Throughout The Dark Knight Returns series, Bruce not only had to face physical complications due to his age but also his mind as he started envisioning his conscience as a giant bat judging his every move, even hallucinating the Joker's burned body laughing at him.
Why did Batman fake his death in The Dark Knight Returns?
After Harvey Dent dies in The Dark Knight, Batman is falsely accused for his death and becomes a fugitive, as in the comic. In both works, Bruce fakes his death at the end; to fight crime secretly in the comic and to have a normal life with Selina Kyle in the film.
There's also no evidence in the film that Alfred was ever filled in on Selina's role in saving the city. Because of that, he would have had no reason to envision Bruce and Selina as romantic partners on good terms. That fact shows that Alfred's spotting of Bruce in The Dark Knight Rises' ending was indeed real.
Did Batman really survive in The Dark Knight Rises?
However, both Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have cemented the face-value interpretation that Batman actually survived the events of The Dark Knight Rises, with Bruce faking his own death to finally live a peaceful life.
The Joker then finally says "See you in Hell!., before, in a last act of revenge against his enemy, twists his neck just far enough to kill himself, committing suicide and framing his enemy for his own murder.
Understanding THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN: Frank Miller's Self-Destructive Magnum Opus
Why did Joker lose his eye?
The shot actually comes from Harley Quinn who, in Batman #99, showed that she was willing to put the Joker down -- permanently. Her shot doesn't kill Joker, but it does take out his right eye, and it's no accident.
Why did Heath Ledger lick his lips when playing Joker?
In the documentary I Am Heath Ledger, we learn that the silicone pieces of his lip would come loose sometimes, and because of this, the actor started licking his lips to make sure they stayed in place. Ledger just ended up leaning into that and incorporated the licking as a part of his character's creepy mannerisms.
However, when Alfred returned to the Florence Restaurant, he looked across to see Bruce dining with Selina Kyle, they exchanged smiles to one another, and nodded. At that point, Alfred left both happy and joyful that Bruce was alive, that he had finally found peace, and had started a family.
Despite suggestions from fans that this scene could be Alfred's dream of seeing Bruce alive while he is actually dead, both the movie's director, Christopher Nolan, and Batman's actor, Christian Bale, have confirmed that Bruce is indeed alive and has retired from his life as a masked vigilante, fulfilling Alfred's long ...
The final battle scene brings together all the story threads of the Nolan Dark Knight trilogy, concluding with Batman protecting Gotham from a nuclear explosion. John Blake is set up to take on the mantle of Batman and protect Gotham in Bruce Wayne's absence, suggesting a hopeful future for the city.
After deducing Batman's identity, Bane ambushed and broke Batman in the Batcave. Ever since then, Bane has been an extremely dangerous enemy for Batman; not only is he Batman's physical superior, but he's also highly intelligent, and was one of the first to figure out who Batman truly was.
In the comics, Gordon seems to have worked out Batman's identity in Year One, but it's left ambiguous. Thanks to subsequent reboots like the New 52, it's unclear whether or not that continues. Gordon learns Batman's identity in The Dark Knight Rises right before his untimely 'death.
He's been a part of the Wayne family before Bruce was born and was then the legal guardian to Bruce when his parents were killed. I'm sure the latter is the biggest reason he's so loyal to him. He sees Bruce like a son and he cares about him quite a lot.
How did Batman survive in The Dark Knight Returns Part 2?
As Superman leaves Wayne's funeral, he gives Kelley a knowing wink after hearing a faint heartbeat from Bruce's coffin. In a cave, Bruce is revealed to have faked his death to make preparations to continue his mission more discreetly, allied with Kelley, Queen, and his followers.
At the story's conclusion, having set Wayne Manor to self-destruct to protect Bruce Wayne's full secrets after his faked death during his fight with Superman, Alfred dies of a stroke, his last thoughts being to consider how utterly proper it is that he should die as Wayne Manor ceases to exist.
Nolan decided not to recast the role of the Joker for The Dark Knight Rises out of respect for Ledger and his performance, and was initially hesitant to make a third movie. Nolan eventually agreed to return for a sequel but made the wise decision not to reference the Joker.
In a twist, not only is Bruce alive, but Gotham Knights has a Bruce Wayne boss fight at the climax of the story. As it turns out, the League of Shadows recovered Bruce's body after his death and revived him in order to use him as a weapon for their own ends.
Because the last shot of Batman piloting The Bat shows the bomb's clock at 12 seconds, it's been hypothesized that he ejected five to 10 seconds left on the clock. Traveling at Mach 2 on autopilot would have put him four or more miles away from the explosion if he made his getaway at 10 seconds.
Batman and Robin both mourned Alfred's passing, and Bruce even set up the Pennyworth Foundation in his honor. However, it was revealed that Alfred was saved from death by a man named Brandon Crawford who used a mysterious serum to heal Alfred. This turned Alfred into the superhuman villain known as The Outsider.
In an attempt to dissuade Bruce, Alfred finally reveals to him that Rachel chose Dent and that he burned the letter in order to spare Bruce the pain. This revelation puts a severe strain on Bruce's relationship with Alfred, who leaves Wayne Manor when Bruce decides to continue as Batman.
He warned him about the cruel character The Joker which was the role he was going to take on. He warned him that it was life changing and would take over his thoughts. The pyschopathic heartless character was a hard role to take on and jack Nicholson tried to warn health ledger about it before it took it on.
Director Todd Phillips considered the character's body size as one way to represent his vulnerability. It is important to emphasize that unlike most people who diet to lose weight or who develop an eating disorder, Phoenix's weight loss was intended for the short amount of time it took to shoot the movie.
The physical and mental demands of embodying such a dark character took a toll on Ledger. He spoke in interviews about the difficulty in shaking off the character at the end of the day and how the role exacerbated his insomnia.
