Celebrity News Blog: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Trailer: Burning Questions

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

'The Dark Knight Rises' Trailer: Burning Questions

What's with Bruce Wayne's cane, and did Catwoman steal Mrs. Wayne's pearls?
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Christian Bale in the new "Dark Knight Rises" trailer
Photo: Warner Bros.

If you're able to tear yourself away from the new theatrical trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises," you should be applauded. The two-minute trailer packs so much goodness in that it can be hard to focus on anything else.

Other fans like you have already begun to post detailed trailer analyses and lists of supposed Easter eggs trying to unlock every secret the new preview holds. We have a few questions of our own that need answering, so here is our list of the burning questions from the "Dark Knight Rises" theatrical trailer.

What's with the cane? The trailer doesn't come right out and say it, but it doesn't take much scrutinizing to see that Bruce Wayne walks with a cane in two scenes. Early in the trailer, you can see Bruce and his cane reflected in the cloche and from the side as he passes the camera. He also appears to be favoring one side during the masquerade scenes with Selina Kyle and Miranda Tate. It's hard to imagine Nolan choosing to feature Bane as the main villain and neglecting to make reference to the act he's most famous for, breaking Batman's back. The cane could signal some manifestation of the moment from "Knightfall."

Are there two Robin references in the trailer? The blogosphere blew up Monday with theories that the stadium scene features two references to the Boy Wonder, thus confirming his presence in the movie, but both have been sufficiently debunked. Whether you noticed the first depended on whether you follow the NFL. When fans saw that the player who outruns the earthquake was named "Ward," they had either two reactions: "Oh hey, that's Hines Ward, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers," or "I have no idea who Hines Ward is, so that's a reference to Robin's status as Batman's ward!"

The other reference was most likely the work of a crafty background actor. Among the fans in the stadium, one person held up a large "R" that spelled out the team name "Rogues." Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the "R" resembles the stylized one used for the Robin logo, but as Empire pointed out, most of the 10,000 extras for that scene brought their own props to set.

Did Catwoman steal Mrs. Wayne's pearls? Reddit user "mpty" noticed something interesting while rewatching "Batman Begins." The pearls Selina Kyle dons in the trailer resemble the set Thomas Wayne shows young Bruce in the original movie. This could be the first we see of Catwoman's famous hobby, burglary. So much of her portrayal in the trailer focuses on her advocacy for the 99 percent. This may be the first hint at the other side of Ms. Kyle.

Is there a flashback to "Batman Begins"-era Bruce Wayne? Christian Bale speaks his only line in the trailer while wearing clothes and sporting a beard that haven't been around since his early days as a world traveler. He looks very similar to how he did during his training with the League of Shadows. We know the last film in the trilogy doubles back to cover some territory from the first movie; perhaps we're seeing that here.

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

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