Batman: All 10 Bane actors ranked from worst to best

2. Shane West

Gotham was no stranger to trying something different. In its five years on the year, the Fox TV series evolved from relatively procedural Batman prequel to the most bonkers and over-the-top Elseworlds story you’ll ever see in your life. It was its own thing, and it worked – sometimes really well.

An example of this is its rather unique portrayal of Bane. Introducing the character during its final season (in which it adapted the iconic No Man’s Land Batman story), this version of Bane wasn’t the same one we’ve come to know from the comics. No, he was Eduardo Dorrance, a former friend of Commissioner Jim Gordon who is revived by Nyssa Al Ghul and given an army he needs to take down Gotham City.

Shane West was tasked with bringing Eduardo to life and he did an excellent job. First of all, it was nice to see some backstory for Bane, and West had great chemistry with Ben McKenzie’s Gordon, which set the stage beautifully for their eventual face-offs. When he evolved into Bane, West looked the part, with his respirator facemask offering up a new take on his super-strength (while also paying homage to Tom Hardy’s Bane in the process).

West’s Bane was a major part of Gotham‘s final season and his imposing presence meant that we were incredibly worried about many of the main characters whenever he was stalking them. That’s a testament to both the show’s creative approach to the character and the success of Shane West’s gripping performance.