Now, this is how to market a movie!

If you want a lesson on how to build anticipation for an event, check out this new teaser poster for The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter of the Batman trilogy scheduled for release in summer 2012.

Makes your heart sink. What are we to make of it? Will Batman die? Surely not. Director Christoper Nolan isn’t known for delivering light fare or happy-sappy endings (remember Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige?). But then again, he’s not the Coen brothers, either, who are more than content to let the bad guy win in films like No Country for Old Men.

And we’re talking about the Caped Crusader here. It might do to leave us thinking that Batman died in The Dark Knight (as it is, having Gotham turn on him was hard enough) and then bring him back in the final chapter. But I simply can’t fathom Nolan ending the trilogy with Batman’s demise.

I’m holding out for a happy ending, for Batman’s return and redemption, for loose ends tying together, and for the good guy winning. But I have no doubt that the journey will be a rough one, especially with Bane involved. He’s the hulking brute you see walking away in the poster. He’s a chemically-enhanced one-man wrecking crew. In the comics, Bane broke Batman’s back, paralyzing him.

But the Batman will prevail. On what am I basing my optimism? First of all, look at the text: “The Legend Ends” doesn’t have to mean that Batman dies. The legend does end with this film, meaning that the trilogy ends. The Dark Knight Rises will be the final installment of the Dark Knight legend. Second, what sense does “The Dark Knight Rises” make if he doesn’t get knocked down first? His triumph will be all the more fulfilling if his enemies think they’ve won.

What, then, of the shattered mask? And what does Bane’s ostensibly confident departure signal? Following are the only scenarios I’ll let myself consider:

1. Bane thinks he has killed Batman and walks away. But Batman is only hurt. He’s nursed back to health by Alfred, then rises to defeat Bane and the rest of Gotham’s criminals.
2. The person in the bat suit is killed, but it’s someone else, not Bruce Wayne. With the real Batman having gone rogue, an impostor steps up to try and do Batman’s job—with tragic results. The real Batman, drawn out of hiding by this tragedy, takes on Gotham’s scum and cleans up the city.
3. Batman really does die, but he’s brought back to life by Ra’s al Ghul (who, surprise, survived the train crash in Batman Begins). Ra’s places Bruce in the Lazarus Pit and revives him, after realizing that he and Batman must work together if Gotham is to be saved.
4. Batman is lying injured in a dark, wet corner of the city—dying. A young boy, an orphan, finds him, drags him to safety, and nurses him back to health with the help of friends. Once Batman’s health returns, he trains the boy to be his partner. That’s right—Robin! The two team up to shut down the bad guys.
5. Catwoman is there when Bane crushes Batman. Watching the Dark Knight suffer, she has a change of heart. She regrets being part of the evil that has overtaken the city. Plus, she feels some empathy for Batman, being a troubled character herself. So, she kneels down beside the Caped Crusader, appears to take his pulse, and announces to Bane that he is dead. Bane smugly walks away. In secret, however, Catwoman nurses Batman back to health. Now allies instead of enemies, the two unite to take on Gotham’s crime leaders.

Back to my opening sentence about knowing how to build anticipation. Look at all the speculation (by just one person) generated by one poster. One poster with a powerful image and seven measly words. Want to build some anticipation for an upcoming event, product, or announcement? Maybe the producers of The Dark Knight Rises have something to teach us about combining emotion and simplicity to create a compelling message.

I know what I learned: I’m getting in line early for the first midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises.