SPOILERS for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, of course. Nothing especially revealing, but if you want to know absolutely nothing about the film I’d suggest you click away.
While I never once bemoaned the absence of explanation about how Bane came to be Bane during THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, I do understand those who wished for even a just a little bit more. So for those of you who did, and even for those of you who fall into the same camp as me, costume designer Lindy Hemming has revealed some details of his origin that were filmed and so exist somewhere.
There’s nothing too specific here in terms of where he comes from or the particular paths his journey took prior to the film’s spectacular opening plane heist, but what she says does illuminate more of the emotional moments that contributed to Bane’s very special brand of calculated brutality. Not to mention sounding like a very cool and arresting sequence of scenes that mirrors Bruce Wayne’s creation of Batman in a suitably twisted way.
GQ: On a recent interview, you said you couldn’t elaborate on the prison scenes, because the film wasn’t out yet. What can you tell us about them now?
Lindy Hemming: I don’t think they know where the prison is, but it doesn’t really matter…it could be in Northern India or it could be in Afghanistan or it could be in Northern Pakistan, but it’s in the roof of the world.
GQ: And Bane has on these…
Lindy Hemming: Rags. [laughs] We made them first and then ruined them, obviously. There were two things about his clothes. The first thing is that they should be pretty undefined in date and where they came from, other than perhaps north of Asia. The other thing is that during the sequence when…do you know I haven’t seen the film finished?
GQ: What!? You haven’t seen the movie yet?
Lindy Hemming: It’s not out in England yet, but the other thing that you should have seen during that sequence is him being injured in his youth. So one of the fundamental things about his costume is that he has this scar from the back injury. Even if he hasn’t got the bulletproof vest on, he still has to wear the waist belt and the braces. In that scene in the prison, where he’s learning to fight the same way Batman learned to fight, he’s wearing an early version of his waist belt. It’s showing support, but it’s not the finished one he eventually wears. He’s also wearing an early version of his gas mask, all glued together.
GQ: I remember one scene where we see his face covered in bandages, is this what you’re referring to?
Lindy Hemming: Well, if you look at the film, unless they’ve cut it—and I’m sure they haven’t—there’s a whole early section for Tom Hardy where he’s fighting and being taunted by people. He’s got chains on him, and he’s standing on a wooden thing while people are attacking him. And in that scene, he’s wearing a much more ragged, primitive version of the mask.
GQ: I think that Bane scene must’ve been cut…
Lindy Hemming: Well that’s an awful shame, but I suppose you have to cut things. I won’t elaborate on it too much, because it isn’t in the film, but there was another section that showed you why he had the mask and where it came from.