It seems Christian Bale might not ever escape the shadow of the Batman, as years after the end of Nolan’s epic ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ the actor is still hounded by fans for answers to questions they have about the franchise. The latest question, and one that surprised me, was about whether or not the end of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ was just a dream. Seems some people think the whole story wrapped up a little too neatly, and ever since Nolan made ‘Inception,’ apparently some people think he’s going to end every movie with a dream sequence (although that theory might make more sense for the end of ‘Interstellar’). Here’s what Bale had to say on the matter when asked about it during a SiriusXm Town Hall meeting to promote ‘Exodus’ :

“[Alfred] was just content with me being alive, because that was always the life that he wanted for [Bruce]. I find it very interesting… with most films, I tend to say, ‘It’s what the audience thinks it is.’ My personal opinion is that no, it was not a dream. That was for real. And he was just delighted that he had freed himself from the privilege and the burden of being Bruce Wayne.”

While the whole idea of that ending being only a dream might make a small modicum of sense, I agree with Bale that the whole movie hangs on the idea that Alfred wanted Bruce to move on, and the audience and Alfred are rewarded at the end by seeing him do exactly that. And for those that say it was way too much of a coincidence that Alfred and Bruce just happened to be in the same cafe in Europe at the same time, I’ve always held that Bruce knew where Alfred liked to vacation, and he showed up there with Selena as a way of letting his old friend know that he was alright.

In case you cannot remember the scene in question, check it out below, and feel free to bring up your own opinion on the matter in the comments section.

Source: CinemaBlend