The Dark Knight Rises’ Biggest Bane Problem Was WB’s Joker Obsession

Tom Hardy’s Bane and Heath Ledger’s Joker are completely different characters, but comparisons between the two prompted by The Dark Knight Rises’ marketing and by the movie itself ended up hurting Bane. While Batman movies throughout history have been very different from each other in terms of tone, one constant in all Batman films is that they feature a brand-new villain in each installment. Batman’s movie villains have become as important as Batman himself, and after Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the bar for following villains like Bane became much higher.

The Batman franchise’s tradition of iconic villains played either by established names or up-and-coming stars began with wit the very first modern Batman movie. Jack Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), an unprecedented casting for what still felt like a lesser genre even though Richard Donner’s Superman had already been released years earlier. If a Batman villain was good enough for Jack Nicholson, suddenly the entire industry was looking at comic book roles in a new way. From Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Batman movies from the 1990s were defined by their villains – something that was carried onto Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Unlike Tim Burton’s productions, Nolan went for a lesser-known actor to play the Joker, Heath Ledger. Comparisons with Jack Nicholson started as soon as Heath Ledger was cast, with many complaining about Nolan’s choice. Not only did Heath Ledger prove doubters wrong, but the actor and his Joker portrayal also set a new parameter for superhero films and movie villains in general. Heath Ledger’s Joker ascended to cultural phenomenon status, and an argument can be made that The Dark Knight is really a Joker movie rather than a Batman movie. Ledger’s Joker performance created an impossible challenge for The Dark Knight Rises of how to follow up such an iconic villain, a burden that fell on Tom Hardy’s Bane’s shoulders. Comparisons between Heath Ledger’s Joker and Tom Hardy’s Bane would be impossible to avoid, but there were elements leading up to The Dark Knight Rises that added a lot more fuel to those comparisons. The Dark Knight Rises as a story overall did not treat Bane as a Joker rehash, but the movie’s marketing and even its prologue did try to sell Bane as the new Joker.

The Dark Knight Rises Could Never Top The Dark Knight’s Joker

14 years after The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s Joker remains the benchmark to which every comic book villain is compared. No matter if it’s a Marvel or DC character, alien or human, comic book villains are often judged by how they compare to Heath Ledger’s Joker. Therefore, if The Dark Knight’s legacy managed to cast a shadow over the entire genre, the pressure would be even bigger for The Dark Knight Rises. Christopher Nolan rightfully decided not to recast or even mention the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises after Heath Ledger’s tragic passing, and the third chapter in the Dark Knight trilogy had instead more callbacks to Batman Begins’ League of Shadows.

The Dark Knight’s Joker is an example of an outstanding character placed in an outstanding movie. The Dark Knight’s story and direction elevated every actor and character, but Heath Ledger’s Joker performance also elevated the film. The Dark Knight’s Joker was the result of a collaboration between Ledger and Nolan and of specific choices for the character and for the story. That is not something that could not be easily replicated, not even with Nolan’s involvement in The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises Wrongly Tried To Sell Bane As The New Joker

In 2007, The Dark Knight’s viral marketing campaign led to the release of the very first picture of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Joker’s first look was part of The Dark Knight’s innovative marketing strategy, which involved fans through online clues in a way that would become common for following blockbusters. The picture offered a very ominous first look at the Joker, as it only revealed the character’s face amidst a very dark backdrop. Four years later, Bane’s first look was revealed exactly the same way. The Dark Knight Rises’ viral marketing campaign kickstarted with a website that would slowly form a picture of Tom Hardy’s Bane, and the picture itself was also very reminiscent of the Joker’s first look. Such a decision by the studio was conscious, and it drew comparisons between the Joker and Bane right away.

As if that was not enough, Bane’s first scene in The Dark Knight Rises was very similar to how The Dark Knight introduced the Joker. The Dark Knight opened with a prologue that had no mention of Batman or Bruce Wayne, and it followed a heist performed by mysterious criminals. The big reveal is that the Joker was part of the heist crew all along, which is exactly what happened in The Dark Knight Rises’ prologue. Bane is revealed to be one of the prisoners taken onto the plane, and even the moment his face is revealed is similar to when Joker removed his clown mask in The Dark Knight.

Tom Hardy’s Bane Was Nothing Like Heath Ledger’s Joker (Which Is Good)

Nolan had a plethora of Batman antagonists to choose from for The Dark Knight Rises, and the choice of Bane as the main villain proves that the director was aware of how difficult it was to top The Dark Knight’s Joker. Bane is a physical antagonist to Batman, which is exactly the opposite of what the Joker represents to the Dark Knight. In addition, Hardy played Bane as someone with a twisted but strong sense of “justice”. Unlike the Joker, Bane believed that he was the hero of his own story. Bane, Talia, and what was left of the League of Shadows wanted to destroy Gotham as a way to avenge Ra’s Al Ghul – not to prove any point. Whereas Joker was the opposite of Batman, Bane was a twisted version of Bruce Wayne – a former member of the League of Shadows who indirectly became Ra’s Al Ghul’s legacy. Those are all story elements that Tom Hardy incorporated into his Bane performance, which made his character completely different from Ledger’s Joker.

Ledger’s Joker Comparisons Overshadowed Hardy’s Bane (& Hurt TDKR)

Considering how different Bane was from the Joker, The Dark Knight Rises’ marketing and prologue were both a disservice to Hardy’s character. Comparisons with The Dark Knight’s Joker would only hurt Bane and The Dark Knight Rises, and that is why the movie should have avoided any similarities instead of embracing them. Bane’s introduction in The Dark Knight Rises does not have the same impact as Joker’s in The Dark Knight precisely because the former was way too similar to the latter. The Dark Knight Rises’ prologue doesn’t work as well as the one in The Dark Knight, which was a problem for the rest of the movie because it downplayed Bane’s impact compared to the Joker.

Bane’s characterization and voice made for a great Batman villain. However, Tom Hardy’s performance and Bane himself were not fully appreciated because the character was perceived by many as a lesser Joker replacement. That is something The Dark Knight Rises was bound to deal with, but the movie and the studio could have reduced those comparisons with a different marketing strategy and an alternate Bane introduction.