THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Director Chris Nolan Defends Tom Hardy's "Extraordinary" Bane Performance

Tenet director Christopher Nolan has come to the defence of Tom Hardy's divisive Bane performance in The Dark Knight Rises, praising the actor's work as the Batman villain. Read on for further details...

By JoshWilding - Dec 17, 2020 02:12 AM EST

Filed Under: The Dark Knight Rises

Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast (via CBR)

It was always going to be difficult to top The Dark Knight, but Christopher Nolan gave it a good go with The Dark Knight Rises. Tom Hardy played Bane, a hard-to-understand villain who pushed Batman to his limits, though some comic book fans weren't happy with the way he was portrayed on screen.

There's no denying that Hardy did a lot of great work in the 2012 movie, but his take on the character has never been praised quite as much as what Heath Ledger did four years prior as The Joker.

During a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via CBR), Nolan praised Hardy's performance and argued that he's yet to receive the recognition he deserves.

"There's no safety net for any of these guys and Tom, what he did with that character, has yet to be fully appreciated," the filmmaker says. "It's an extraordinary performance, and truly amazing."

"The voice, the relationship between just seeing the eyes and the brow. We had all these discussions about the mask and what it would reveal and what it wouldn't reveal, and one of the things I remember him saying to me, he sort of put his finger up to his temple and his eyebrow and said, 'Can you give me this to play with? Let people see this.'"

"Sure enough, you see there in the film, this kind of Brando-esque brow, expressing all kinds of just monstrous things," Nolan continued. "It's really quite a performance."

The Dark Knight Rises is a movie well worth revisiting, and providing you occasionally turn the subtitles on, there's a lot to love about Bane. That fight scene in the sewers (which doesn't include Hans Zimmer's score) is brutal, and the moment the villain "Breaks the Bat" still stands out as a highlight.

What's your take on Nolan's comments about Hardy's Bane?

Which iconic superhero movie villains didn't debut in the
comic books? Click on the "Next" button below to take a look!

10. X-23

Laura Kinney debuted in the short-lived X-Men: Evolution in 2003, and was created by writer Craig Kyle.

Just one year later, she appeared in the NYX comic book series, while Kyle and Christopher Yost would later script X-23: Innocence Lost, a six-issue miniseries detailing the character's origin in the Marvel Universe. Wolverine's clone then became part of the core franchise with Uncanny X-Men #450, and her popularity has continued to grow.

Since then, X-23 has even taken over the mantle of Wolverine, and made her live-action debut in James Mangold's Logan where she was played by Dafne Keen.

As you'll soon learn, many great female comic book characters were created for television.

9. The Wonder Twins

Despite being two of DC's goofier heroes, the Wonder Twins have plenty of fans.

They've made only sporadic appearances in the comic books in recent years, though were made an official part of DC Universe continuity in 2019. They've since shown up in titles like Action Comics and Young Justice, but may be best known for their television appearances.

If they had an IMDB page, it would make for impressive reading as they've been spotted in everything from Justice League Unlimited to The Flash.

That's appropriate as their debut came in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, The All-New Superhero Hour, in the 1970s.

8. Jimmy Olsen

Superman's best pal, Jimmy Olsen has become a mainstay of the Man of Steel's adventures. Well, unless you're Zack Snyder and turn him into a C.I.A. agent who gets shot in the head after five minutes of screentime!

Despite having a history which stretches back to some of Superman's earliest stories, Olsen's origins are rooted in the radio show, The Adventures of Superman on April 15, 1940 in the episode "Donelli's Protection Racket." Shortly after, Jimmy made the leap to the page in Superman #13.

The character also made an anonymous cameo in Action Comics #6, and while that predates the radio show, he wasn't given a personality until he "debuted" there.

Without that, Supes would be without one of his closest allies.

7. H.E.R.B.I.E

Conceived for The New Fantastic Four animated series in the late 1970s, H.E.R.B.I.E. unbelievably replaced the Human Torch in that show when rights issues surrounding the Human Torch left him on the shelf.

Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and H.E.R.B.I.E. doesn't quite have the same right to it, huh?

It was Stan Lee who pitched replacing the Torch with a robot, and Uncanny X-Men artist Dave Cockrum was assigned to design him. When he dropped out, Jack Kirby took over, and that ended up being his final work for Marvel Comics. In 1979, H.E.R.B.I.E. made his comic book debut in Fantastic Four #209.

He's since become a fan-favourite, and retained that classic Kirby-inspired appearance.

6. Mercy Graves

In the early days of Marvel and DC, most female characters were love interests or damsels in distress. It's no wonder than that so many of the great ones have debuted elsewhere.

Superman: The Animated Series isn't quite as fondly remembered as Batman: The Animated Series, but it gave us Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor's formidable bodyguard and chauffeur. Her first comic book appearance came that same year in the pages of Superman Adventures #1.

She's since been key to many of the Man of Steel's adventures involving Luthor, and has most memorably appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The CW's Supergirl.

Mercy most recently appeared in Titans where she was played by Natalie Gumede.

5. Batman Beyond

Stick the Batman logo on anything, and it will probably be a hit.

However, there's something special about Terry McGinnis. Introduced as a means of picking up where Batman: The Animated Series left off, the Batman Beyond only ran from 1999 to 2001, and was put on hold for Warner Bros. Animation to instead focus on the Justice League animated series.

Despite a lukewarm reception at the time, the show would go on to gain a cult following, and found his way into the comics the same year his show debuted.

He's since appeared across the DC Universe on multiple occasions, including in a recent follow-up to the TV show which ran between 2016 - 2020. We're not fully sure why he's yet to appear in live-action, though.

4. Nova Fries

Batman fans have a lot of reasons to be grateful for Batman: The Animated Series, and it deserves a lot of credit for transforming Mr. Freeze into the complex villain we know and hate today.

Used in the show to explain Freeze's evil nature, the character was even used in the Batman & Robin film, and has been seen in both Gotham and CWVerse crossover event Elseworlds. Nora has also factored into all recent retellings of Freeze's origin in the comics (and Arkham computer games).

Her first comic appearance came in Batman: Mr. Freeze in 1997.

She's been through a lot since then including, believe it or not, becoming Mrs. Freeze last year!

3. Agent Coulson

Clark Gregg first played Agent Coulson in 2008's Iron Man where he was included only to tease the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. and set the stage for that memorable stinger introducing Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury.

Despite not having any roots in the comics, he became an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it really stung when he died at the hands of Loki in Marvel's The Avengers. Marvel Television resurrected him for seven seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC, however.

He first showed up as Cheese in 2011's Battle Scars #1, and was revealed as Phil Coulson in issue #6.

The comic book version didn't really resonate with fans, but Coulson remains a major fan-favorite online.

2. Firestar

Debuting in 1981 on the NBC animated television series, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends as Fire-Star, the character's popularity meant it wasn't long before she was added to the comics.

Funnily enough, her debut came in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends #1, but Firestar is now better known for her mutant background. Since being introduced, she's been an Avenger, an X-Men, and even a member of the New Warriors.

Firestar's association with Spider-Man is why she's so fondly remembered, however, and it would be undeniably spectacular to see them once day share the screen.

It's even rumored that Firestar is going to be brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

1. Harley Quinn

Now one of DC's most popular characters in any medium, Harley Quinn has grown to become so much more than just The Joker's accomplice and bit on the side!

Introduced in Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor," the Maiden of Mischief immediately resonated with fans thanks to her complex origin story, unique appearance and demeanour, and the incredible work of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm.

Harley made the leap to comics in 1993 in The Batman Adventures #12.

Since becoming more of an anti-hero than villain, Harley's popularity has, in some ways, eclipsed that of The Joker, and she's proof that not every classic character has to debut in the comics.

TDKR And INTERSTELLAR Star Anne Hathaway Credits Christopher Nolan With Getting Her Career Back On Track

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65 Comments

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Kyos - 12/17/2020, 3:20 AM

Probably my favourite thing about the movie.

marvel72 - 12/17/2020, 5:51 AM

@Kyos - it spawned Bane Cat, which was quite funny.

dracula - 12/17/2020, 3:23 AM

Dont think ive heard people criticize his performance. He isnt to bane what heath ledger is to the joker, but he still gave a solid performance

dragon316 - 12/17/2020, 4:49 AM

@dracula - only bad thing I read people say about his name they couldn’t understand him me I can understand him perfectly but I couldn’t understand x23 in Logan with and without subtitles and some scenes it was hard to understand Kylo ren when he spoke with helmet on

Doomsday8888 - 12/17/2020, 3:23 AM

He was a big guy and he gave a big performance.
Chapeau!

LTR - 12/17/2020, 3:24 AM

Genuinely never understood people’s difficulty in understanding him

tylerzero - 12/17/2020, 7:45 AM

@LTR - I understand how you don’t understand how they don’t understand.

NotoriousWolf23 - 12/17/2020, 3:25 AM

Best part of the movie

tmp3 - 12/17/2020, 3:26 AM

He's a big guy

Dredd97 - 12/17/2020, 6:14 AM

@tmp3 - for you

tmp3 - 12/17/2020, 6:31 AM

@Dredd97 - OT but my final Final is today, so I'll finally see Mank tomorrow

Dredd97 - 12/17/2020, 8:44 AM

@tmp3 - Yes! Good luck my dude!

Origame - 12/17/2020, 3:27 AM

I just wish we had the original audio instead of the amplified audio they did after the opening sequence was shown. You'd be hearing the same complaints about ledger's joker if it were the same performance yet he sounded like a microphone was pressed against his lips the whole movie.

larkitect - 12/17/2020, 3:28 AM

Isn't it unfair to say Christopher Nolan is 'defending' Tom Hardy's performance? Nobody is attacking Hardy's performance! As far as I can tell it has been held in high regard whilst the film itself is maligned for being convoluted. At most people had issues with Nolan's sound design making the Bane voice difficult to hear.

If the person interviewing Nolan was critical of Hardy why not quote them first?? Otherwise the headline of this article should be:

The Dark Knight Rises Director Chris Nolan EXPLAINS Tom Hardy's "Extraordinary" Bane Performance

Kumkani - 12/17/2020, 3:28 AM

The voice just sounded cartoony at times but it was a good performance

elgaz - 12/17/2020, 3:31 AM

Was a tremendous performance. It's right up there with Ledger's IMO, but I think Ledger's grabs more people by the scruff of the neck immediately because of the way he completely transformed himself - physically, vocally, mannerisms, etc. Hardy's performance is more restrictive because of the mask, but he compensates for this with the nuance, the voice, the confident swagger that Bane walks with, and the eyes/furrow. It's just not quite as easy to identify and appreciate these traits that he instilled in the character because the primary thing we all use to read a person - their face - is mostly hidden.

bkmeijer2 - 12/17/2020, 3:53 AM

Definitely a great performance in my opinion. For all the reason Nolan mentions. He may not be like comic book counterpart, but no character in these movies really was.

BlackStar25 - 12/17/2020, 4:07 AM

Eh? I don't think there was much to defend. If there was a problem it certainly wasn't Hardy's performance

WakandanQueen - 12/17/2020, 4:10 AM

No need to.

99OPTIMISTPRIME - 12/17/2020, 4:37 AM

Iconic.

marvel72 - 12/17/2020, 5:52 AM

@99OPTIMISTPRIME - Those videos are so funny.

dragon316 - 12/17/2020, 4:52 AM

I like his bane my complaint bane was stupid lacky not main villain as trailers made him out to be he’s was side villain bane should have been main villain in movie not talia

Whaley87 - 12/17/2020, 11:38 AM

@dragon316 - Do you like it is much as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3?

IronGiant - 12/17/2020, 5:25 AM

TDKR is easily the worst movie in the Nolan Batman Trilogy. The plot is convoluted. And a big mis-step for me is Bane. And that has nothing to do with Tom Hardy's performance. It's the way the character is written. Yes, to have him as basically a sophisticated henchman for Talia A'Ghul is unacceptable. But even worse is him not using his venom. Why use the character at all if you are going to strip his coolest ability from him? Like using the Riddler, but he won't have any riddles. Or the Penguin with out his umbrella. That was a major let down.

Awest66 - 3/7/2021, 1:20 PM

@IronGiant - Disagree.

Honestly, Age of Ultron was a bigger letdown and it's not even close.

marvel72 - 12/17/2020, 5:54 AM

The movie was average to say the least but yeah he's look and voice were a part of the problem.

soberchimera - 12/17/2020, 5:59 AM

One could say his performance was....MARVELous?

Dredd97 - 12/17/2020, 6:16 AM

I mean he was fine? He was a Bond villain that sounded like Sean Connery. It was okay, but I don't think it was the revelation of a performance

1 2

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