The Dark Knight Rises

Bane's plane hijacking. Bruce is a recluse, broken and hidden. Gotham is at peace but built on a lie. A world where the hero has disappeared.

Alfred: "I'll bury you." The theme of rising from failure, facing fear again, and knowing when to let go.

Bruce is physically broken, hiding from the world. Rachel is dead. Harvey Dent is a false hero. Gordon carries the guilt. The world after sacrifice.

Selina Kyle robs Bruce. Bane's presence is revealed. The Dent Act is under threat. Forces emerge that will drag Batman back.

Should Bruce come back as Batman? Is his body capable? Alfred warns him. Blake pushes him. Can Gotham be saved without Batman?

Bruce returns as Batman to stop Bane's plan. He puts on the cowl again. "I'm not afraid. I'm angry."

Selina Kyle and Miranda Tate represent redemption and trust. Blake represents the next generation. These relationships will define Bruce's end.

Batman fights Bane's mercenaries. The stock exchange heist. Underground battles. The promise of the premise - Batman is back.

Batman confronts Bane in the sewers. "I was born in the darkness." Bane breaks Batman's back. False defeat - the hero is destroyed utterly.

Bruce is imprisoned in the Pit. Bane takes over Gotham, traps the police, reveals the truth about Dent. The city descends into chaos. Everything falls.

Gotham is held hostage by a nuclear bomb. Gordon is hunted. Blake sees the truth. Bruce is broken in the Pit. Total defeat.

Bruce fails to escape the Pit. He confronts his fear of death. Must he rise one final time? Can a broken man save a broken city?

Bruce makes the climb without the rope. "Fear of death" drives him. He rises from the Pit. The legend returns. Batman is reborn.

Batman returns to save Gotham. The battle for the city. Miranda revealed as Talia. Batman flies the bomb out over the bay. The ultimate sacrifice.

Bruce Wayne is alive in Florence with Selina. Blake inherits the Batcave. The Dark Knight's journey is complete. The legend lives on.