Dark Knight of the Soul, part 1- “There’s More to You Than That”, by Travis Fishburn

Since its release in July, I’ve had a hard time not thinking about Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. My interest in it began to fade late last month, but then I finally had the opportunity to see a 70 mm print of it on in IMAX, and my appreciation of it increased all the more. While I don’t think it’s the best film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy, it provides a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the story and character that was introduced in Batman Begins.

The film that I see many people drawing comparisons of The Dark Knight Rises to is Return of the Jedi, and I think the comparison is more apt than they realize. Both films were tasked with the tricky issue of concluding a beloved film trilogy, following unanimous praise for the film preceding each of them. Each film also deals with idea of redemption in similar ways. In Jedi, Luke (Mark Hamill) fights to redeem his fallen father, Darth Vader (David Prowse/ James Earl Jones), which every other character sees as a lost cause and whom Luke is expected to kill. Even Vader, himself, admits to Luke that it is too late for him. Despite it all, Luke is willing to die for the cause and stands alone as he saves his father from the shackles his dark ways have placed on him.

The running theme throughout Nolan’s trilogy is the Christ-like sacrifices that Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) suffers to redeem the city of Gotham,  which every antagonist views as a hopeless and lost cause. At the end of The Dark Knight, Batman accepts the responsibility of sins that are not his own, in order to provide Gotham with a chance to escape its own corruption and begin a new life. In Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, Batman is faced with antagonists who view Gotham as a city so irredeemable that it must be destroyed. Batman sacrifices himself in the face of Gotham’s destruction so that the city may be absolved of its judgement. With that all being said, I don’t think it’s a stretch to take on the view of Batman as an allegory for Christ as depicted in these films.

Keeping that idea in mind, one of the most compelling aspects of the Dark Knight Rises for me is the addition of two new characters; John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Prior to the film’s release, I would have listed the inclusion of them as a potential problem, seeing as adding too many new characters to a superhero sequel is almost always done to the detriment of the film. However, I found that they were well written, captivating, and thought-provoking from a Christian perspective.

First, let’s look at Selina Kyle. The heart of the character in nearly every Batman incarnation has always depicted her as someone struggling between selfish ambitions and loyalty to Batman, and the same can be said for her in The Dark Knight Rises. She has lived a life acting out of selfishness and greed as Catwoman (though the name “Catwoman” is never explicitly said), and has built up quite a criminal record for herself while doing so. As the film progresses, her self-centered actions as seem to bring her nothing but longing and discontentment for her and suffering for those around her. Her true desire which drives her throughout the film, is that she wants a “clean slate”, a device capable of erasing all of the criminal records on file for a single person, so that she can start over. One could say she wants all of her sins to be forgotten so that she can begin a new life. She commits crimes for various people, who all promise to give her this “clean slate”, only to laugh at her afterwards for believing such a thing could exist. Batman offers it to her, but she has been too disappointed by its false offerings by the world that she is even doubtful of its existence.

Batman, while knowing her identity and her crimes, goes out of his way to help her time and again, while trying desperately to help her realize the compassionate and altruistic person within her. This, too, she denies. She is full of doubt about her ability to act out in a selfless manner. Halfway through the movie, she even betrays Batman and delivers him right into the hands of Bane, the film’s antagonist. She witnesses the cost of what she has done as Bane defeats Batman and breaks his body.

When Batman returns to Gotham he approaches Selina, forgiving her for her actions and giving her an opportunity. He provides her with the “clean slate”‘, then gives her the opportunity to help him save the city, or to escape by herself. She states that as soon as she creates the escape route “I’m gone!” Batman’s only reply to her is “There’s more to you than that”, to which she replies “Sorry I keep letting you down”. The scene is a very nice mirror to one in Return of the Jedi in which Luke confronts his father. Luke tells Vader that there is still good in him and that he can feel the conflict within him.

The altruistic actions taken by Batman, for both her and Gotham, bring her to ultimately come help him in the third act. Batman then sacrifices himself for the city, unwilling to reveal his identity, stating that anybody can be a hero with a single kind and selfless act. While Batman gave his life, it is revealed that Bruce Wayne is alive, living under a new identity in Europe with Selina. Selina’s sins and crimes have been forgotten, and Bruce has given her the chance to live a new life with him outside Gotham.

Selina is basically a representation of Gotham, and Batman’s fight for it, within a single person. I think it’s hard to look at her character and not find something relatable, whether you’re a Christian or not. I think her sentiments reflect very befittingly those of an agnostic, or of a Christian struggling with their faith and ability to look beyond their human and selfish nature.

I can’t speak much from the agnostic view, but the struggle between self-interest and altruistic acts is one that I fight on a daily basis. There are numerous times throughout the day when I reconsider something I’ve done or thought, and ask myself why I’m being so self-centered. Whether it be money I spend on myself, the way I behave while driving, or my own agendas that I put foremost in my mind before those of the ones I love,  I never cease to amaze myself with how greedy I can be. I know it’s not stealing money from people’s houses in a leather catsuit (which I actually do refrain from out of consideration for others), but in those moments my mind is saying “forget everyone else, I deserve this”.

While they may be petty and inconsequential towards others, these selfish acts do have an undesired and contradictory effect of being harmful toward myself. Like Selina, the things I acquire for myself never leave me with any lasting feeling of contentment. In fact, I usually find myself at my most miserable states when been focusing too much energy on me. Every sin that we commit in this life can be traced back to a state of mind in which we are the only ones that matter. We can trick ourselves and shrug it off as human nature or the ingrained instinct to survive, and while these do exist, as humans we have a conscience that is constantly encouraging us to do the opposite. We are not bound to our actions by the sins we have committed throughout life, and we have the ability to make a choice.