The major villain twist inThe Dark Knight Risesis foreshadowed in numerous ways, including one borrowed trick from a previousDCmovie I can’t believe I’ve only just noticed. After the Tim Burton and Joel SchumacherBatmanmovie series helped build the modern superhero blockbuster, Christopher Nolan rebooted the franchise withBatman Begins, which reimagined the Batman comic mythos with a focus on relative realism.The Dark Knight Riseswas the epic conclusion to Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy, pitting Batman against the League of Shadows once again, with an unexpected twist, giving a classic comic character her cinematic debut.
Bane is the face and the voice of the League of Shadows inDark Knight Rises, and while Bane is far too intelligent and strong-willed to be written off as a simple minion, the real leader of the League isTalia al Ghul, who spends most of thelive-action Batman movieunder the guise of Miranda Tate. As Tate, Talia undermines the US government and Batman himself in her and Bane’s plot to destroy Gotham City with a nuclear bomb. The revelation of Talia’s true identity shocked many viewers, but the film foreshadowed the twist in a number of clever ways.
How The Dark Knight Rises Uses A Burton-Era Trick To Foreshadow Its Villain Twist
One such way thatRiseshints at Miranda’s eventual betrayal is during a masquerade ball, which borrows a trick from the previousBatmanmovie franchise. InBatman Returns, Max Shreck hosts a costume party in the third act, which Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle both attend.Bruce and Selina are, notably, the only attendees who do not wear costumes because their respective “ordinary” personasaretheir costumesin a sense.Returnsmakes it clear that Batman is Bruce Wayne’s “true” self, just as Catwoman is Selina Kyle’s.
Batman Returns: Does Catwoman Have Superpowers?
Catwoman appears to have superpowers in Batman Returns, surviving seemingly lethal situations, but does Selina Kyle truly have supernatural abilities?
InThe Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne does not wear a mask at the ball, repeating the trick fromReturns, butMiranda Tate also forgoes a mask (outside of a brief moment in her introduction in the scene). This is a clever way of communicating that her Miranda Tate persona, like Bruce Wayne’s socialite façade, is a disguise. Fascinatingly, Selina Kyle is also at the ball, butRiseshas a different approach to communicating her duality.
Selina Kyle is never referred to as Catwoman, but her alias of “The Cat” was Selina’s original moniker in her Golden Age comic debut.
Catwoman Wears a Mask In The Dark Knight Rises’ Masquerade Ball
Selina Kyle is shown wearing a mask throughout the entire masquerade ball sceneand continues to wear it after stealing Bruce Wayne’s car and leaving the gala in it. This might unintentionally indicate that the Nolan Trilogy’s version of Catwoman does not see her costumed persona as her true self. In the context ofThe Dark Knight Rises, Selina Kyle only uses the Catwoman identity as a means of survival, wishing to start her life over and leave her criminal past behind.
The Dark Knight Rises
Cast
The Dark Knight Rises follows Batman as he returns to Gotham City eight years after the death of Harvey Dent. Now pursued by law enforcement, he faces new challenges from Selina Kyle and Bane, a formidable terrorist leader who threatens the city’s safety, compelling Batman to defend a city that sees him as a foe.
