Thanos, The Joker and the 25 greatest superhero movie villains of all-time

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: A Joker costume from the 2008 film The Dark Knight worn by actor Heath Ledger and designed by Lindy Hemming is on display at the DC Comics Exhibition: Dawn Of Super Heroes at the O2 Arena on February 22, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition, which opens on February 23rd, features 45 original costumes, models and props used in DC Comics productions including the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman films. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) /

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16. Bane

Film: The Dark Knight Rises

Bane may not have been around for as long as some of Batman’s more iconic villains, but in the two decades that he’s been tearing up the pages of DC Comics, the venom-pumping monster has physically bested The Dark Knight on a number of occasions. And as Christian Bale’s big-screen Caped Crusader was more of a technical combat fighter, it made sense that his biggest test would come in the form of Tom Hardy’s Bane.

There was initial concern over Bane’s return to the silver screen for a number of reasons. First, the character’s non-speaking role in 1997’s Batman & Robin left a sour taste in fans’ mouths while the character’s affinity for venom didn’t fit with the realistic world of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

That concern, however, was quickly put to bed whenever fans were introduced to a new, more realistic fighter that was incredibly cunning and yet didn’t use venom. Instead, he was just a well-built physical machine that had been trained by the League of Shadows and, as result, knew exactly how to best Batman in battle. From his naturally large muscles to his terrifying voice, Hardy’s Bane was perfectly imposing on-screen, and it goes without saying that he definitely exceeded expectations.

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