The Batman Ending Explained (In Detail)

Warning: SPOILERS for The BatmanThe Batman ending wraps up the first story in Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson"s new Batman universe, but the Dark Knight"s journey is far from over. The long-awaited DC movie introduces a new Bruce Wayne/Batman onto the big screen after originally being set as a spinoff of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League for Ben Affleck. Things changed in 2017, and The Batman became the origin of a new, separate universe, that expanded in 2024 with The Penguin.
Set in the present day, The Batman follows Bruce Wayne in his second year of crime-fighting as Gotham City"s Caped Crusader. With Alfred Pennyworth as his confidant and ally, Batman attempts to solve the mystery behind The Riddler"s murders as well as figuring out how it all connects to his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. Of course, being relatively new at the job and not having gone up against formidable DC villains like Riddler, Penguin, and Falcone before, Batman is caught out of his depth. He"s still learning, and the overall experience changes him forever.
Much of The Batman"s ending is dedicated to laying the foundation for the hero"s future, as well as the future of Gotham"s police and criminal underworld. It"s all rather straightforward, with little being left unresolved on a macro level. However, there are several smaller stories unfolding in The Batman"s ending that could complicate Bruce Wayne"s next adventure in The Batman: Part II.
The Riddler's Real Plan In The Batman & Connection To Thomas Wayne What Edward Nashton Was Actually Trying To Achieve For Gotham Close One of the biggest twists in The Batman is the reason behind The Riddler"s murders. He was seemingly going after corrupt politicians and policemen, but the reasoning for them being corrupt wasn"t revealed until later on. The Batman pushes the narrative that Riddler is just like the Dark Knight, but instead of both of them being vigilantes seeking to do good, they represent two sides of a coin — orphans seeking vengeance against Gotham, with each one executing their own form of justice.
Matt Reeves revealed to the NY Times that he built their dynamic as a love story, in The Riddler"s warped perception. He doesn"t just aspire to be Batman, there"s an element of obsession there:

"In that scene [where Batman interrogates the Riddler], that’s what we talked about. I said, this is a breakup. You go there expecting love. He inspired you, and then when that turns out not to be the case, you’re devastated. And then when you realize he’s not as smart as you thought, then you finally have power again."

The explanation for The Riddler"s plan is fundamentally tied to Thomas Wayne and his goal to rebuild Gotham. As a kid, Edward Nashton was orphaned and grew up poor, ultimately becoming an accountant when he became an adult. It was because of his job that he discovered what happened with Renewal, the city"s infrastructure rebuilding plan that was put into place by the Wayne family.
After Thomas" death, the plan fell by the wayside, but rather than being dissolved completely, the money ended up being snatched up by Carmine Falcone. The crime lord took advantage of the opportunity; he used his knowledge of his rival"s drug business to have Sal Maroni arrested, and then used the money to install a puppet regime in Gotham City, propping up everyone who became famous for Gotham"s biggest drug bust.
Why The Riddler Targeted Bruce Wayne Since Renewal was meant to benefit Edward, he took revenge against the people who wronged him indirectly, becoming The Riddler to combat injustice. His final victim would"ve been Bruce Wayne, another orphan whom he thought received undeserved attention following Thomas and Martha"s deaths. People quickly forgot about the Renewal plan and focused entirely on Bruce Wayne, a boy who tragically lost his parents; meanwhile, all the other orphans in the city continued to suffer.
In Riddler"s eyes, Bruce was the catalyst for Renewal"s downfall, while Falcone and everyone else represented the domino effect. The final piece in Riddler"s retribution was destroying Gotham"s walls and flooding the city, thereby forcing "real change" — washing away the corruption and beginning anew; a true renewal.
The Riddler Goon's Connection To Batman The Harsh Reality Of Batman's Chosen Name The point of Batman having an effect on Gotham — whether good or bad — comes to fruition in the film"s denouement, particularly after Jim Gordon restrains him from killing one of The Riddler"s goons on top of the jumbotron. When the goon is unmasked, he looks at Batman and says, "I"m vengeance." His face may not seem too familiar, but he"s the same guy Bruce Wayne encounters at the funeral earlier in the film, the one expressing discontent with Gotham"s officials.
The goon saying he"s "vengeance" is a condemnation of Batman"s crusade in Gotham, along with a testament to the city"s villains. At the start of the movie, Batman fought a clown gang, presumably one inspired by Joker, and now another thug has latched onto Riddler, the city"s latest supervillain. Matt Reeves broke down the scene of Batman hearing his own catchphrase reflected back to him:

"When I was looking at the comics and “Batman: The Animated Series,” Kevin Conroy’s speech about “I am vengeance. I am the night,” something about that really connected to me. He’s doing this to get back at what happened to him, so he’s striking out. That is a form of vengeance, but that vengeance is not enough. He has to become more, and that’s the message of the whole movie. I want him to go from somebody who is projecting vengeance to somebody who’s letting people know that somewhere in all of this darkness, there’s hope. That was his arc."

The thing is, as it becomes clear throughout the rest of the film, Batman hasn"t stopped people from becoming criminals, because he hadn"t accomplished anything that would combat the reason they turned to crime in the first place. And in an act of terror against the people of Gotham, the goon fought for his own vengeance, hence him appropriating Batman"s words.
Barry Keoghan's New Joker Explained The Most Scarred Joker In The History Of DC's Live-Action? A new Batman universe means a new Joker — it"s inevitable. Thankfully, The Batman introduces Joker but also holds back just enough to keep viewers" interests piqued until a sequel arrives. In this version, Joker is in Arkham and he already has a clown gang, which means he"s had his first reign of terror off-screen.
In the comics (as well as other mediums), Joker is often imprisoned in Arkham following his bouts with Batman, which might be the case in The Batman movie, though it"s unclear if Joker and Batman have fought in this universe. Regardless, The Batman promises more of Joker going forward, potentially in league with The Riddler as well. When the two of them meet, Joker offers his new, fellow inmate a riddle, "The less of them you have, the more one is worth." The answer being a friend, thus hinting at their future together as part of Batman"s rogues gallery.


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