2. How Did Bruce Get Back to Gotham?
Dramatic effect be damned. Some moviegoers just were not satisfied with Bruce Wayne surprising Selina Kyle with his return to Gotham when the last time the audience saw him was when he escaped from Bane's prison in God knows where. Bruce was apparently a world away with no money, and Gotham was on lockdown. One could always use the old "He's Batman" justification, but there's no need. This iteration of the franchise already demonstrated Bruce Wayne's resourceful traveling talents in
Batman Begins. In that film, Bruce Wayne gave away all the cash he had on his person while also burning his wallet, which would have included his credit cards and identification. Without his name or his money, Bruce was able to travel the world for seven years. Is it really so hard to believe this same guy could not do the same thing we had already seen him do before? As for getting back into Gotham, if a few Special Forces agents can smuggle themselves into Gotham, it ought to be easy to imagine Bruce finding a way in via similar means. In terms of time, right before Bruce escapes, Lucius tells those Special Forces agents that the bomb will go off in 23 days. When we see Bruce back in Gotham, it's the day before the bomb goes off. Even if Bruce revealed his presence after spending some time setting up his end game (like prepping a flaming Bat symbol), he still had a few weeks to make it from the prison to Gotham. In truth, the answer as to how Bruce got back to Gotham is probably more entertaining in one's imagination than it would have been in the film. With so many practical options to choose from, Nolan made the right call in leaving such an explanation out in order to maximize the emotional impact of the audience learning of Bruce's return along with Selina.