@ BatmanReborn, oh yeah! I totally forgot about that! I'm not a Strange-advocate so I think they might tie in Crane into this somehow. I really hope we see more (relevant) cameos, Gotham's lost to the freaks now anyway, so it really makes sense to see some more of these "escalated" threats. I think we'll be seeing some kind of gang-war between a lost Sons of the Bat bunch and either something like the Mutants or the Jokerz, or maybe the False Face Society, that would really place 'symbolic figures' like Batman and his foes in an elevated place.
As for Bane, I remember his original gang, they had those outlandish code-names that made them even more frightening. Maybe we'll see that in the same way we saw the clowns in the bank. Either way, he needs to be a more powerful antagonist than the Joker, and I don't mean just strengthwise. I think while some of the undertones in the first film centered in psychology and philosophy, the second with politics, this third might deal with mythology in the same regard. The mythology of these larger-than-life characters, so to speak, and how such urban legends effect the people overall.
There was that bit about Batman willing to transcend conventional morality for the greater good in both films, and then keeping himself in check, I expect that to be addressed with someone like Bane who organizes the freaks and manipulates them-a seemingly paradoxical feat.
I just don't want the Bat-Mecha suit from KNIGHTFALL and THE BATMAN to make an appearance. Not something that would make this any better. Bane isn't a cyborg either, so I expect to see a lot of physicality here. I think a good way to start off his story is to parallel the way Bruce was introduced to us - lost to himself battling criminals in that Bhutanese prison. And contrast that with how Bruce is once again doing the same thing - trapped in his own city, back to square one, forcing himself to be labeled a criminal to finish them off one at a time, only this time the stakes are higher.