Does Joseph Gordon Levitt Become Batman At The End Of The Dark Knight Rises?

Christopher Nolan's gritty take on Batman reached its conclusion in 2012 with "The Dark Knight Rises." The film, which sees the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) go toe-to-toe with fan-favorite adversary Bane (Tom Hardy), acts as the end to Nolan's critically acclaimed "The Dark Knight" trilogy. Fans were left wondering what was next for Gotham police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) following an eyebrow-raising conclusion. It seems we have our answer over a decade after the film's release.

The end of the 2012 blockbuster sees Blake, whose full name is revealed to be Robin John Blake, hand in his badge to the police force before being invited to Wayne Manor. He finds himself at the Batcave, implying that Bruce Wayne is passing down the crime-fighting torch. With no follow-up material in sight, fans have been left in the dark regarding Blake's whereabouts and if he ever did end up donning the iconic cowl.

In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, David S. Goyer, a key story and screenwriter on the entirety of "The Dark Knight" trilogy, was asked if he believes that Blake went on to become the new Batman. "Yeah. Yeah, for sure," Goyer responded. While a simple answer, it nevertheless verifies both the fictional choice of Bruce Wayne and the theories of real fans everywhere. But don't get your hopes up of ever seeing Gordon-Levitt's Batman on the big screen.

The escapades of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Batman will only exist in the minds and imaginations of fans. In today's culture of seemingly never-ending movie franchises, Christopher Nolan remains firm on keeping "The Dark Knight" trilogy as its own contained narrative despite the latter two entries making over $1 billion each worldwide. This mindset has earned massive respect from fans while similarly being admired by those who worked on the landmark superhero saga.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt certainly counts in this boat, despite some feeling that he deserved a spinoff either focused on his time as Robin or the new Batman. Nevertheless, the "500 Days of Summer" star respects Nolan's decision and believes that the more ambiguous conclusion leaves a much stronger mark. In a 2013 interview with "The Howard Stern Show," Gordon-Levitt commented, "And I think it's a really good ending, because it talks about it throughout [the trilogy], that Batman is more than a man and it's a symbol, and we all have a hero within us. So to have somebody else in the Batcave at the end of that trilogy, not Bruce Wayne, I think, is a really cool ending."

Knowing that John Blake eventually becomes Batman has potential but would likely weaken what came before if fully explored. How Blake does as Batman isn't as meaningful as him taking the first step into owning the responsibility. What we are left with communicates a stronger message: as long as evil exists, someone will always step up to fight for what's right.