5. John Blake Outsmarted Jim Gordon
Outside of Bruce Wayne and maybe Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon is the most beloved good guy in the Batman mythos. Fans took offense to Gotham's top cop being out-detected by a rookie like John Blake when the latter discovered Batman's true identity. Many had a hard time believing Blake could be the better detective and considered this portion of the film a plot hole at best and a blatant insult to Gordon at worst. It's a good thing, then, that Blake's discovery had nothing to do with detective work. There was no CSI-inspired explanation of how Blake collected a DNA sample or followed some money trail to uncover Bruce's greatest secret. Rather, Blake used a shared emotional experience to see right through the one thing that prevented anyone in Gotham from thinking Bruce could be Batman. Batman debuted shortly after Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham from a seven-year absence. Batman used equipment that only a man with deep pockets, like Bruce Wayne had, could afford. Bruce Wayne was the most obvious suspect, except that his playboy persona convinced everyone he did not care enough and was not smart enough to ever do something as selfless as fighting crime to save the city. In the ultimate example of "it takes one to know one," Blake was able to spot a fake since that's exactly what he was. He knew what it was like to be a child who had to hide his true feelings over witnessing the murder of a parent. Blake saw past the forced smile, right to the pain and anger Bruce was hiding underneath. With the playboy persona completely nullified, Blake was able to reach a conclusion that would have been equally obvious to anyone in Gotham had Bruce never put on such an act. Gordon, on the other hand, did not have a similar emotional experience to what Bruce or Blake went through. More importantly, and this is stated multiple times in the film, Gordon did not care who Batman was. It is not unbelievable for someone not to find the answer to a question he or she does not want or does not care to ask.