The Dark Knight Revisited

Like Dent, Batman ends the film as a villain, at least in the eyes of Gotham. Gordon and Batman agree that the public cannot know that their hero, Dent, became evil. So they blame the city's descent into chaos on Batman. Only he and Gordon's family know the secret: Gotham will pursue Batman, but he is actually their dark knight. In order to defeat the city's villains, he must become one of them. Only dark can overcome dark.

This is a view critics sometimes ascribe to the Old Testament, filled with stories of God's people destroying God's enemies — men, women, and children. Like Batman, Samson excelled in hand-to-hand combat. He needed only the jawbone of a donkey to kill 1,000 Philistines (Judges 15:15-16).

read more