Peter Foley is a supporting character in The Dark Knight Rises. He is the Deputy Police Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, who takes over from Commissioner Gordon's role during his time in hospital.
He is portrayed by Matthew Modine, who also played Sergeant Joker in Full Metal Jacket, as well as Jack Robinson in Jack and the Beanstalk: the Real Story.
Biography[]
Sometime after the events of The Dark Knight, Peter Foley had become the Deputy Commissioner in the Gotham police force. He is first seen at Wayne Manor where Harvey Dent Day is being celebrated, where he is told by a congressman that Mayor Garcia will retire Commissioner Gordon due to the limited crime in Gotham.
Later on, the congressman goes missing and Foley is with Gordon as they lead a SWAT team to track him. They trace his location to a bar, and Gordon follows Bane’s henchmen into the sewers, where an explosion occurs, prompting Foley to not follow him in the interest of safety. Gordon was rescued by John Blake and hospitalized, and Foley disregards Gordon’s reporting of the masked man Bane.
When Bane attacks the stock exchange, Foley orders his SWAT team to barricade the surrounding streets. Bane however, uses human shields to bypass the barricades and Foley orders his men to go after him. As Batman intercepts all but Bane, Foley changes his plans and orders everyone to go after Batman, believing he was a murderous criminal. Batman however, is successful in escaping.
Eventually, Foley begins to take the threat seriously after he learns that the Wayne Enterprises board members have been captured. He apologizes to Gordon for not having done so sooner, and follows his order to lead every police into his lair to arrest them. John Blake discovered too late that explosives were being rigged across the city, including a trap to prevent the majority of cops from escaping the sewers. With the few remaining officers on the surface, Gordon, Foley and Blake form a resistance.
The resistance force is eventually met by a Special Ops unit led by Captain Jones, who investigate the nuclear bomb, but are killed when compromised by Bane. Feeling powerless, Foley fled home to stay with his family, but is confronted by Gordon as the bomb nears detonation. As Batman returns and lights up his makeshift batsignal, Foley sees this from his home. This motivates him to get in his dress blues and lead the uprising against Bane as the cops are freed from the sewer.
The next morning, Foley leads his men against Bane’s, marching towards them as they intercept on the streets. As Bane orders his Tumblers to open fire against them, the police are saved by Batman and charge at Bane’s men, starting the uprising. As the police gain the upper hand, Talia al Ghul escapes the Gotham City Hall, and Foley shoots Barsad dead. Foley is then shot dead by the Tumbler that Talia is in, on her orders. His sacrifice was not in vain due to Gotham being saved from the nuclear bomb thanks to Batman
Personality[]
Peter Foley has shown himself to be an arrogant cop, motivated by his ego, as evident when trying to capture Batman while claiming James Gordon couldn't. He also showed at times that he let his guard down easily, as he refused to believe Gordon's sighting of Bane in the sewers, and gave up as the nuclear bomb was close to detonation. In spite of this, he was not a corrupt cop and believed in doing the right thing. He valued the lives of his men, as he refused to order his men to go into the sewers and the stock exchange. Finally, he showed his selfless side as he led his men up against Bane in the end, giving his own life doing so.
Quotes[]
| “ | I'm not risking my men for your money. | „ |
| ~ Peter Foley during the raid on the stock exchange |
| “ | Foley: I'm gonna do what Jim Gordon never could. John Blake: What's that? Foley: I'm gonna take down the Batman. |
„ |
| ~ Peter Foley in his pursuit of Batman |
| “ | Like a rat in a trap, gentlemen. | „ |
| ~ Peter Foley believing he has caught Batman |
| “ | There's only one police in this town. | „ |
| ~ Peter Foley |
Gallery[]
