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Tuesday 10 April 2012

'Dark Knight Rises': Are the Odds In Batman's Favor?

We're raising the stakes and placing big bets in The Weekly Rising.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Christian Bale on the set of "The Dark Knight Rises"
Photo: Getty Images

Are you a betting man, or do you make your own luck like Harvey Dent? We're a little more than three months away from "The Dark Knight Rises," the grand finale to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, and with so much of the world looking forward to the film and taking wide, sweeping guesses at what could possibility unfold, it's time we all put our money where our mouth is. (What's the fun of wild speculation if you're not going to lay a little money on the line, right?)

Who's going to be the lucky girl to land the Batman? Who's coming back to life? And who's on their way out? We've done the gambling men and women out there a favor by breaking down the odds for what's likely to happen in "The Dark Knight Rises":

There's a Talia Hookup, 4:6
Now that we know about the PG-13 rating for "some sensuality," it seems pretty clear that Bruce Wayne is going to get some rebound action from either one of the two female supporting characters. But which one will it be? The trailer puts both Miranda Tate Talia Al Ghul and Selina Kyle in — let's say — sensual positions next to Bruce, but Marion Cotillard's character gets the edge. She seems flirty with her masquerade mask in the trailer, but not quite up in there like Anne Hathaway. Talia, however, is the odds-on favorite because of her comic book history with Batman. They have a kid together in the books, plus she's clearly going to betray him in "Rises." A night of passionate romance will only make her turn that much more bitter.

There's a Selina Hookup, 4:1
Catwoman's storied back-and-forth, will-they-won't-they history with Batman makes a first-date hookup unlikely. It's the same reason you should never kill the Joker in a Batman movie; there's still so much to do. (I'm looking at you, Tim Burton.) Kyle and Wayne's interactions are defined by sexual tension, so even if this is the end of the series, a "close but no cigar" scenario is much more likely than "some sensuality" between the Cat and the Bat.

Ra's Al Ghul Is Alive, 3:2
It's one of the most hotly debated topics in recent weeks. With the official addition of Liam Neeson to the cast, Ra's Al Ghul is back on the table as a potential villain for the Nolan Batman movie. Ra's in the comics has made a hobby of returning from the dead, so a resurrection isn't out of the question. This is Nolan's Gotham, however, so something as out-there as resurrection might be too much for the more realistic vision of the world. A flashback or hallucination is much more likely, but this is all based on the assumption that Ra's ever died.

Bane Dies, 9:1
I know, I know. Batman is a sworn non-lethal crime fighter. He's gone two movies without technically killing anyone. (Isn't letting someone die almost as bad?) But like a video game boss, Bane comes with an obvious, built-in weakness. His giant eyeball, in this case, is his respirator. We know from the prologue that if the mask is removed, it will be very painful for Bane. If the mercenary has a physical advantage over Batman in hand-to-hand combat, the edge the Caped Crusader will gain has to come from removing that mask. The rule of Chekhov's gun states, "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." In the case of "Rises," one must not put a pain-reducing mask on the stage if no one is thinking of removing it.

Batman Dies, 1:1
This is the real wild card. The question here is "How far will Nolan go?" We know that he's going to push Batman to the brink and that, according to the posters, legend is supposed to "end." Is it possible that Nolan will sacrifice Wayne to prove how strong of a symbol the Batman really is? At this point, there's no way to say, so for the time being, I wouldn't put down any money on the fate of Bruce Wayne. Batman will certainly survive; the man beneath the mask is a different story.

Robin Shows Up, 1,000,000:1
Not gonna happen.

What bets would you put down for "The Dark Knight Rises"? Let me know via Twitter @KPSull and we'll discuss later in the week!

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

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