The Dark Knight Rises Nolan succeeded in making a sympathetic villain.

[Art Damage]

It was great because you feel bad for him a little in that moment only, but are also happy/excited when Catwoman rockets him away.

Agreed!

 

[dpguy]

I have to admit I felt a tinge of pity for him when the pipe on his mask burst and the gas started escaping. The moans of pain he made were pretty gut wrenching and I started thinking about what it must be like to live like that, to depend on a mask/ drugs just to function. To begin with, there's something sad about having to depend on a mask for pain management and I thought about what if it were me? I'm afraid if my life had been like Bane's I might turn into a bitter monster as well. That's what made me a little sad for him.

 

[Aztec]

There was nothing sympathetic about Bane at all. I even found the small tears part to be more off-putting than sympathetic. He's a thug and a monster. And as we learn later on, he's not even in charge.

 

[dpguy]

There was nothing sympathetic about Bane at all. I even found the small tears part to be more off-putting than sympathetic. He's a thug and a monster. And as we learn later on, he's not even in charge.

I mostly agree. But the gas escaping from the mask reminded reminded us that this was a man who has been living with a terrible injury that he didn't do anything to deserve and his life has been a life of undeserved suffering.

"So you think the dark is your ally? I was born in it. Molded by it," he tells Batman. When a man is "born and raised in hell on earth" and suffers a terrible injury, what can he do other than turn into a monster?

The Joker (Nolan's version) was much less sympathetic to me, because we didn't have a definitive back story. Yes, he gives us two versions of his origin, but they could be lies or delusions for all we know.

 

[DACrowe]

He did make a sympathetic villain: Harvey Two-Face.

Bane had a sympathetic background, but he is still a monster in this movie.

 

[Schlosser85]

Harvey Dent, to me, was far more tragic and sympathetic than Bane.

Although I agree, his tears and learning he was Talia's protector in prison did humanize him.

Even Ra's Al Ghul was semi-sympathetic though in BB. He had the tragic backstory of losing his wife, and he really believed what he was doing was for the good of the world.

The Joker is the only Nolan Batman villain, to me, who is really 100% evil. And maybe Crane, but Crane is small potatoes compared to Joker, Ra's, or Bane.

 

[dpguy]

Harvey Dent, to me, was far more tragic and sympathetic than Bane.

Although I agree, his tears and learning he was Talia's protector in prison did humanize him.

Even Ra's Al Ghul was semi-sympathetic though in BB. He had the tragic backstory of losing his wife, and he really believed what he was doing was for the good of the world.

The Joker is the only Nolan Batman villain, to me, who is really 100% evil. And maybe Crane, but Crane is small potatoes compared to Joker, Ra's, or Bane.

Crane is the least sympathetic character in the movies and the comics, it would seem. The Joker's back story in the film and in most comic adaptations have tragic elements. But Crane's desire to cause suffering doesn't seem to have been set in motion by anything that happened.

 

[Schlosser85]

Crane, to me, is just a little pervy creeper.

At least Ra's, Bane, Talia, and even Joker have something they are aspiring to accomplish. Crane just gets off on frying people's brains and tormenting them and doesn't really seem to care about anything else.

He's just a creep.

 

[JackWhite]

He did make a sympathetic villain: Harvey Two-Face.

Bane had a sympathetic background, but he is still a monster in this movie.

Yep.

Nolan did it though, made me totally hate Bane and his revolutionary BS that he was spewing to the people of Gotham. Giving these people false hope, only to plan on blowing there asses up in the process.

When Batman got the upper hand and booted his ass through the doors; I nearly jumped out of my seat with a "YEAH!". Then Batman quoted Bane telling him when the trigger was in his hands he would have HIS permission to die, oh boy that was sick payback.

I loved to hate Bane. Hardy was just an evil bastard, I love that man's acting.

 

[Schlosser85]

Apart from his love for Talia, Bane really did come across as this soulless black hole.

His whole dialogue in the prison cell..."and as I terrorize Gotham, I will feed them hope to poison their souls", "you can watch as I torture an entire city".

So evil and cruel.

 

[Cassandra Cain]

Bane may not have been sympathetic, but when he cried it certainly caught me off guard.

Totally. DID NOT see that coming. You definitely wouldn’t have seen Joker shedding any kind of tears. Bane saved an innocent girl’s life-- but was still twisted as all Hell. It is rather interesting to see someone, or actually two people, be so incredibly evil yet care so much for another person. Psyche theory anyone?? If anything the relationship between Talia and Bane makes them much more dimensional than just plain old villains.

 

[robthorn24]

The Joker is the only Nolan Batman villain, to me, who is really 100% evil. And maybe Crane, but Crane is small potatoes compared to Joker, Ra's, or Bane.

Definitely the Joker and Crane as the top two unsympathetic villains in the trilogy.

 

[The Guard]

I don't think Bane was actually crying. He had almost died, and his eyes were red and so forth. Its supposed to symbolize tears, but I don't think he was actually crying over Talia.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Two-Face was definitely a sympathetic and tragic villain. Possibly the best of any comic book film. It would be between him and Magneto. Ra's, Bane, and even Talia have some human elements to them but in the end they were pretty much evil. Two-Face even at his worst wasn't truly evil, just completely insane.

 

[Schlosser85]

I think Harvey Dent and Magneto are the most three-dimensional comic book villains, on page and screen.

 

[TomPiltoff]

The questionable acts of heroism:

[BLACKOUT]- Beating the unholy hell out of the goddamn batman. But in reality the guy is technically a multiple felon vigilante wanted by the authorities so it's almost like a citizens arrest.[/BLACKOUT]

That's only heroic if you live in a world where intent is meaningless. Bane doesn't want to get Batman to get justice for Harvey Dent, he wants to break his back before blowing up Gotham. No heroic intent here.

[BLACKOUT]- Letting the criminals of Dr. "ScraeCrow" Crane have a slim chance of survival by walking over the ice rather than just shooting them in the head. Any chance at survival is better than none.[/BLACKOUT]

What does this have to do with Bane? Again, his plan is ultimately to blow Gotham up. What does he care what people do in the meantime?

I'm not saying "hey f**k batman lets all root for Bane", I'm just saying DAMN Nolan, you did it again, creating an ambiguous bad guy in the same vein as Ras Al Ghul.

I disagree, unfortunately. Bane should and could have been at least somewhat relatable, but we know all along that his 'take back the city' thing is BS.

 

[Morning Root]

It may be an unconventional way to think, but Bane truly doesn't exactly fit the mold of a typical superhero villain. I'm not calling the guy a hero, I'm merely stating that after seeing TDKR, he has done MANY heroic things. Sure some of them are up to debate, like:

The questionable acts of heroism:

[BLACKOUT]- Beating the unholy hell out of the goddamn batman. But in reality the guy is technically a multiple felon vigilante wanted by the authorities so it's almost like a citizens arrest.[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]- Letting the criminals of Dr. "ScraeCrow" Crane have a slim chance of survival by walking over the ice rather than just shooting them in the head. Any chance at survival is better than none.[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]- He killed Daggett, and that guy was a t-total sonuva ***** no matter how you slice it. That jerk-off had it coming and we all know it. The way he killed him was simply BRUTAL, but it ain't like the jerk wasn't asking for it.
[/BLACKOUT]
[BLACKOUT]- SAVED TALIA AND GOT A RESPIRATOR/SEVERE PAIN throughout his body for the rest of his life. NUFF SAID. ZERO regard for his own outcome, he knew he was going to be killed (ended up almost killed) but he saved her anyway.[/BLACKOUT]

I'm not saying "hey f**k batman lets all root for Bane", I'm just saying DAMN Nolan, you did it again, creating an ambiguous bad guy in the same vein as Ras Al Ghul.

Its just IMHO, but here was quite a bit of good behind Banes wickedness.

That was so SWEET when [BLACKOUT]Bane killed Daggett[/BLACKOUT], wasn't it?

He just [BLACKOUT]snapped his neck and then smothered him to death as he stood there paralyzed from the neck down [/BLACKOUT]F**KING RUTHLESS.

Personally, I found Bane to be the most sympathetic out of all the other villains but perhaps not for the same reasons you have. Also, I don't recall reading anything in your post about comparing Bane's sympathetic villainy to any of the other villains so I'll refrain from commenting on how much more "muchier" they were as they were all interesting in their own way.

For me, the sympathy was drawn out when it was revealed that his actions were all in accordance to his leader's wishes; a mastermind he followed perhaps only due to emotional attachment without regard over the true terrorism behind her acts or life or anything else that wasn't what she wanted.

That, right there, sealed the deal for me when it comes to how sympathetic this character was. Or rather, how empathetic I, and many others who refuse to admit, could be towards him. It is not uncommon to follow someone's orders out of blind faith and love. Hell, that's what most people's childhood consisted entirely of. Here, we see a reversal of power between Talia and Bane-Child and Caretaker, as it is Bane who so avidly followed her every word well into the belief that all in Gotham would die. Having both grown up in the darkness, it is no wonder why they would have no consideration over innocent lives being taken so that argument doesn't stand out very well in my eyes (though I do understand it). But that may be besides the point as it is not the first time we see love thwart the clockwork within our craniums.

It was wonderful to face the truth behind all the terrorism, that there was honey behind the poison. I loved having Nolan open my eyes to see the "follower" within Bane, a role many can understand and truly empathize with at one point in their lives.



SIDENOTE: Mind you, I'm one of those poor folk who believe Talia had Bane on a leash.

 

[Van Petrol]

I can't see how anyone couldn't feel a tint of sympathy and understanding for two characters than were born and raised in a hell hole seemingly through no fault of their own. Yes, they became mosters by the end, but no child of innocence deserves the upbrining that both Bane and Talia had. To say that this didn't help play into their psyche's is an understatement.

 

[Van Petrol]

I don't think Bane was actually crying. He had almost died, and his eyes were red and so forth. Its supposed to symbolize tears, but I don't think he was actually crying over Talia.

Disagree. The fact that they made a point of showing Bane's protection and almost self sacrifice for Talia in the pit shows that he had a connection and feelings for her. I believe those tears at the end were for both of them.

 

[ZOMBIE]

Two Face was sympathetic.

Bane wasn't. Bane was a purely evil character -- possibly Nolan's only purely evil villain. (Ras understood the problem, but was wrong about the solution. Crane was a twisted lackey. Zsasz might've been purely evil, I guess. Joker was chaotic and psychotic ... but driven more by amusement than by evil. Two Face was on a somewhat justified revenge kick. Catwoman is a thief, not an evil villain. The mobsters were mobsters -- profit, not evil.

Spoiler

Talia was on a revenge kick and wanting to finish the job her father started).

Bane was driven by evil. He wanted to break. He wanted to cause suffering. He wanted to destroy. He used the language of liberation to enslave and flatten a society. Not profit, not chaos, not fear for a purpose ... just pain.

KBZ

Bane was that Evil that he saved a little Girl in a pit from a gang of peado's/rapists.

Bane had a axe to grind with the World because no one cared about him, he had no sympathy for the World or human life.

 

[The Guard]

Disagree. The fact that they made a point of showing Bane's protection and almost self sacrifice for Talia in the pit shows that he had a connection and feelings for her. I believe those tears at the end were for both of them.

I think its meant to be a bit more ambiguous than that. Its obvious that this is what its meant to symbolize, regardless of the reason his eyes aren't dry...but its equally obvious he's already red-eyed and tearing up from the pain/struggle of not having his mask on.

 

[ZOMBIE]

I mostly agree. But the gas escaping from the mask reminded reminded us that this was a man who has been living with a terrible injury that he didn't do anything to deserve and his life has been a life of undeserved suffering.

"So you think the dark is your ally? I was born in it. Molded by it," he tells Batman. When a man is "born and raised in hell on earth" and suffers a terrible injury, what can he do other than turn into a monster?

The Joker (Nolan's version) was much less sympathetic to me, because we didn't have a definitive back story. Yes, he gives us two versions of his origin, but they could be lies or delusions for all we know.

Brillant post.

 

[Van Petrol]

I think its meant to be a bit more ambiguous than that. Its obvious that this is what its meant to symbolize, regardless of the reason his eyes aren't dry...but its equally obvious he's already red-eyed and tearing up from the pain/struggle of not having his mask on.

Not disregarding that at all. But I think the former is a big part of the reason also as to why his eyes are tearing up. Saying it was a culmination of both the points would be the best way to put it, I think.

 

[The Guard]

That's pretty much what I've gone with. He's emoting through the pain.

 

[kvz5]

He did make a sympathetic villain: Harvey Two-Face.

Bane had a sympathetic background, but he is still a monster in this movie.

Agreed.