Dark Knight Rises Spoilers and Explanations

Main Plot line:

Wayne Enterprises created a nuclear fusion reactor with the help of doctor Dr. Pavel. Miranda Tate is a major investor of the fusion reactor. She claims that she wants to use the reactor as Gotham’s source of free and reusable energy. 

Miranda Tate above.

Batman is led by Catwomen (Selina Kyle under the mask) to Bane’s liar underground and is betrayed by Catwomen. Bane then proceeds to have a one on one fight with the Dark Knight himself. Bane successfully defeats Batman and it is later shown that Bane has placed the vigilante in a prison with only one way out.

Catwoman above.

While this happens, Bane’s plan to trap the entire police force underground in the sewers has already begun. The police fail to retreat and multiple bombs are set off that block their escape. Bane then shows the world that he has gotten Dr. Pavel to turn Wayne Enterprise’s nuclear fusion reactor into a ticking time bomb due to set off in 5 months or when the “trigger-man” deems to do so. He states that the “trigger-man” is a citizen of Gotham. 

Bruce Wayne/Batman is locked in the old abandoned prison in which it is believed that a young child had managed to escape through the only way out. In order to get out you must climb up an enormous well. The current prisoners tell Bruce that only one child has successfully climbed out and escaped.

Bruce immediately assumes Bane was the child.

The movie then goes on to show, Blake(one of the only mobile policeman in Gotham after the majority has been trapped underground) surviving and giving messages to the police force through the sewage. Months are passing and you are shown how the resistance of Gotham have been fairing. 

Blake above.

Over these pass months, Bruce is seen working out and training in the prison in order to climb the well and save his city. He was defeated by Bane one, and he is determined that it won’t happen again. 

Bruce attempts climbing the well twice with a rope strapped onto him, but he fails miserably. It is later revealed to him that the child that climbed the well did it without the rope. Bruce gains a new mind and once again attempts the climb, but this time with out any rope to keep him from falling to his death. 

He successfully climbs out and escapes. The Dark Knight “Rises”

He returns to Gotham and frees the policemen by blowing up the blockade. The policemen are now busy battling Bane’s minions while the Bat does the real business. 

Batman and Bane fight one on one again. This time Batman succeeds in pinning Bane down, but he is compromised by none other than Miranda Tate. Batman is stabbed and on the floor when Miranda Tate reveals her story.

It turns out Ra’s Al Ghul, early in his days, married a princess in the Middle East against her father’s wishes. The father sent the princess to the prison with the giant well; that was when she had given birth to Ra’s Al Ghul’s child. The child was not a boy, but a girl. The child was  Miranda Tate, otherwise known as Talia al Ghul. Miranda Tate is Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter. She had managed to escape the prison by climbing the gigantic well, only because she had a protector: Bane.

The love of Bane and Talia al Ghul is revealed as well as Talia al Ghul’s duty to fulfill her father’s destiny of destroying Gotham. 

Talia al Ghul then leaves the Batman with Bane and goes after the nuclear bomb because the police are trying to transport it to the original nuclear reactor in order to stop it from exploding. 

After Talia al Ghul leaves, Bane puts a shotgun to Batman’s head, but Catwoman saves Batman.

Batman goes after the bomb with his Batplane, but time is ticking away. When they finally have possession of the bomb, they only have 5 minutes. 

Batman does the unspeakable and flies the bomb out to sea. The bomb then detonates, and presumably Batman dies with it. 

Batman sacrificed his life to save the city.

Alfred (the butler of Bruce Wayne) is shown crying over Bruce Wayne’s grave and apologizes to the graves of his parents for failing to keep Bruce safe. 

Bruce Wayne’s Will leaves a message for Blake (whose real name turns out to be Robin) telling him to go to a certain location. This location is shown to be the new Batcave.

The last scene shows Bruce Wayne enjoying lunch in Italy with Selina Kyle.