Dark Knight Rises Trailer Insirations

It's out, we have all seen it. Yes the first teaser for the Dark Knight has been released and seen at first by millions of Harry Potter fans (and a few thousand like myself who paid the $9.50 to just see the teaser) and later by nearly billions of internet users.

The web is awash with breakdowns and theories on what the few images we are given could mean.

My favorite so far is the "Earth Quake Machine," being used by the League of Shadows to "burn down," Gotham. This would explain the tumbling skyline we see in both the poster and the teaser. A earthquake hitting Gotham was used to great success in the "No Man's Land" story arc that had the US government cutting of Gotham from the country, due to the mass chaos. For those of you who have not read this arc: Gotham is run by gangs (think escape from New York)and it ends with Joker killing Gordon's second wife Sara Essen.

Some random thoughts and ideas.

In the trailer a severely injured Gordon is asking, who we can assume to be Bruce Wayne, to "bring back Batman." This follows two story arcs as well. One being the before mentioned "No Man's Land," where Bruce Wayne is absent for 100 days while he lobbies is US government to end the No Man's Land decree on Gotham. The second is from Frank Miller's magnum opus, The Dark Night Returns. The scene has an elderly Gordon and a sixty-ish Wayne discussing the return of Batman to face the newest threat to Gotham .

Perhaps Bane is the new leader of the league and viewed Ras Al Ghul as a father figure. Nolan's desire to come full circle could have Bane seeking the Batman's demise as a revenge quest.

I myself enjoy the thoughts put out that; One, Ras is not dead, resurrected from the Lazarus pit as was his primary power in the comics. Two, Bane is connected to the league some how. In the comics Ras wants Batman to be his successor, with Bane being his number two choice. From the pics we have of Nolan's take on Bane, he seems to have a breathing apparatus. Nolan's League of Shadows has already established a flair for drug use (ie. the blue flower from Batman Begins). Is there a new flower that enhances strength and pain tolerance? (ie. Bane's Venom drug.) Opium is a plant with morphine in its chemical make up, its pain killing benefits are widely known. A new flower bred by the League may be green (the established Venom color) and when it's fumes are breathed, become a powerful steroid/opiate and is highly addictive.

Some filming has taken place at what could be either a prison or castle setting. I argue for the prison, creating a "Pena Duro" (Spanish for Hard Rock) the prison where Bane was raised from birth. It is in the prison that Bane grows both physically and mentally. There is a quick clip of someone doing push ups in a prison in the trailer. Bane, a toddler who watches his mother raped and beaten daily until finally witnessing her death short of his fifth birthday. Bane, who at the age of 8 commits his first murder with a teddy bear concealing a knife. Bane spends many years in isolation for his acts and spends his waking hours exercising and surviving. Living off the fish that swim in his isolation hole when it floods twice a day with the high tide. The scene of a man climbing out of a hole in the trailer could very well be Bane, climbing out of the isolation hole. When Bane refuses to die he is returned to general population, where is is educated by a Priest in the classical ways of wisdom and thought. When bane reaches adulthood he has made him self the de facto leader of the prison. It is at the time that the Venom drug is used on him as an experiment to create the prefect soldier. Part of the experiment included bullet proof plastic being surgically implanted under is skin in key vulnerable places.

The last theory I want to postulate is a bit of a synopsis I see for the first half of the film and what evidence I have to support it.

The first part to bring forward is the much debated identity of the man in the background of the final shot in the trailer.

http://www.mothersdevotion.com/industry/dark-knight-rises-teaser-easter-eggs

Does a wonderful job of color enhancement on both the figure and the shadows behind him. He needs only to take it one step further and comment on how Red the figured head is. Yes I am mentioning the Red Hood.

For those unaware there have been two Red Hoods of note in Batman lore. The first was an identity of the Joker before he was the joker, the second was/is of Jason Todd. Jason Todd is the Robin who died. Beaten and blown up by the Joker.

A quick take on this could easily solve many riddles.

One, why did Batman "leave Gotham?" Could he have retired when the Joker murders his sidekick/heir Jason Todd, as to not endanger any one else.

Two, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, "a Gotham beat-cop?" Such a minor role for him. John Blake could be an alias for Jason Todd as he infiltrates his return to Gotham as the Red Hood. He for sure looks the Jason Todd part.

The chanting we hear, what is that? Well, we know that when decoded the chanting leads to Bane's twitter account. There may be deeper meaning, it may be part of the ceremony to revive Ras Al Ghul and Jason Todd using the Lazarus pit, which we have reported filming of.

The posture of the figure does seem to be that of a person aiming a rifle, witch clearly fits the Red Hood's modius opperandi.

So a quick summary of how I see the movie opening up.

The movie opens with the Gotham Skyline, (ala imax camera) all is serene. A quiet rumbling is heard. We cut to a street level shot, people begin to panic and scream as the shaking grows. The camera follows the growing chaos and panic. The earthquake grows. The camera follows up the sky scrapers (ala the trailer footage.) the earthquake reaches a crescendo, The Bat-Logo is shown... cut to black and hard silence.

News clips summarise the fall of Gotham, the enactment of the "No Man's Land" law, and a fifty something Bruce Wayne facing congress pleading for military help and intervention.

The next scene is Wayne visiting Gordon in the hospital. He is not dieing, he is old (60+) and beyond tired trying to keep Gotham's citizens who where left behind safe. We get the hospital scene form the trailer. The extension of that scene involves Wayne justifying his retirement, a line along the lines of "... Too many casualties, your daughter paralyzed (batgirl/oracle), Jason....."(silence implying the death of Jason Todd).

The idea that decades have passed since the last movie is heavily implied.

The violence of Gotham grows and Bane, having heard of the legend of Batman wants to face him. We learn that Bane has orchestrated all of this, the earthquake, the riots, and a mass Arkham breakout (read the Kightfall story arc) As shown in the trailer at the final scene, there is a giant Bat-symbol on the wall. This was placed by Bane to draw Batman out to a fight. The first fight is early on and Bane handily defeats Batman while the Red Hood watches on.

Catwoman is introduced along the way as a citizen who is inspired by Batman to, "be more, an ideal." She skirts the line of the law, stealing from some and saving others from the gangs on Gotham. Batman meets her and is himself in turn inspired to return to his mission. There will be obvious sexual tension and attraction. Don't worry, Nolan almost never films kissing scenes.

Ras Al Ghul is revealed, having survived the train crash to an extent. The crash forced him to use his order's ancient secret, The Lazarus pit. A chemical bath shown to prolong life and restore strength. He is the man behind the man so to speak and is the one who sent Bane on his path of conquest against the Bat. The filing of a young Ras Al Ghul entering the pit the first time is shown during a flash back as Ras explains the pit to Batman.

Bane will probably learn of the manipulative Ras Al Ghul and seek to usurp him. Perhaps Bane even has a splinter group from the League under his influence. It is at this time that Ras seeks out Batman for help and along the way we meet Talia, who Ras has intended for Bruce and her to have a child to be the heir to the leader of the League of Shadows. (read about Damian Wayne, the son of Talia and Bruce.)

All of this is interjected with back story breaks. Ras Al Ghul explains Bane's past to Batman and how the league found him and he is the only survivor of the Venom drug. Catwoman explains her story to Batman, tragic past, poverty, cat burglary, semi-wealth, animal rights activist, and now quasi-guardian of Gotham. Near the end Ras explains the Red Hood, his John Blake alias and his real name, Jason Todd. How he tried to use the pit to resurrect Todd, but the process drove Todd insane.

Just like the in Dark Knight, Lucius Fox is going to reveal some crazy tech, only this time it is post-mortem. Yes, he will be dead, and a video of him will reveal the tech. Why is he dead? Wayne is fifty plus, so add twenty years from the Begins time. Fox would be 80+ almost 90. He probably died during the earthquake, as the epicenter would be at Wayne Tower where he works. His video explains he knew one way or another his death was coming and he has one last peace of sweet new tech to give Batman the edge he needs to defeat Bane. Fox's death will open the door wide open for Barbara Gordon to assume her Oracle identify for Batman.

Nolan has not shied away from killing off major players, just look at Two-Face. I think Bane's "ultimate evil act," is to kill Jason Todd after Batman has deduced his identity and learned of his Resurrection. The fight goes along the lines of Red Hood and him fighting for control of Gotham after Bane has defeated Batman in the first fight. Red Hood's bullets are no match for Banes immunity to pane, his bullet protected body, and his invertible fighting skills. I can even imagine a broken back scene, paying homage to the Knightfall story arc.

The mid-part of the movie is going to be a quest for Batman to return to his prominence. I hope its more then just physical training and involves in some part the KightsEnd story arc where Bruce Wayne travels the world retracing his original training steps and seeks out Lady Shiva for help in relearning his "capacity for violence." Shiva fits very nicely as she assisted Batman in fighting Bane and the League of Assassins (the comic name for the League of Shadows) in the Legacy story arc. The chanting that has become synonymous with the new Batman ads could also be the Cult of Shiva (Shiva being the name of the Hindu Goddess of Death) chanting in her honor. Shiva in the comics also has connections to the Lazarus pit, having used it to resurrect her daughter, Casandra Cain.

The ending is going to be very similar to the Dark Knight. Perhaps even Gordon again with a voice over. A pinioned description of why Gotham needs Batman. Over a scene of the city. A bleak comment on how "..evil never dies." (little reference to Lazarus pit) over a scene of some new and obvious villain getting ready for a crime (I would guess a question mark signifying the Riddler) A part on why good will always "rise." Scenes of catwoman fighting crime and of Gotham rejoining America. The final scene will be of Batman standing high above Gotham as the batsignal lights and we get him diving off the skyscraper towards the camera, "... there will always be a Batman."

-Cue Credits.

Note: This is all conjecture. I am not affiliated with Warner Brothers or DC Comics in anyway. I have not read anything resembling a script. All ideas presented here are simply theories pushed forward using the teaser, the reported filming locales, and my extensive knowledge of Batman literature.