If you still haven’t seen The Dark Knight Rises, turn off your computer and sprint to the nearest theater for an immediate viewing. Consider this your warning that if you continue to read on before watching, numerous spoilers will dampen the overall effect of Nolan’s trilogy wrap up.
With that said, The Dark Knight Rises‘ most talked about controversy involves the future of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his character John Blake, along with the future of Nolan’s franchise. Left with a perfect set up for yet another sequel, we watch John Blake right as he begins his life as a crime fighting superhero, but which one?
There are tons of theories circulating the internet on whether JGL would don the suit of either Batman, Robin, or Nightwing, but Gordon-Levitt himself has decided to weigh in on which path Blake was about to take, and if we’ll ever see it.
Comic Book Movie has a quote directly from the actor, again keeping the mystery alive:
Honestly, no, we never talked about that. And honestly I know a lot of people talk about the ending of that movie being a setup for a sequel but I don’t think that’s necessarily what it is. It’s a great, perfect ending for that trilogy.
I couldn’t agree more with him. There are plenty of arguments that exist for Blake morphing into any of the above mentioned superheroes, but I believe not knowing is half the fun. I look at it like Inception – if we knew whether the top stopped spinning or not, a certain allure would vanish from Nolan’s brilliant story. Likewise, if we knew whether Blake was taking over for Gotham’s Dark Knight or simply joining him, that mystifying hint of intrigue would vanish from the ending as well.
As for the notion that Nolan’s franchise will continue on with JGL at the lead, don’t hold your breath. Christopher Nolan himself wrote a farewell letter to his famous franchise, expressing the emotions that come along with moving on from such a highly involved universe. Also, the studio has expressed an interest to bring Batman back into a more comic book-y and cartoonish realm, ala Batman and Robin.
Continuing Nolan’s franchise with a complete tonal revamp would be a huge mistake I don’t think even the most money hungry producers would make, so I really can’t see someone picking up the reins from Nolan, nor do I want to.
It looks like the future of John Blake will still have to remain one of life’s many mysteries, destined to cause fanboy commotion for years to come. Batman, Robin, Nightwing – you can take your pick for Gordon-Levitt’s future, but don’t expect any explanation from the parties involved.
The Dark Knight Rises left us wondering just as any good film should, and to reference what JGL said, finished Nolan’s trilogy exactly how we expected.
We want to hear what you think though! Which path do you believe John Blake wandered down after the credits rolled?