Updated 4:51 p.m. PT
Bane is no Joker. But will that matter for "The Dark Knight Rises"?
Christopher Nolan's final Batman installment may well hinge on Bane, a little-known villain outside comic book circles. He will be played by Tom Hardy, star of Nolan's "Inception."
And Hardy has a tough act to follow in Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning turn as the Joker.
Also read: 'Dark Knight Rises' Prologue Hitting 32 IMAX Theaters in U.S.
The hulkish Bane broke Batman's back in the comic book series. Does that mean Bane will break Batman's back in "The Dark Knight Rises"?
Warner Bros. Motion Pictures President Jeff Robinov isn't saying -- but he did say he is enthusiastic over the response to the marketing.
"I think people are really responding to how cool, unique and distinct he is," Robinov said. "The initial feedback on the reveal for Bane's look was really strong," he added of the character nicknamed "The Man Who Broke the Bat."
Robinov expects the reaction to the character to be even stronger when the six-minute "Dark Knight Rises" prologue, which features footage of Bane, arrives in 32 IMAX theaters in the U.S. next week.
He wouldn't disclose much more about the studio's marketing strategy for its key tentpole franchise. But he did say that, like "The Dark Knight," its successor's "marketing strategy will definitely evolve," Robinov said.
Even if Bane gets significant and positive attention in the sneak peeks for "The Dark Knight Rises" -- which opens July 20, 2012 -- Nolan's Batman franchise faces a host of challenges in convincing prospective moviegoers -- and matching the more than $1 billion global box office of "The Dark Knight."
For starters, with the Joker, Ledger had the character's 68-year history upon which to draw. The iconic Joker, the second-best-known comic book villain of all time (next to Magneto from "X-Men"), according to IGN, has a secure place in broader pop culture.
Hardy, on the other hand, will be introducing his character to many moviegoers, especially those unfamiliar with the comic book series' 1990s-era plotlines.
"He certainly is popular with the younger fans, and he's probably the most important villain in the comics to emerge in the last 20 years," Jonathan Lampley, a Dalton State College assistant professor of English who has shown "The Dark Knight" in his film classes, told TheWrap.
But, he added, "It's going to be difficult to make the character work. I don't think Bane is as interesting a character as the Joker or Two-Face or Catwoman."
When Bane was introduced in January 1993 ("Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1"), he was presented as a threat on the level of the Joker and the Penguin. Bane stands at 6'8" and weighs 380 pounds when Venom, a steroid, is pumped directly into his brain.
