Like many, I was psyched when Joseph Gordon Levitt joined the cast of "The Dark Knight Rises." He was fantastic in "Inception" and deserves to make the jump from indies to blockbusters. However it was soon thereafter revealed he will play unknown character John Blake. One popular theory on the interwebz is that Blake is, or will become, The Riddler. I have an alternate possibility. And it revolves around one important question: who exactly IS Bane?
For many people, their only knowledge of the villain is either A. None, or B. That comically ridiculous stooge from the movie "Batman and Robin" with the fake rubber muscles and the ability to only warble "BAAAAAAAAANEEEE"...
Furthermore, as TDKR takes place eight years after TDK and is, by Nolan's own admission, intended to bring Batman's story to a close, I expect TDKR Bane to do exactly as he did in comic book lore: paralyze Batman.
So who is John Blake? This is where I try to think like a Warner Bros' exec cum Batman fanboy. Blake somehow gets wrapped into Bruce Wayne's life. And even possibly that of Batman. He becomes a wary confidante of TDK. Does he finally don the Robin mask for the ultimate character reboot? CHRIST no. NOOOOOOoooobody wants Robin. Not even Batman. (Not even Robin's parents, I think. They probably just took one look at that laughable Robin outfit and killed themselves.) And DEFINITELY not the paying moviegoer public.
I think John Blake takes up the mantle (cowl?) as Batman himself. Bruce Wayne fades into the background as a revered tutor to and financial backer of the Blake Batman; a formidable crime fighting team. The book closes on the Bale Batman, and Warner is in a great position. They can reboot the franchise yet again with JGL as a skilled, marketable lead. OR (and?) if they can convince Bale/Nolan, they can produce more Bale-tman episodes taking place within the eight years between TDK and TDKR. Win-win.
Of course, I could be wrong. But you know, they could do worse, plot-wise.
