6 Reasons Why The Dark Knight Rises Complaints Should Be Put To Rest

2. "Death Does Not Wait For You To Be Ready..."

Bane Batman This is perhaps one of the more philosophical reasons that go beyond just simple inclusions and nitpicks, but rather into the very fabric of the trilogy itself. By now, everyone has seen or heard of Bane's death scene. It's been made a parody of several times on YouTube, been mocked for its ridiculousness, and criticized for its lack of finalisation between both Bane and Batman, instead having Catwoman deliver the killing blow with Batman's own Batpod. How ironic that Batman doesn't kill, but instead the technology he uses does the job and then some. Bane's death can be seen as one of the film's most chastising and irrefutable moments, but as much as some would think. Let me explain: The whole trilogy has done a marvelous job at foreshadowing key events and laying the road for future plot points thanks to a fresh abundance of symbolism. From Bruce falling inside the hole to being literally and metaphorically put back inside it in TDKR, to Harvey Dent's take on becoming a villain, all the way to the blunt symbolism of the Joker's card at the end of Batman Begins, foreshadowing goes a long way in terms of storytelling. But sometimes the most cleverest examples of foreshadowing and symbolism aren't put out in the open, but rather hidden within the context of the character's dialogue. Ra's al Ghul, the progenitor of the trilogy's many themes and League of Shadows, happens to hold one of the most remarkable pieces of foreshadowing in the entire trilogy, one that I'm willing to bet many people glanced right over. After meeting Bruce in a Bhutanese prison and giving him purpose to serve justice, and after arriving at his own fortress in the snowy mountains, Ra's al Ghul gives Bruce a nice monologue before knocking Bruce's teeth in. He says:
"Death does not wait for you to be ready. Death is not considerate or fair. And make no mistake, here you face death."
A simple yet effective piece of dialogue is all it takes to lay the foundation for foreshadowing taking place two movies later with the result of Bane's death. Considering what we were told from Ra's al Ghul about death and how it's such an absolute when things unfold, we're revealed a few things about Bane's death from both a fan and thematic perspective. As fans, we would expect Catwoman to be the last person to end Bane's rampage and save Batman's rear. From a thematic angle, it rings Ra's al Ghul's words true that death itself can come from anywhere, when we least expect it and under the most unruly of circumstances.
Contributor
Contributor

Ryan Glenn is an amateur writer in pursuit of a career in both the writing and graphic design fields. He currently attends the Art Institutes of Illinois and looks to go back for a degree in journalism. A reader of an exhaustive library of books and an adept music and video game lover, there's no outlet of media that he isn't involved in or doesn't love.