The Dark Knight Trilogy is effortlessly one of the best Batman adaptations ever made (if not the best), and Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne and Tom Hardy’s Bane made sure to nail every sequence of it. Being incredibly talented method actors, both of them managed to deliver their scenes with such exuberance that made the grounded movie one of the most worthwhile experiences ever.
However, as opposed to other adaptations where the Caped Crusader was shown physically fit to the point of enduring a brawl with someone as powerful as Superman, this grounded version couldn’t quite leave that effect. This was especially true in The Dark Knight Rises, where Hardy’s terrorist’s one punch to Bale’s superhero had their entire fight looking like a joke to fans.
Tom Hardy’s Bane Makes Christian Bale’s Batman Look Like A Joke
For The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy most certainly bulked up most satisfyingly to bring his iconic supervillain Bane to life. But that’s not all, for the way he portrayed the character was even more exceptionally perfect and yet to be surpassed by any and every other actor. If anything, his terrifying portrayal even made Bruce Wayne look like a comedy sketch.
This stands true especially when it comes to the epic fight sequences between his and Christian Bale‘s respective characters. While the sewer fight scene where the imposing terrorist breaks Bruce’s spine was one of the most iconic sequences in the entire movie, what further stole the spotlight from the Caped Crusader was the final fight.
While Hardy’s villain was already overpowering, he further proved that the Dark Knight was nothing in front of him through that last fight between the two. In that scene, Bane charges at full speed at Bale’s hero, engulfing him in a brutal punching brawl, with his opponent trying his best to dodge his violent attacks but mostly failing.
During the same, there comes a moment where Bale manages to duck out from under his opponent’s attacks while Hardy continues his punches like a wild bull. This scene was so brutal that as Hardy continues to punch the pillar even without Bale standing there, the pillar cracks so badly that his punch goes straight through its concrete.
This scene showed Hardy’s character as, needless to say, one of the most terrifying villains of all time and even made Bale’s superhero seem like he was a mere powerless human in front of him. This was especially ironic because of how the Caped Crusader is shown to channel a lot more power than this in pretty much all of the other live-action adaptations.
That being said, fans couldn’t help but point out just how this one punch singlehandedly makes the entire brutal brawl between Batman and Bane seem like a scene from a sitcom.
Fans React to Batman vs Bane’s Epic Final Fight
In other movies, like Zack Snyder‘s Justice League, Bruce Wayne’s superhero is shown to be a lot stronger, with him even undertaking a head-on fight with Superman, who actually has superpowers, and actually performing some violent stints that add to his credibility as the Caped Crusader.
However, when it comes to Christopher Nolan‘s more grounded version starring Bale in the lead, Bruce isn’t quite shown to be that violent. Well, at least not in The Dark Knight Rises, for sure, considering how it is shown that even Hardy’s one punch is more than enough to leave him absolutely crushed.
That said, fans have been reacting the same way on the post @kamkenobi shared on X to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the movie on the 20th of July, 2024. Here’s what those fans are saying:
Batman could not fight in any of those movies.
— King George (@themadking1988) July 21, 2024
Given how grounded these movies are, are we led to believe that Bane is just strong enough to punch through concrete?
— Retney's Holocron (@retneysholocron) July 21, 2024
Mans was so mad he punched the wall a second time. Purely for practice. Lmao.
— Twan (@younggothamjedi) July 21, 2024
i dont think that was acting lol
he might have really been throwing them hands lol
— Jordan (@Jay2three) July 21, 2024
Bane was so angry he was fighting bats and the pillar
— V (@MAXMKIII) July 22, 2024
Ben Affleck’s fight scenes as Batman were better: pic.twitter.com/u2rvwkWRya
— The Timeless Traveler (@TimelessTrvlr) July 22, 2024
No cap Bane was giving the dark knight the blues😂
— $¢ottie $niffin💨 (@Callme_meach) July 21, 2024
He literally punches the column with the final blow just to prove that he could #boss
— Chris Green (@ThisMeansFour) July 22, 2024
All of this being put out there, it can’t be denied that Hardy’s character was actually molded so terrifyingly that he made even the Dark Knight look like a laughingstock in front of him.
However, since Bane is actually depicted as a much stronger powerhouse than Bruce in the comics, this scene fits perfectly in context with the source material, only further proving why Nolan’s trilogy is regarded as one of the best film series on the Caped Crusader ever created.
You can stream The Dark Knight Trilogy on Prime Video.
