The Dark Knight Rises"s Robin Twist Misunderstands Batman"s Legacy

Although the Dark Knight trilogy is one of the most popular and successful superhero movie series ever made, The Dark Knight Rises and its "Robin" twist misunderstands the point of Batman's legacy and symbolism. Played by Joesph Gordon-Levitt, GCPD Detective John Blake is revealed to be Robin at the very end of the movie directed by Christopher Nolan, inheriting Batman's legacy after the Dark Knight (Christian Bale) seemingly sacrifices himself to save Gotham from Bane (Tom Hardy) and Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard). However, Blake being Robin is problematic when it comes to the legacy established in Nolan's trilogy as a whole.
Following Batman's presumed demise after flying the nuclear bomb away from Gotham, Bruce Wayne's last will and testament was read. Having served as an ally to the Dark Knight during Bane's citywide takeover who also figured out Bruce and Batman were one and the same, Blake was left a major gift at the very end of The Dark Knight Rises: access to the Batcave and presumably everything Blake would need to take up Wayne's mantle. However, it was controversially revealed that John Blake had been going by his middle name, with his first name being Robin, the same name used by Batman's sidekicks in the comics.
TDKR's John Blake Didn't Need To Be "Robin" It can be argued that Blake is a combination of Batman's first three Robins in the comics. Dick Grayson was similarly the first to inherit the cowl who was also a police officer for a time. Like Jason Todd, John Blake carries a shared anger with Bruce Wayne over the loss of his own parents. Additionally, Blake figured out Batman's secret identity on his own much like Tim Drake, the third Robin to join the Dark Knight's crusade in the comics. However, hiding John's identity until the very end resulted in a rushed reveals that felt forced, seemingly for the sake of simply having a final twist.
As a result, it stands to reason that John Blake didn't need to be "Robin" at all. He could have just been a like-minded Gothamite who cared enough about the city to protect and defend the innocent from its own darkness, just like Batman himself. Likewise, one could argue that being Robin contradicts the symbolism of Batman established by the entire Dark Knight trilogy. In Bruce Wayne's mind, the whole point of Batman as a symbol is that the Dark Knight is bigger than any one person. A man can be corrupted and destroyed, but a symbol lasts and endures.
John Blake Would Have Been Better As A Second Dark Knight The meaning behind the symbol is the reason why Wayne left his legacy to Blake in the first place, seeing John as a kindred spirit to take on the mantle of Batman. However, the fact that John had a shoehorned extra layer of significance cheapens the idea of him replacing Wayne as Gotham's next Dark Knight. It would have been better if John Blake wasn't Robin and was just John Blake. In this way, taking on the symbol and continuing the legacy of Batman would have been far stronger.


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