Bane Dominates Early Dark Knight Rises Teasers

Bane isn't the only villain set to start in The Dark Knight Rises. However, the hulking brute has gotten more exposure than any other new character in the movie by far. Although the first trailer didn't show much new footage, it did show a brief front and back look at Bane to go along with a teaser photo from late May. Yet will Batman's most physically intimidating enemy make as much of an impact as the early teasers hint?

Warning: Spoilers follow

In the trailer, a hospital-ridden Commissioner Gordon gasps that an "evil rises" in the absence of Batman before the brief shots of Bane. But the genetically altered scientist isn't the only potential evil in the movie, since Catwoman is also involved along with the speculated revival of Batman Begins' League of Shadows.

However, Christopher Nolan is more eager to show off Bane than the other villains, as he is one of the few new things Nolan is displaying so far. Since he's played by Inception scene-stealer Tom Hardy, Nolan may be more eager to show him off. But given there may be multiple villains in the movie, will this one stand out as the ultimate threat in the end?

Batman fans know the character best for breaking the Dark Knight's back in a particularly brutal battle. As such, there is bound to be speculation that it will happen in the movie, since that kind of envelope-pushing is right up Nolan's alley. But if he doesn't put Batman in the hospital, the trailer likely made fans wonder if he put Gordon there instead.

Without a doubt, he will be the muscle of the film, with Catwoman bringing the sex appeal and the new League of Shadows perhaps pulling the strings. However, if the villain's gallery for the movie is this crowded, it may work against the movie. The likes of Iron Man 2, Spider Man 3 and the later films of the first Batman franchise were criticized for having too many villains, which diluted their impact.

Bane was part of such a crowd in Batman & Robin, as he played third fiddle to Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. But that film had a lot more problems than that, reducing the character to a monosyllabic hulk who didn't have much purpose. However, with Nolan in charge of his return and rising star Hardy stepping into Bane's mask and muscles, that inauspicious debut should be washed away.

There are more than a few villains ready to succeed the Joker in the Dark Knight franchise. Bane may not be a bigger name than the Joker, and isn't even the most famous villain in this movie, thanks to Catwoman. But given his place in the early teasers, he may be ready to rise up himself.

Sources

Comic Book Movie- "What will become of Bane?"

MTV.com- "Dark Knight Rises Production Kicks Off With First Official Photo"