Summary
Another iconic Batman villain was almost used instead of Bane inThe Dark Knight Rises, though I am overly glad they were not. Since the release ofThe Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy’s Bane has been somewhat of a controversial figure. While being responsible for some ofThe Dark Knight Rises’best quotes, the strange voice Hardy utilized for the character was admittedly jarring for many. Regardless, Hardy’s looming physical presence was more than enough to make Bane a solid antagonist by the time ofThe Dark Knight Rises’ending.
The Dark Knight Rises, beyond Bane, is an interesting case study. There are many who deem it thelowest-rankedDark Knighttrilogy movie, yet it has its share of vocal supporters. Interestingly, reveals aboutThe Dark Knight Rises’story since 2012 when the film was released has raised the question of whether different decisions being made would have improved the film. One decision centers around Bane, and the fact that another villain was almost picked instead of him. While the choice would have been interesting, I am glad Bane ended up asThe Dark Knight Rises’villain.
The Dark Knight Trilogy: 10 Best Quotes From Nolan’s Batman Villains
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is packed with iconic Batman villains, and many deliver unforgettable quotes during their movie appearances.
The Dark Knight Rises Using Riddler Wouldn’t Have Felt Fresh
Bane Gave The Dark Knight Trilogy A Different Kind Of Villain
The villain that was almost considered forThe Dark Knight Risesis The Riddler, as confirmed by Jonathan Nolan on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast. Nolan explains that he wanted to use Riddler early in development, but that his brother Christopher Nolan - alongside David S. Goyer - opted for Bane. As Jonathan Nolan points out, this was a good choice. Using The Riddler forThe Dark Knight Riseswould have felt slightly repetitive with pastBatmanmovies, specificallyThe Dark KnightandBatman Forever.
Where the former is concerned,Jim Carrey played The Riddler inBatman Forever. While the film itself was not too well received, Carrey was often singled out as a good, albeit exaggerated, element of the story. If Riddler had been used forThe Dark Knight Rises, it would have been the character’s second appearance in only fiveBatmanmovies. When taking into account The Joker fromThe Dark Knight, Riddler would not have felt as fresh a villain as Bane.
Although The Joker and The Riddler have differences, they are a similar archetype of villain. Neither of them is the most physically imposing figure, and often combat Batman using trickery, manipulation, puzzles, and testing his detective skills. When factoring in Joker, the four Batman movies released between 1995 and 2008 would have used this type of villain twice.The Dark Knight Risesusing Riddler would then have increased that number to three out of five. By opting for Bane in the 2012 film,theDark Knightfranchise chose a more unique villain than previousBatmanmovies had.
Why Bane Was The Right Batman Villain For The Dark Knight Rises
Bane Gave Batman A Physical, Brutish Threat To Overcome
As I alluded to,Bane was the right villain forThe Dark Knight Risesdue to his differences from the likes of The Joker and The Riddler. ThroughoutThe Dark Knight Rises, Bane’s villainy is conveyed via his ability to dominate enemies in combat. Be it the opening scene where he crashes a plane by killing those on board or the fight between him and Batman in the sewers beneath Gotham, Bane’s primary weapon is his immense strength, honed fighting skills, and deceptive speed. InThe Dark Knight, Joker’s threat was never shown to be physical toward Batman specifically.
Bane does the same inThe Dark Knight Rises,but those choices are entirely physical…
While the two engaged in some scuffles throughout, Joker only ever had the upper hand when tricking Batman, like utilizing attack dogs, for example. Instead, Joker’s threat was entirely psychological. He made Batman think and make difficult choices. Bane does the same inThe Dark Knight Rises,but those choices are entirely physical, such as Batman choosing whether to fight, or whether to try and escape from the pit with a broken back. For this reason, Bane proved to be the right choice forThe Dark Knight Risesto give the film a different antagonistic presence from its predecessor.
The Dark Knight Rises Forgoing Riddler Meant The Batman Could Reinvent Him
Riddler’s Absence From Nolan’s Movie Gave 2022’s The Batman A Boost
Where Riddler is concerned, the advantages of leaving him out ofThe Dark Knight Risesare two-fold. As mentioned, The Riddler is another psychological-based villain that holds little to no physical dominance over Batman, which would have madeThe Dark Knight Risestoo similar to past villains. The second benefit is thatRiddler’s absence allowed 2022’sThe Batmanto completely reinvent the character. If The Riddler had been used in 2012, Matt Reeves might have looked at other options forThe Batman’s villain as he had been used more recently.
That said, Riddler was not inThe Dark Knight Rises, and Reeves changed how the comic book villain is perceived. Gone was the campy, goofy, exaggerated, over-the-top villain of DC Comics. Instead, thedesign of Paul Dano’s Riddler inThe Batmanwas dark and gothic, and the character’s riddles took queues from more sinister real-life villains like the Zodiac killer. This redesign and reinvention of the character would likely not have been possible had he appeared more recently in live-actionBatmanfilms, makingThe Dark Knight Rises’choice of Bane as its villain even better.
Every Batman Movie Ranked Worst To Best
Batman has taken many forms on the silver screen across decades of cinematic history. Here’s how each movie stacks up against the others.
Could The Dark Knight 4 Use Riddler (If It Ever Happens)?
The Riddler May Be A Villain That Is Best Avoided
SinceThe Dark Knighttrilogy ended, questions over a fourth movie have often been raised. Asequel toThe Dark Knight Riseshas never been confirmed, but also never outright denied by Christopher Nolan either. Naturally, this raises the question of whether The Riddler could be a good villain to use ifThe Dark Knight 4does happen. This discussion stems from the character almost appearing instead of Bane, but it may be too late to include The Riddler in anotherBatmanmovie in a way that feels fresh and unique.
Jonathan Nolan has stated he would like to craft another Batman movie, adding fuel to the Dark Knight 4 fire.
The core concept of The Riddler from DC Comics is straightforward and somewhat difficult to reinvent. The character has a goofier, more exaggerated style that was displayed by Jim Carrey, andThe Dark Knight 4would not have the tone to match this. Therefore, if The Riddler was changed to fit the tone of Nolan’s universe, the villain would likely be too similar to The Joker andThe Batman’s Riddler. As such, I think it would be a bad idea for any potential sequel toThe Dark Knight Risesto use The Riddler, with many more Batman rogues as the better option.
The Dark Knight Rises
Cast
The Dark Knight Rises follows Batman as he returns to Gotham City eight years after the death of Harvey Dent. Now pursued by law enforcement, he faces new challenges from Selina Kyle and Bane, a formidable terrorist leader who threatens the city’s safety, compelling Batman to defend a city that sees him as a foe.
