The Dark Knight Rises Who is the main villain of this movie? *SPOILERS*

[godisawesome]

Just wanted to add that my family actually liked the reveal that Bane had a semi-heroic past, and they figured that it was a more equal partnership than anything.

 

[Green Goblin]

The main villain of the movie?

Jonah Nolan.

On a serious note it was Bane in terms of screentime but Talia was pulling the strings. Bane was her "protecter". Bane helped her organise and lead but she was the one who was incharge of everyone, including Bane.

 

[Victarion]

Bane. One of the themes in this movie was the class warfare aspect, hinted at through Bruce's meeting with Blake and again with Selina at the ball. Of the two characters, Bane was the one shown to have the most animosity toward the rich and powerful. Though I more agree that there was a mutual thing going on, if you asked me specifically, I would go with Bane.

 

[BatLobster]

I think of Bane and Talia as two parts of one larger character. Technically the correct answer to this question would simply be the resurgent League of Shadows.

For all intents and purposes though, Bane is the main villain of the movie. Not just in terms of screentime, but also in how he's thematically linked to Bruce and the way his more militaristic/oppressive presence trickles down and seeps into the whole tone of the film, similarly to how Ra's and Joker affected the tone of their respective films.

In terms of the power structure, to me the best analogy is that Bane was the COO and Talia was the CEO (another way of saying he was in charge of day to day operations but still reported to her). Or in movie studio terms, Bane was the director and Talia was the executive producer. So calling Bane a lapdog is kind of like saying Chris Nolan was Jeff Robinov or Thomas Tull's lapdog on these movies. Obviously Talia had her role to play in securing the reactor so she was a hands-on CEO no doubt, just like her father. I think the final result is something more akin to a partnership. Talia is the rightful heir to the organization her father led, but she entrusts a lot of it to her idol/protector. She sees him as fit to lead, and in fact needs him to. It's not something she's able to do while undercover as Tate, nor is she the cult of personality that Bane is. Bane is the true symbol of uprising, both in terms of the film and in terms of the LOS.

 

[shauner111]

Perfect way to word it Lobster. Ill ALWAYS see it that way. Especially now, after describing it in the way that you did.

 

[BatLobster]

Heh thanks. I believe I might've borrowed the COO/CEO analogy from Sean Gerber of Modern Myth Media, but the executive producer/director analogy is all mine.

 

[sbrody4]

Does anyone else have the opinion that Ras is the main villain? While he died in Begins, and only appears in a sort of hallucination in Rises, it is his overall goal of destroying Gotham that Bane and Talia are trying to fulfill.

 

[shauner111]

I guess you can say that but i think Bane and Talia are even more extreme than Ras. Certain things they do, would not have been Ras' way of dealing with Gotham or Batman. Which is why they make it clear that even Bane was too extreme for Ras Al Ghul.

 

[Isearch4dope]

Talia was the main villain....didn't really like the story they went with.....Bane alone had everything to represent the final and deadliest threat to the Bat...Bringing in the heavy influence of the league and Talia were kind of a downgrade and took away the focus from a far more interesting dynamic that could have developed between two giants of men.

 

[Isearch4dope]

See the thing that put Bane on the map and made him an important villain was not just the back break.....it was the thought that this physically able challenge to the Bat could also match or even outmatch him in smarts and also figure out his identity. Would be a far more interesting dynamic to put on film than the league resurgence and Talia (all for Ra's).

 

[BatLobster]

I think Bane alone would've been more fitting if the film's journey was Batman upping his game and having to become a better Batman than ever, and then staying Batman forever. But for a film that's more about Bruce's journey coming full circle and the chickens coming home to roost, a return of the LoS was fitting.

 

[shauner111]

Exactly. It's about serving the story, not serving the villain. The story was about Bruce hanging it up and completing a trilogy. Not a third movie in a longer series where we see Batman improving more and more.

 

[Isearch4dope]

Yes I understand full circle and all but that simply boxes the story in without a chance to stand out. I mean that circle could still be achieved but have major complications in getting there or have the circle being bigger than you imagined. I would have preferred the league being a secondary or collaborative villain. Hell....have Bane manipulate them as a vehicle for his own purposes. For me Bane deserved to be his own villain with his own following, ideals and purpose for Gotham. A three way struggle for Gotham's faith would have felt like the be all end all of the trilogy. Talia (old school work from the shadows league finishing Ra'z work), Bane (modern ruthless following with a liking for extreme physical brutal methods....of course Bane with a personal hatred for the symbol of the bat and Bruce Wayne) and Bats right in the middle of these crazies still with his own arc.

 

[Isearch4dope]

I'm not saying improving more and more almost to the point of the 10 steps ahead of you-all the time-every time Bats. A much richer version of that same Bruce hanging up the cowl is what I'm getting at. Leave everything on the floor so when it's finished you feel as if though it is conclusive and deserving of an end and not Blakey on the edges.

 

[shauner111]

I think we got all of that lol. Especially the part where you say Talia follows the league, finishing her fathers work + Bane doing things in a modern, ruthless way with a following of his own, extreme methods, etc. It happened.

Bane against Talia too? I guess. But i still see the same outcome.

 

[Isearch4dope]

Instead of feeling like Bats versus semi upgraded League/ Ra's aka Batman Begins Again....throw in that piece that creates an imbalance, changes the rules and puts even more at steak than originally intended.

 

[Isearch4dope]

Oh ma lerd lol.....no we didn't.......Bane would be his own boss and have no connections to the league (operate in the sun with no f**** given and are only stealthy when they need to be) with his own end goal........a more capable Talia leading them from the shadows right under Bruce's nose......both parties unaware of each other until SHTF. I feel as if though this was what might have crossed the mind of the writers but to go the less creative/easier route they combined them which led to Bane feeling like a henchman again.

 

[shauner111]

Meh. I dont see the huge groundbreaking difference. I liked what i got.

 

[Isearch4dope]

Of course the story wouldn't be dead on similar and a number of changes would be made....there's more than one way to skin a cat but the skinning method chosen was not satifactory in my eyes (completely at least)........ but it's all good that you liked what you got.

 

[JackWhite]

Talia had a lot of unfilled potential. I think we can all agree on that. While I don't view Bane as simply her lapdog, I definitely feel she stole a lot of Bane's thunder when she is revealed to be the child of Ras'. Then Bane just gets blown away by Catwoman, but that's besides the point lol.

I was looking forward to seeing Bane and Talia giving out commands together. It bugs me, because when the big reveal with Talia happens I was thinking to myself that this was going to go to the next level; like when Batman has to confront Harvey after he has Gordon's family held hostage in TDK.

 

[JackWhite]

And Bane is not a henchmen. He's not Basard or the League member who obliges Bane to stay on the plane during the prologue. Bane is simply not the end game; Talia Al Ghul is.

 

[Ryan]

Talia unfortunately.

 

[JackWhite]

Talia unfortunately.

I forgot to add "For better or worse".

 

[BatLobster]

I never got the "stealing Bane's thunder" thing. Bane is still the villain that stands out in my mind when I think about the movie. He has the most iconic appearance, moments, lines and scenes. The militaristic tone of the movie is a direct result of HIS character. It's his movie as much as TDK was Joker's movie. That's why he's the main villain. Talia being revealed to be Ra's' child (which...duh) doesn't change any of that. I feel like the main reasons they included the twist were to have things come full circle during the climax, and to supply the motivation for the final chase scene. There's probably a version of the movie that could've been written transparently where Tate is revealed as Talia in Act 2 and we see more of their relationship, but I think a part of the appeal of the whole thing was slowly uncovering the mysteries of the protector/child and the pit piece by piece until it all clicks into place at the end. It's just screenwriting 101...setups and payoffs. What I enjoyed about it was how it created this rich backstory for them that lived on in our minds long after seeing the movie.

I would've thought the whole Mandarin twist fiasco would've clarified what it TRULY means to render a villain unimportant in a superhero film.

 

[Victarion]

Talia is the Gordon to Bane's Batman.