The Dark Knight Rises Bane's place in the rogues gallery post-Rises

[jmc]

Here something I was thinking about today but don't remember it being discussed to any great length - where Bane now stands in the the gallery of villains. There's no doubt pre-Rises Bane was at best a C-grade villain in the Batman universe, Knightfall was essentially his claim to fame but outside of that he never really hit any great heights again in 20 years of story telling. To add insult he was then lampooned in Batman and Robin as this brain dead mutant thug, destroying the credibility of the character to the wider audiences. So Bane languished as a C-level bad guy for a while in comics and animation until Nolan decided he was to be the villain in Rises. It came as a surprise to most of us, but the logic behind it made sense in that it gave Batman the physical threat he lacked in the series. On top of that it gave Nolan a chance to use a character that was reasonably unknown to the masses making him as close to an original villain as Nolan could get. So we get our first image which was a very different, and IMO, much better look for the character, a year later the film is released and whilst he never reached the same heights as the Joker it's a fair statement to say Bane still left a mark on the series regardless of how you view the movie. So the question is 9 months after the film came out - where is Bane's place in the Batman mythology rogues gallery now? He's been elevated, but I don't know if he's quite in the same league as Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, Catwoman etc still. What do you all think?

EDIT

Dovetail question: Should the comics/animation adapt what Nolan brought to the character?

 

[JackWhite]

Good question. I've been thinking about this lately too. Quick answer would be below Joker, Two-Face, Catwoman, Ra's, Penguin, but above Riddler, Black Mask, and Scarecrow.

 

[BatLobster]

Nice idea for a thread.

I think as of now, there's still a disconnect between Bane's status in the movieverse and his status in the comics. It's pretty impressive that in only 20 years of his existence he's already been in two live action films (even though he was a complete joke in one of them). After Rises I would say his popularity is undeniably elevated in terms of the mainstream and now the mainstream knows that he's not just a dumb hulking brute.

But until we see him being used more in the comics and given more substantial storylines, I think he's always just going to be known as "the man who broke the Bat". Which is a nice claim to fame, but you can't be considered a top tier villain if your greatest feat was a one time thing that can never be topped. I'd like to see more of the military commander/revolutionary Bane in future Batman comic arcs. It'd be cool to see comic writers incorporate some aspects from the movie, maybe even the look too.

 

[kedrell]

Well his being redubbed all over youtube sure is keeping him in the public's mind(well, some of the public).

 

[JackWhite]

Nice idea for a thread.

I think as of now, there's still a disconnect between Bane's status in the movieverse and his status in the comics. It's pretty impressive that in only 20 years of his existence he's already been in two live action films (even though he was a complete joke in one of them). After Rises I would say his popularity is undeniably elevated in terms of the mainstream and now the mainstream knows that he's not just a dumb hulking brute.

But until we see him being used more in the comics and given more substantial storylines, I think he's always just going to be known as "the man who broke the Bat". Which is a nice claim to fame, but you can't be considered a top tier villain if your greatest feat was a one time thing that can never be topped. I'd like to see more of the military commander/revolutionary Bane in future Batman comic arcs. It'd be cool to see comic writers incorporate some aspects from the movie, maybe even the look too.

Yeah, pretty much this. I would love to see some of the movie aspects applied to the comics. I've always liked Bane and wanted more out of the character. I'm glad Nolan gave him his due on film, and hopefully the comics can further add to the character.

 

[the last son]

Bane was still regarded as a top notch villain before Nolan. Definitely not C- as you say at lowest B- to C+. He was one of my fav villains before Nolan and while I liked the way he was betrayed I prefer Bane on Venom it makes him more interesting. So no comics should not follow Nolans version of Bane. Joker, Riddler, Two Face, Freeze and then Bane.

 

[The Joker]

Dovetail question: Should the comics/animation adapt what Nolan brought to the character?

Only the visual look. Bane's back story is fine the way it is. I don't think we need him with his mask welded to his face because he's in constant agony.

 

[Anno_Domini]

Well going by this:

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/03/necessary-evil-documentary-to-examine-dc-villains/

I could say TDKR's version of the villain has definitely pushed the character into new territories.

To be in a documentary that's about others such as Joker, Deathstroke and Lex Luthor...that's saying something.

The Joker, Bane, Deathstroke, Darkseid and Lex Luthor -- the scariest and most menacing villains in DC Comics’ universe -- take center stage in a brand new full-length documentary from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and DC Entertainment (DCE). The joint announcement was made today by WBHE and DCE.

But to the look...I wouldn't mind Bane being a more normal sized being as in TDKR with a more militant look to him...and maybe even a change of a mask, but if Venom is still used...that'd be perfectly fine as Venom is fine; I just didn't find it necessary with TDKR, imo.

 

[Anno_Domini]

Only the visual look. Bane's back story is fine the way it is. I don't think we need him with his mask welded to his face because he's in constant agony.

Definitely not the way where he's in constant agony, but would you be fine if his mask was more like in TDKR or the same as it's in the comics?

 

[The Joker]

Definitely not the way where he's in constant agony, but would you be fine if his mask was more like in TDKR or the same as it's in the comics?

Definitely TDKR's. Looks far more intimidating than the Luchador mask. Since the comics don't have their characters wearing something bad ass looking for a specific reason like Nolan does, they can have Bane get a new mask without making it a simple pain killing gas device.

 

[Anno_Domini]

What if they make Venom something that can be inhaled in the comics one of these days? That could be a sort of nod to TDKR with Bane using a mask with those tubes infront of the mouth area.

 

[BatLobster]

I think anything to do away with the giant tubes would be beneficial. It's just such an obvious glaring weakness.

 

[Brother Jack]

To the layman he's definitely moved up the proverbial rungs. In terms of what could reverberate into the comics; I think they would be remiss to not incorporate Nolan's look for the character. It is by far the best Bane has ever looked. And for me the backstory with the anesthetic is more interesting and thematically resonant than the venom. Bane is a character that is all about pain and power so it makes sense for him to have this pain himself and is, at his heart, a broken man himself who is not superior to Bruce like he thinks and how it might appear.

 

[AnneFan]

I agree Bane's mask in TDKR is better. Something akin to that would be good to see. And the strong and intimidating muscle build, not the overly exaggerated kind of thing.

 

[jmc]

Ok here's a follow up question, how many people do you all know who are now familiar with Bane since TDKR?

 

[Rorschach2012]

I think in terms of popularity at this point it'd be Joker, Catwoman, Two Face, Bane, Ra's Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy,

 

[Anno_Domini]

Ok here's a follow up question, how many people do you all know who are now familiar with Bane since TDKR?

I can't say I know anyone who wasn't familiar with Bane beforehand, but I know some who only know of Bane from Batman & Robin and they thought that Bane was how Bane is.

 

[AnneFan]

Ok here's a follow up question, how many people do you all know who are now familiar with Bane since TDKR?

People I know knew of Bane beforehand. Like Anno said, some just thought of Jeep Swenson's take and thought that was pretty much all he was.

From TDKR onwards, I'd like to see someone who is strong, smart, has military backing (men, vehicles and weapons) and executes the plan.

 

[BatLobster]

Yeah, a lot of my casual fan friends were like "Bane!????" when he was announced as the villain. I had to calm them down and explain, lol.

 

[jmc]

I also like the idea of 'scaling down' Bane to be more a regular size as opposed to the over muscled beefcake look. Bigger than Batman but not exaggerated.

 

[Tequilla]

He's climbing up the ladder.

Comic Bane is one of the crappiest villains Batman had. From every possible angle. Just complete inept. That they were able to create such a phenomenal one , based on that is just a fantastic testament to everyone involved in the movies.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I would want to see them take Tommy Bane's revolutionary disposition as a driving motivation whenever they run the current creative direction of Bane to the ground of staleness. I wouldn't want them to adapt his mask as I have a hunch it's texture is better served in the three dimensions of live action rather then the two dimensions of a comic book, where simpler lines work better as a design philosophy.

 

[Victarion]

I would also keep his background as a revolutionary. To keep Bane from becoming too stale, he should be a character who could be easily be working with either Batman or the Joker if it suits his cause. Some periods of introspection would be great too, during which Bane would try to rationalize him working with someone like the Joker. I read Knightfall a couple of weeks before TDKR came out. The only thing I liked about Bane there was his origin in the prequel comic; it is the one where we see Bane training his body and mind in Pena Dura.

Bane can easily be in the same tier as Joker, Catwoman and Ra's if the writers at DC use the TDKR characterization as a template to add more depth to comic Bane.

 

[the last son]

Bane has helped Batman on occasions. He helped him in Arkham City

 

[Anno_Domini]

Man, Bane is **** in AA and AC...hate that look, but Rocksteady could always redeem themselves and just say he's that size only because of Titan. Batman did say he was stronger because of Titan in AA...