History Heartwarming / TheDarkKnightRises

'''Batman:''' [[spoiler:[[NotSoDifferent So did you...]]]]\\

** Additional layer of FridgeBrilliance. [[ShadowArchetype Bane]] [[spoiler:springs the not-at-all innocent inmates from Blackgate, who he insists are innocent insofar as Harvey Dent's legacy is fraudulent. So Batman is NotSoDifferent from Bane who is Not So Different from Dent, none of whom are as far from ComicBook/TheJoker as they'd like to be... ''Damn''.]]

** Additional layer of FridgeBrilliance. [[ShadowArchetype Bane]] [[spoiler:springs the not-at-all innocent inmates from Blackgate, who he insists are innocent insofar as Harvey Dent's legacy is fraudulent. So Batman is NotSoDifferent from Bane who is Not So Different from Dent, none of whom are as far from SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker as they'd like to be... ''Damn''.]]

-->'''Batman''': A hero can be anyone. [[spoiler:Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended.]]

* The film ends by showing us that [[spoiler:Bruce didn't die after all and he got the autopilot to work]]. Alfred [[spoiler:finally gets his wish, as he sees Bruce in the way he'd always wanted to see him, smiling back at him,]] but the real kicker is that [[spoiler:the woman with Bruce is Selina, who's gone on to live a peaceful life with Bruce]]. It doesn't end there - [[spoiler:Bruce makes sure to tell Commissioner Gordon that he's all right by fixing the Bat Signal, and Lucius Fox gets to figure the truth out as well when he learns that Bruce hacked the flyer to get the autopilot function working]]. We also find out that John Blake's [[spoiler:full name is Robin John Blake,]] and that Bruce [[spoiler:realized that Robin is a worthy successor and leaves the bat cave and the duty of protecting Gotham to him.]]

* Catwoman's entire motivation. All she wants is a clean slate and a chance to live a normal, peaceful life. [[spoiler: In the end both Bruce and Selina start a new life together away from the troubles of their pasts.]]

* Right before [[spoiler:Bruce flies off with the bomb, apparently ready to sacrifice himself for the city of Gotham,]] Gordon mentions that he never cared who Batman was. Bruce says (basically) that it doesn't matter who Batman is. Batman can be anyone. Then, [[spoiler:he tells Gordon who he is by quietly referencing that small act of kindness from so long ago: Gordon putting Bruce's father's coat around his shoulders after his parents were killed, and giving him a few warm words. It takes a moment, but as the Bat lifts off, Gordon realizes who Batman is.]] It's both a heartwarming moment and a complete tearjerker.

*** And, in a way, [[spoiler: Batman, a person who we never suspected to have a hero of his own (perhaps outside of his father), saying Gordon was his hero just for committing that small act of kindness.]]

* [[spoiler: The kiss and conversation, Selina gives Bruce before he hauls the bomb off into the bay. Especially since she initiates it and he doesn't pull away until she does.]]
-->'''Catwoman:'''[[spoiler: You could've gone anywhere, did anything, but you came back here.]]
-->'''Batman:''' [[spoiler:[[NotSoDifferent So did you...]]]]
-->'''Catwoman:'''[[spoiler: Then I guess we're both suckers.]]
--> [[spoiler: *BigDamnKiss happens*]]
* The fact that Bruce still believes in Selina even after [[spoiler: she hands him over to Bane. He admits he was "let down" but goes with his gut instinct that tells him there is more to her than a thief. Moreover, his faith in her is also what motivates her to save the city instead of running.]]
* The [[OminousLatinChanting Ominous Arabic Chanting]] featured in the trailers whenever Bane was shown was actually ''encouragement'' [[spoiler: for prisoners attempting to climb out of the pit]].

-->'''Catwoman:''' You don't owe these people anymore. You've given them everything.
-->'''Batman:''' Not everything. Not yet.

* According to interviews, Creator/ChristianBale says that the very last scenes that he shot for TDKR were the scenes with Anne Hathaway on the rooftops. So as soon as he finished his last line, the director shouted "Cut! Okay, that's a picture wrap for Christian!" What, then, was Christian Bale's final line as Batman? [[spoiler: "So that's what it feels like."]] Equal parts funny, awesome, heartwarming, and tearjerking at the same time.

* [[spoiler: For all that happens later, Bruce's romance with Miranda/Talia is full of it. She helps bring him back into the world, and their BigDamnKiss in Wayne Manor is pure heartwarming. When she suggests they run away together, and Bruce instead goes to fight Bane for the first time, it veers into TearJerker territory.]] Although the heartwarming ''is'' arguably diminished when, based on later events, you realize [[spoiler: she was most likely only faking it to be able to twist the knife further -- how better to break Bruce Wayne's spirit than for the woman he'd fallen in love with to be behind everything?]]

* The film ends by showing us that [[spoiler: Bruce didn't pull a HeroicSacrifice; he got the autopilot to work.]] Alfred [[spoiler: finally gets his wish, as he sees Bruce in the way he'd always wanted to see him, smiling back at him,]] but the real kicker is that [[spoiler: the woman with him is Catwoman, who's gone on to live a peaceful life with Bruce.]] It doesn't end there. [[spoiler: Bruce makes sure to tell Commissioner Gordon that he's all right by fixing the Bat Signal, and Lucius Fox gets to figure the truth out as well when he learns that Bruce hacked the flyer to get the autopilot function working.]] We also find out that John Blake's [[spoiler: full name is Robin John Blake,]] and that Bruce [[spoiler: realized that Robin is a worthy successor and leaves the bat cave and the duty of protecting Gotham to him.]]

*** For that matter, it's one of the few times in ''any'' Batman continuity that [[spoiler:Bruce was able to finally move on from his parents' death.]]

* Remember the first film? When Ra's mentioned that he had a woman he loved? [[spoiler: She was willing to throw herself, when pregnant, into a hellish prison if it meant saving the man she loved.]] Oh, and that's not even the half of it. [[spoiler: Bane realized that it was wrong to hurt such an innocent child, and he wanted to [[TheAtoner redeem himself by protecting it]].]] That's right, folks. [[spoiler: Bane wasn't the child who escaped from the prison, but the protector who allowed HER to escape.]] For that, he was [[spoiler: horrifically disfigured,]] but [[spoiler: she came back and freed him.]]

** [[spoiler: Assuming that Bane really was born and raised in the prison, this adds another layer to his protectiveness of Talia. Being raised in such a dark, terrible place is what turned Bane into the monster that we see in the film, and he saw an innocent child, alone and afraid, like he was, and empathised with her. It's likely that Talia is the only person Bane has ever cared about, to the point that he was willing to fight off almost all of the other inmates, suffering an agonising disfigurement in the process, just so that she could have the freedom that was denied to him. And she came back for him, bringing the might of the League of Shadows to bear against the prisoners who injured Bane and murdered Talia's mother, asking Ra's to spare Bane. With all this in mind, it's hardly a surprise that he's so loyal to her.]]
* Right before [[spoiler:Bruce flies off with the bomb, apparently ready to sacrifice himself for the city of Gotham,]] Gordon mentions that he never cared who Batman was. Bruce says (basically) that it doesn't matter who Batman is. Batman can be anyone. Then, [[spoiler:he tells Gordon who he is by quietly referencing that small act of kindness from so long ago: Gordon putting Bruce's father's coat about his shoulders when his parents were killed, and giving him a few warm words. It takes a moment, but as the Bat lifts, Gordon realizes who Batman is.]] It's both a heartwarming moment and a complete tearjerker.

*** And, in a way, [[spoiler: Batman, a person who we never suspected to have a hero of his own (perhaps outside of his father), was pretty much saying Gordon was his hero just for committing that small act of kindness.]]
** And then, after Batman [[spoiler:gets the bomb out in the bay, a OneWomanWail plays. We get a look of Batman's face, and he looks to finally be at peace. The bomb hasn't went off yet, but he knew that Gotham was already safe. All he had to do was to keep going forward...and wait for the autopilot's ejection. He had completed his legacy. It's the end.]]

-->'''Catwoman:'''[[spoiler: You could’ve gone anywhere, did anything, but you came back here]]

-->'''Catwoman:'''[[spoiler: Then I guess we're both suckers]]

* On the meta side, there was speculation as early as ''Film/BatmanBegins'' that [[spoiler:Robin was too unrealistically bright, in all senses of the phrase]], and would never make it into the grim, realistic ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga''. Nolan and Bale themselves confirmed these rumors. But at the end of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', [[spoiler:John Blake is revealed to be a composite of Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Jason Todd. Not to mention his ''real'' first name is Robin]].

* After the Colorado shooting, Christian Bale [[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57479508/batman-star-christian-bale-visits-shooting-victims/ visits the victims of the shooting]] and takes time to leave flowers at the memorial site. Not only did he go by himself on his own time, he didn't tell the press about it.

* According to interviews, Christian Bale says that the very last scenes that he shot for TDKR were the scenes with Anne Hathaway on the rooftops. So as soon as he finished his last line, the director shouted "Cut! Okay, that's a picture wrap for Christian!" What, then, was Christian Bale's final line as Batman? [[spoiler: "So that's what it feels like."]] Equal parts funny, awesome, heartwarming, and tearjerking at the same time.

** What makes it even better, is that the only time Gordon met Bruce Wayne as an adult in the trilogy was after Bruce wrecks his Lambourgini in ''The Dark Knight''. Bruce has his playboy act going and convinces Gordon that he's a clueless, selfish idiot that doesn't even remember Gordon or what he did for him. So not only did he fulfill Gordon's wish of knowing who Batman is, but he redeemed Bruce Wayne, at least in the eyes of one person.

** What makes it even better, is that the only time Gordon met Bruce Wayne as an adult in the trilogy was after Bruce wrecks his Lambourgini in the ''Dark Knight''. Bruce has his playboy act going and convinces Gordon that he's a clueless, selfish idiot that doesn't even remember Gordon or what he did for him. So not only did he fulfill Gordon's wish of knowing who Batman is, but he redeemed Bruce Wayne, at least in the eyes of one person.

--> ''Batman'': A hero can be anyone. [[spoiler:Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended.]]

** Even better: He probably put on the dress uniform because of what Gordon has said to him earlier, while he was unsuccessfully trying to convince him to join LaResistance: That he doesn't exactly expect him walking around in his dress uniform, but that something has to be done.

** Even better: He probably put on the dress uniform having the words in mind Gordon said to him earlier, while he was unsuccessfully trying to convince him to join LaResistance: That he doesn't exactly expect him walking around in his dress uniform, but that something has to be done.

** And now it is also a reminder of how Bruce and Selina have met each other for the first time. Sure, the circumstances here have been, uh... more than unusual, but can't help but go "d'awww" over that.

** Even better: He probably put it on having the words in mind Gordon said to him while he was trying to convince him to join LaResistance: That he doesn't exactly expect him walking around in his dress uniform, but that something has to be done.

* The scene at the football stadium. The player who runs the touchdown and makes it to the end zone as the field collapses behind him? That's Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver at the time this movie was filmed. He was released from the team in March 2012, and after trying his luck in the free agent market, decided to retire. Although it was the smart move to let him go(at 36, his best days were behind him), a lot of people saw the decision to cut him as heartless. For Steelers fans watching this movie, field collapse notwithstanding, it was nice to see Ward, in black and gold, taking it to the house in Heinz Field one last time.

** What makes it even better, is that the only time Gordon met Bruce Wayne as an adult in the trilogy was after Bruce wrecks his Lambourgini in the ''Dark Knight'', and convinces Gordon that he's a clueless, selfish idiot that doesn't even remember Gordon or what he did for him.