The Dark Knight Rises

The legend ends.

RELEASED 17 Jul 20122h 45m★ 7.8 TMDB★ Essential pick

Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

Why it matters in DC

The concluding chapter returns to the consequences of Harvey Dent's legacy and Bruce's withdrawal from Gotham. Its eight-year gap makes Batman's return a question of whether an old symbol can still serve a changed city, rather than simply another night of crime-fighting.

Watch these first

2 titles to watch before The Dark Knight Rises — 4h 52m in total.

Batman BeginsStory prerequisite2h 20m★ 7.7
The Dark KnightStory prerequisite2h 32m★ 8.5+1 before this

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

The Dark Knight Rises is title 3 of 3 in our The Dark Knight Trilogy viewing sequence. The Dark Knight Rises concludes the trilogy after the consequences of The Dark Knight have reshaped Gotham and Bruce's life. Both earlier films provide meaningful background, so this works best as a finale rather than an entry point. Its older Batman is not the same future version seen in The Dark Knight Returns animation.

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