[trackercowe]

I disagree with the opinion that Bane was a mere pawn in the plan, if anything Bane and Talia were cohorts, or lovers engaged in a suicide pact for the beginning as they were both willing to die for their cause. However, one of Bane's causes was always being the one to rescue Talia as he did in the pit. Which is why he was "born in the darkness"; as he likely spent all of his life in the pit until the League of Shadows got him out after he helped save Talia. That's probably 20+ years in the pit, and then the training with the League and Ra's al Ghul only helped him in becoming an expert mercenary. However, his goals and character were even too extreme for the League.

Bane received joy from watching others suffer, he also had no honor for anyone other other than Talia. Talia was the reason Ra's went back for Bane in the pit, and stuck by him even after he was excommunicated, which is why he is only honorable for her and no one else. This is why he had no problem in watching people that helped him with his plan die throughout the movie. He choked out Daggett (and others), then didn't even care when Daggett's assistant was "exiled"; in fact he was knitting in the back of the courtroom or whatever. But he sure as heck wanted to be in that courtroom to take pleasure watching the rich and powerful of Gotham suffer.

Finally regarding the battles there was obviously a great difference in who Bane fought in the sewers, and then in front of the courthouse. He wasn't fighting Batman at first, really he was just fighting Bruce Wayne with a cape and cowl. It was quite evident that Wayne took Bane lightly, since as he said he was able to beat Ra's, then he should have been able to take down some schmo who was thrown out of the League without breaking a sweat. The Bruce/Alfred scenes prior to the battle in the sewers all but sum up why Wayne lost. Then when he was tossed in the pit he rebuilt himself up (like in Rocky, sure), and once again became the Batman we all know and love (evident with the scene with his father, and even the bats flying out of the cave). Then during the final battle Batman is really only to get the upperhand by breaking the mask, as he knows that may be the only way to secure victory in time to defuse the bomb.

I love what they did with Bane overall, as like Bertuzzied said he was never that great of character to begin with. Bane was always more of a Doomsday type character; great when first introduced, then he really became redundant in short order. Batman needed to face someone who was his match physically, and Bane was the only clear-cut way to go.