I like how the movie title isnt even about Bruce Wayne and is in fact a reference to Robin becoming The Batman, with the movie even going so far as to literally have him rise out of the view of the audience at the end of the movie.
I dont think this is correct
At a very basic level the plot of the film is inspired by the Knightfall arc in the comics where Bane literally breaks batman, and the following plot of the comics and the film is Batman regaining strength and rising up to the challenge he failed against previously. They even have him literally ride up out of the prison he is trapped in.
Agreed. To add to the point, the Dark Knight ended with Batman being chased into exile, and the Dark Knight Rises begins with Batman having disappeared for the last 8 years.
So the title can both refer to both his rise after his fall from glory over the last 8 years, as well as his rise after facing defeat at the hands of Bane. Theres a lot of redemption throughout the story for Batman.
Actually, youre both wrong. This is a cinematic universe and one thats restricted only to the three movies it consists of. You cant use outside sources to interpret themes of the universe even if those sources are another parallel universe of a sort.
The running theme obviously portrayed in this movie trilogy is that anyone could be The Batman. It doesnt matter who I am underneath is pretty literally spelled out multiple times. Although it is initially used by Rachel Dawes to refer to Bruce Wayne she is not using it to mean him specifically, but rather to mean that it could apply to anyone, a fact that he translates into The Batman when he repeats it.
Youre right that I slightly am incorrect in saying that the title refers to Robin becoming The Batman because it is actually referring to the mantle of The Batman becoming the savior of Gotham City and not to Bruce Wayne, Robin, or anyone in particular being underneath the mask. It just happened to be Robin becoming The Batman shown at the very end when the people of Gotham finally accepted The Batman as their hope and savior. In reality it couldve been anyone at all.
I like to think that in this universe 10 years down the line Robin passes off the mantle of The Batman to someone else worthy, maybe Barbara Gordon, and then it eventually gets passed off to someone else, and so on, and so on, and so on... It literally doesnt matter who is The Batman, just that someone is. ---
Que sera, sera. Whatever happens, happens. ...and he was never heard from again.