I think saying that it wasn't what I expected makes sense though. Look at it like this: TDK pushed the issue of Batman having "limits" and needing to get around those limits in the public's eye. It ended with the birth of "The Dark Knight" as a way to capitalize off of Dent as "The White Knight" where Batman would strike fear into people and be thought of as a a fierce vigilante without limits which would establish him as a criminal to the police (further establishing him as a man capable of unheroic acts at times). It would give him his edge back, it would be a necessary evil in the war on crime that Gordon & Batman knew they needed.
Now that's what I took from TDK. I had fully believed that Batman would become more intense than ever, fueled by the death of the woman he loved and become alot more heavy-handed with the criminal element in TDKR.
But....8 years later, he's just pretty much gone emo.
it wasn't what I was expecting based on how TDK ended.
Hey, I completely agree with your take on TDK. I was let down at first seeing TDKR but now I love it. There is foreshadowing in BB and TDK that Bruce's mission would go on forever. Rachel's speech about his mask in BB and Joker's speech about them going on forever. I saw Rachel's death as the catalyst for Bruce to give up hope for having a normal life and getting lost inside the monster he created.
However, there's also foreshadowing in both films that Bruce doesn't want to be Batman forever. Bruce tells Alfred in BB he would do this "as long as it takes" and in TDK he is trying to give up being Batman knowing Gotham deserves a hero with a face. A real person to inspire them, not a masked vigilante.
Interestingly enough, Bruce never stopped being Batman after TDK. Alfred comments that despite hanging up the cape and cowl, he never moved on. He's mentally stuck as Batman because he doesn't have Rachel to settle down with. But he's physically stuck as Bruce because he and Gordon THINK they've won. He has no reason to patrol as Batman because his mission to take down the mob was fulfilled with the death of Harvey Dent.
I agree, it is a much different direction than I expected, but I think in the context of this story, it makes sense. The great thing about comic characters is you can do one-offs and elseworlds stories. That's how all the films should be viewed. If you want comic Batman, you can have comic Batman. Nolan gave us a sense of finality that could never be achieved in the comics that go on forever.
I'm excited for the reboot for a new take on the character. I won't even say one "closer" to the comics because this one is close in a lot of ways just as B89, BR, BF, B&R, and even Adam West are somehow accurate to the comics. The comics span over 70 years so there's a lot of source material to draw upon. I want, like many, something more like Arkham Asylum/City in terms of character design and fantastic elements. I also want an ongoing series like Bond has. And I wouldn't care if Batman shows up in JLA movies so long as JLA stays out of his solo movies.
