Reflections of a Hierophant: The Dark Knight Rises and Beyond
A lot of talk has been happening on the topic of "The Dark Knight Rises" and said film's, supposed, villains. Follow me as I reflect upon this topic, giving my opinion on how the story should go...
When I first read the Press Release from Warner Bros. Pictures, I was rather shocked with the unveiling of the female lead, Selina Kyle, and the announcement of the main antagonist, Bane. To be completely honest, I did expect either Selina Kyle or Talia al Ghul for the female lead, but Bane caught me off-guard. With the previous villains being, mainly, cerebral, I really expected someone like Hugo Strange, or even The Riddler. Bane is on the drastically, physical side of the Rogues Gallery, but, just because this "Bat-Baddie" is a brute, doesn't mean that he doesn't have depth.
On July 20, 2012, at 12:05 AM, I will be where the vast majority of Comic Book Movie fans will be: inside my local cinema, anxiously awaiting the start of a movie that I've been anticipating since 2:37 AM on July 18, 2008, "The Dark Knight Rises." For Bane to, properly, fit into the "Nolanverse," we will need to see an origin. I do know that some people will despise this movie, and curse it for being "boring," or ignorantly claim that "nothing happens" just because nothing is being blown-up, killed, or beaten every ten minutes, but this is what, I feel, must happen. I believe the origin will stay pretty true to the source material, seeing as it isn't that far-fetched. I do think that we will see Hugo Strange, but he won't be a main villain. He will only be used to administer the Venom to Bane. There is a possibility that we will see Bane's three followers from Pena Duro: Zombie, Trogg, and Bird, but it is more likely that we will only see Bird. The reason for this being that Bird is Bane's connection to Gotham City, and is the one that tells him about Batman. Now, I think the best way to connect "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" is to have Bane's origin end directly after the events of "The Dark Knight." Possibly with Bane and Bird watching a news report about Batman's "crimes." This will lead Bane to the revelation that he needs to find Batman, and destroy him, if he is to prove that he is better than all men. I do realize that the films are already connected, since they are "Batman" titles, but I think the stories should be directly connected if Nolan is really making this the conclusion to his trilogy.
From here, there are a couple of ways I see the story going...
SCENARIO 1:
I am positive that we will see Bane take out members of the Falcone family (in the comics, it was another family, but in Nolanverse, it will be Falcone), but I don't think it will be as prominent as it was in the comics. I think most of Bane's preparations will be investigative in nature. This would lead him to Arkham Asylum, where he will interview Jonathan Crane about his thoughts about Batman, and what he had learned about him. Crane's "diagnoses" would be that Batman suffered a tragedy at a young age, and seeks to stop the same thing from happening to anyone else, using the Batman persona to accomplish this. Bane will dig around in Gotham City's past, only to realize that such a tragedy had taken place, years before, to a child named Bruce Wayne.
*SIDE NOTE*
While I do not feel that Joker should be revisited in this film (the mere mention of a Joker cameo will overshadow the movie severely while, simultaneously, cause a massive uproar from fans of Heath Ledger's performance), at about this moment in the film is where a great opportunity would be to have him appear. Bane, being unknown to the GCPD, would go to Arkham Asylum to visit Joker, prying as much information about Batman as he can from Joker. This could also lead into a fourth movie (if it would happen). At the end of "TDKR," we could see Bane about to break Bruce Wayne at Wayne Manor (having deduced his identity), when Joker comes to the "rescue," incapacitating Bane, if not killing him, because nobody will kill Batman except for Joker. Also, in this scenario, there is a prime opportunity to introduce Harley Quinn by her being the one who helped Joker escape.
The problem I have with this scenario, in contrast to his tragic origin, this is a bit 1-Dimensional. Yes, it will stick very close to the story from the Batman comics, without being a direct interpretation. But, the story seems too... stereotypical. Christopher Nolan is never content with the ordinary. If he were to stick to this basic outline of events, I'd expect him to give Bane more of a purpose. Something that will make us sympathize with this intelligent brute. A possibility would be a variation on the search for his father. In the comics, Thomas Wayne was one of four potential men who fathered Bane. The variation to this would be that, instead of accepting this, and embracing Bruce Wayne as his brother, he would resent him. Bane would feel that Thomas Wayne abandoned his mother and him, leaving them to rot in prison. He would hate that Bruce knew his father, and that he lived a privileged life (thinking that the deaths of his parents didn't impact Bruce like Bane watching his mother die, and carelessly thrown over a waterfall).
SCENARIO 2:
For this scenario to work, the ending of the origin would need to be changed. I still think it would see him and Bird watching a news report on Batman's "crimes" from "The Dark Knight." And, by the time that this film will take place, the government has stepped in to capture Batman, since the GCPD seemed unable to do so. Bane's fascination with Batman would still lead him to taking out the crime families of Gotham City, but in a non-lethal format. His plan is to capture the attention of the ever-present government in Gotham City, by catching members of said families in flagrante delicto, much the same way Batman did in "Batman Begins." The attention of the government will be gained. The government will have had as hard a time capturing Batman as the GCPD did. They will hire Bane as a mercenary, after seeing how easily he dispatched of the mob. Bane's ulterior motives for dismantling the mob, and subsequent hiring as a mercenary, would be that Bane wants to rule Gotham (to be better than any man, as it were), as he feels Batman does. He would investigate Batman, as in the previous scenario, still leading him to the conclusion that Bruce Wayne is Batman. In their final confrontation, Bane will be fighting Bruce Wayne at Wayne Manor, not Batman. Bruce will try to explain that being Batman isn't a privilege. It doesn't make you better than anyone. He does it because he has to. Bane will not find this convincing. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon will have been tailing Bane. In doing so, he, too, discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman. An epic fight will ensue between Bane and Bruce. When Bane is ready to "break the bat," Gordon will come to the rescue, shooting Bane, and killing him (he will feel it is the only way to stop him, because Bane is too strong, too intelligent, and no prison can hold him).
Now, this is the scenario I like the best. This gives Bane a purpose for being. Bane being hired as a mercenary by the government would allow him access to the prisoners at Arkham Asylum and all city records. This also doesn't leave Jim Gordon out in the dark. Sure, he'd still, obviously, have a role in Scenario Uno, but it wouldn't be very large. This still places him as a key piece of the puzzle, while allowing him to prove his loyalty to Batman. This would also be a great note to end Nolan's story on. The remaining mobsters will have fled Gotham City out of fear. Information obtained when the police arrested members of the families in Gotham would lead them to all of the crooked cops, eliminating them from the equation. Bruce Wayne will find that he no longer needs to be Batman. Able to finally settle down with the new love in his life: Selina Kyle.
I've heard a lot of people talking about Catwoman being in "The Dark Knight Rises." Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Press Release from Warner Bros. didn't say anything about Catwoman. It stated that Anne Hathaway had been cast as "Selina Kyle." Quite simply, Selina Kyle will be Bruce Wayne's love interest. My gut feeling says that we won't see Catwoman until the next round of Batman films.
*SIDE NOTE*
For the people stating that Anne Hathaway will be excellent at portraying the "slutty" Catwoman due to her image-rattling role in "Havoc": I've never seen Catwoman as being a slut. She doesn't sleep-around. Her attire might lead one to assume that she might be a bit on the floozy side. But, we know what assuming does...
So, where will Batman go when Mr. Nolan leaves Batman Director's Chair at the finale of this film? I know that Christopher Nolan has been adamant about his departure after the third film, citing that it will conclude his trilogy, but, in Hollywood, you can never say "never." First of all, I'm willing to bet that Warner Bros. will throw all kinds of money at him and Christian Bale (and probably the rest of the regulars) to keep them on board. But, money isn't what will entice either of them back. A great story, and well-written script is what will draw them back. I believe with all of my heart that Jonathan Nolan will stick around to pen more Batman films, and we all know he's one of the best out there. But, if Chris Nolan decides to really leave it behind, why couldn't Jonathan Nolan write and direct? I see no reason why he couldn't. I have read that Christopher Nolan has stated that this trilogy should be considered "Batman Year One," and that the next set would be "Batman Year Two" (the actual location where I read this evades my memory, so apologies). It was stated after "Batman Begins," amid questions about Robin's appearance in "Nolanverse." A lot of things can change in that amount of time. It could also have been a total fabrication, as is the usual when it comes to any Comic Book Movie.
Personally, I'd love for him to continue making Batman movies until he dies, but I know that is a very big stretch. If I can't have another Batman movie with Nolan involved (either of them will do), I'll take an order of "Batman Beyond," with a side of "HURRY THE F*CK UP AND MAKE IT!"
Leave your comments in the usual place. I'm curious to hear your opinions. But, please try to stay respectful of other people's opinions...
Until Then, Take Care, and I'll See You in the Future...