'The Dark Knight Rises' Photos reveal more to come

When it was first announced that Tom Hardy would be playing Bane in Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, Bat-fans around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. If anyone could do justice to the man who broke Batman’s back, surely it would be the 33-year-old British bruiser, who rose to fame on the strength of his domineering performance in Bronson.

Still, there have been some questions about Hardy’s appearance in the film. Would he be as impossibly muscular as his comic book counterpart? How would his venom-pumping mask and suit look in the gritty, more realistic tone of Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe? Thanks to an eagle-eyed set visitor, at least some of these questions can now be answered.

To date, all we’ve been able to see of Bane are a couple of interesting looking publicity stills (like the image at the top of this article) and an extremely brief glimpse in the recently-released Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer, so it’s been hard to get a good sense of what the character will end up looking like in the movie.

However, a new series of photos from the Pittsburgh set of The Dark Knight Rises reveal Tom Hardy​ as Bane in full costume. The images, which come our way via Just Jared, don’t offer the best detail, but definitely give us a good idea of Bane’s appearance in Nolan’s final Batman film.

Before I dig into an analysis of Bane’s costume, it’s important to remember one important thing: these are set pics – which means that they don’t really reflect what Hardy will look like in the finished product. That being said, there are things to like and dislike about Bane’s look.

In the comics, Bane wears what is essentially a wrestling outfit, complete with a Mexican luchador mask. Obviously, that type of costume wouldn’t fly in the realistic world of Nolan’s Batman films, so it’s interesting to see the alternative they’ve chosen. Judging by these pictures, it looks like Nolan and his team have decided to go with a more militaristic look for Bane, including a Bomber jacket style coat and body armor.

On its own, the costume works and reflects an interpretation of Bane as a militaristic character. However, the somewhat conventional costume does provide a stark contrast to Bane’s mask, which seems out of place. Of course, we still don’t know how the venom-system works, so there could be a lot more functionality to the costume that we’re just not seeing yet. My guess is that there’s something interesting going on behind that upturned coat collar (like Bane’s venom delivery system).

When we see Bane briefly in the teaser trailer, he’s hulking toward a disoriented Batman…and he’s not wearing this coat – which suggests that when Bane bulks up on venom, he loses the coat to reveal his massive frame (an obvious statement, I know).

In addition to the images of Bane, Just Jared also snagged a set photo of a camouflage version of the Tumbler Batmobile. This version of the vehicle, which we haven’t seen since Batman Begins​, raises some interesting possibilities. Since we know that there will also be a classic black version of the Tumbler in The Dark Knight Rises, one has to wonder why the camo version is also on set.

One possibility is that Batman wrecks his black Tumbler in some way, and needs to use a quick replacement. It’s boring, but it works. There’s also one more (highly speculative) possibility, however. Maybe Miranda Tate, Marion Cotillard’s character (who many suspect to be Talia al Ghul), uses Wayne Enterprises resources to give a Tumbler to Bane!

This theory is nothing but wild speculation. That said, imagine if Tate (secretly Talia al Ghul) used her position as a board member of Wayne Enterprises to supply her father’s chosen assassin (Bane, freed from prison) with the tools to defeat Batman. Doesn’t that sound plausible?

Now on to the next bit of juicy news, and this is certainly gonna make everyone giddy with delight.

The first image, from fan Matt Maranowski (via Latino Review), shows Christian Bale and Tom Hardy between takes standing around the set. Interestingly, the pair don’t seem all that far apart in size. Does this mean that Bane isn’t going to be the massive hulking beast we all expect (at least not from the get-go)? Of course not. Check out Latino Review or these Getty Images (Here & Here) for a few added images of Batman and Bane duking it out. More on why Bane will still be a big brawler after the image.

In looking at this picture, there are a couple of things to discuss. First off, Bane and Batman look like they’re roughly the same height and body type. Obviously, that’s a big change from the comics, where Bane is so overwhelmingly large that he’s able to snap Batman like a toothpick over his knee.

Before everyone pulls out their fanboy pitchforks though, let’s remember that this doesn’t reflect what the characters will look like on the big screen. There are tons of camera tricks to make one actor look big and another actor look small, and it’s not like Christopher Nolan is an amateur, so I’m sure that the size issue won’t come into play.

More to the point, Bane seems to be in his regular costume here. As noted in the Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer, when Bane is hulking toward Batman, he’s showing off a lot more muscle. My guess is that these photos represent Bane when he isn’t on the super-steroid Venom. Presumably, he will inject the steroid (or inhale it), when he really needs to put a hurt on the Caped Crusader.

But wait, that’s not all. I also have another picture from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, and this one definitely confirms an earlier story SPOILER. Seriously, this image (from the SuperHeroHype forums) could spoil a big action scene plot-line in the movie, so if you’re at all sensitive about these things, look away!

Consider yourself warned the following could be considered major Dark Knight Rises spoilers!

Can anyone say Knightfall? As a lot of people know, the Knightfall saga is one of the most critical stories in Batman history. The series begins with the mysterious Bane breaking out every super-criminal from Arkham Asylum. As Batman subsequently tries to recapture them all one-by-one, he breaks down both mentally and physically. By the time he faces off against Bane, Batman is so weak that he’s easily defeated, leading to Bane literally breaking him in half.

If I’m reading these images right, it seems like Nolan and company may be using a similar set-up to introduce Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. If Bane breaks a bunch of criminals free at the beginning of the film, it would send Gotham into a panic and force Batman to come out of hiding (where he’s been since the end of The Dark Knight). Could this scene be the first big action set-piece of the film?

Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twPypRSpj-M&feature=player_embedded 

And now onto the last, and certainly interesting piece of news yet. A reader over at Comic Book Movie snagged a video from The Dark Knight Rises set, which features a sequence of what looks like armed mercenaries escorting “a lady wearing a brown jacket and dark khakis,” out of Gotham City Hall. The mercenary and their lady all climb into…a camouflage tumbler and drive off.

Now, the speculation is that this is a scene of Marion Cotillard’s character, “Miranda Tate,” who we (and a lot of others) have long speculated will be revealed as Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter, Talia -- thereby tying this third and final chapter directly to Batman Begins. While the footage is from a distance, a closer look at some still images of Cotillard in costume confirm it is in fact her emerging from Gotham City Hall and hopping in that tumbler.

Take a look at that piece of fan footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmhalbv6k60&feature=player_embedded 

What do you think? Are Nolan and company going to take a page from the Knightfall saga? If so, is it also possible that Bane will break the Batman’s back?

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters a little less than a year from now on July 20, 2012.