Bane (Tom Hardy)

"When Gotham is in ashes, you will have my permission to die."

- Bane

Bane is a mercenary with former ties to the League of Shadows under Ra's Al Ghul's ministration. He is potent in physical combat and strategic planning. He is an articulate orator and effective military commander. Bane displays his personality predominantly through expressions in his eyes. His physique is defined by his mask which inhibits the excruciating pain that agonizes his body to bearable levels. He was portrayed by Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises.

Early life
"Goodbye..."

- Bane farewelling Talia after aiding her escape from The Pit.

Bane was imprisoned in The Pit, the worst prison on Earth, located within a Middle Eastern country for an unexplained crime. At some point, he took an interest in the wellbeing for the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, and aided in her escape when several of the inmates raped and killed Talia's mother. However, this selfless action resulted in the prisoners' exacting revenge by torturing and beating him to the point that he was wrapped up in bandages and paralyzed. He was eventually rescued by Ra's al Ghul and the League when Talia informed him of what happened. However, Ra's, presumably because he was a reminder of his own failure to protect his wife, did not support Bane's relationship with Talia, eventually culminating in the latter severing all ties to her father. Nonetheless, Ra's allowed him to be trained within the League of Shadows. Bane also wore a mask that pumped gas into his system to alleviate the pain from his injury within the prison. However, Bane gradually grew to become so ruthless in his execution of the League of Shadows' goals that Ra's was also forced to excommunicate him from the organization. However, he ended up rejoining after Ra's died in Gotham City, a death that Batman was involved in, as well as Talia al Ghul taking control of the organization. His actions also resulted in his becoming wanted as a terrorist by the CIA.

The Dark Knight Rises
"I'm Gotham's reckoning."

- Bane

About eight years after the Joker's attack on Gotham City, Bane (disguising himself as one of his mercenaries in another country) deliberately allowed himself to be captured by the CIA after it became apparent that Dr. Pavel was going to try and turn him in so he could infiltrate the group and then kill them, presumably also arranging for a plane of his mercenaries to tail the CIA plane while airborne. When the CIA agent overseeing the capture attempted to interrogate his men by pretending to throw them out of a plane and shoot them, Bane pointed out that their attempts won't work because the minions see no reason to give in when they're only pretending to throw them out of a plane before shooting them. He also tells them his entire plan up to that point, realizing that they will not survive the attack, and breaks free just as his fellow mercenaries shoot the CIA personnel without their knowledge. In addition, his mercenaries also brought in a cadaver to transfer Pavel's blood to fake the latter's death. He also had one of the soldiers stay in order to ensure they have the expected death toll, also promising the willing soldier that they fires have started. He also tells Pavel that the time for fear will come later as the latter is panicking.

Afterwards, he had several minions commence "construction projects" that were actually rigging explosives across Gotham via "explosive cement." He also recruited John Daggett, an ambitious member of Wayne Enterprises, to have Bruce Wayne forcibly removed from Wayne Enterprises by fraudulently placing Wayne Enterprises' (already low) finances to be in the red zone and make Wayne bankrupt, although he secretly intended for Talia al Ghul (adopting the alias of Miranda Tate) to become the chair of the company. Via Daggett, he also arranged for Catwoman to dust off Bruce Wayne's fingerprints, including his thumb, in order to sell the fraudulent bankruptcy. However, due to a phone sting regarding the location of a missing congressman, some police officers, including Commissioner James Gordon ended up stumbling upon Bane's group, the new League of Shadow's hideout. Bane likewise executed one of the soldiers delivering Gordon to him for drawing him to the place, before having the other shoot Gordon. He also retrieved a speech that was intended to expose the truth behind the events of Dent's death and give his resignation. When James Gordon ended up going down the rapid sewer waters to escape, Bane had one of his soldiers "follow" him by placing a cell phone on him and then sending him down the rapids, anticipating the likelihood that Gordon would survive falling into the rapids after the grunt made the mistake of implying that he died in the rapids.

Afterwards, Bane arrived at the stock exchange to complete the plan of putting Bruce Wayne into Bankruptcy, also placing a cement truck in the way manned by one of his followers. He also took hostages in order to ensure the Police not try to attack them the way they were supposed to, before encountering Batman. Likewise, after Catwoman attempted to find the blank slate drive only to find the safe containing it empty, he and his followers arrived to kill her, seeing her usefulness as having been outlived. After Daggett learned that Miranda Tate was going to gain command over Wayne Enterprises and not him, he furiously confronted Bane, but was instead killed by him, the latter also echoing Batman's line to Carmen Falcone years earlier, and then his body was dumped into a dumpster. He then arranged for Selena Kyle to trick Batman into being captured by Bane as a way to let her survive against him. Despite Batman's efforts against Bane, Bane managed to easily overpower Batman, both due to his mask making him impervious to pain as well as his earlier training in the League of Shadows, the fight eventually cumulating in the Wayne Enterprises' weapons development section having a hole blown through and breaking Batman's back. Afterwards, with Talia/Tate's cooperation, he took Lucius Fox, another Wayne Enterprises' employee, and Tate hostage and had Pavel modify the clean energy generator into a nuclear bomb that was gradually ticking down as well as removing the core. In addition, he also had the police lured to the hideout to be trapped, and eventually detonated the explosives laced around the city, killing hundreds of people, including Mayor Garcia. Anticipating that Gordon was still recovering at the hospital, he also sent two of his men to kill Gordon, although Gordon managed to kill them before either of them could lay a finger on him. He then brought the bomb out to the entire public, and after having Pavel explain its properties, killed him in front of everyone, also implying that he has given the detonator to a citizen who will push the button if they don't comply to his rules. In addition, in order to further ensure that no one outside of Gotham attempts to interfere, he also has one of his minions inform the soldiers that if they were to enter the city, they will detonate the bomb. He also delivers Bruce Wayne to the prison he himself was formerly imprisoned in, and stated that he won't kill him yet, as he intends to psychologically torture him with Gotham City being doomed either way with Wayne being unable to do a thing before killing him, also promising that he'll kill him only after Gotham is "ashes."

Upon returning to Gotham, he also reads aloud in front of Blackgate Penitentiary Gordon's planned confession, thus ensuring the destruction of Dent's attempt at removing criminals from Gotham's streets, as well as granting Scarecrow full access to the legal system of the people (leaving even himself unable to affect the decision process), as well as orchestrating the impoverished masses' riots against the wealthy. After Batman's return to Gotham City became apparent, he had some soldiers guard Talia al Ghul, anticipating that he'll eventually trace her down. He eventually led a fight against the newly freed Gotham City Police Force with his soldiers, while he himself fought Batman. Batman eventually managed to damage his mask, and interrogated him regarding the location of the trigger before Talia revealed herself. He then had his mask fixed by Talia. Bane also attempted to kill Batman after Talia left to take over the driving of the bomb (as Gordon prevented the remote detonation by jamming the signal), but was killed by Selena Kyle with the Bat Pod.

Behind the scenes

 * In The Dark Knight Rises, the chemical drug, Venom is absent. Instead the costume designer made his mask supply a type of anesthetic administered directly into Bane's airways. This anesthetic relieves him of any pain.
 * Tom Hardy has described Bane as "brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action."
 * There have been some criticisms about Hardy's voice for Bane being difficult to understand.
 * A controversy regarding the character ensued nearing the release of the film where several political pundits, including Conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh, believed that Bane was intended to reference Bain Capital, the name of 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. It resulted in Christopher Nolan denying Bain as the inspiration, as well as Bane co-creator Charles Dixon confirming Nolan's denials, stating that Bane's overall character was in fact closer to Occupy Wall Street.

Trivia

 * Bane's costume for the film is markedly different from his comic book counterpart who wears a Mexican wrestler's mask.
 * Tom Hardy stands around 5ft9 where Christian Bale is over 6ft. Since Bane towers over Batman in height in the comics special film techniques were used to make Hardy's stature and figure appear larger and imposing. In particular, three-inch lifts were added to Hardy's boots to make him equal in height to other tall characters.

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