After Gotham is destroyed by a major earthquake - in a major main-canon storyline that had 80 monthly issues dedicated to it - its declared a no mans land by the U.S government and sealed off from the outside world. Batman must become a new symbol for an almost post-apocalyptic Gotham, in which all the rules are different How It Could Work: Again, if were looking to stick to Nolan continuity, whos to say that Gotham cant be declared a no mans land after the events that took place in TDKR? Lets say Banes bombs wrecked the city to the point that its governors considered it finished, and without Bruce Wayne, Gothams favourite son, in the picture to champion its repair, its left to the mercy of those who choose to stay. Enter Batman, whos return sets in motion a chain of events that lead directly to Gothams rise from the ashes. Potential Issues: Again, Nolan pilfered little bits from the No Mans Land books for TDKR, but not in such a way that renders the story out of bounds. Id say if anything, he practically set up a post-Nolan franchise in which John Blake is struggling to maintain order in the wrecked Gotham, and is saved from destruction only by the return of Bruce Wayne.