10. Gotham Is Under Nuclear Threat
As well as the many intersecting narrative threads, exploring underlying themes that run throughout the entire trilogy and new story elements introduced by new characters, Nolan has whacked a great big time bomb in the middle of his script, both in figurative and literal terms. The presence of Lucius Fox's fusion engine, which would provide Gotham with free renewable energy forever, and its subsequent discovery and theft by Bane means that Batman is not only faced with the threat of Bane, his army and their uprising, but also a nuclear bomb (the degenerating core of the fusion engine) with a blast radius of six miles that would total Gotham. The inclusion of the bomb not only allows for a spectacular ending (which becomes rather obvious well before it actually plays out), but also feels like a nod towards the comic book worlds that inspired the films. While Nolan's Bat-universe is as far removed from the ostentatious comic book camp of earlier adaptations, and even the darker, less cartoonish ones as possible, the perilous and universal situation that could lead to the end of Gotham feels grand enough to fit into a more conventional comic book movie.