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Is Bane really that hard to get right?

Tom Hardy, Shane West and Robert Swenson

Out of the many beatings Batman has taken over the years, few have stung as much as the Knightfall saga. Arguably the defining story arc of 90's Caped Crusader comics, it is known best as the book in which Bane broke the Bat, cementing the muscular mastermind as one of his greatest adversaries. However, this iconic character has never quite met fans' expectations when it comes to his appearances in TV and film.

This week, Gotham writer/producer Tze Chun unveiled the first image of Shane West as Bane. This attempt at the villain's costume lacks all of the iconic features besides the tubes, making him completely unrecognisable. It's not necessarily a bad costume per se, but would it have been that much harder to stay true to the source material?

Bane breaks Batman's back in Knightfall

Bane's first live-action appearance was in the infamous Batman & Robin, only a few years after the conclusion of Knightfall. When it came to the costume, it wasn't too far off what fans were familiar with. Sure, it's a little silly by today's standards, but what matters is that the iconic lucha libre mask is there. This first Bane's major downfall was the writing, or lack of - his grandiose monologues were nowhere to be seen, reducing him to a mindless brute.

The character returned to the silver screen over a decade later in The Dark Knight Rises. This version was an improvement in terms of dialogue, but the strange choice of accent damaged the portrayal. Also, due to the realistic nature of the Dark Knight films, much of the comic book costume design was lost. The trench coat is pretty cool, however.

Will we ever see a Bane like this in live action?

Gotham had an opportunity to give us the most comic-accurate Bane yet. All it takes is to search "classic Bane cosplay" to see what could have been - it's a shame, as Professor Pyg and Scarecrow had excellent costumes. Of course, not all hope is lost. With the right script, "Bane West" could still give us a good performance in Gotham's final season.

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