Batman: All 10 Bane actors ranked from worst to best

GOTHAM: Shane West in the "I Am Bane" episode of GOTHAM airing Thursday, March 21 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: FOX
GOTHAM: Shane West in the "I Am Bane" episode of GOTHAM airing Thursday, March 21 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: FOX
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Batman and Robin, Bane
1997 Jeep Swenson stars with Uma Thurman in Warner Bros.” “Batman and Robin” as her sidekick “Bane”.

10. Robert “Jeep” Swenson

If you watch Batman and Robin without any prior comic book knowledge, it’s a pretty good time. For the comic book fan, though, it can be a rough experience. And few things are as infuriating about the movie as its portrayal of Bane.

If you’ve read our previous Batman actor rankings and found Batman and Robin stars near the bottom, you’ll know that we do acknowledge that it isn’t the actors’ fault that their portrayals weren’t the best. The same can be applied to Robert “Jeep” Swenson’s performance as Bane. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman, Swenson gave it his everything to give us a ridiculously outlandish caricature-like performance and it resonated. He absolutely delivered what was asked from him.

Unfortunately, the movie’s version of Bane is a waste of the character. He’s nothing more than an unstoppable henchman powered by his venom tubes that just grunted and nodded his way through everything. A far cry from the calculating mastermind from the comics, this was Bane in name (and venom) alone.

Like most of Batman and Robin‘s failures, this was down to the creative side. Swenson at least made it fun to watch. Oh yeah, and he looked the part for sure!