Summary
- John Blake's backstory and skills earned him the role of Batman's successor in The Dark Knight Rises, but he lacks the necessary training, experience, and support to succeed as Gotham's protector.
- Batman's success was not solely due to his own abilities, but also the help of allies like Alfred, Lucius Fox, James Gordon, and the League of Shadows. Without them, John Blake is more vulnerable to defeat or even death.
- John Blake's lack of preparation, combined with the challenges and dangers of being Batman, make it likely that he would fail or face dire consequences soon after suiting up for the first time.
The Dark Knight Rises set up a hopeful future for Gotham after Batman's alleged death, but the likelihood of Bruce Wayne's final plan actually working doesn't seem too high after the events of Christopher Nolan's third DC movie. Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy follows Bruce Wayne's short but grueling stint as Batman, from his training with the League of Shadows to his retirement after defeating Bane. Unlike most other Batman iterations, Christian Bale's Batman chooses to hang up the cape and pass on the torch to a new hero without supervision at the end of The Dark Knight Rises.
Although Christian Bale's Batman doesn't coexist with other DC heroes outside Gotham, the Dark Knight trilogy taps into Batman's comic book lore to present various famous DC characters in supporting roles, including Catwoman, Lucius Fox, and Victor Zsaz. One supporting character with an unexpected role is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake, who apparently doesn't have a comic book counterpart at first, but who's later revealed to be the Nolanverse version of Batman's main sidekick, Robin. But despite the fact that The Dark Knight pays homage to Robin, not only through easter eggs but also by setting up John Blake as Batman's successor, the Dark Knight universe doesn't do the character any favors due to Blake's backstory and skills — or lack thereof.
Your browser does not support the video tag. John Blake Is Set Up To Be The Next Batman In The Dark Knight Rises 
In The Dark Knight Rises, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake is introduced as a rookie police officer who refuses to follow orders blindly. Blake's deductions about Bane's plan are discarded at first by his colleagues, but they soon earn him a promotion to detective. John Blake's backstory also helps him decipher Batman's real identity, as he explains to Bruce Wayne that he taught himself to smile through the pain after his parents died, "like putting on a mask", just like Wayne did. Apart from his smarts, John Blake also showcases some impressive combat skills, though he avoids lethal force, which he regrets using accidentally against one of Bane's followers.