The Dark Knight Rises: 3 Ways Batman Could Have Returned To Gotham

2. The Bat's Wings Weren't Clipped

Bane is strategic and fights a mental war with Batman. He played a psychological game, as did his teacher, Ra's Al Ghul. He put Bruce in the pit and made sure he was cared for. He didn't want Bruce dead. As a matter of fact, he wanted Bruce fully healed. He kept the TV on for Bruce to watch Gotham. He truly wanted Bruce to know what was happening, it was a form of torture, but also a motivation for Bruce to escape. Who's to say that the TV wasn't enough for Bane's tastes. Maybe Bane wanted Bruce to burn down with his city. This is why Bane left a ready plane and a pilot to fly Bruce back to Gotham. Like a captain goes down with his ship, The Dark Knight would die with Gotham. Bane wanted Bruce to come back and see all of the horror with his own two eyes. But, he didn't want Batman to come back. He underestimated Bruce's recovery. He knew that Bruce would be strong enough to get out of the pit eventually, but to make a full recovery was not part of his plans. Who could blame him? Bruce's full recovery was extremely unlikely, sure he would get better, but not good enough to fight back. Bane had thought he clipped that Bat's wings, but he was wrong. Bane followed Ra's Al Ghul's footsteps and his teachings, after all, Ra's wasn't surprised when Bruce escaped his burning house and came back as Batman. As a matter of fact he seemed satisfied. Just as Bane wasn't surprised when Bruce came back from the pit and returned as Batman (coincidence?). Now, I know the idea of Bane leaving a plane is a little far-fetched, so maybe he just left a bundle of money and a note. All I'm saying is that Bane wanted Bruce to come back and die in Gotham when the bomb went off, so, he left some way for Bruce to get back.