Movies
Why Dave Bautista won’t be playing Bane
And a look back at other actors who have taken on the iconic Batman role in the past.
Dave Bautista confirmed to fans that he won’t be joining the DC universe as Bane.
Even though Bautista and James Gunn have spoken about the possibility, the dream came to an end when the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star revealed that Gunn is now looking to go in a different direction and “start from scratch.”
“For the DC Universe to be revived, you need to start from scratch, and I think you need to start with younger actors,” Bautista said in an interview with Insider.
“You need to start to plan for the next 15 years, and I just don’t think you can do that with me. And I understand that.”
Tom Hardy’s Iconic performance as Bane
When fan’s last saw Bane on screen he was portrayed by ‘Venom’ star Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan’s 2012 film ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’
Since its release Nolan has gone on to express his thoughts on Hardy’s iconic performance of the masked villain, saying it has yet to be “fully appreciated” by the public eye.
“Tom, I mean… what he did with that character has yet to be fully appreciated. It’s an extraordinary performance, and truly amazing,” Nolan said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
As of 2023, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ currently has an 87 percent critics score and a 90 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with over 250,000 fans taking part in the ratings.
Other actors who have played Bane in film and tv
Apart from Hardy’s performance, the DC supervillain has a long list of previous actors who took on the role.
In 2019, Shane West brought his version of Bane to life in the fifth season of the Fox Network TV show ‘Gotham.’
James Adomian currently voices Bane in the ‘Harley Quinn’ tv series, while Doug Benson took on the role of voicing Bane in ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ in 2017.
A look back at some iconic live action Batman villains
Bane might be a popular topic right now, but let’s not forget the other fan-favorite supervillains in the Batman universe.
The Joker
Played by actors such as Mark Hamill, Jack Nicholson, Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix, this cunning and smiley villain is considered Batman’s biggest nemesis. He is a criminal mastermind and expert chemist who uses weaponized props and toxins.
Harley Quinn
Following close behind the clown prince of crime is his right hand woman, Harley Quinn. Previously a psychiatric intern at Arkham Asylum, Quinn turned to the dark side after falling in love with the Joker. Quinn has been portrayed by actresses such as Kaley Cuoco, Mia Sara, Margot Robbie and soon to be Lady Gaga in the upcoming Joker sequel.
The Riddler
Most recently seen in the 2022 film ‘The Batman,’ Riddler is an alias adopted by serial killer turned terrorist Edward Nashton. Despite his admiration of The Dark Knight, his operations drew him into conflict with the vigilante. Since his first appearance in Detective Comics #140 the character has gone on to be played by Jim Carrey, Cory Michael Smith, Paul Dano and more.