman return for a third and final outing, with him this time attempting to free Gotham City from Bane's malevolent reign. The Dark Knight Rises introduces many new elements to Nolan's universe, such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Robin and Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle, while also wrapping up several storylines. At the end of The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne finally hangs up his cape and cowl, bringing an emotional and poignant conclusion to The Dark Knight trilogy.
While Christian Bale's Batman is great, bringing him back would be a big mistake. On its own, Bale's return simply wouldn't make sense story-wise, whether it be in a fourth Dark Knight movie or a major DCEU crossover. Besides that, Bale's return would do irreparable damage to The Dark Knight Rises, retroactively harming the themes and storytelling of Nolan's Batman universe. While bringing back Christian Bale's Batman is a bad idea in a multitude of ways, here are the four big reasons that Bale's Batman return would ruin the ending of The Dark Knight Rises.
Bale's Batman Return Would Spoil Bruce Wayne's Perfect Ending
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Throughout the trilogy, Bruce Wayne is never really happy, especially after the death of Rachel Dawes at the hands of the Joker in The Dark Knight. Bruce fights crime as Batman out of a sense of duty, not because it is personally fulfilling. Due to his life as a vigilante, Bruce maintains almost no relationships, with Alfred being the only thing Bruce has that resembles a family. The Batman mantle has taken everything away from Bruce, with Rachel telling Bruce that she hopes one day Gotham won't need Batman anymore in Batman Begins. Alfred even quits halfway through The Dark Knight Rises, recognizing that Bruce's obsession with being Batman would eventually get him killed.
This dour arc is what makes The Dark Knight Rises' ending so impactful. Throughout the trilogy, Bruce's relationship with Batman grows more and more unhealthy, with everyone around him leaving or getting hurt in the process. After defeating Bane, Bruce finally realizes what he has and retires from being Batman, hoping to maintain his relationship with Selina Kyle. Bruce even leaves his estate to Alfred, not only as thanks but also to burn the last bridge between himself and Batman. If Christian Bale were to return as Batman, Bruce's character arc would be out the window. The Dark Knight Rises gives Bruce a perfect ending, wrapping up the arc that has been learned over three movies, and bringing him back would completely undo that story. Not only would Bale returning not make sense for the character - it would retroactively hurt him.
Bale's Batman Return Would Hurt The Dark Knight Rises' Ending Message
One of the big themes throughout The Dark Knight trilogy is that Batman is a symbol, not a person - and Bale's Batman return would ruin that too. In Nolan's movies, Batman inspires Gotham, making the citizens become better versions of themselves. Throughout the series, this can be seen in scenes like The Dark Knight's boat conflict, Batman saving the police in The Dark Knight Rises, and Jim Gordon's character arc in all three films. Batman even inspires the next generation of heroes in Gotham, with the ending of The Dark Knight Rises teasing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Robin. Batman isn't a man, but a symbol that can be taken up by anyone who wants to make the world a better place. Bringing back Christian Bale's Batman in a fourth Dark Knight movie would hurt this severely. Batman having to save Gotham again would go against this theme, and if there were another film in the series, it should revolve around heroes inspired by Batman rather than Bruce Wayne himself.
The Dark Knight Rises' Robin Ending Is Better As An Unresolved Tease
The Dark Knight Rises' Robin twist is a fun tease, and it should stay that way. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake is revealed to be Robin at the very end of the film, with Bruce Wayne leading him to the Batcave. While this implies that Robin becomes the next Caped Crusader in The Dark Knight universe, it's better as an unresolved tease rather than a fleshed-out story. If the series were to continue, it would be impossible not to address Robin, as he is presumably working out of the Batcave during Bruce's absence. The Robin reveal should be nothing more than a fun tease - something that would be impossible to maintain if Christian Bale's Batman were to return.
The Dark Knight Trilogy Having Another Sequel Would Risk Too Much
The Dark Knight series was perfectly planned, paced, and performed as a trilogy, and bringing back Bale's Batman would risk way too much. The Dark Knight Rises ties back into and concludes elements from all the way back in Batman Beings, such as The Scarecrow's arc and the impact of Harvey Dent's time as Two-Face in The Dark Knight. The films are even tied together thematically, with characters like Bane paralleling Batman, and Rachel's impact still influencing Bruce. The Dark Knight Rises perfectly ties up every storyline, cementing the series as a trilogy. Doing a fourth Dark Knight movie risks ruining this balance, as it would have to introduce new elements that weren't set up by previous films. It would also have to explain away the conclusiveness of Batman's retirement, creating a new arc for Bruce Wayne that wasn't there in the original trilogy. While a fourth Nolan Batman movie can be done well hypothetically, it just really isn't needed. Nolan told the story he was trying to tell with Christian Bale's Batman, and his return could throw everything off. Due to the aforementioned reasons and more, Christian Bale's return as Batman risks damaging The Dark Knight Rises' ending, making it a terrible idea.