History Characters / TheDarkKnightSagaLeagueOfShadows

The League of Shadows and their associates serve as major antagonists in ''The Dark Knight Saga''. This is their page.

'''MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING!''' The bottom character is a ''MASSIVE'' WalkingSpoiler! Tropes relating to this character have '''no spoiler tags'''. You're advised to have finished the trilogy before even clicking on that folder. '''YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.'''

[[Characters/TheDarkKnightSaga Return to main page.]]

-----
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Ra's al Ghul]]
!Ra's al Ghul [[spoiler:Decoy]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RasAlGhul_735.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You cannot lead these men unless you are prepared to do what is necessary to defeat evil."'']]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/KenWatanabe

* AncientConspiracy: Heads the League of Shadows, which has been around since Ancient Rome at least according to Ducard [[spoiler:AKA Ra's al Ghul, and the real leader.]] [[HistoricalInJoke They also engineered the Great Fire of London and the Black Plague.]]
* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: In some lines it's pretty noticeable. Likely unintentional, though, since it's Watanabe's own accent.
-->'''Ra's al Ghul''':..[Gotham] is beyond saving and must be a'''rr'''owed to die!
* BaldOfEvil: It's monk-like, befitting his home base, and the concept of his order.
* {{Badass}}: His followers talk about how dangerous and cunning he is, as well as the mere fact that Ra's is in charge of the League of Shadows. [[spoiler:Though he gets crushed under a pile of rubble pretty unceremoniously during his fight with Bruce.]]
* BadassBeard[=/=]BeardOfEvil: Ra's sports two small, pointed beards on either side of his chin, much like the comics' version of the character. [[spoiler:Which helps to disguise that Watanabe's character is not the real Ra's al Ghul.]]
* BadassCape: Alone of all the other members of the League of Shadows, Ra's wears an ornate-looking, decorative cape.
* [[spoiler:BodyDouble]]: Ra's makes use of this trope to [[spoiler:appear immortal.]]
* DarkMessiah: His followers believe they were "saved" by him. Ducard mentions how Ra's gave them purpose and helped them overcome their problems.
* [[spoiler:[[DroppedABridgeOnHim Dropped A Roof On Him]] The supposed leader of the League of Shadows is killed without fanfare.]]
* EvilPlan: He wants to convince Bruce to go back to Gotham, but still work for the League of Shadows in secret. Then he wants Bruce to help them bring down Gotham. Bruce obviously disagrees. [[spoiler:Though it might have been Ducard's plan, since he is the real Ra's al Ghul.]]
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: In a KnightTemplar variant of the trope, Ra's tries to make Bruce kill a criminal to prove he will do whatever is necessary to fight evil (according to Ra's KnightTemplar philosophy).
* KnightTemplar: He's the one who teaches others the 'restore balance' and 'do what is necessary' philosophy.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: He is seen doing very little while his second-in-command Ducard handles most of the League's affairs. [[spoiler: It makes more sense in context when it's revealed he's just the decoy.]]
* RaceLift: He's Japanese here, while Arab in the comics.
* [[spoiler:RedHerring]]:[[spoiler:For the real Ra's al Ghul, Ducard.]]
* TheQuietOne: Rarely talks.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In his eyes, destroying Gotham is like chemotherapy for the wider society.
* YellowPeril: He looks central/eastern Asian-ish and leads a terrorist group.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Henri Ducard]]
!Henri Ducard[[spoiler:[=/=]Ra's al Ghul]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ducard_1_6308.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share."'']]
->''"If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind them and stab them in the heart."''

->'''Played by:''' Creator/LiamNeeson & Josh Pence (younger)

A major figure in the secret organisation known as the League of Shadows, Ducard approaches Bruce Wayne on behalf of Ra's al Ghul. He becomes Bruce's mentor, training him and attempting to impart his philosophy of justice to him. [[spoiler: It is later revealed that Ducard actually is Ra's al Ghul, and he plans to destroy Gotham to remove such evil from the world. His plans are halted by his former student, and he is killed when the train he's using to help destroy the city crashes.]]
----
* AffablyEvil: There's a reason why [[spoiler: his BigBad status is a plot twist]]. Among other things, his relationship with Bruce was almost father-like, to the point of Bruce nearly throwing himself off a cliff to save his life.
* AncientConspiracy: Is part of the League of Shadows, which he claims was involved with various historical events that hurt civilizations, errr, "restored balance".
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Lists the various fighting styles that Bruce attempts to use when he first arrives at the monastery, as well as being able to to pay attention to the immediate environment whilst fighting and use it against him.
* {{Badass}}: He taught Bruce how to fight.
** BadassBaritone: Ducard has a deep, husky voice.
** BadassBeard[=/=]BeardOfEvil: A fuller one than [[spoiler: the decoy Ra's]].
** BadassGrandpa: He is significantly older than Bruce in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. To give an idea of how old he is, [[AllThereInTheManual the novelization of]] ''Film/BatmanBegins'' says his younger self managed to manipulate UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler into losing WorldWarII.
** BadassInCharge: [[spoiler: Of the League of Shadows.]]
** HeartbrokenBadass: He once had a wife, whom he loved very much, but she was taken from him [[spoiler: and forced to raise their child in a HellholePrison before dying]].
* BigBad: [[spoiler: Of the first movie, since the Fear Toxin thing is his plan and he sends in the Order.]]
** BiggerBad: [[spoiler: Of the third movie, and the entire trilogy, since his daughter and ex-communicated student are trying to carry on his legacy.]]
* BodyDouble: [[spoiler: The guy that died in a fire that was seemingly Ra's was actually a decoy, or at least that's what's implied.]]
* BreakThemByTalking:
** He tries to disprove Bruce's idealism by telling just how corrupt Gotham [[CrapsackWorld really is]] while [[spoiler: burning down Wayne Manor]]. Bruce disagrees and believes there is still hope for Gotham.
** He even does this [[spoiler: posthumously in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', telling Bruce that he is immortal in that his mission will continue to live on after his death and that Gotham will be destroyed. Bruce is hallucinating, but still...]]
* TheCameo: [[spoiler: In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', see the below entry DaydreamSurprise.]]
* TheChessmaster: He is a very skilled tactician and had been working behind the scenes for months before revealing himself.
* CombatPragmatist: A trait that he passes on to Bruce.
--> '''Ducard''': [''sparring with Bruce''] You're skilled. But this is not a dance. [''headbutts Bruce'']
* CompositeCharacter: In the comics, Ducard and [[spoiler: Ra's al-Ghul]] are two separate characters. He also gets some of [[spoiler:King Snake]]'s backstory.
* CoolOldGuy: Played straight during Bruce's training, but subverted as Ducard's KnightTemplar philosophy becomes evident.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Hinted at in ''Begins'' when he talks about the loss of his great love, but it's not until ''Rises'' that we learn [[spoiler: he was a mercenary who fell in love with a warlord's daughter. They married, conceived a child, and her father found out. He was to be executed, but by his wife's sacrifice, he was only exiled]].
* DarkMessiah: Believes that by destroying Gotham he is saving it.
* DaydreamSurprise: [[spoiler: Is in one in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
--> '''Ducard''': [''seeing Batman in full costume for the first time''] Well, well. You took my advice about theatricality a bit...literally.
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: He's immortal in the comics. In the films... not so much.]]
* TheDreaded: [[spoiler: Ducard mentions how Ra's is "a man greatly feared by the criminal underworld", and indeed, when Falcone hears that Ra's is coming to Gotham, he's clearly terrified of him.]]
* DontThinkFeel: Inverted; he trains Bruce to fight rationally instead of being dominated by emotion.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[AllThereInTheManual The novelization of]] ''Film/BatmanBegins'' states he has a dislike of nuclear weapons and does not use them, [[spoiler: unlike his daughter in ''Rises'']]. This is implied to be part of the reason that [[spoiler: Bane was excommunicated from the League of Shadows. Rumors about Bane imply that he was (in Alfred's words) "too extreme for Ra's al Ghul", and Talia claims that Ra's only saw Bane as "a monster"]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He does not understand why Bruce would refuse to be [[KnightTemplar an executioner]].
* EvilMentor: He trained Bruce in how to fight criminals; but also tried to make Bruce a KnightTemplar and later, [[spoiler: tried to destroy Gotham.]]
* EvilPlan: [[spoiler: Destroy Gotham citybecause he believes ItIsBeyondSaving and in need of a MercyKill.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: See BadassBaritone above.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: Last seen calmly closing his eyes as a monorail train crashes and explodes with him inside.]]
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Melancholic (Shares this with Miranda.)
* GeniusBruiser: He's as good at scheming as he is at combat.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: In Bruce's opinion, he's worse than the evil he claims to expunge.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Jams the controls of the monorail train so that Batman can't stop it from reaching its destination. This also means it can't be stopped from crashing after Batman has Gordon destroy the track supports]].
* HonorBeforeReason: In a twisted sense of "honor". [[spoiler:When Bruce is knocked unconscious in his home, Ra's leaves him [[BondVillainStupidity rather than make sure he's dead]], reasoning "Justice is balance. You burned my house and left me for dead. Consider us even."]]
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: [[spoiler:In this universe, his name is pronounced "Raz al Gool" instead of "Raysh al Gool" like his co-creator Denny O'Neil intended. However, the former pronunciation is more correct in pure Arabic, while the latter pronunciation is a mix of Hebrew and Arabic.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Confirmed via WordOfGod.]]
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: Attempts to do this when he burns down Wayne Manor near the end of ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and leaves Bruce to perish in the fire. Fortunately, Alfred saves Bruce.]]
* KnightTemplar: The League of Shadows 'restores balance' to the world by destroying corruption.
* LargeAndInCharge: Helps to be authoritative when You're played by Liam Neeson.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Much of the series' promotional material (including the picture on the main page) does not attempt to hide that [[spoiler: he's the real BigBad of ''Batman Begins'']].
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Avenging his wife's death was Ducard's StartOfDarkness.
* MakesUsEven: [[spoiler: He says this when burns down Wayne Manor and leaves Bruce to die.]]
--> '''Ducard''': Justice is balance. You burned my house and left me for dead. Consider us even.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: [[spoiler: Ra's al Ghul is Arabic for "The Demon's Head".]]
* NotSoDifferent: He and Bruce have both suffered terrible losses, both seek to punish the criminal elements of Gotham (although their methods are [[{{Understatement}} rather different]]), [[spoiler: and both use a dreaded persona (Batman for Bruce, Ra's al Ghul for Ducard) to inspire terror in the hearts of their enemies.]]
* TheObiWan: To Bruce Wayne. Doubly so, in a meta sense, when you consider that Creator/LiamNeeson ''was'', at one point, one to Obi-Wan himself. He is also considered as the Qui-Gon Jinn to Bruce's Obi-Wan.
** ObiWanMoment: [[spoiler: In the scene where the train crashes.]]
* ParentalSubstitute:
** To Bruce, for a few short years when the boy was in serious need of guidance. [[BrokenPedestal At the end of those years Bruce finds himself disgusted with his ruthlessness.]]
** [[spoiler: ''The Dark Knight Rises'' implies he was one to the orphaned Bane as well, to the point where Bane is willing to orchestrate an EvilPlan with his daughter so his legacy may be fulfilled posthumously. This is hammered in when a young Ra's is shown using a rope to rescue an injured Bane from the bottom of the pit in much the same manner Thomas Wayne rescued an injured Bruce in Batman Begins. Ironically, Ra's ultimately excommunicated Bane because of his prison-honed ruthlessness, only for his intended heir Bruce Wayne to later reject him for being too ruthless.]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The modus operandi of the League of Shadows, particularly seen when [[spoiler: Ra's leads the massacre of the prisoners who murdered his wife]].
* PosthumousCharacter:[[spoiler: In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.]]
* RaceLift: [[spoiler: Appears to be European, rather than Arab as in the comics.]]
* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler:Ra's and the League claim that they serve justice, but their idea of justice is closer to karmic vengeance. Bruce thought the same in his earlier years before he came to realize that justice and revenge are not the same]].
* TheUnfettered: Stops at nothing to achieve his goal of [[spoiler: destroying Gotham City]].
* VillainousLegacy: He's killed after he tries to [[spoiler: [[KnightTemplar annihilate Gotham and all its citizens to rid the world of its corruption]]]]. In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' his influence continues to be felt since the League was not destroyed, and his student Bane sets out to fulfill his dead master's plans [[spoiler: along with Ra's daughter Talia]], but wants Gotham to suffer first.
* WarriorTherapist: Not only does he train Bruce, but he helps Bruce deal with his parents' deaths.
* [[WeCanRuleTogether We Can Save The World Together]]: "You were my best student; you should be standing at my side saving the world."
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Of the "commit great evil to destroy greater evil" variety.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Bane]]

!Bane
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TropeBane_6228.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm Gotham's reckoning."'']]
->''"Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask."''

->'''Played by:''' Creator/TomHardy

A powerful mercenary and terrorist with big plans for Gotham city. His terrible strength and razor-sharp wits and intelligence make him a seemingly indomitable adversary to Gotham, as well as Batman and Bruce Wayne.

[[spoiler: He grew up alongside Talia al Ghul in the Pit, quickly developing a fondness and protectiveness for her and eventually aiding in her escape from the prison. His price would be horrific and disfiguring injuries at the hands of other prisoners, leaving him in constant agony; his mask was constructed to counteract this, supplying him with a very potent gaseous painkiller. He would later be rescued from the Pit by Ra's al Ghul at the behest of Talia, and after her father's death, conspires with her to avenge his death so he may "fulfill his destiny".]]
----
* AchillesHeel: His breathing mask; during their second fight, even with Batman's "hardening" in the prison and renewed drive, you can tell that Bane still clearly has the advantage until Batman damages his mask, causing the pain to overwhelm him.
** This is also a more realistic version of his usual weakness; a big, exposed super-steroid tube that goes from the control on his wrist to the back of his head. Since he specializes in hand-to-hand, he's doubtless found that anything of the sort is a liability, and set up the much, much harder to strike mouth setup. [[spoiler:It's also extremely easy to repair.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: This adaption of Bane largely draws from comic arcs in which he is presented as a CardCarryingVillain. Namely "Knightfall", in which he [[spoiler:engineers chaos across Gotham and breaks Batman's back to take over the city]], "Legacy" in which he antagonizes Gotham to prove himself [[spoiler: a worthy heir to Ra's Al Ghul]] and "Bane", a one-shot in which he threatens Gotham with a Nuclear Bomb. [[spoiler: This is subverted however in the climax when Talia reveals he protected her from being raped and murdered when they were young. This is more evocative of the protective relationship Bane develops with Scandal in Gail Simone's "Secret Six". Especially when compared to his comic counterpart's relationship with Talia in "Legacy", where HE actually threatens to rape her.]]
* AffablyEvil: A zig-zag of this trope ''and'' FauxAffablyEvil; Bane's affability is presumably genuine when directed toward his allies, and it crosses over into Faux territory when Bane maintains that same polite, jovial demeanor while beating someone mercilessly or preparing to snap someone's neck.
** For example, when Bane compliments the singing abilities of the boy singing the national anthem right before he blows up the football stadium ("That's a lovely, lovely voice!"), it's hard to say if he's being deliberately ironic or creepily sincere.
** He also gives a polite "thank you" to the terrified hostage who has been holding his motorcycle helmet during the Stock Exchange attack, immediately after a henchman was shooting into the ceiling.
** He's almost always polite to the people he kills. "Thank you, good doctor!" is what he says before breaking Dr. Pavel's neck, and he says, "I'm on your schedule, captain," right before crushing Captain Jones's neck.
* AllThereInTheManual: The novelization and original script include a few deleted scenes and alterations of existing scenes that expand on his past and motivations [[spoiler: namely showing his training with Ra's Al Ghul and how he is ultimately more motivated to accomplish what his mentor could not by besting Batman and forcing Gotham to destroy itself, rather than out of complete devotion to his partner and friend Talia. The movie's removal of these scenes makes the interpretation of his motivations more ambiguous.]]
--> '''Bane''': [[spoiler: Ra's Al Ghul rescued me from the pit. That is why I must fulfill his destiny.]]
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Bane has Batman's ''number'' in hand-to-hand combat but is obsessed with proving to himself and Batman that he is the better fighter and student of Ra's.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: There's a reason why as TheLeader of The League of Shadows [[spoiler:or at least one of the leaders]], Bane beats the everliving shit out of Batman but when he does lead the remains of Gotham during his hostile takeover, he's more in charge.
* {{Badass}}: Out of all the antagonists Batman has faced, Bane is the first one who has posed the largest physical threat to the Caped Crusader, [[CurbStompBattle effortlessly handing Batman's ass to him in their first battle together]].
** BadassAndChildDuo: [[spoiler:When Talia was a kid.]]
** BadassArmy: The League of Shadows is a smaller scale version of one. Selina even warns Batman that Bane and his men now aren't the average thug.
** BadassBaritone: Two of the most memorable reviewers descriptions' of it are: "Creator/IanMcKellen gargling meths in a wind tunnel" and "UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill wearing [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader's]] helmet."
** BadassBiker: Bane also has the talent of a professional motorcycle rider, as he and his men escape from the Stock Exchange on motorcycles, doing ramps and easily evading the cops.
** BadassBoast: He's a ''fountain'' of these, and he backs each one up in rather spectacular fashion.
--->'''Bane''': And when it is done, and Gotham is... ''ashes''... you have my permission to die.
** BadassGrandpa: If the flashbacks are any indication, Bane is in his late-forties, if not older. This is also hinted at when he chastises Batman for "fight[ing] like a younger man".
** BadassInCharge: In charge of the remains of The League of Shadows after their defeat in ''Film/BatmanBegins'', and in charge of the city once his plan goes through. [[spoiler:SubvertedTrope But Talia al Ghul is the true heir of the League and is also in charge, even if members seems to report chiefly to Bane]].
** BadassLongcoat: There's no denying it. His fur coat with shearling collar was specially designed for the film.
* BaldOfEvil: Well, in areas not covered with his mask.
* BenevolentBoss: Notwithstanding the occasional YouHaveFailedMe moments. Unlike the Joker, he is good and respectful to his men, to the point that they happily sacrifice themselves for his cause.
* {{The Berserker}}: When his mask is damaged.
* BerserkButton: When Batman reminds him of his excommunication from the League of Shadows, [[{{beat}} Bane is silent for a moment]]...then starts pummeling Batman even harder.
* BigBad: Of the third movie. [[spoiler:Possibly Talia's Dragon but nonetheless, he's still TheHeavy.]]
** [[spoiler:BigBadDuumvirate: Possibly, with Talia. The novelization and original script seem to support this interpretation, though Bane seems to drive the plot more than Talia.]]
* TheBigGuy: [[spoiler: For you]].
* [[spoiler:BodyguardCrush: Possibly on Talia. He protected her in the Pit. That might be one of the reasons Ra's despised him.]]
* BookEnds: Bane has now appeared in the last films of both of the Batman film series',(''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' respectively.) [[spoiler:And both times he was working with a NonActionBigBad FemmeFatale.]]
* BreakTheHaughty: Bane started out as big and tough and [[spoiler:beat Batman during their first fight.]] But during the climax of the movie he was not only disillusioned by [[spoiler:Batman's recovery.]] He also felt genuinely threatened by him, to the point of [[spoiler:defying Talia's wish to keep him alive until the bomb's detonation.]]
* BreakThemByTalking: Most of what he says to Batman during the first [[CurbStompBattle "fight"]] is this, with a few {{Badass Boast}}s thrown in.
** He delivers another to Bruce in the Pit, detailing how the prison is designed to break his will and revealing his intent to terrorize and destroy Gotham as an additional torture for Bruce.
* BreakingTheBonds: He effortlessly snaps off his bonds on the plane.
* BrutalHonesty: He's surprisingly upfront about what the penalties are for failing him.
--> '''Bane''': Search him [Gordon]. Then I will kill you.
** Indeed, he follows through, shooting the guy and throwing his body into the storm drain.
* [[spoiler: TheChampion: To Talia, at least during their time in the pit.]]
* CardCarryingVillain: "I'm ''necessary'' evil."
* CharacterTics: Bane has a habit of holding his jacket lapels open like a very dapper gentleman, even when he's not wearing lapels or even a jacket. Given that he also permanently wears a somewhat uncomfortable anaesthetic mask, this may just be a way to get some air on his neck.
** [[spoiler: Fridge Brilliance when you realize Henri Ducard had a similar habit when he was the living Leader of the League of Shadows. Considering that Bane considers himself the one to "fulfill Ra's Al Ghul's destiny", it would seem he is trying to emulate his former mentor in every aspect possible.]]
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: The man can punch through concrete columns with his '''bare fists'''. He can also lift a fully armored Batman off the ground with one hand, and at the end of the fight, actually cracks Batman's cowl, which is specifically designed to withstand impact.
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler: To what extent the EvilPlan was drawn up by Talia instead of by Bane is debatable but there's no denying his execution of it. A lot of Bane's moves, including abducting Dr. Pavel, attacking the Stock Exchange, and rigging the construction sites with explosives, clearly are things he planned.]]
* TheCoatsAreOff: Casts his coat off during the climax, just before his second fight with Batman.
* CoolMask: Terrifying, too.
* CombatPragmatist: Unlike The Joker from ''The Dark Knight'', he definitely knows how to fight. Like The Joker, he has no problems with underhanded tactics [[spoiler: like on the airplane, where the paramilitary henchmen surprise the U.S. army soldiers by shooting through the plane windows when the soldiers aren't even aware the henchmen are nearby]].
* CompositeCharacter: While this version of Bane is largely based off his comic book counterpart, he also shares elements in common with the Mutant Leader from TheDarkKnightReturns. They are both brutal, bald, GeniusBruiser villains who are able to cultivate a leadership of the disenfranchised in Gotham. They both [[spoiler:defeat Batman in their first match by physically overwhelming the older hero]] and are both [[spoiler:defeated by him in their second match when he fights more tactically.]]
* CurbStompBattle: His first fight with Batman is so ridiculously one-sided that this is the only way you can describe it. Yes, Batman gets in plenty of good hits, they just don't have any noticeable effect.
** His second one starts out the same way until Batman gets a lucky mask hit, and it's obvious that he would have won just as handily the second time had Batman not gotten that hit in.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Almost all the time. Even during the few times when he's GenreBlind, he learns from his mistakes.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Claims to have been "born in [the dark]".
* DarkIsEvil: In direct contrast to Batman's DarkIsNotEvil. Bane even waxes poetic about his relationship with darkness while criticizing Batman's tactics during their first fight.
--> '''Bane''': "Oh, you think the darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it. ''Molded'' by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, and by then, it was nothing to me but ''BLINDING''! ''[pummels him]'' [[BadassBoast The shadows betray you, because they belong to me!]]"
* DarkMessiah: He convinces Gotham's citizens that he is trying to "liberate" them and give them control of their city from the corrupt businesses and government of the city. [[spoiler: He succeeds with quite a few of them, driving the city further into chaos before the city is nuked, just to torture Batman.]]
* DarthVaderClone: [[http://www.accesshollywood.com/the-dark-knight-rises-christopher-nolan-says-tom-hardys-bane-has-a-little-bit-of-darth-vader_article_67111 Compared to ol' helmethead]] [[WordOfGod by Nolan himself]]. [[HilariousInHindsight There happens to be an unrelated]] "Literature/DarthBane" in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe.
* DeadpanSnarker: For example, in his intro scene, he snarks about how terrible the CIA are at {{High Altitude Interrogation}}s, [[spoiler: saying a comrade isn't talking because "perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man, ''before'' throwing him out of a plane."]]
** When he's attacking the stock exchange, a trader protests that there's no money he can steal. Bane says, "Really? Then why are you people here?"
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler: In the first six minutes of the film, Bane kidnaps Dr. Pavel and arranges a blood transfusion with a henchman so it would seem as though Pavel died in the crash. He has the line "Now, now, Doctor, now's not the time for fear. That comes later," to Pavel; and indeed, he forces the guy to arm an atomic bomb intended to kill the entirety of Gotham, then unceremoniously snaps his neck in public.]]
* DeathSeeker: Bane has a profound lack of self-preservation, demonstrated in that his ultimate plan involves [[spoiler:detonating a nuke while remaining on ground zero, mostly because they have succumbed to RevengeBeforeReason.]] Add in the fact that Bane admits that he's pure evil, though in his opinion a [[NecessarilyEvil necessary one]], and the resulting clash with his KnightTemplar philosophy seems to have led him to this path. Though given a moniker like his, it's not hard to believe.
* DeliveryGuyInfiltration: To get into the Stock Exchange, Bane disguises himself as a deliveryman with a motorcycle helmet to hide his face. Simultaneously, his henchman Petrov disguises himself as a food delivery carrier to smuggle a pistol onto the trading floor.
* DespairEventHorizon: {{Implied|Trope}}. Bane describes the Pit as the place where he learned the truth about despair, [[spoiler: and after helping Talia to escape, was left permanently crippled with pain and unable to escape himself until Ra's Al Ghul rescued him]]. It's left ambiguous as to whether or not Bane ever crossed the DespairEventHorizon, and if he did, whether or not he ever recovered.
* DisabledSnarker: Thanks to the mask
* DissonantSerenity: Despite the conditions surrounding him in Gotham (albeit conditions that he himself caused), Bane never seems anything but completely calm. [[spoiler:Only when Batman damages his mask during their rematch does [[VillainousBreakdown his cool begin to fracture]].]] This could be the result of the gas being euphoric.
* DoesntLikeGuns: Subverted, because although Bane is okay with using firearms when necessary, he only holds a firearm twice - when Gordon is delivered to his lair, he takes Gordon's pistol and uses it to shoot one of the thugs who delivered Gordon; the second time is at the end, where he's preparing to use a shotgun on Batman but Selina interferes before he can use it. The rest of the time, he prefers to break peoples' necks.
* TheDragon: Bane poses as one for John Daggett, doing all of Daggett's dirty work, including attacking the Stock Exchange to bankrupt Bruce so that Bruce will be bankrupted and Daggett can take over Wayne Enterprises. [[spoiler:In reality, Bane was likely this to Ra's al Ghul during his time with the League of Shadows, and might have later become this to Ra's daughter Talia after she took over the League of Shadows following Ra's death. Though it's just as likely that he and Talia formed a BigBadDuumvirate - the movie is ambiguous/vague enough to let viewers interpret their relationship in many ways. To such a point that it's very possible Bane is the DragonInChief. The novelization and original script seem to support the Duumvirate interpretation, but the movie leaves it ambiguous.]]
** DragonInChief: Since Daggett is a talker, Bane does most of the dirty work for him, including an assault on the Stock Exchange [[spoiler:which houses most of Wayne's money that Daggett wanted. As stated above, if Bane is truly Talia's Dragon, he fits this trope because he carries out Talia's plan by acting by himself. This makes him appear to be (and act like) the sole BigBad himself, both in- and out-of-universe, until TheReveal.]]
** DragonWithAnAgenda: Daggett thinks Bane is his [[TheDragon Dragon]] just because he paid him. He realizes his error much too late to rectify it.
-->'''Daggett:''' "I paid you a small fortune..."
-->'''Bane:''' "And this gives you power over me?"
* TheDreaded: Selina Kyle is afraid of him, even more so once she sees him break Bruce's back. Alfred, after hearing rumors about him and seeing footage of him at the Stock Exchange, is convinced that Bruce doesn't stand a chance against him.
* [[spoiler: DroppedABridgeOnHim: Justified considering that up to the point where Selina Kyle kills him with the Batpod's cannons, he's been shown to be NighInvulnerable. Being blown away by the Batpod's guns is so sudden that the viewer may take a moment to realize what happened. Even more so, it seems like HoistByHisOwnPetard, given that two of Bane's gunfight ambushes involved similar "take the other side by surprise" tactics.]]
** [[spoiler: KarmicDeath: Considered that he blithely ignored his partner's last wish to spitefully Drop a bridge on Batman, one can interpret this as him getting his just desserts.]]
* ElectronicSpeechImpediment: Due to the mask.
* [[spoiler: EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His relationship with Talia and vice versa.]]
* EvilCounterpart: Set up to be Batman's as both are intelligent, skilled and trained under the League of Shadows. [[spoiler: TheReveal also shows that both men are Older Than They Look and physically crippled without devices in their respective costumes. Both men also seek to inspire hope in Gotham for entirely different ends.]]
** [[spoiler: He is also an EvilCounterpart to John Blake, as both men are revealed to seek to carry on the legacy of a former crime fighter. It's telling that Bruce Wayne eventually learns to trust John Blake with his legacy while Ra's Al Ghul rejects Bane.]]
* EvilBrit: His nationality isn't stated, but Tom Hardy speaks like a jovial English gentleman.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Not ''too'' much, but the mask deepens Tom Hardy's naturally nasal voice quite a bit. Some foreign dubs ''do'' give him a very deep voice, possibly to correct his ([[WordOfGod intentional]]) VocalDissonance in English.
* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler: Daggett]] realized too late that he was out of his league. "You're pure evil."
** [[spoiler: He is also implied to be too evil for Ra's Al Ghul, himself a Well-Intentioned Extremist. Deleted scenes show that Bane's experience being tortured and crippled in the Pit made his fighting style too ruthless for even Ra's, leading to his ex-communication. It's subtly hinted that Bane's desire to use nuclear weapons may have also factored into it.]]
* EvilOverlord: Is one for the new League of Shadows[[spoiler: and becomes a discreet version over Gotham after he traps it with the intent of destroying it.]]
* EvilPlan: "Fulfill Ra's al Ghul's destiny" by completing his EvilPlan from ''Begins'': MercyKill Gotham.
* [[spoiler: FamousLastWords: "You'll just have to imagine the fire."]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: Wears a gauntlet/wrist brace thing on his right hand. This may be to HandWave the fact that Bane can shatter Batman's cowl, which is some durable graphite composite - with his bare hands and not break his hand in the process.
* FateWorseThanDeath: He sought to inflict one on Bruce, by [[ForcedToWatch forcing him to watch]] as Bane tortured and ultimately destroyed Gotham, while Bruce was left in the Pit with his back broken, helpless to do anything about it.
--> '''Bruce''': Why didn't you just... kill me?
--> '''Bane''': You don't fear death. You welcome it. Your punishment must be more ''severe''.
--> '''Bruce''': Torture?
--> '''Bane''': Yes. But not of your body. Of your soul.
* FeelNoPain: His mask is primarily meant to relieve pain from his past injury, but judging from how he barely even reacts to Batman's blows in their first fight, it seems that it also makes him immune to all other pain as well.
** More evidence for this comes in their second fight. [[spoiler: Even though Bane has the physical upper hand, when Batman damages his mask, Bane suddenly feels the hits that Batman's throwing. It clearly disorients Bane, who probably isn't used to that kind of non-dulled pain, allowing Batman to take the lead in the fight.]]
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric (Shares this with Harvey Dent.)
* FromNobodyToNightmare: "No one cared who I was until I put on the mask."
* GeniusBruiser: It took nearly 20 years, but he's finally been portrayed this way in a major adaptation.
** In just the first six minutes of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', he both defeats U.S. Army soldiers and a CIA agent by [[OutGambitted tricking them into loading himself, two of his men, and Dr. Pavel onto the plane. He then has a C-130 Hercules filled with his men ambush the CIA plane, where they fast-rope down and shoot out the windows, killing off the US soldiers.]] Bane then fakes Dr. Pavel's death by transfusing the doctor's blood into another guy's corpse and then escapes with the doctor; leaving the plane to crash and faking the doctor's death.]]
** He also demonstrates knowledge of psychological torture, which he sees as more intense as physical pain, the prime example of this being [[spoiler: the fusion reactor/atom bomb. The bomb is armed, but not immediately detonated, for two primary purposes: to give Gotham a false hope that they may be saved by obeying Bane (they won't, as the bomb will detonate in 5 months regardless), and to force Bruce to watch as his city rots over a prolonged period of time, culminating in its destruction.]]
** A throwaway line indicates that he has at least a working knowledge of nuclear physics, when he says "Five, by my calculations."
* GenreBlind: [[spoiler: Once when he puts Bruce in the prison he grew up in which he knew Talia escaped from, rather than just shooting him when he had the chance, the other time when he expresses genuine shock at Batman exploiting his weakness in their rematch. Then again he may have kept Batman alive due to Talia's orders, seeing as Talia wants Batman to see his city destroyed, even if Bane had other ideas. Later, Bane sees the problem in keeping Batman alive and defies Talia's orders to keep him alive... though Selina blows him away before Bane can kill Batman.]]
** GenreSavvy: On the other hand, the latter point is pretty savvy in itself. [[spoiler:After Bane manages to subdue Batman and he pulls a shotgun, it's the best choice he could make; since Batman managed to escape the nigh-unescapable prison even Bane could not best, executing him is safer than sparing him for a few minutes.]]
* GoryDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:A late reveal explains other prisoners severely mutilated his face, which is another reason he wears a mask. Since the said mask also pumps him with powerful painkillers that make his agony ''managable'', and it covers most of his head and face, this is left entirely to the imagination.]]
* TheHeavy: In more ways than one. On top of being ridiculously well-built, he's also the main bad guy driving the plot forward. [[spoiler: He's not the sole BigBad, either - Talia holds this title as well, but Bane's got more influence.]]
* HandicappedBadass: This rendition of Bane suffered a serious injury in his backstory (from when he helped Talia escape from the Pit), leaving him in agonizing pain when he's without the anesthetic gas supplied through his mask.
* HeroKiller: [[spoiler:Although he doesn't kill Batman, Bane beats the tar out of him in their first fight and breaks his back.]] Bane also is responsible for the deaths of [[spoiler:Gotham's mayor, the Special Forces team the government sends to save Gotham (he even hangs their bodies for the world to see) and kills various other characters like a CIA agent and Dr. Pavel]]. Bane is also arguably a Villain Killer too, as he kills both some of his henchmen and [[spoiler:John Dagget]]. Long story short, if you stand in the way of Bane [[spoiler:and Talia's]] plot, he is most likely to kill you.
* HoistHeroOverHead: It's his SignatureScene[=/=]SignatureMove from the comics, so it pretty much had to be here. He doesn't disappoint.
--> '''Bane''': "Ah, yes! I was wondering what would break first! Your spirit... or your ''body''!"
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler: Fully intends to avert this when he is about to execute Batman with a shotgun rather than leave him alive as per Talia's orders. He would have accomplished it, too, if it hadn't been for Selina Kyle arriving and blasting him on the spot.]]
* [[spoiler: [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Big Guy, Tiny Girl: Talia isn't precisely tiny, but Bane completely dwarfs her.]]]]
* HulkingOut: While he doesn't display it as in the comic, it's given a nod with his seemingly gaining strength and ferocity once Batman breaks his mask. See also TurnsRed.
* IAmTheNoun: "''I ''am'' the League of Shadows!''"
* JanitorImpersonationInfiltration: Two of his henchmen sneak submachine guns into the Stock Exchange by posing as a janitor and a shoeshiner.
* TheJuggernaut: Bane is unstoppable. Batman struggles to even land a noticeable blow on him in both of their fights, can't handle his [[LightningBruiser very quick and very hard hits]] being dished out. Even though it comes off as anticlimatic, [[spoiler: Selina has the right idea in mind in blasting him with [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill the Batpod's cannons]] to stop him]].
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Killing Daggett. He was an AssholeVictim, and Bane was just proving that talking down to someone like him never gets you what you want.
* KilledOffForReal
* KnightTemplar: Carrying on the legacy left by Ra's al Ghul to [[spoiler: destroy Gotham.]]
* [[spoiler: LadyAndKnight: The Black Knight to Talia's Dark Lady. He takes care of her and carries out her will.]]
* LargeAndInCharge: He dwarfs his minions and everyone else.
* LargeHam: Mainly during his public speeches. It also helps to see that everything he's feeding BlatantLies.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Deshi! Deshi! Basara! Basara!"
* LightningBruiser: When pointing to footage of him effortlessly taking out five security guards as evidence that he far out classes Bruce in hand to hand combat, the first thing Alfred points out is his speed.
* MadeOfIron: Justified. Bane can easily tank Batman's blows without breaking a sweat ''and'' without any armor since [[spoiler: it's really his mask letting him FeelNoPain. Once his [[AttackItsWeakPoint mask is damaged]], all bets are off.]]
* MaskOfPower: He uses the mask to get through the pain of a serious injury [[spoiler: which had occurred when he was severely punished by the other inmates at the HellholePrison for helping Talia al Ghul escape.]]
* MinorInjuryOverreaction: See VillainousBreakdown. Justified in this case, as [[spoiler: the mask was the only thing that could even allow him to walk, much less fight with no hindrances, due to his severe injuries, and once it was damaged...]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Bane" holds a whole mess of negative connotations.
* NecessarilyEvil: He [[InvokedTrope refers to himself as such]] as a PreMortemOneLiner before breaking Daggett's neck.
* NeckLift: Does it to Batman in their first fight.
* NeckSnap: Bane loves using this as his M.O. Among the people he kills in this way are: the first of the two sewer thugs who bring Gordon to his lair, Daggett, Dr. Pavel, and Captain Jones.
* NoPlaceForMeThere: Assuming he believes his own rhetoric, see DeathSeeker above.
* NoSell[=/=]NighInvulnerable: [[spoiler: His first fight with Batman has Bane not only NoSell Batman's attacks, but also his intimidation tactics. This includes maintaining his jocular CharacterTic pose whilst Batman repeatedly punches him in the face ''with armored gauntlets.'']]
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: A villainous example. [[spoiler:He became Talia's protector and helped her escape. This selfless action on Bane's part resulted in several prisoners exacting revenge on him by beating him to within an inch of his life, forcing him to don an anesthetic mask.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Batman initially believes from the start that Bane is just another League of Shadows goon, and dismisses Alfred's assessment of his fighting prowess by stating he'll just "fight harder." It's only during their first fight that Batman learns just how dangerous he really is.
* OhCrap:
** When he sees the flaming Bat Symbol, he can only utter, "Impossible!"
** His reaction to [[spoiler:Batman damaging his mask.]]
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: A rare in-universe example: whenever Bane talks casual even when speaking louder he has an affable European (of the Scottish or German variety) accent, but when he gets really sinister or enraged, it slips into the Hispanic action. An example would be when he said "You betrayed us." during his first fight with Batman.
* OlderThanTheyLook: If the flashback is any indication, he is at least in his mid-fifties. Compared to real life, Creator/TomHardy was 35 when it was released; even Creator/ChristianBale is three years older than him.
* ParentalSubstitute[=/=]LoveInterest[=/=]BigBrotherInstinct[=/=]HonoraryUncle: [[spoiler:He is one or more of these to Talia. The movie is too vague to determine which.]]
* PlayingGertrude: In a flashback, [[spoiler: Bane is shown to be significantly older than Talia, who looks around eight. In reality, Creator/MarionCotillard is a few years older than Creator/TomHardy. The age difference is aided by the mask.]]
* PetTheDog: For all his brutality, he does have several of these moments, a quick example of which is [[spoiler: his relationship with Talia.]]
** Also, despite planning to destroy Gotham, he at least gives his prisoners food and provisions.
** While this could also count as HonorBeforeReason, he doesn't reveal Bruce's identity to the general public. [[spoiler: Bane even went as far as clearing Batman for the events of [[Film/TheDarkKnight the previous movie]] by reading Gordon's speech.]]
* PreAsskickingOneLiner:
** This exchange:
-->'''CIA''': Now what's the next step in your master plan?
-->'''Bane''': Crashing this plane.''[Paramilitary soldiers jump off the C130 Hercules descending over the commuter jet]'' With no survivors! ''[He breaks his cuffs as the soldiers land on the side of the plane and fire through the windows]''
** Most of Bane's talk to Batman in their first fight is this.
* PreMortemOneLiner:
** To CIA: "Crashing the plane... with no survivors!" He then does just that.
** To a henchman who he had just told to stay behind so the authorities find one of his own in the wreckage: "Yes... the fire rises." This is after the henchman in question asks if they had started a fire.
** To another henchman who shot Gordon but had failed to make sure he was truly dead: "Follow him." Cue the fatal gunshot that sends said henchman down the same path in the sewers Gordon took to escape.
** To Daggett: "I'm necessary evil." Cue the NeckSnap.
** To Dr. Pavel: "Thank you, Doctor." Another NeckSnap follows.
** To Captain Jones: "I'm on your schedule, Captain." [[NeckSnap ...You know the drill.]]
** At the end, he attempts this on the Batman: "You'll just have to imagine the fire." [[spoiler:Cue Selina coming in to dispatch him with a mortar round fired from the Batpod, followed by a BondOneLiner of her own.]]
* PunchCatch: In both fights with Batman. To add insult to injury, he hits Batman with his own fist the first time around.
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Invoked in the opening of his first fight with Batman. Batman slugs Bane so hard, the ''punches are echoing off of the walls''. Batman's hitting Bane so hard that he's letting out battle cries with each blow, but ''not'' in his Batman growl. And what's Bane doing? Just standing there with his hands on his shoulder straps, taking each and every one of those hits without so much as grunting.
* RaceLift: Bane is a person of color in the comics, half English and half native Santa Priscan, but neither his race nor what ethnicity he identifies as are ever stated in the film, and he's played by a white actor. He may or may not still be Latino - See also OohMeAccentsSlipping above.
* RealMenWearPink: During Phillip Stryver's [[KangarooCourt "hearing"]], [[FunnyBackgroundEvent if you look carefully]] as Dr. Crane says "Bane has no authority here", you can see Bane is in the crowd, and knitting!
** That's just one of ''three'' instances in the film where he's seen knitting.
* RedHerring: Beforehand, Batman believes (and as the audience we are led to believe) that [[spoiler: Bane was the one who escaped from Hellhole Prison as a child and that he was Ra's al Ghul's child. The actual person meeting both descriptions is Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul. Bane was the prisoner who aided her escape, after which he was severely punished by the other prisoners, suffering the painful injuries that forced him to adopt his mask.]]
* {{Sadist}}: He specializes in physical and psychological torment, but mostly psychological to [[spoiler: Batman.]]
* ScullyBox: Was necessary in a number of scenes, because Bane is supposed to loom over Batman, and Tom Hardy is shorter than Christian Bale.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Bane has a very noticeably florid manner of speaking, one that serves as a direct contrast to his intimidating voice and appearance and also highlights his intelligence.
* ShadowArchetype: To Batman.
-->'''Daggett''': [[MeaningfulEcho What are you?]]
-->'''Bane''': I'm Gotham's reckoning. Here to end the borrowed time you've all been living on.
* ShirtlessScene: When Gordon is brought to his lair.
* SiblingRivalry: One interpretation of his hatred towards Bruce. [[spoiler: They were both taken under the wing of and trained by Ra's al Ghul. Bane embraces the beliefs of the League of Shadows and obviously holds Ra's in great esteem, wishing to fulfill his destiny. Bruce renounced the League and let Ra's die. Yet Ra's excommunicated Bane and instead considered Bruce to be his greatest student.]]
* SingleTear: It's a ''big'' blink-and-you'll-miss moment, but during the climax of the movie where his backstory is explained further, he sheds a small tear while his mask is fixed.
* SleevesAreForWimps: Not all the time, but in several scenes, he's wearing just his combat vest and show how huge his arms are.
* SoftSpokenSadist: The scene where he [[spoiler: kills Daggett]] is the perfect encapsulation of this.
* SpeakOfTheDevil... [[LampshadeHanging and Bane shall appear!]]
* TheSpook: He deliberately invokes this on the plane by pointing out that "Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask." This is right when the CIA agent is taking off his hood.
* StoutStrength: He is nowhere near as tall as his comics counterpart, who was seven feet tall, but makes up for it with an astonishing level of Muscle and physical bulk.
* TragicVillain: If Bane hadn't spent most of his life in [[HellholePrison the pit]], he might never have been a villain at all.
* ThisCannotBe: Bane is clearly stunned by [[spoiler: Batman's return. Even when he lies defeated at his feet he still can't believe what's transpired.]]
--> ''"I broke you..."''
* TrojanPrisoner: Bane and a few of his men pose as hooded prisoners to sneak onto the CIA plane and kidnap Dr. Pavel.
* TurnsRed: In a nod to his HulkingOut through the use of his mask (which feeds him Venom) in the comics, once Batman breaks Bane's mask, he attacks much faster and harder, sending Batman flying with a swipe and shattering a concrete pillar with a single punch. Since anesthesia causes muscle weakness, it's possible that cutting off his supply is what led to his increased strength.
* UndyingLoyalty: One of his mercenaries is willing to wait on a crashing plane simply because Bane needs to make sure the authorities find the number of bodies they're expecting.
** [[spoiler: Bane himself displays this towards Talia al Ghul. Though he does disobey her orders in order to kill Batman (or at least try to) after she tells him not to.]]
* TheUnfettered: Like Ra's al Ghul before him, Bane allows nothing to stand in the way of the destruction of Gotham.
* VaderBreath: Not to the extent of the TropeNamer, but it's still noticeable, especially when he's about to speak.
* [[spoiler: VillainousBreakdown: When Batman finally breaks his mask, Bane absolutely snaps and starts furiously smashing at everything within reach as he tries to kill Batman.]]
** [[spoiler: Not just that, but when Batman lights a flaming Batsignal, Bane's response is a shocked "Impossible!" After Batman beats him in their rematch, all Bane can say is "I broke you..." in disbelief.]]
* VisionaryVillain: Taking over [[spoiler:and [[NukeEm destroying]]]] the city of sin that is Gotham City.
* VocalDissonance: As shown below, Creator/TomHardy went all over the place with the accent and tone that the end result is a stark contrast with his ferocious appearance. It's like a bizarre mix of SeanConnery and Michael Gough.
** FridgeBrilliance: He's [[OlderThanTheyLook Older Than He Looks]], so it makes sense he ''sounds'' old.
* WhamLine:
--> "Let's not stand on ceremony here... Mr. Wayne."
--> [[spoiler: "But I never escaped."]]
* WhatAreYou: "I'm Gotham's reckoning. Here to end the borrowed time you've all been living on."
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Tom Hardy says he based Bane's accent on an Irish Traveller, yet it seems to do a full tour of Europe during the first fight with Batman alone.
** Screen Junkies' ''WebVideo/HonestTrailers "Honest Trailers'' parodied this by saying in their trailer, "But chaos will arrive in the form of Bane, [[DoubleEntendre a villain whom no one can fully understand]]."
* WholeCostumeReference: His shaved head and face mask evoke the imagery of the Mutant Leader in ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' while retaining Nolan's trademark realism.
* WickedCultured: Exceptionally polite, eloquent, and possessed of bitingly sharp wit; he's also a ruthless terrorist.
* [[spoiler:WifeHusbandry: Implied; he and Talia certainly share an affectionate relationship, but whether it's romantic is unclear.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Given his backstory, it's almost impossible not to feel a degree of sympathy for him. In addition, going by his comment about being born and raised in the darkness, it's very likely that Bane [[spoiler:was born in the prison like Talia.]]
* WorthyOpponent: Has at least some level of respect for Bruce and compliments his fighting style during their first conflict.
* WouldHitAGirl: Whereas Batman is the heroic version of this and fights male and female criminals, Bane refusing to recognize gender in a fight highlights his [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and cruelty. Take his role in the Stock Exchange heist: when he enters, he uses his motorcycle helmet to smack a female security guard straight in the face, then uses it to quickly knock out three of her colleagues in a matter of seconds. He also has a female hostage on his motorcycle when he's leaving the building.
* WouldntHurtAChild[=/=]WouldHurtAChild: Zigzagged the two tropes. [[spoiler:Played straight when protected a young Talia in the Pit]], and waited until the child singing the national anthem had left the football field before setting off the explosives, just for his "lovely voice", but was willing to kill every single inhabitant of Gotham, children included.
** FridgeBrilliance: Possibly killed the same boy who sang the national anthem after he left the stage. He put explosives in the whole zone, after all.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Coldly kills two of his men for bringing Gordon to their hideout, risking the exposure of their operation.

[[/folder]]


[[folder:Barsad]]

!Barsad
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Barsad_3396.jpg]]

->'''Played by:''' Josh Stewart

Bane's second in command.
----
* AffablyEvil: Can be pretty friendly and respectful even if he plans on leading You to Your death.
* BeardOfEvil
* ColdSniper: He is mostly seen with an assault rifle, but during the gunfight before Gordon enters the tunnels, he's shown with a large sniper rifle, shooting SWAT officers.
* TheDragon: To Bane.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Has an expression that screams this whenever he see Bane doing something particularly ruthless. For instance, when Bane kills off the thugs who delivered Gordon to him for their failure.
* EvilBrit: Barsad uses a Russian accent in the opening scene while posing [[FakeRussian as an Uzbekistani soldier]] to drop off Dr. Pavel and the three hooded "prisoners" with the CIA interrogator. In his Gotham scenes, such as talking with Captain Parker on the bridge, and when capturing Gordon, Barsad speaks with an English accent. Josh Stewart was born in America.
* {{Expy}}: Of Deadshot, according to David S. Goyer.
* FakeRussian: InUniverse. Barsad poses as a Russian soldier to drop off the three "prisoners" and Dr. Pavel with CIA. He plants the idea in CIA's mind that the "prisoners" are Bane's men, but never tells CIA that Bane is one of the hooded men. It's implied that the other soldiers in the truck with Barsad are either Bane's own men or soldiers who had been paid off.
* MeaningfulName: He is named after the spy and con-man from Creator/CharlesDickens' ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities''.
* MookLieutenant: For Bane.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: In the scene pictured above when talking to the captain on the bridge, his line "...Gotham will blow to hell" slips into an American accent.
* ScarfOfAsskicking

[[/folder]]

[[folder:'''Spoiler Character''']]
!Talia al Ghul
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/al_ghul_talia_8592.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"You see it's the slow knife that takes its time, the knife that waits years without forgetting that slips quietly in between the bones and cuts deepest."'']]

->'''Played by:''' Creator/MarionCotillard, Joey King (younger)

Talia al Ghul is Ra's al Ghul's daughter via [[CallBack a merchant princess who was cast out and thrown into the same prison Bane was in]] ([[StartOfDarkness which triggered]] [[Film/BatmanBegins Ra's al Ghul's leading of the League of Shadows]]). Helped to escape by Bane and actually falling for him, Talia convinced Ra's to save Bane and take him in. Their relationship, however, was frowned on by Ra's and she became distant from him because of it, until Batman [[Film/BatmanBegins played a role in his death.]] Now, she seeks to accomplish her father's vision of destroying Gotham as enacted by Bane's engineered conflicts.

For tropes relating to her false identity, Miranda Tate, see [[Characters/TheDarkKnightSagaWayneEnterprises here]].
----
* AdaptationalVillainy: No shades of grey in this version of Talia. She's a straight up villain.
* AvengingTheVillain: Somewhat, though she mostly wants to finish what he started and accomplish what he couldn't.
* [[UnclePennybags Aunt Pennybags]]: Subverted. She appears to be using her wealth to help Gotham, but it's a front.
* TheBadGuyWins: Subverted, as Talia goes to her death believing her plan to nuke Gotham suceeded. It doesn't actually work but due to being dead, she'll never know that.
* BigBad: Of the third movie. [[BigBadDuumvirate Possibly]] anyway.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Possibly, with Bane. Though there's no question that, if either one of the two is the one in charge (rather than the two holding equal positions), it's her.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: The kindhearted altruist is actually a ruthless terrorist.
* BrokenAce: Successful charming beautiful businesswoman who wants to save the world front... hiding an upbringing that makes Bruce's look downright happy by comparison and, well, a very unique interpretation of how best to save the world.
* BrokenBird: Grew up in a HellholePrison. When the NiceGirl mask falls off, she's utterly ruthless and cold. Also self-destructive.
* CanonForeigner: Subverted. Appears to be a new character called Miranda Tate, but she's really Talia al Ghul, a character from the comics.
* TheChessmaster: She orchestrated her rise to Wayne Enterprise's CEO and Gotham's fall. She even uses Daggett's plan to make it happen.
* DaddysLittleVillain: She firmly intends to carry on her father's plans for Gotham.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: She anticipated the likelihood that Batman would try to force her back to the green energy generator room, so she activated the floodgates when she crashed, forcing Batman to seemingly pull a HeroicSacrifice to ensure that the bomb does not blow up Gotham City.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Born and raised in prison then followed Bane into exile from the League of Shadows.
* DeathByAdaptation: Maybe. It's a little ambiguous, but she's never heard from again after passing out.
* DiabolusExMachina: As Bruce has Bane pegged for being Ra's Al Ghul's child, Talia revealing her true identity to him was a ''massive'' curve ball. Once she started directly meddling with the protagonists, she very nearly wins; her plans are within seconds of completion before they're foiled.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: She wants to nuke Gotham, and to that end she goes so far as to commit suicide by deliberately crashing the armored truck in which the fusion reactor is being carried, thus triggering a DeadManSwitch.
* DrivenToSuicide: Literally, not figuratively. She figured out that the Batman was trying to force her into a corner, so she not only runs into that corner, she does so ''at full speed''.
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench[=/=]EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench: Sort of. She's played by Marion Cotillard, a French actress, and her character has a French accent, although it is not made completely clear if she lived in France after escaping from the HellholePrison.
* EvilGloating: Her gloat to Batman about killing him slowly and wanting him to be killed by a nuclear explosion that would also kill millions, ironically let Batman survive and be saved by Catwoman. If she had just killed him right there, she would have won.
* EvilPlan: She wants to finish her father's evil plan, MercyKill Gotham, but her version is significantly more vicious since it involves Bane torturing the people for several months, whereas Ra's was doing his attempt in a single night.
* FaceHeelTurn: She originally wanted nothing to do with her father's plans for Gotham, due to him excommunicating Bane... until Batman let him die on the monorail several years earlier. After that, she decided to take her father's plans [[NukeEm farther than "what is necessary"]].
* FauxAffablyEvil
* FemmeFatale: Her seduction of Bruce to ingratiate herself to him.
* FinalBoss: She has the honor of being this for the entire ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga''.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** How calm she is when Bane, a man who has brought Gotham into anarchy and chaos, takes her and other Wayne Enterprises members hostage hints that she was prepared for it. To add to that, why does Bane seem to keep taking extra care to keep her safe during these moments?
** Many of her lines intentionally echo Ra's al Ghul's. For example, in her first conversation with Bruce she mentions she wants to "bring balance" to the world, and later berates him for not doing "what's necessary" by mothballing the fusion reactor instead of finishing it to provide clean energy.
** Also, in the trailers, she appears just as the chant reprises, giving a subtle clue as to who the one who got out of the HellHolePrison actually was.
** After sleeping with Bruce, she has a whole monologue about how much she loves fire and what it means to her. This follows a good hour of fanatical terrorists using fire as a metaphor for their evil plot.
** Early in the film, notice that she tells Daggett, "You understand only money, and the power you think it buys." Not only does this call back to the last film with the Joker's "All you people care about is money" line, but later, when Daggett tries talking down to Bane (who he paid a small fortune), Bane says with disapproval, "And this gives you ''power'' over me?"
* {{Four Temperament Ensemble}}: Melancholic (Shares this with Henri Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul).
* InTheBlood: Inherited her father's talent for assuming identities and masterminding the destruction of Gotham.
* KilledOffForReal
* KnightTemplar: Like her father she believes the destruction of Gotham is ultimately a good thing.
* LadyAndKnight: The Dark Lady to Bane's Black Knight.
* [[TheManBehindTheMan The Woman Behind The Man]]: She was behind Bane and the League of Shadows the whole time, but doesn't reveal herself as the real BigBad until the movie is about twenty minutes away from its end. [[CallBack Just like her daddy.]]
* MeaningfulRename: Her alias, [[Theatre/TheTempest "Miranda"]], alludes to the fact that she was exiled from her homeland, she grew up in isolation, and that she's the beautiful daughter of a powerful mystic with a talent for manipulating people.
* MythologyGag: Her role in the movie is similar to her appearance in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. In both the show and the movie, Talia tries to connect with Bruce and devotes her organization to philanthropic causes -- in this case, clean energy. She's not actually [[GrandTheftMe her father]] in this continuity, but she intends to carry on his legacy.
* NiceGirl: Subverted. She pretends to be nice, but she just wants to destroy Gotham.
* NukeEm: What she wants to do to Gotham with her "clean energy" project.
* PerpetualSmiler: Overlapped with her [[TheUnfettered unfettered nature]]. One may count on one hand when she is shown not smiling as she is shown to ''smile'' even to her death.
* ThePlan: She uses her identity as Miranda Tate to pursue her goals legitimately and uses Bane to pursue them illegally. The creation and theft of the bomb is only the most blatant example.
* ThePowerOfActing: "Miranda" is just an act.
* RaceLift[=/=]AmbiguouslyBrown: In the comics she's mixed Asian with Chinese and Arab ancestry on both sides. In the film she's presented as mixed, with a white European father and a brown mother of unknown race, possibly South Asian; despite this she is played only by white actresses.
* RagsToRiches: When younger, she was poor and now is very wealthy.
* RealityEnsues: At the end of the film, she dies from a truck crash during the climax of ''Rises'' due to not wearing a seatbelt while trying to evade Batman.
* RedRightHand: At one point after her sex with Bruce, she was shown to have a scar that resembles the League of Shadows symbol. This hinted at her true identity as Talia al Ghul.
* RescueRomance: With Bane. He took care of her when she was a little girl and helped her escape the HellHolePrison; in turn, she sent the League of Shadows back to get him out. Whether it was romantic or not, Ra's did not approve of their relationship.
* {{Revenge}}: Wants this due to Batman letting her father die in ''Film/BatmanBegins''.
* SamusIsAGirl: We assume the child who escaped The Pit is a boy up until she puts a veil on herself.
* StarCrossedLovers: It's ambigious but one thing is clear: Bane raised Talia in the Pit and takes care of her while she does her evil thing. In other words, he's her Alfred. Ra's is more upset that Bane was able to care for her when he could not and dislikes him because he is a living reminder of that.
* TheUnfettered: Kill innocent people, die herself, construct a years-long deception and alternate identity to infiltrate Gotham's elite, seduce the man who killed her father, allow her closest friend and protector to die... nothing is beyond her if it means Gotham is ashes in the end.
* WalkingSpoiler: Just knowing that Talia is in ''The Dark Knight Rises'' gives away much of the movie. It got so bad that as seen here, we split her off from her false identity, Miranda.
* WhamLine: "But he's ''not'' the child of Ra's al Ghul... ''I'' am. And although not ordinary... I ''am'' a citizen."
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: She ''was'' born in Hell, after all.
* YouKilledMyFather: Initially she was on bad terms with her dad because of Bane's excomunication but after Batman let him die, the filial feelings reawakened.
[[/folder]]
----

* AmbiguouslyBrown[=/=]RaceLift: He's Latino in the comics (half English and half Santa Priscan, born on Santa Prisca), but Tom Hardy is white, and they never state his race or what ethnicity he identifies as in the movie. See also OohMeAccentsSlipping.

* AmbiguouslyBrown[=/=]RaceLift: He's Latino in the comics (half English and half Santa Priscan, born on Santa Prisca), but they never state his race or what ethnicity he identifies as in the movie. See also OohMeAccentsSlipping

* [[spoiler: CryForTheDevil: After Batman defeats Bane in their climactic final battle, Talia intervenes and stabs Batman and spends the next minute explaining the full-extent of Bane's Tragic Back-Story and how his selflessness lead to him getting crippled and at the mercy of the other prisoners of the pit. She reveals that the only person who got him out of the pit excommunicated him because his experience in prison warped him into "a monster" who was too physically and mentally scarred by his upbringing to be accepted. It's a thorough Mood Whiplash after the triumph of Batman physically defeating him. It then gets subverted when Talia asks him afterwards to keep Batman alive, only for him to immediately ignore her when she leaves and get blasted across the room before he can kill Batman.]]

** [[spoiler: BadassInCharge: Of the League of Shadows.]]

* [[spoiler: BigBad: Of the first movie, since the Fear Toxin thing is his plan and he sends in the Order.]]
* [[spoiler: BiggerBad: Of the third movie, and the entire trilogy, since his daughter and ex-communicated student are trying to carry on his legacy.]]

* [[spoiler: TheCameo: In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', see the below entry DaydreamSurprise.]]

* [[spoiler: DaydreamSurprise: Is in one in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.]]
* DeadpanSnarker

* [[spoiler: DeathByAdaptation: He's immortal in the comics. In the films... not so much.]]
* [[spoiler: TheDreaded: Ducard mentions how Ra's is "a man greatly feared by the criminal underworld", and indeed, when Falcone hears that Ra's is coming to Gotham, he's clearly terrified of him.]]

* EvilPlan: [[spoiler: Destroy Gotham city]] because he believes ItIsBeyondSaving and in need of a MercyKill.

* [[spoiler: FaceDeathWithDignity: Last seen calmly closing his eyes as a monorail train crashes and explodes with him inside.]]

* [[spoiler: HoistByHisOwnPetard: Jams the controls of the monorail train so that Batman can't stop it from reaching its destination. This also means it can't be stopped from crashing after Batman has Gordon destroy the track supports]].

* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: Confirmed via WordOfGod.]]

* [[LargeAndInCharge Big And In Charge]]: Helps to be authoritative when You're played by Liam Neeson.

* [[spoiler:ObiWanMoment: In the scene where the train crashes.]]

* [[spoiler: PosthumousCharacter: In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.]]
* [[spoiler: RaceLift: Appears to be European, rather than Arab as in the comics.]]

* TheUnfettered

->'''Played by:''' LiamNeeson & Josh Pence (younger)

* TheObiWan: To Bruce Wayne. Doubly so, in a meta sense, when you consider that LiamNeeson ''was'', at one point, one to Obi-Wan himself. He is also considered as the Qui-Gon Jinn to Bruce's Obi-Wan.

* [[LargeAndInCharge Big And In Charge]]: He dwarfs his minions and everyone else.
* [[LargeHam Big Ham]]: Mainly during his public speeches. It also helps to see that everything he's feeding BlatantLies.

** BadassGrandpa: He is significantly older than Bruce in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. To give an idea of how old he is, [[AllThereInTheManual the novelization of]] ''Film/BatmanBegins'' says his younger self managed to manipulate AdolfHitler into losing WorldWarII.

* RescueRomance: With Bane. He took care of her when she was a little girl and helped her escape the HellHolePrison; in turn, she sent the League of Shadows back to get him out. Whatever it was romantic or not, Ra's did not approve of their relationship.

* FemmeFatale: Her seduction of Bruce to engrait herself to him.

* DiabolusExMachina: As Bruce has Bane pegged for being Ra's Al Ghul's child, Talia revealing her true identity to him was a ''massive'' curve ball. Once she started directly meddling with the protagonists, she very nearly wins; her plans are foiled within seconds of completion.

* TheChessmaster: She orchestrated her rise to Wayne Entreprise's CEO and Gotham's fall. She even uses Daggett's plan to make it happen.

* FakeRussian: InUniverse. Barsad poses as a Russian soldier to drop off the three "prisoners" and Dr. Pavel with the CIA interrogator. He plants the idea in the interrogator's mind that the "prisoners" are Bane's men, but never tells the interrogator that Bane is one of the hooded men. It's implied that the other soldiers in the truck with Barsad are either Bane's own men or soldiers who had been paid off.

* LargeAndInCharge: He dwarfs his minions and everyone else.
* LargeHam: Mainly during his public speeches. It also helps to see that everything he's feeding BlatantLies.

-->'''CIA Agent''': Now what's the next step in your master plan?

** To Bill Wilson: "Crashing the plane... with no survivors!" He then does just that.

* LargeAndInCharge: Helps to be authoritative when You're played by Liam Neeson.