6 Common Misconceptions About The Dark Knight Rises

1. Bruce Quit Being Batman Because Of Rachel's Death

The biggest misconception about The Dark Knight Rises is Bruce's motivations for putting away the cape and cowl. Many simply point to Rachel's death as the catalyst and reason for his retirement; but they're only looking at part of the larger picture. Yes, her death had an impact on him emotionally, but was only one of several factors that went into his decision. First and foremost, it's worth noting that Bruce never intended to be Batman indefinitely. He always went into it knowing that he couldn't, and wouldn't do it forever. His desire is to become a symbol of hope that will allow the rest of Gotham to follow his example. In The Dark Knight we see a glimmer of hope in Harvey Dent. Bruce believes that Harvey can become the symbol that Batman can't, and even tells Rachel that the time is coming where he won't need to be Batman anymore. Of course, things don't quite work that way once Harvey becomes Two-Face, and its Harvey's death that becomes the first step towards Bruce's retirement. Bruce takes the fall for the murders Harvey committed, destroying any positive image that he'd built up around the Caped Crusader and instead gives it all to Harvey. Harvey became the white knight, and before long the Dent Act was passed, which eventually made Batman unnecessary. The Dent Act effectively put an end to organised crime, taking the various mob bosses and important figures in criminal organizations and placing them in Blackgate Prison without the possibility of parole. This of course put an end to organized crime in Gotham, by not only locking up members of the mob but deterring others from committing similar crimes. There was obviously still crime, as in any city, but with the Joker in Arkham and without the big mob bosses like Falcone or Marone, someone like Batman wasn't really needed anymore. This all happened right after Dent's death, which is why Bruce hasn't been Batman for eight years. There's a chance he continued to fight crime for a little while until the mob bosses were all locked away, because Detective John Blake at one point says it's been eight years since the "last confirmed sighting" of the Batman. He could still have done things for a little while without being seen by police, but then once the streets were cleaned up, he took a step back. So, though Rachel's death affected Bruce deeply and took away his hope or desire for a normal life, it had very little to do with his retirement from being Batman. And there we have it, 6 common misconceptions about The Dark Knight Rises. What did you think of the list? Do you agree or disagree with what I had to say about these interpretations of the film? Make sure to comment down below so we can get a good discussion going, and be sure to follow me on Twitter!