4. Bruce Wayne Never Wanted Copycats
The final shot of
The Dark Knight Rises features John Blake literally rising, presumably to become Gotham's new Knight in some form or fashion. Blake obviously had the blessing of Bruce Wayne, as the latter provided the former with the exact location of the Batcave and all the spelunking equipment needed to get in. The torch was passed and Bruce had charged Blake with carrying on the legacy of The Batman. For some, this was puzzling given the way Batman admonished the copycats who tried to help him take down the Scarecrow in an early scene in
The Dark Knight. If Bruce did not approve of those gentlemen dressing up and fighting crime, what makes Blake different? Fortunately, there is a whole movie that illustrates why Blake is a special case. John Blake earned Bruce Wayne's trust. Even though Blake knew Batman's true identity and could have quickly become the top cop in Gotham by using that information to make the biggest bust the city had ever seen, he kept that secret to himself. Blake confessed his knowledge only to Bruce, and only after the shooting of Commissioner Gordon left Blake with few other viable options. Unlike the guys in hockey pads in
The Dark Knight, John Blake was not a random knockoff of Batman. Both men had similar traumatic experiences at a young age to provide motivation, but Blake did not have Bruce's resources. He committed to fighting crime by training and becoming a police officer, the way people in the real world would do it. It is the same thing Bruce probably would have done were it not for the impenetrable corruption in the Gotham Police Department and elsewhere that made such a path useless when Bruce was Blake's age. During Bane's occupation, John Blake led the resistance. With Gordon's street presence understandably minimal, Blake performed reconnaissance, kept lines of communication open with the cops underground, and delivered supplies to those in need. Essentially, Blake was already the top hero in Gotham while Batman was away, even if Gordon was higher in the chain of command. Blake still has a long way to go when the film ends. There is plenty of training in front of him if he ever hopes to be half as good as Bruce Wayne was at being Gotham's protector. The lack of an immediate threat in Gotham will give him that time. What matters most is that the film shows Blake earning the opportunity Bruce Wayne has afforded him. Bruce did not see Blake as a copycat, but rather the embodiment of the fundamental principle that "a hero can be anyone."