Even before "The Dark Knight Rises" hits theaters, fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman films have rallied behind the filmmaker's third and last stop in Gotham City. Some fans are so passionately supportive of "Rises," in fact, that they've left an outpouring of [article id="1689936"]contemptuous responses to negative reviews[/article] featured on RottenTomatoes.com, forcing the review aggregator to shut down user comments on the film.

Nolan, without condoning the content of the malicious comments, told the Associated Press that he understands where fans are coming from when it comes to defending the Caped Crusader.

"I think the fans are very passionate about these characters the way a lot of people are very passionate," he said at the red carpet premiere of "Dark Knight Rises" in London this week. "Batman's been around for over 70 years and there's a reason for that. He has a huge appeal, so I think you know people certainly respond to the character."

[article id="1689936"]READ: "Dark Knight Rises" Do's And Don'ts[/article]

Of course, "Dark Knight Rises" has been making headlines for other controversial reasons. Earlier in the week, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh slammed Nolan's film for perceived similarities between the villainous back-breaker Bane and Mitt Romney's similarly named venture capital firm, Bain.

"I'm not sure how to address something that bizarre, to be honest," Nolan answered when asked to weigh in on the controversy. "I really don't have an answer for it, it's a very peculiar comment to make."

Morgan Freeman, who stars as Lucius Fox in "The Dark Knight" trilogy, weighed in on Limbaugh's comments as well. "Chris wrote a fictional story that didn't have any political thoughts in mind, so it's like art or something you know, it's all in the mind of the beholder," he said.

Tell us what you think of the "Dark Knight Rises" controversies in the comments section below!