Who is Joseph Gordon Levitt really playing? Here's my theory...

As soon as Christopher Nolan announced that JGL and Marion Cotillard were chosen for roles in TDKR, rumors started swirling about which characters they will be playing. Here's my take.

Editorial Opinion
By Giourkas1 - Oct 25, 2011 09:10 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman

You don't have to be a Nolanite to know that Christopher Nolan loves a shocking twist. After it was confirmed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cottilard had been cast, many wondered which characters they would portray.

The official announcement states that JGL will play Det. John Blake and Cotillard Miranda Tate. Most CBMers quickly figured out this ruse and it has becoming quite obvious that Cotillard is Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's and Batman's former flame (at least in the comics). But what about JGL? Most people think Robin. I'm not so sure. After all, Christopher Nolan has stated in the past that Robin will not exist in the Nolan-verse. Here's my theory:

JGL or "John Blake" is a cop, one of Gordon's men. He's even been seen helping Batman in some leaked photos. Throughout the movie it seems like he's one of the good guys, only for him to turn at the end and reveal himself as... the Joker!

Think about it. Nolan stated that there were originally plans for Heath Ledger to star in TDKR. JGL is way too good of an actor to play some random cop (just saw 50/50 and wow, this guy can act!). This story would go something like this: Between TDK and TDKR, Joker escapes from Arkham (Not exactly shocking, right?) There is a small mention of the escape at the beginning of TDKR. He has surgery to change his face. He keeps Batman close, acting as his ally, all while continuing his master plan of taking over Gotham. In the shocking ending, JGL turns to Batman and starts talking like Heath, maybe even redoing the cuts around his mouth. It ends with Batman realizing that he will always be chasing the Joker.

Look at them side by side and you'll see quite a similarity in their faces, albeit JGL is a little skinnier. I really believe he can pull it off and make this the biggest, most unexpected twist of all and a great way for Nolan to leave off the franchise. Batman and Joker. The way it will always be.
What do you guys think? Plausible?

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marvel72
marvel72 - 10/25/2011, 9:23 AM
a police officer.....

who actually gives a shit?
BlackPather2018
BlackPather2018 - 10/25/2011, 9:35 AM
AAAHHHHHH NO. I think he has a better chance being Catman. LOL

Speaking of catman am i the only one that thinks thats a fu**ed up character to create? I mean really catman? What is his special move called "bit** in heat" Were he just goes around dry humping everyones legs? LAME!!!
TMNTDude
TMNTDude - 10/25/2011, 9:41 AM
Absolutely not. That sounds awful. Plus you said Nolan mentioned he would never put Robin in his movies, but he also said that he would never bring back the Joker after Ledger died. With that said, Nolan also said he would never put Catwoman in his movies.
RunDTC
RunDTC - 10/25/2011, 11:19 AM
I.....like it A LITTLE BIT!
jessepostal
jessepostal - 10/25/2011, 11:29 AM
Wow ha, now that is an awesome ending! I hope your right, slot of people would be mad but I think it would be a great ending to what would be a new beginning. Heath was a good joker but I think he gets way too much credit, that version of the joker in the dark knight was great because. Of the way he was written,the makeup, and the costume department. I think all those people deserve credit, I as a fan of batman and these movies would love to see the joker back. I think it would honor Heath more in finishing what everyone says he started.
OdinsBeard
OdinsBeard - 10/25/2011, 11:38 AM
i thought about this one - i'm down if that's how Nolan wnats to do it. I like it!

Idc if nolan doesn't like us specualting about who is playing who - he brought it on himself when Neeson was revealed to be Ras :)
MrLoki
MrLoki - 10/25/2011, 12:13 PM
Won't happen.
He is Robin.
Hellsing
Hellsing - 10/25/2011, 12:25 PM
Who told his random cop role isn't important at all to the movie, I mean Gordon's just a cop but he's been integral to Batman saving the day, especially in Batman Begins he was more or less his partner. We all know Gordons going to be out of commission for awhile in the movie, as I see it JGL's character will essentially step in to that role of Batmans ally. But hey what ever I could be totally wrong, honestly don't care much I just want the movie to arrive so the fan theories stop.
Hellsing
Hellsing - 10/25/2011, 12:26 PM
Yes I know fan speculation is fun but some of them are just beyond [frick]ing ridiculous.
WiscoJoe
WiscoJoe - 10/25/2011, 12:38 PM
Not plausible. Ledger's performance as the Joker is so iconic and his untimely passing so tragic that Nolan would never cast another actor in the role. We'll probably get a few offhanded Joker references in DKR, most likely some sort of explanation that the Joker was initially set lose in Gotham by Ra's as a chaos agent to distract Batman while Bane was being prepped for a Gotham takeover.

It's more likely JGL will become some variation of Robin, Nightwing, or Azrael. Or he's just a cop.

Now if you want to ponder a potential twist in DKR- Selina Kyle (or Miranda Tate) is actually... Rachel Dawes. At the end of DK, the League of Shadows rescues Rachel from the explosion at the last minute, but she's badly scarred and traumatized. She's given extensive plastic surgery and ninja training and then sent after Batman/Bruce Wayne to deal with her resentment of being a ditched damsel-in-distress.
RunDTC
RunDTC - 10/25/2011, 12:40 PM
@WiscoJoe: I'm glad you don't write movies.
WiscoJoe
WiscoJoe - 10/25/2011, 12:41 PM
@Hellsing- the release of DKR will not stop the fan speculation. It will just lead to speculation of will Nolan make another batman movie? Who will be the next batman? What tone will the next Bat franchise take? Etc...

@Jessepostal- In as much as the Ledger Joker was defined by the writing, makeup, and costumes, Ledger himself greatly influenced these things during the creative process.
WiscoJoe
WiscoJoe - 10/25/2011, 12:45 PM
@RunDTC- Ha, thanks for the vote of confidence. I think my Revenge of Rachel Dawes storyline would be awesome (or at least as awesome as JGL being Joker in disguise). Plus I'm just hoping for some sort of after-the-fact justification for why Dawes character was even created.
DarthDan
DarthDan - 10/25/2011, 12:56 PM
Worst [frick]ing theory ever..
PaulRom
PaulRom - 10/25/2011, 1:16 PM
Interesting speculation, doubt that's what'll happen but IDK.
golden123
golden123 - 10/25/2011, 2:10 PM
The big surprise character was supposed to be Talia Al Ghul. I doubt there will be 2 surprise characters.

@TMNTDude: I don't think he said that about Catwoman. The only villains I can recall him saying he wouldn't use are Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, and Joker. I do remember him saying something odd, though, when asked about Catwoman.
Tetsuo
Tetsuo - 10/25/2011, 2:24 PM
no JOKER in TDKR!
it was a heartache for nolan to recast rachel.. a she looked totally different.


nolans bat-universe supposted to be real... a real cop[in this case batman] has no everlasting enemy..


the joker was one entity...a hard one but just 1
and bane is the next...and he spawned of a former one ...bruce waynes mentor and batmans origins.

thats a full circle
Supes17
Supes17 - 10/25/2011, 2:54 PM
Damn guys, it's just a theory of his, no need to crucify him:p

Now, I particularly don't agree with the Joker theory, but I thing JGL WILL have an important role. We have seen him sneaking around in his set pics, which to me implies that his role in the film will be a sinister one.
Alexandre
Alexandre - 10/25/2011, 3:01 PM
@TMNTDude nolan never said he would not put catwoman in his film. you made that up
jrp6048
jrp6048 - 10/25/2011, 3:11 PM
Tetsuo- I have to agree with you about the Joker being 1 hard ass entity and Bane being the next.
jaysin420
jaysin420 - 10/25/2011, 4:51 PM
Yea that wouldn't work because Ledger and JGL look like twin brothers, I bet he's playing this cop but also will do a quick scene in prison as the Joker at the end.
golden123
golden123 - 10/25/2011, 4:56 PM
@Tetsuo: You wanted Katie Holmes to be in "The Dark Knight"? Are you mad? Her acting was terrible in "Batman Begins". I couldn't stand it, and it was a real shame. She was given some really good lines in "Begins". Katie Holmes' acting was the worst part of that movie.
Idio7
Idio7 - 10/25/2011, 8:54 PM
An algamation of nightwing and azrael would be a really cool twist. Azrael has usually always been interpreted as a cop or former cop. I don't think Nolan would want to explain another secret organization such as the st dumas but could knit it together as an agent of the league of assassins, a duality between John Blake and his azrael personality. There could be certain triggers that make this secondary personality arise that John Blake doesn't realize. I really doubt it would be included in this trilogy but would've been a great tie in and a major twist. Imagine for a moment how much conflict that would add for batman having to take out yet another friend (ie Harvey dent). There is only so much explanation Nolan can fit into this movie so I'm going to go a head and say there can't be much else in it twists that aren't already decoded. Having joker in this with a pyshical appearance would be both wrong and too jumbled. I'd rather his character to have been what he had always been, stand alone with no real plan and just going along his merry way causing disruption and chaos for his personal satisfaction. We have 3 potentially 4 major villains already, plus the usual cameo/small appearances with mob members. If Nolan wants us to be left wanting more and use any inclusion of the joker it would be at the end, simply zoom in on the destruction left behind from banes tyranny and pan to a joker card, let the screen go black and let jokers voice ring out to introduce the credits or b roll joker saying him and batman are destined to do this forever. Not the best idea but something along those lines would satisfy the people hungry for more joker. I'm sure the ending will leave open some kind of speculation batmans job is not yet finished defending Gotham.
95
95 - 10/25/2011, 9:35 PM
I'd definitely like to see this happen, but...

Bane abolishes the government and seizes a complete takeover.

GCPD is disbanded. John Blake, Gordon, and a few other good cops stick together.






Recently, we got a rumor about Scarecrow being a judge in "No Man's Land".

That could possibly have been the intended role The Joker was set to have.

However, I believe the original plan had...

Batman seeking The Joker's aide to stop Bane and the released criminals of Blackgate.

Like Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs'.
mbomb22
mbomb22 - 10/26/2011, 8:53 AM
i love how people are saying no to this theoory, based on the fact that Heaths portrayal was amazing. it actually does make sense for a nolan twist. if so, its a lot like james pattersons book Cross Fire, where Alex Cross's arch nemisis escapes prison and has surgery to look like an FBI agent, who then works with Cross before trying to kill him. i think it would be a great plot to this movie
ysoseryus
ysoseryus - 10/26/2011, 11:20 AM
I've thought since they released JGL's "name " in TDKR that he is the Joker. JO(hn bla)KE. Plus, the guy looks just like Heath, and to cast him as a minor part would be a complete waste of his talents.
PapaEmeritus
PapaEmeritus - 10/26/2011, 1:41 PM
Really, REALLY?? Oh boy...
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/26/2011, 2:32 PM
I've been saying it for months. He's a cop that is working for the League of Shadows. He gets shot in the head and dies.

Can these rumors about him playing Robin, Joker, and Riddler please die? The people that keep this things alive don't seem to read up on the movie. Based on EVERYTHING Nolan has said, NONE of those 3 will be in this. Just stop it, its irritating.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/26/2011, 2:33 PM
@ mbomb

people aren't saying no to it because Ledger did so good. They're saying no to it because Nolan said replacing Ledger as Joker would be in poor taste and disrespectful. So, no, Nolan won't do it.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/26/2011, 2:35 PM
@ Idio

"Azrael has usually always been interpreted as a cop or former cop."

Uh, no. Jean Paul Valley was never a cop, and neither was his father, who was Azrael before him.

The only Azrael that was a cop is the present one.
95
95 - 10/26/2011, 2:54 PM
@mbomb22

Like @CorndogBurglar said, Nolan wants to respect Mr. Ledger.

So as nice as this fan speculation may be, it won't happen.

Likely rumors have it that The Joker is simply mentioned during Bane's manifesto about Harvey Dent outside Blackgate Prison.
Idio7
Idio7 - 10/26/2011, 3:25 PM
@ Corndogburglar sooooooo sorry....Jean Paul was a Security guard, like thats a BIG difference to point out. its all the same context. wanna point out that he was a test tube baby while you're at it? and the chinese Azrael wasn't a cop either?
NerdByBirth
NerdByBirth - 10/26/2011, 5:12 PM
I think Crane should be the judge, I want to see him return. :D
jjmeylar
jjmeylar - 10/26/2011, 6:20 PM
or he's just a cop...
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/26/2011, 7:40 PM
@ idio

Don't get all butt hurt because you were wrong.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 10/26/2011, 8:04 PM
Ugh, not this theory again. I swear at least one person posts this theory on every super hero site. Joesph Gordon Levitt, is a good actor, but he is not a huge name. He isn't above playing "just a cop". Face it people he is a good cop that works with Batman and Gordon. Nothing more. While this may may make a great twist for a comic, it is too far out there for the universe established in Nolan's films.
ejkousc
ejkousc - 10/27/2011, 1:54 PM
One thing Nolan has done is show multiple sides of an issue. I think John Blake wont be just some cop but in a way he will be. Nolan has yet to tell that "just some cop" story and I think he wants to show that not all the heroes in Gotham are the freaks (or Gordon). OBviously the movie is about a span of hell in Gotham City in which the inmates take over every aspect of the city and Batman is recovering from injury. It will be like Nazi-Occupied France and the French resistance. It's illegal to be a cop. Cops like John Blake will do whatever they can on the streets to mess things up for Bane.

That is what seems to obviously be the plot of the new movie. Having said that I did initially think JGL was the Joker and I hope there is more to it and he is the Joker. But certainly not your way cause your way was so cheesy and lame that I'm thanking god right now that you're not a professional screenwriter. Best off not being so specific with your speculation.

Wait, how is this news?
aussienwo8
aussienwo8 - 10/27/2011, 8:35 PM
hell no really? i say black mask or riddler.
Giourkas1
Giourkas1 - 10/27/2011, 11:24 PM
I have no problem hearing ppls opinions, even if they differ from mine, like @ wilcojoe, @Paulrom or anyone else but what I can't stand is ppl like @Ejkousc. It's an EDITORIAL! No one claimed it to be be news.
That is the whole point of a forum; an open discussion. Maybe freedom of speech is an issue where you are but not here!
And your theory sucks. Seriously. It does. Loser.
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