Chapter 866: A Very Perfect Ending

Inside the Hollywood Chinese Theater, the movie had already begun. The opening battle took place between two airplanes. Bane showcased his formidable combat prowess and a brilliant mind the moment he appeared. In particular, Dwayne Johnson's explosive physique made it easy for the audience to imagine exactly how powerful Bane could be. Furthermore, he had kidnapped a nuclear physicist—what was he planning?

The camera shifted back to Gotham City. A memorial for Harvey Dent was underway, and Selina Kyle slipped into Bruce Wayne's bedroom.

After that scene, a rather gloomy building appeared on the screen—Arkham Asylum, the facility where the Joker was imprisoned.

A young female psychiatrist entered Arkham Asylum. She was intensely fascinated by the Joker and practically demanded that the administration let her study him.

Unlike Christopher Nolan, Duke was a far more commercial director. Although the Joker himself wouldn't appear in this film, the character would still be mentioned and would continue to influence Gotham City.

That's right—Duke and Warner Brothers were simply squeezing every last drop of residual value out of Heath Ledger.

Harleen Quinzel's request was denied, but she didn't give up. After obtaining the Joker's files, she prepared to conduct her research in private.

Next, the movie began to establish a complex web of relationships. It revealed why Miranda Tate was in Gotham and attending the party at Wayne Manor. When Harleen Quinzel returned home with her files, she ran into Selina Kyle—the two were roommates.

Compared to the original film, this version of The Dark Knight Rises ran for just 135 minutes, making its pacing undeniably tighter.

Outside the theater, James Holmes was still sitting in his car. As a former top student, his intelligence was beyond question. After observing for a while, he noticed that security personnel surrounded the theater, and getting inside seemed to require passing through a security checkpoint.

Under those circumstances, it was basically impossible for him to sneak weapons into the building.

James Holmes frowned slightly. This wasn't his plan. Why had the theater's security suddenly been tightened?

Over the past few days, James Holmes had been busy maintaining his weapons and devising his plan, completely ignoring the news.

His thoughts were utterly deranged, but he wasn't an idiot. It was impossible to get into the Hollywood Chinese Theater now, and what would he even do inside without weapons? And if he did try to bring them in...

Plans could never keep up with changes. After thinking it over for just a few minutes, James Holmes decided to abandon his original plan and pick a more suitable target.

Without a doubt, if he wanted to create a massive sensation, starting a massacre inside the Chinese Theater during the premiere was the best option. If he could take out Batman—Bruce Wayne—in the process, that would be even better!

But James Holmes wasn't about to act like a moth diving into a flame. He decided to change locations. Even if he struck during the subsequent midnight screening, it would still undoubtedly trigger a considerable amount of chaos.

However, where would be a suitable location?

First, it had to be crowded, which meant the screening room needed to be large enough. Second, it had to be easy to escape from, meaning there needed to be multiple exits near the theater. Finally, it had to be in a bustling downtown area—how much attention would a remote location really get?

Sitting in his car, James Holmes pulled out a map of the Greater Los Angeles area. A red 'X' had originally been drawn over Hollywood. Now, he had to pick a new spot.

Scanning from top to bottom and left to right, James Holmes cross-referenced the map with what he knew of each location. A long time passed without him noticing. Finally, his gaze locked onto the place where Duke Rosenberg grew up—Santa Monica!

That area housed the Santa Monica Commercial Square, a famous commercial hub in the Greater Los Angeles area. The plaza contained numerous large theaters, making it the absolute best place for a massacre. The mall was also highly accessible from all directions; once chaos erupted, it would be extremely easy to escape.

James Holmes finally settled on a target. He would ambush the Santa Monica Commercial Square during the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

Starting the car, he slowly accelerated away from the Hollywood Chinese Theater. Passing pedestrians only saw someone dressed as the Joker driving off.

Inside the Hollywood Chinese Theater, the screening continued. Batman's legs had been broken by Destroyer Bane, and he had been thrown into the underground prison. Driven by her own obsession and madness, Harleen Quinzel's mindset began to resemble another Joker. Renaming herself Harley Quinn, she applied clown makeup for the first time, picked up a baseball bat, and rescued Selina Kyle from the swarming police.

Gotham descended into chaos. Bane launched a riot in the name of revolution, releasing hordes of criminals. Social order completely collapsed, plunging Gotham into total anarchy.

However, no one was willing to live under the rule of thugs. Citizens rallied behind people like John Blake and Jim Gordon, preparing to take back control of Gotham.

The rebellion of the citizens, the madness of the rioters... Duke had captured it all on the silver screen.

Then there was the manufactured Nuclear Bomb. Bane hid it inside several vehicles, guarding it with his most trusted subordinates. The detonator had already been handed over to Miranda Tate, who had infiltrated the Wayne Group.

What is conviction? It was something impossible to explain in concrete terms, yet very much real.

Gotham's citizens didn't lack conviction, nor was Gotham short on principled cops and people. That was why they united to resist the tyranny of the Bane Group.

Harley Quinn also had her own conviction.

"Do you really think a monster like Bane deserves a city like Gotham?"

Facing Selina Kyle, Harley Quinn spoke with near-fanatical fervor: "Someone once said that this city deserves a criminal with better class, and Bane definitely isn't on that list!"

Compared to them, Selina Kyle's conviction was undeniably weaker. She cooperated with Bane yet sympathized with Batman, acting more like a fence-sitter.

Seeing his city on the verge of destruction only strengthened Bruce Wayne's resolve. His legs were healed by the inmates in the prison. With half a year left before the Nuclear Bomb detonated, he actively rebuilt his physique and resumed his combat training. He was determined to climb out of this underground cage and liberate his city from Bane's tyranny.

Conviction couldn't heal a shattered spine, but it could work wonders for a man with broken legs. Bruce Wayne climbed out of the pit, returned to Gotham City, and convinced Catwoman to defect to his side.

Most of Gotham City's police force had been sealed away in the sewers. Duke simply let the majority of them die off. Even the handful who were eventually rescued wouldn't have any combat effectiveness left after half a year of starvation and sunless torment.

This wasn't some sci-fi flick full of superpowers flying everywhere; it was a superhero movie shot in a realistic style.

The only ones capable of fighting the Bane Group were the few cops who had survived in the city above. Batman couldn't take on that many thugs alone. Thus, the brutally oppressed citizens stood up. They joined this revolution to overthrow the Bane Group's regime and save their city.

Saving their own home with their own hands undeniably elevated the movie's thematic tone.

Moreover, Duke was an expert action director who had single-handedly pioneered a new era of Hollywood action films. Naturally, he wouldn't make the same mistake the original film did—abandoning basic human logic just to achieve a desired visual effect.

Just think about it: thugs armed with automatic weapons facing a charging mob of unarmed people shouldn't abandon cover and rush out into a melee brawl. If they did, it could only mean being locked up in prison had completely rotted their brains.

Therefore, finding suitable weapons and equipment became one of their most urgent tasks before the final battle.

Harley Quinn hated Batman, but she equally disliked the classless thug Bane. Furthermore, she had grown up in this city and still held some affection for Gotham from before she went completely insane. Combined with her slight friendship with Selina Kyle, she ultimately revealed the location of the Joker's hidden weapon caches at the crucial moment. There weren't a massive amount of weapons, but it was enough to arm the remaining police officers.

And so, war broke out. Gotham's remaining police launched an assault on the Bane Group, followed closely by the citizens fighting to save their home. Under the cover of gunfire, the city's liberators and the mob of rioters finally closed in on each other. An all-out street brawl inevitably erupted.

Batman clashed with Destroyer Bane once more, finally discovering Bane's weakness—his mask.

However, Miranda Tate revealed her true colors at the critical moment, stabbing Batman in the back. Just as she left and Bane rose back to his feet for the killing blow, Catwoman rushed in and ran him over with the Batcycle. Harley Quinn then finished the job, smashing Bane's head in with her baseball bat and ending the life of the criminal she deemed unworthy of this city.

Harley Quinn vanished, and Batman went to secure the Nuclear Bomb. Ultimately, the Batwing flew the bomb out over the ocean, where it detonated. Gotham City, now restored to peace, erected a statue in Batman's honor.

Did Bruce Wayne die? That was the biggest question in the audience's minds at this point. Many remembered Duke saying he was going to give Bruce Wayne a bright ending.

Death would certainly be a release for Bruce Wayne, allowing him to lay down his heavy psychological burdens, but it definitely wasn't a bright ending.

Without a doubt, Bruce Wayne was still alive. Even in the original film, despite many interpreting his fate as death, he was undoubtedly still alive.

The reasoning was actually quite simple: Warner Brothers would never allow a director to kill off Batman or Bruce Wayne in a movie. Comic books could get away with crazy stunts, but movies had far more influence. The consequences of killing Batman would be severe enough to affect the future development of the entire film franchise.

Would Warner Brothers really let The Dark Knight Rises put a permanent end to the Batman Series?

It was absolutely impossible.

At the end of the movie, Alfred confirmed that Bruce Wayne was indeed alive and had gotten together with Catwoman, Selina Kyle, leaving his days as Batman behind. This was the exact life Alfred had always hoped Wayne could have. As far as Alfred was concerned, it was a very perfect ending.