'The Dark Knight Rises' Batman Character Must Die?

Superhero Batman cannot possibly die. Bruce Wayne made that clear on the "Batman Begins" movie when he was on his jet together with Alfred.

"As a man, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored I can be destroyed, but as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting."

Those were his words and it has always been the mindset of Batman. It has been a common comic book practice that major characters must not die. However, there are some reports claiming that there is only one way to finally put an end to this movie franchise.

Comic-film versions never took the lead character up to the point that they die and take the risk of ending a very successful movie franchise but an ending to the series is what Christopher Nolan, the director of the film, intends to precisely do with the movie "The Dark Knight Rises." Co-writer Jonathan, Nolan's brother, shared his thoughts to Empire magazine about his feelings on a solid ending to a film. He believes that it helps the storyteller's functions.

"It's the right way to end it, to blow the whole thing up! It's better than trying to spin the thing out indefinitely and make it into the Bond franchise," Jonathan Nolan said.

"I mean, they've successfully pulled it off with Bond, but at certain costs, certainly at the cost of continuity. I think with almost every other franchise it's a mistake to try and keep those plates spinning. You want stakes. You want tectonic plates to shift. And as a writer you want to feel you've worked on a complete story with a beginning, a middle and an end," Jonathan added.

Meanwhile, co-writer David S. Goyer described the final sequence of the movie. "The final scene of 'The Dark Knight Rises' is exactly that scene we talked about then," Goyer said. "It remained completely unchanged. We both knew in our hearts that we were onto something special. I have to tell you, having finally seen everything strung together and seeing that scene, I got a complete lump in my throat," he further shared.

Goyer's emotional reaction and statement became a very much-circulated proof about the demise of Bruce Wayne. Does that really mean the death of Batman or is it just a retirement for Bruce Wayne? Well, Bruce Wayne or Batman's fate will not be fully concealed until the opening of movie "The Dark Knight Rises" in theaters on July 20.