Even though Marvel Universe’s The Avengers may be hogging headlines by being titled the third biggest film of all time, the recently released montage featuring all three movies of the Batman trilogy makes us doubt DC will have any problem stealing Marvel’s thunder. In 2005, they took us back to Bruce Wayne’s roots and made us understand the circumstances under which Bruce overcame his fear of bats and ended up fighting crime. In 2008, The Dark Knight took the story to a whole new level with the formidable Joker throwing Gotham City into mayhem and provoking Batman to cross over to the bad side. And now, we have just a month to go before the final part of the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is released. And while the movie has created a deafening buzz ever since the first trailer was out, it has again grabbed eyeballs with the news that the movie runtime will be almost three hours! That is definitely longer than the usual movie, but we doubt anyone’s complaining; this just means that we all have 165 minutes of pure action and epic thrills to look forward to this July. And as July 20 draws ever closer, join us in taking a look at what Christopher Nolan has to offer with the third installment of Batman:

The Dark Knight ended with Batman retreating and disappearing from public eye and after an eight year absence, we have Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham City where he must confront Bane before the latter ends up wrecking the city for good. This time round, we have Tom Hardy stepping into the villain’s shoes as the fearsome Bane, who promises to be more menacing than Robert Swenson’s version of the villain in the book Batman & Robin – which is one of the biggest reasons why DC Comic fans are having a hard time sitting still, there’s nothing we love more than a deadly villain, especially one who has a huge mercenary army at his service. Of course, there is also the very real possibility of Bane putting Batman out of action for good. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt, it is to never underestimate Christopher Nolan. And since Dark Knight Rises is the last part of the series, there’s no telling what turn the story will take!

And as Bane wreaks havoc on Gotham by bombing the bridges and sealing off the tunnels, Batman seeks the help of Alfred and Gordon to fight back. And of course, the very beautiful Selina Kyle or the infamous Catwoman played by Anne Hathaway. And while no one has yet been able to decide exactly whose side is she on, we must she makes a good team with Batman, which is proved when she leads one of Bane’s mercenaries into Batman’s trap. Then again some argue that the mercenary seemed to recognize her as an ally, and the recently released montage showed her on the run from Bane so there’s definitely some history there.

The Dark Knight Rises’ storyline is believed to be derived from the comic books No Man’s Land (1999) where Gotham is cut from the world, leaving the city to fend for itself even as its streets turn into a battleground for gangs and Knightfall (1993) where Bane succeeds in crushing Batman’s back, which is precisely why fans are going crazy biting their nails wondering if  Batman will land in the morgue at the end of this one. Well, whichever way the story ends, we have full faith that with Nolan and Christian Bale at the helm, The Dark Knight Rises will be nothing short of explosive!

 What are you expecting from The Dark Knight Rises? Tell us in your comments!