http://comicbook.com/blog/2012/08/04/the-dark-knight-rises-a-toy-helps-clarify-ending/
Haha, I’d like to think that Nolan cares enough about his craft to include that feature as a sort-of easter egg.
Lol.
I thought it was 100% clear that Bruce Wayne didn’t die and that it was pretty obvious that he wouldn’t. The fact that they mentioned auto-pilot several times in the movie should have been a clear indication that it was going to be important at some point. Also, we SAW Bruce Wayne alive afterwards!! And he left Gordon a new light. And he left Blake the location of the Batcave. These things were meant to be Bruce Wayne telling those characters that he was alive after all. Maybe if Nolan had only shot the back of Wayne’s head in the final Florence scene like in the original fantasy, it wouldn’t be that clear (but in that case Selina Kyle would be clearly visible sitting across from him, so it’d still be pretty easy to argue that he didn’t die).
I make the joke that just before he flies off with the bomb, Batman doesn’t say “No autopilot” but rather “No, autopilot!”
Thank you!