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When it comes toBatmanvillains, youd be hard-pressed to find a more physically imposing one than Bane.
He got more lines and more airtime in Christopher Nolans trilogy capper, but he remained just as brutish.
In his animated form inHBO MaxsHarley Quinnseries, Bane is still a physically staggering figure.
That is, until he opens his mouth.
For in the world ofHarley Quinn, Bane is a mess of delightful contradictions.
he bellows), compound over time to make him less a ridiculous figure than a tragicomic one.
For starters, the show is, above all else, a comedy.
An absurdist one, at that.
Decades of increasingly self-serious live-action adaptations have made stories surrounding the caped crusader feel weighted with unnecessary gravitas.
Its those latter two that play out most obviously in Banes development over the last three seasons.
Its not just Bruce and Selina singing out their relationship issues, or the former Mrs. Of course, this beingHarley Quinn,Banes realization he needs professional help comes via aSex and the Citygag.
he protests), Bane goes full Carrie: Perhaps my identity had been stolen … by myself!
There are no bastions of masculinity in this ravaged city.
Here is strength filtered through vulnerability, self-actualization emerging out of actual self-help.
In Harleys world, everyones trying to break out of the narratives that have been laid down before them.
Yes, even irascible and adorable Bane, whos hard at work on himself for a change.
