Top 10 Moments in The Dark Knight Trilogy

After only just recovering from the heinous back injury dealt to him by Bane, Bruce Wayne hasn’t a moment to spare as he must make his way out of his imprisonment by way of an impossible wall climb. After attempting the treacherous trek only to fail and fail again, Bruce makes a resolve to face his fears and do the impossible for his city. The motivating score coupled with the chanting inmates make this scene from the 3rd and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy that much more epic, as we see our fallen hero rise once again.

We’ve seen high-end explosions and carnage in a ton of action flicks, but never has it been done with so much conviction and realism as it was in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Bane demonstrates his true level of corruption when he not only stages a terrorist attack on a football stadium packed with spectators, but also on a good half of Gotham. There’s so much eeriness as the young boy sings the national anthem while Bane waits in anticipation to enact this horrific event - and no better villainy from the character has ever been exhibited.

Heath Ledger redefined The Joker with this one scene from the 2nd installment. The supervillain’s speech revealing the backstory on his scars was so terrifying and convincing that we still get chills listening to it to this day. The buildup was executed to perfection, with Joker inching his blade closer and closer to the edge of his victim’s mouth while his story drew to its dramatic close. He does this monologue again with Rachel Dawes when he crashes Bruce Wayne’s party, and although he spins a different story, it’s still just as scary.

The introduction to Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises” is nothing short of impressive. Not only was it absolutely exhilarating to watch, but the lack of CG or tricky editing made it that much more satisfying. Viewers were thrown right into the action as Bane and his soldiers dismantled the plane they were on, crashed it, and suspended themselves from another. It’s still a wonder how the crew pulled all of this off.

In this scene from “The Dark Knight,” The Joker brings to life one of Batman’s oldest villains, Two-Face. Harvey Dent, now physically deformed and heartbroken from the loss of his fiancée, Rachel Dawes, comes face to face with the man he blames for her death. The Joker, wearing a nurse’s outfit, taunts the battered Harvey Dent in his humorously dark fashion, but not without providing him some hard truths about the city he once swore to serve. Losing all he once believed in, Harvey now puts the rest of his fate to chance. Oh, and then the Joker blows the whole hospital to kingdom come. Typical.

Christopher Nolan showcases his mastery of thrills in this hair-raising chase scene. Attempting to save the life of Harvey Dent, Batman takes on the Joker, and his 18-wheeler, head on. Losing his Tumbler from an RPG missile fired by the villain, Batman executes its escape mechanism, unleashing the Batpod. Managing to flip the massive truck over on its back, the hero then plays the most deathly game of chicken with his most psychotic foe.

Very rarely are we ever shown the man before the Bat. Evidently, he wasn’t always the ass-kicking fear-striking vigilante we know and love today, and this scene from the 1st installment of “The Dark Knight” trilogy proved it. Ra’s doesn’t only test Bruce’s physical fortitude, but his mental strength as well, by forcing his trainee to confront the murder of his parents. The cinematography captures the sheer beauty of the two fighting on the glacier, which is coupled by expert sword fighting choreography.

It’s not easy seeing your favorite superhero getting the snot beaten out of him, and this tragic one-sided fight was no exception. Up until this point in the movie, viewers were totally unaware of Bane’s unmatched strength and prowess. Nolan excludes any background music in this scene, making every strike inflicted by the villainous behemoth that much more real. Allowing Batman to expend every trick in his arsenal, Bane makes sure to bring the hero to his deepest level of despair. He ends the vicious battle by breaking Batman’s back in one single motion.

Viewers are thoroughly and effectively introduced to the Joker in this opening scene to "The Dark Knight" in which a bunch of bank robbers in clown masks stage an elaborate bank robbery orchestrated by the Joker. During the heist, the robbers pick themselves off one by one, as they were told to do. The Joker makes his big reveal at the end and picks off the last thug while making off with all the money himself. With some excellent cinematography, the scene’s realism is brought to its full potential.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- The Hero Gotham Deserves
“The Dark Knight” (2008)
- Would You Like to See My Mask?
“Batman Begins” (2005)
- Tumbler Chase
“Batman Begins” (2005)
- The Bomb
“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)
- Scarecrow Scare
“Batman Begins” (2005)

After this iconic moment, we’re all positive the Dark Knight is the last person on Earth we’d want to be stuck in a room with. The tension between the two characters is unreal as Batman brutally beats the Joker in a quest to find out Harvey Dent’s location, all while the supervillain is laughing hysterically. As Batman’s intimidation tactics prove futile, he becomes even more enraged. This scene demonstrates some of the most amazing acting in the whole trilogy, and really gives you a chance to dissect the franchise’s most compelling characters, which makes it both one of its most unforgettable moments and number one on our list.

Do you agree with our list? What Dark Knight Trilogy scene did you find most epic? For more awesome Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.