The second act begins with Selina walking out of the Iceberg Lounge. She moves through the rain-soaked streets and catches a cab to her apartment. As she arrives, the camera frames her so it feels like someone is watching from a distance, tracking her through the windows as she goes inside. She speaks with her roommate and then changes into her Catwoman suit.
She arrives at Mayor Hamilton's house and breaks in. Moving silently through the rooms, she finds a hidden safe behind a painting. Her fingers work the lock expertly. The music builds as she opens it and pulls out a passport.
"You're pretty good at that," a voice says from behind her.
She spins, throwing a punch. A hand emerges from the darkness and catches it. Batman steps into the light. The theater explodes in cheers.
"Let's go!" someone yells. Matt laughs next to me, clapping.
Selina and Bruce fight. She is no match for him, but she uses her acrobatics to try to get away. The fight is fast, brutal, and elegantly choreographed. It ends with Batman pinning her down on a grand piano.
"Fuck yeah!" Jess yells, and other women in the audience react positively.
"The fuck?" I mutter as laughter ripples through the room.
The scene continues. Selina tells Batman she only came for her roommate's passport—nothing more. The actors have great chemistry, so it lands; Nolan's directing and my script create romantic tension between them throughout the film, even if the relationship never fully develops on screen.
They return to Selina's apartment together and find it ransacked. Her roommate is missing. They talk afterward, speculating where she might have gone. Selina shares more about the corruption surrounding the Dent Act, telling of the many innocents she knows who were arrested and sent to prison to satisfy quotas.
Just then, breaking news appears on the TV. The Riddler is on video, showing Commissioner Pete Savage being tortured and then killed. He says, "The truth will come out soon."
The scene shifts.
Bruce finally decides to visit Gordon. They meet on the roof of the GCPD. Gordon tells Batman that someone is trying to dig up the past. He hands him another letter left by the Riddler after the second murder and tells him he has been promoted again.
Batman decides to follow up on the lead with Selina and helps her infiltrate the Iceberg Lounge. They discover that the commissioner, the district attorney, and other key officials are all under Rex Calabrese's control. Selina comes face to face with the man himself. Rex Calabrese is played by Timothy Dalton; he is a character pivotal to it all.
The scene ends with the district attorney being kidnapped by the Riddler.
Bruce returns to the Batcave. He realizes that the Riddler set Robin up with the second clue, deliberately luring him into danger to hurt him and draw him out. Alfred comments, "This is a dangerous man you are dealing with, Master Wayne. And we know nothing about him." Dick is shown getting better; he is able to sit up.
Bruce says nothing as he reviews the riddles once more.
The mayor's funeral takes place. Bruce attends in person, mingling with Gotham's elite. He meets Rex Calabrese and other major players in the city's power structure. Bruce watches for the Riddler, sensing he will make a move.
He is proven right as the funeral is gatecrashed. A car crashes through the windows and district attorney Wilson steps out with a bomb strapped to his neck. On his chest it is written, "For the Batman." The man stumbles forward, terrified, as the phone strapped to his hand begins to ring.
Gordon quickly orders an evacuation as the crowd panics, scrambling for the exits. Bruce does not move. His eyes lock on Wilson.
The next scene is, in my opinion, the second best in the movie: Batman's public return after four years.
The entire area around the church is surrounded by police and bomb squad units. News cameras are everywhere, helicopters circle overhead. The tension is suffocating.
Then, just as the Riddler requested and to the shock of all of Gotham and the police outside the church, Batman enters.
Wilson, in his distress, begins to hear footsteps as he looks into the darkness outside. The snipers and the SWAT team stare in disbelief as Batman walks in and then toward Wilson. Big cheers erupt. Every reaction is shown on screen: police officers frozen in disbelief, civilians gasping, reporters scrambling.
The snipers ask to take the shot. Gordon quickly tells everyone to stand down.
Batman walks slowly toward Wilson, who stands trembling, the bomb ticking on his chest. Batman carefully removes another letter taped to the man's jacket. It reads, "Pick up the call."
A phone rings. Batman answers.
The Riddler's voice comes through, elated. "You came! I knew you would."
"Why are you doing this?" Batman asks.
"I'm doing this for you, and for all of Gotham," the Riddler says. "They used you to trap this city. I'm going to set them all free."
Then the Riddler goes live, broadcasting to all of Gotham. He screams at the district attorney, calling him corrupt and complicit. "You deserve to die for what you did! All of you do! You know what you did, you know what you did." He turns to the camera. "They turned on their hero because of a lie. The truth about Harvey Dent will set you all free. I'm going to cure this cesspool of a city."
He says he will ask Wilson two riddles; if Wilson can answer them, he will disarm the bomb.
The first riddle is: "It can be cruel, poetic, or blind… but when it is denied, it is violence you may find."
Wilson is too scared to answer, but Bruce responds for him: "Justice."
The Riddler laughs and asks the second riddle: "If you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?"
Bruce answers again: "Bribe."
Wilson stammers, terrified, pleading to be let go.
The Riddler then demands to know who Wilson is bribed to protect. Wilson refuses to answer, saying he will die either way and that he has a family and they will be killed.
Batman tries to get him to answer, but the Riddler grows impatient and triggers the bomb.
Bruce lunges forward, trying to stop the explosion.
The bomb detonates.
The blast throws Batman backward. Police swarm him, pinning him down as he struggles to his feet, disoriented.
"We got him! We got him!" someone shouts.
"Oh, fuck," I hear from the row next to me.
Batman wakes inside a holding cell at the police station, surrounded by officers. One officer tries to remove his mask and is knocked unconscious by a built-in defense mechanism. Batman wakes fully and immediately begins to fight the police in the cell. They are all stopped when Gordon orders them to give him space.
Batman and Gordon talk as Gordon creates an opportunity for escape. Bruce fakes a punch at Gordon, then fights off the officers with nonlethal strikes. He runs through the station, fights his way to the central staircase, fires his grappling hook upward, smashes through a skylight, and pulls himself onto the roof. From there he leaps off the building, cape spreading wide, disappearing into the night.
The entire sequence earns applause and cheers.
Gordon and Batman meet again. They discuss the next riddle: "You are el rata alada." They believe it points to the Penguin and go there to catch and interrogate him.
Selina is there as well, following her own investigation into her roommate. Batman, Selina, and Gordon find Annika, Selina's roommate, dead.
A fight breaks out. Batman, Selina, and Gordon fight off Penguin's goons. Batman's combat is brutal; he mows through them all with precise, bone-breaking efficiency. Penguin, seeing an opportunity, escapes in his car.
Batman pursues on the Batpod.
Then the best scene in the movie happens.
The chase. Batman pursues Penguin through Gotham's streets, rain pouring, neon lights flashing, engines roaring. Penguin throws explosives. Batman dodges, weaving through the blasts. Penguin triggers a massive explosion; Batman drives straight through it, flames engulfing him for a moment before he emerges unscathed.
He forces Penguin's car to crash, flipping it over. It skids to a halt, upside down.
Batman dismounts and walks toward the wreckage. The camera shows it from Penguin's point of view: Batman's silhouette growing larger, cape billowing, backlit by fire. The music swells perfectly. You can barely hear the dialogue over the cheers.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh," I hear John say.
Batman pulls Penguin out of the wreckage and begins to interrogate him. Gordon joins them. They realize they got the riddle wrong. It is not a phrase. It is a URL.
They access the website and find the next riddle: "I grew up as a seed, as tough as a weed. But in a mansion, in a slum, I'll never know where I come from."
The answer: orphan.
Batman is confused. He truly does not understand the Riddler's motives. The Dent Act has harmed many people, and Batman and Gordon both know how deep the rot runs in Gotham and how the Dent Act has been weaponized. But this new clue does not make sense. Why orphans?
The clue leads them to one of the old orphanages Thomas Wayne used to run, the one Bruce himself abandoned to build a better one. They investigate. They hear movement and realize they are not alone. They follow the sound to a room where a projector plays a live video that is now available to all of Gotham.
Thomas Wayne appears on screen, introducing the Gotham Renewal Fund decades earlier. The Riddler's voice overlays the footage. He ties the corruption of the Dent Act to events from years ago, to Thomas Wayne. He accuses Wayne of making deals with the Maroni and Falcone families so his charity work could proceed, of using his monorail and orphanages as cover. He says that when a reporter discovered the truth, Thomas Wayne had Carmine Falcone have him killed, and that Rex Calabrese carried out the hit.
"How high has he risen now?" the Riddler asks.
The Riddler's voice grows frantic. "It's all connected. Gotham itself is putrid to the core, and it needs to be washed away."
Bruce stares at the screen, frozen. He sees the next riddle flash across the projector and realizes the next target is himself.
Just as he and Gordon are about to leave, Killer Croc attacks. The audience, who have been silent and focused, are shocked by the sudden assault. Gasps and shouts erupt.
Batman fights Croc, realizing this is the creature that hurt Dick. The fight is brutal. Bruce holds his own and goes toe to toe with the massive creature, but Croc is relentless. He grabs Bruce and hurls him through a window.
Batman crashes through the glass, falls two stories, then deploys his cape and recovers midair. He drives away on the Batpod, calling the manor as he speeds off.
Dick, still recovering, answers. Bruce tells him to get Alfred and make sure they don't open anything that comes to the manor, no letters, no packages.
"Oh my god, they are going to kill off Alfred," I hear someone whisper from the row next to me.
The theater holds its breath.
Dick moves quickly, searching for Alfred. He finds him in the study, opening letters.
"Alfred, no!" Dick shouts.
Dick tackles the old butler out of the way as a letter explodes.
The theater erupts with gasps and shock.
To be honest, there are discussions to kill off Alfred, but they are nixed by me and Nolan.
"Dude, did you?" John asks, and Matt and Jess look at me.
"What? No," I say, and they look relieved.
The movie continues. Bruce has now almost lost two of the people closest to him. He begins piecing everything together.
The Dent Act has been weaponized by corrupt politicians and officials for their own gain. Many innocents are caught in the crossfire. He identifies Killer Croc as Waylon Jones, arrested for a minor offense and then disappeared into Arkham. Further investigation reveals secret projects and experiments conducted at the asylum.
He looks into his own father and realizes the Riddler is correct. Thomas Wayne was involved with the mob.
Then the scene I've been waiting to see, the everyone-reaction, appears. As he investigates his father's belongings, he finds a pin shaped like an owl.
"Ohhhhhh," big reactions ripple through the audience as everyone recognizes the Court of Owls insignia.
Bruce asks Alfred about his father and whether there is any truth to it all. Alfred says Thomas never had the journalist killed; he only wanted him paid off. Alfred admits he knew of Thomas's dealings with the mob, but then adds something else: "There is much, Master Bruce, that I do not know." He says how Thomas and Martha were good people who wanted to make lives better; it's just that they had to…
Shaken to the core, Bruce contemplates and rethinks his parents and his family legacy. He talks with Dick about it, and while they are talking he is contacted by Selina through the communicator he gave her when they infiltrated the lounge.
They meet again and have a moment that furthers their relationship. She tells him she is going after Annika's killer and asks for his help. Bruce presses her: how did she get so close to Rex and Penguin? She finally reveals that Rex is her father, that he killed her mother, and now he has had her friend killed. Bruce asks Selina to think about the consequences of what she is going to do. They share a moment and a kiss, and she heads off after Rex.
Batman and Gordon follow. After a long fight sequence, Batman manages to stop Selina from killing Rex. As Gordon is taking Rex away, he is killed by a sniper's shot fired by the Riddler from across the street.
Rex Calabrese dies.
They quickly locate where the sniper fired from, and then, just as quickly, the police find the Riddler himself, unmasked and waiting to be taken into custody. As he is led away, he reveals the full truth about the Dent Act, the Renewal Fund, and other corruptions live for Gotham and the world to see.
Batman realizes the final riddle meant the Riddler wanted to be caught. He wanted to be in Arkham. So Bruce goes to Arkham to meet the Riddler face to face.
He is met by Dr. Harleen Quinzel. She gets a good reaction, which is a good sign for Margot and the character when Suicide Squad comes out, but you can tell people are itching to see a glimpse of the Joker. She leads him down the corridor, her voice almost sing-song.
"You know, the Joker has been waiting to see you. He'll be so happy to know you're back."
Bruce looks at her, unnerved by her tone. Everyone laughs.
"He talks about you constantly," she continues, smiling too widely. "Says you're the only one who really gets him. Isn't that sweet?"
Bruce says nothing, his jaw tight.
"Right this way," she says cheerfully, stopping at a cell door.
The Riddler and Batman meet face to face.
The Riddler is calm now, almost serene. He looks at Batman with something like admiration.
"I was inspired by you," he says. "I wanted to clear your name. Are you happy? Are you proud?"
Batman does not respond.
"I understood when I put on my mask that I always felt my true self then," the Riddler continues, his voice soft. "This is your true self, isn't it? You feel better now. I made that happen."
Batman rejects him, saying he is sick in the head and this is not how you do it.
The Riddler's face twists. "No, no, that is not how this is supposed to happen!" He leans forward, desperate. "Is it because I sent Waylon after your sidekick? I'm sorry. But I wanted you back. Poor Waylon. Did you see what they did to him?"
He laughs, a broken, manic sound. "We are safe here. We can watch it all end from here."
"What do you mean?" Batman asks.
"Oh, you'll see."
Bruce turns and leaves quickly. He pieces it together in his mind, the first clue, how Dick was led to the tunnels near the seawall. He goes back to the Riddler's apartment and sees in horror the full extent of the plan: the Riddler intends to flood Gotham by bombing the seawalls.
Batman finds a video. In it the Riddler predicts his capture to his followers and then says it will soon be time for the great flood to wash the filth of the city away. He calls for his followers to put on their masks, feel powerful, and finish off the rot once and for all. They are directed to go to the stadium where the mayoral rally is taking place. "It is time."
Bruce watches in horror as bombs detonate along the seawall. Water surges through the breach, flooding into the city.
The Riddler watches from his cell, smiling.
Then the biggest reaction from the audience happens. Cheers, gasps, shouts.
A familiar laugh comes from the cell next to him. The Joker's silhouette appears through the glass.
"You're good," the Joker says, his voice rasping and delighted.
He laughs again, that iconic, chilling laugh.
They both watch the water flood into the city.
The audience erupts. People cheer, gasp, and stand in their seats. Someone shouts, "HOLY SHIT!" Another yells, "HE'S ALIVE!"
Wait who thought he was dead I thought.
"I KNEW IT!" someone cries.
"Oh my god!"
The finale has Batman racing to stop the Riddler's followers, including Croc. Selina, who was planning to leave the city, is forced into the stadium when the flood hits and she helps evacuate people. She and Gordon take out a number of the Riddler's followers while Batman fights Croc. He comes prepared this time with electrified gloves.
The fight is incredible. Batman dodges Croc's massive swings as they battle on crumbling rafters. He lands a punch with the electrified glove. Croc roars and convulses. Batman strikes again, driving him back. Croc lunges, grabs Batman by the throat and lifts him off the ground. Batman activates both gloves at full power and presses them against Croc's chest. The electric surge sends Croc flying backward.
"Waylon!" Batman shouts. "I can get you help!"
Croc hesitates, trembling and confused. He tries to attack again but hits an exposed electric wire. Selina detaches the wire and Croc falls into the water below.
Batman falls too, but Selina grabs Bruce and pulls him back just in time.
They all watch in horror as water surges through the stadium. Bruce sees a large screen and a bundle of exposed wires about to fall and electrocute people. He climbs up, moves the wires away, and is struck by a current. He falls into the water.
He swims toward the survivors huddled together, terrified. He raises a flare high above his head, the red light cutting through the darkness.
The people look up. They see him and they follow.
The music swells, showing that the Dark Knight has returned. One by one, the survivors walk toward him, trusting him once again to be Gotham's hero.
The audience is completely silent until applause breaks out.
The movie reaches its end as "Something in the Way" begins to play.
Gotham is flooded. The city is at its lowest.
Batman helps survivors, carrying children, pulling people from the water, standing as a symbol. Bruce's voice overlays the scene.
"The city is underwater," he says. The city is shown flooded. "Looting and lawlessness will be rampant in the parts of the city no one can get to. I can already see: things will get worse before they get better."
The Penguin sits where Rex once sat. Catwoman perches on her apartment roof, looking over the ruined city. Marion Grange holds a press conference, assuring the public they will make it through.
"Gotham needs more than vengeance. It needs hope. For too long, I have been a symbol of fear. But fear alone does not save people. It does not rebuild.
"I thought I could disappear, that someone else could carry this burden. But I was wrong. This city needs Batman not as a hunter in the dark, but as a light in the storm.
"The world is changing. New threats are rising."
A worker near the seawall speaks into a radio: "What do you mean it's fixed?" He looks up in awe as a figure flies overhead, carrying huge debris away.
The audience explodes as Superman's silhouette appears, then the camera zooms to reveal Henry Cavill fully, lifting wreckage. "And new heroes are rising to meet them," Bruce says.
Bruce looks from where he stands to the flying figure in the sky. Cheers, whistles, people rise to their feet.
"But Gotham is my home. And I will stand for it. Always."
The music quiets and fades to black. The credits roll.
Directed by CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Written by DANIEL ADLER and CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
We get a standing ovation. People settle back down and wait eagerly for the post-credits scene.
The credits end and the scene begins again.
A TV sits in a guard station at Arkham Asylum. The view is partially obscured, sidelong, showing a news report about Batman's return and how he is helping with the city's rescue efforts. Quiet moaning comes from nearby.
The camera reveals the Riddler his face pressed against the security glass of his cell, watching the story in complete anguish.
Then a voice comes from the neighboring cell, amused. "Isn't that just terrible? Him raining on your parade like that?"
The Riddler does not answer. He shrinks to the floor, totally despondent.
The Joker continues. "What is it they say? One day you're on top, the next you're a clown."
A pause. "Well, let me tell you... there are worse things to be."
The Riddler slowly rises, peering out of his cell, trying to see into the other cell. He does not speak, but he sees the door open and then a blonde woman enter.
"Riddle me this: The less of them you have, the more one is worth."
The Riddler ponders for a moment, his mind working through the riddle. Then, finally, a hopeful smile creeps across his face.
"A friend?" he says.
And then—
The Joker begins to laugh as the cell doors open. The Riddler joins in.
The audience leaps to their feet, cheering and gasping. Some shout, "NO WAY!" Others yell incoherently.
John grabs my arm. "DUDE! DUDE!"
The laughter echoes as the screen fades to black.