4. The Anticipation
At the end of Batman Begins we get a tease for The Joker. At the end of The Dark Knight we get no tease, except that we know Batman has gone into exile. At the end of The Dark Knight Rises the only setup we get is that Wayne's ramblings about how anyone can be Batman may be coming true with Joseph Gordon Levitt (SPOILER) discovering the Bat Cave. In The Avengers however we are treated to a fantastic set up for a sequel featuring (ANOTHER SPOILER) Thanos. You will leave the cinema after watching Avengers salivating at the thought of what is to come. The only if's, what's and maybe's after The Dark Knight Rises are the ones we create for ourselves, safe in the knowledge that Nolan's Batman universe has come to an end. There is no promise of a fourth movie, no talk of a spinoff (at least not involving Nolan) and instead we are 'treated' to the idea of yet another reboot and how could it possibly match up to any of the trilogy?
Counter Argument: You want to talk about anticipation? Has any film (comic book or otherwise) had as much build up as The Dark Knight Rises? It's been 4 long years since Heath Ledger's show stealing turn in The Dark Knight. Marvel fans on the other hand have had origin movie after origin movie to keep them happy during the lead up to Avengers.