I have a theory about the costume of The Dark Knight Rises' intense villain Bane, played by Tom Hardy.
Whereas his sheepskin coats and bulletproof chestplates may be easily explained, there has been a mystery concerning the single wrist-guard that Bane wears. If it were for combat, would it not be on both arms? It may even be to cover an injury, or even store the "venom" which Nolan appears to have reimagined as an anaesthetic.
But I'm becoming increasingly sure that it is in fact a falconry gauntlet. Case in point:
This is a falconry gauntlet:
But this is a falconry wrist strap used in the Middle East, known as a Mangalah:
Combine the two. The shape of the Mangalah with the leather and buckles of a gauntlet and I think we've got Bane's mysterious arm strap.
In Bane's first comicbook appearance, Vengeance of Bane from the Knightfall series, he has a crew of mercenaries including a villain called Bird. Bird, unsurprisingly has a falcon that he uses as reconnaisance and even spies on Robin and Batman whilst plotting to wear him down before 'breaking the bat'.
We may yet see a falcon flying across the war-torn ground zero of Gotham in TDKR.
Cross-posted on The Disabled Cubicle.
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