What exactly happened at the end of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises? Some fans have assumed the scene in which Alfred (Michael Caine) sees the presumed-dead Bruce Wayne with Selina Kyle in Florence, Italy, to be a dream. However, Christian Bale doesn't agree with that interpretation.

During a press conference for Exodus: Gods and Kings covered by Entertainment Weekly (via MovieWeb), the Oscar winner offered his own take.

"[Alfred] was just content with me being alive," Bale explained. "And he left. Because that was the life he'd always wanted for [Bruce]. I find it very interesting. I think with most films, I tend to say it's always what the audience thinks it is. My personal opinion is that it was not a dream. That that was for real. And [Bruce] was delighted that he had finally freed himself from the privilege, but ultimately the burden of being Bruce Wayne."

So, does that mean his version of Batman could make a comeback? Not to Bale's mind. "He's still there," he said. "He's eaten lots and lots of [unintelligible] at this point, and he won't fit back in that suit."

Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings opens Friday.