DCEU’s Nolanverse Link Would Have Made The Dark Knight Rises Ending Better

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy could have been linked to DC’s Extended Universe, and this would have made The Dark Knight Rises’ controversial ending a lot better. The superhero genre has gained force in the last decade thanks to connected universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DCEU, but the latter has had to go through some big changes over the years. DC’s connected universe on the big screen began in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which introduced Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman and set the tone for the rest of the movies.

Of course, the DCEU had its own version of Batman, who made his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, played by Ben Affleck. Unfortunately, Affleck’s Batman didn’t quite connect with the audience, who still had in mind the previous version of the Caped Crusader and who was a big success with critics and fans: Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Nolan’s take on the famous DC Comics vigilante revived interest in him after the failure of Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin in the 1990s and brought Bruce Wayne and company to a darker yet realistic Gotham City, far from the comic book-y tone of Tim Burton and Schumacher’s movies. Although the Dark Knight trilogy was a big influence in the making of the DCEU, these two universes are separate from each other, but at one point, they were close to being part of the same.

In May 2021, Zack Snyder shared that the DCEU could have been connected to the Nolanverse thanks to Man of Steel. Speaking to Josh Horowitz in his Happy Sad Confused podcast, Snyder was asked if a crossover with the Dark Knight trilogy was ever considered while developing Man of Steel, to which he replied that it “was not 100% off the table” and there were talks about it. Snyder explained it would have been interesting to have these two universes connected as that would have meant Batman in the DCEU would have had to be Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In the end, these universes stayed separate, with Nolan’s universe keeping its essence intact, but had they been linked somehow, the end of The Dark Knight Rises would have improved.

Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is formed by Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, this last one bringing Bruce’s story to a close but also drawing a lot of controversy. The ending of The Dark Knight Rises saw Batman sacrificing himself to save Gotham City only to be revealed that Bruce somehow survived and was now living in Europe with Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). Meanwhile, as those close to him mourned his supposed death, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) received a parcel from Wayne that led him to the Batcave, leaving his future open to interpretation. It’s generally assumed that had there been a continuation to it, John (whose first name is Robin) would have taken the mantle of Batman, and had the Nolanverse being linked to the DCEU, this setup would have been paid off instead of being left as a tease. The DCEU could have shown the fallout of this Batman, and with this the potential of Bale’s return, and the Caped Crusader’s “retirement” in the DCEU would have had more weight behind it, as Blake had a history with the original Batman and carrying on with his legacy surely would have taken a toll on him.

As exciting as it would have been to see a connection between the DCEU and the Nolanverse and how this would have improved the still debated ending of The Dark Knight Rises, leaving these two worlds separate was for the better. Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was very contained and grounded in reality, and linking it to the DCEU would have seen a drastic clash in tone, which would have inevitably affected the Nolanverse. What could have happened if the DCEU and the Nolanverse were connected is up to every fan to decide, but there surely would have been more room for developing certain characters from both universes.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3303 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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