When you think of Gotham City in Nolans gritty imagining you are not exactly picturing the green

and red tights of Batmans trusty sidekick Robin. The classic crime fighting duo has unfortunate connotations ith homo!erotic s inger parties" camp #$$% comic book mo&ies and dressing up in costumes ith your older brother hen you ere fi&e and six 'yes ( as a year younger and al ays relegated to be Robin). *re&ious cinematic efforts to tell a Gotham tale ith Robin ha&e been dubious. +e seems to be a character best suited to cartoons and early comics. There seemed little room in the ,real- orld for Robin. But in the final chapter here the legend is promised to end e are gi&en an origins story that promises it ill li&e on fore&er. .ne of the reasons Nolans adaptation orks so ell is that hate&er changes in tone he al ays stayed true to the characters moti&ations. Robin is young and nai&e but ultimately a good person" honest and /ust. +e does not possess the presence or strength of Batman" but he is fit and illing to fight crime all the same. This is the Blake that e meet The 0ark 1night Rises" the subplot to the film being Blakes transformation into Robin" a loyal apprentice ho belie&es the best path to /ustice is masked &igilantism. The first time .fficer Blake really sho s up on our radar is hen he approaches Bruce Wayne" in Wayne 2anor" and openly states that he kno s Bruce is the Batman. (t is a bold mo&e and reeks of youthful confidence but he is not there to accuse and interrogate" instead he is asking for help. We learn that Blake gre up an orphan in a boys home funded by the Wayne 3oundation" his youth mirrored that of Bruce and it dre him closer to the conclusion of Batmans identity. Blake does not linger in Wayne 2anor" he simply lets his point be heard4 that there are people ho still look for the bat symbol in the sky at night and that Gotham City still needs their hero. There are three pi&otal moments that define Blakes position on la and order. 5s a rank and file officer in the police force" Blake is 6uickly exposed to the restraints of chain of command. When Commissioner Gordon takes a s6uad into the se ers" shots are heard by the police aiting at the entrance to the manhole. Blake ants to go help but is left frustrated that his commanding officer holds back" rendering Blake helpless. The second is hen Bane exposes the lie behind +ar&ey 0ent" reciting the letter of guilt from Commissioner Gordon. Gordon is ashamed at the truth but Blake is disgusted. +e cannot reconcile the moti&ation to lie about 0ent e&en if it created the loophole in the system to bring do n the mob. Blake" though gro ing eary of the /ustice system belie&es that there ould be a better ay" but Gordon assures him the orld is not so simple. The final stage is the struggle ith authority itnessed at the climax of the film. 5s Blake tries to cross the bridge and take a bus full of kids to safety he is stopped by the army. +e cannot reason ith the road block and as he challenges authority as /ust one citi7en the bridge is blo n up. Blake is not only limited by the rules of a slo e&ol&ing" top!do n society but also by his o n means. +e is /ust one man8 helpless to act on hat he kno s is right.

Blakes 6ualities as a protector of the city become apparent hen Batman is defeated in the se ers by Bane. The film shifts its focus some hat to Blake. Commissioner Gordon sees his orth" promoting him to detecti&e to unco&er Bane before its too late. Batman too sees it" using Blake as an extra hand hen he finally returns to the city. The t o guardians of Gothams peace fight the same ar ith &ery different styles 9 Gordon ithin the la and Batman ithout. Both offer a future to Blake but it is ine&itable hat he ill choose. The ay of the bat promises effecti&e change outside the bounds of the la . (t as the symbol that inspired him as an orphan entering adulthood" and ultimately it allo s him access to a multitude of gadgets" some ad&anced transportation and a rather dubious disguise. (t is fitting that Robin comes along 9 fitting after Batmans mentor Ras al Ghul of the :eague of ;hado s tries to destroy his city8 after all his &igilante ork in fighting the crime and challenging the mob only manages to inspire the greatest e&il e&er seen 9 The <oker8 and after +ar&ey 0ent" a charismatic and /ust 0istrict 5ttorney promising to fight the mob in the courts" is reduced to a bitter maniac on a string of &engeance kills8 and after the Bruce Wayne finds a chance for lo&e ith a kind hearted business oman she turns out to be the heir to The :eague of ;hado s and master of man mountain Bane 9 it is fitting that Robin comes along. Batman is gi&en tangible proof that his legend has inspired some good. Robin represents the future of Gotham. Whether he ould fight alongside Batman or perhaps assume the role himself can only be speculated" but e kno that the city ill be safe.