Summary
- A nuclear weapons expert finds that the depiction of the nuclear bomb’s detonation in The Dark Knight Rises was surprisingly accurate and believable.
- The ending of The Dark Knight Rises not only showcases Bruce Wayne’s genius, but also stays true to Batman’s long-standing character trait of being exceptionally smart.
- The Dark Knight trilogy’s success is attributed to its commitment to grounding Batman in a realistic universe and highlighting his intelligence.
While fans have argued about the massive plot-hole in The Dark Knight Rises ending, a nuclear weapons expert assesses how believable that conclusion actually is for the movie. One of the most defining superhero trilogies in the current generation is The Dark Knight series by filmmaker Christopher Nolan, where he tackled Batman in a gritty and grounded approach. The trilogy came to an end in 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises, with the Caped Crusader stepping out of the shadows to protect Gotham City one last time.
Despite being mostly well-received, many have been torn about The Dark Knight Rises ending, particularly the way in which Batman got the nuclear bomb away from the city and how there was no critical fallout from it. However, in a special featurette with Insider, Greg Spriggs – a nuclear weapons physicist – analyzed the way The Dark Knight Rises tackled its explosive climax. According to Spriggs, the way the production handled the depiction of the nuclear bomb’s detonation was actually more believable than some would think, as he shared the following:
Actually, that was one of the better ones – it had the right shape, and it had the glow time. The fireball eventually cools, and it cools very rapidly by radiative heat transfer. So the length of time that the fireball continues to glow is referred to as the glow time. These mushroom clouds can go up as high as 40,000 feet in the air, so you’d be able to see it from way off. There’d be no danger of nuclear fallout unless the wind was blowing directly towards them. So there’s a general rule of thumb, if you look at the cloud, the mushroom cap, if it’s white, then you will have zero fallout, for the most part. If it looks dirty, then it means that dirt got into the fireball, and now there’s a carry material, which will bring the nuclear bomb debris down and create local fallout. So if you detonated over the water, very little fallout. The people that were standing on the bridge kind of felt a breeze. That happened a lot too soon – it would’ve take a finite length of time for that shock wave to make it out there. I would give it a seven [out of ten in rating] – the flash was good and the shape of the detonation was good.
The Dark Knight Rises Ending Proved Bruce Wayne Was A Genius
Following Spriggs’ explanation not only makes the conclusion to The Dark Knight Rises more believable, but it also honors one of Bruce Wayne’s most famous character traits. Since the character’s inception in DC Comics, Batman has always stood out for his brilliant mind as a detective and analyst. Batman’s intelligence alone is arguably his superpower, with the hours he has spent honing his otherwise normal human mind and body making him capable of almost superhuman feats.
At the end of the day, one of the highlights of The Dark Knight trilogy is the series being set in a universe where the story was rooted in reality. The fact that The Dark Knight Rises got to end Bruce’s journey with the ultimate showcase of his gifted mind proves it is one of the better Batman stories in live-action. Not only did the Dark Knight manage to avoid dying at the hands of the bomb itself, but flying it out as far as he did shows that he knew what he was doing in order to save Gotham City.
Bruce Wayne’s intelligence will always – whether it is in live-action or animation – be instrumental to how storytellers tackle Batman outside the comics. The Dark Knight trilogy never shied away from representing what makes Batman the great hero that he is known to be both in-universe and out, and this was instrumental in its success. While this particular story may be over, fans will always be able to relive The Dark Knight Rises and Nolan’s entire trilogy through Blu-Ray/DVD and on streaming.
Source: Insider