The trailer for The Dark Knight Rises was leaked this week and on top of the long-form preview which journalists were recently treated to, as well as the release of that ominous poster campaign, the hype is certainly kicking into high-gear for Christopher Nolan’s latest Bat-sequel.
The director has gained the reputation of being a thinking man’s Michael Bay, delivering explosions and labyrinthine plotting in equal measures. Inception for example was 
widely predicted to be a failure before its release, but the dream-logic plotting defied expectations by producing an undisputed hit. Already Nolan-fans can be typified by their earnest discussions over what his films mean. Take the obsessiveness of the average comic geek, mix liberally with the pretensions of a future film school drop-out – and you have yourself the perfect acolyte for his top-heavy blockbuster styling’s. No doubt the scraps of DKR footage and images released will be pored over before the film’s release. After all, it has to mean something!
You think this will last? There’s a storm coming. You and your friends better batten down the hatches. ‘Cause when it hits, you’re going to wonder how you could live so large, and leave so little for the rest of us. – Catwoman
The story is set eight years after the disastrous events of The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne has shelved the Bat-persona, which he chose to turn into a scapegoat to protect the reputation of ‘white knight’ Harvey Dent following his corruption by the Joker. When Wayne first donned the costume he was following the advice of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson – thought to be making a cameo in this film), to enforce control by personifying his greatest fears. Instead what his career as a caped crusader has led to is becoming hated instead of feared. Batman is the Pandora’s Box of Gotham, locking him away buries the sins unleashed by the Joker’s campaign of terror.
The trailer reveals that Commissioner Gordon’s career is being threatened by this prolonged ‘peace time’. This is curious, as Gary Oldman’s character very publicly set himself in opposition to the Bat in the closing moments of the previous film. A more political man would have continued to stoke the fears of the shadowy vigilante in the intervening years, in order to grab more power for himself. Indeed the hints that Gordon’s superiors agitating for his removal due to his role in the Joker debacle being dropped make little sense. Surely they would be making the opposite argument, that he has not done enough to catch the Bat.
Bane’s appearance heralds an even more vicious ‘war’ on Gotham. We see mobs of followers marching, the masked bruiser fighting in the street with Batman himself come out of retirement and of course the show-stopping spectacle of a football field collapsing due to a massive explosion. With these brief snippets of imagery Nolan seems to be playing on Western fears of a jihadist revolution. Bombing campaigns, armed mobs – it ties in with the Bush-era surveillance culture of The Dark Knight (which was condemned by some critics), as well as the thesis of Batman Begins that the West is faced with the same fate as the Roman Empire, collapsing in on itself due to corruption and decadence. Where Nolan is clever is his avoidance of outright stating this as his intent. These are all suppositions by viewers, informed by the political climate of our times.
Tom Hardy’s character will no doubt be receiving the lion’s share of media attention. Comparisons with Heath Ledger’s barnstorming performance as the Joker are 
inevitable. However, the quote given above from Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway, suggests that the female antagonist will be no slouch either as an intellectual rival to the closeted Wayne. Some of the images leaked to the press from the set were interpreted by journalists to be referencing the Occupy movement. Doesn’t the wording of the quote seem apt if Nolan does indeed play with these fictional parallels in the film? As an aside, given Frank Miller’s role in recent Bat-mythology, it seems equally fitting that he has morphed into a couch-potato version of Henri Ducard.
This is all little more than informed speculation of course. Trailers bait the anticipation of the audience, but Nolan is exemplary in how he intrigues viewers as well as titillates. By the time The Dark Knight Rises drops, fans and Hollywood will be slavering at the mouth. Will it match the Box Office of The Dark Knight? Will the story reach a fitting and climactic conclusion?
We’re just going to have to wait and see. Or read every appearance of Bane in Gail Simone’s Secret Six. Y’know, whichever is less painful.
Tags: Anne Hathaway, Batman, Batman Begins, Catwoman, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, comic booked, Emmet OCuana, Frank Miller, Heath Ledger, Occupy, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy, Warner Bros
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Written by Emmet OCuana
Ahhh, but the Secret Six didn’t make the new 52 cut…shame to, great book. Great article too..Good we have the real deal trailer and not the bootleg.
It didn’t make it into the 52, but those issues and miniseries are like manna from Heaven. Great comics – and Bane is another successful rehabilitation of a character by Gail Simone.