Gotham is still a ways off from premiering its fifth and final season, but we already know that none other than the back-breaking Bane will enter the scene in the last batch of episodes. Played by Shane West, the baddie will be different from all incarnations that came before, and a new photo has hit the web to give a good look at his sweet costume. Check it out!
The photo was shared by Gotham writer and producer Tze Chun via Twitter, and it indicates that Shane West as Bane should be right at home in the No Man's Land that was once Gotham City. Unsurprisingly, he looks pretty murderous behind his mask in this first pic, and I would not want to be the one on the receiving end of that death glare.
In some ways, he doesn't actually look all that different from other screen adaptations of Bane. We do know that he'll be a brand new incarnation of the classic Batman bad guy. Shane West actually won't debut as Bane as DC Comics fans have come to expect of the character. No, the Gotham version will be the man before he became Bane, and he's actually connected to Jim Gordon.
When Shane West was first announced as a new member of the Gotham cast for Season 5, his character was given the name of Eduardo Dorrance, who's an old army buddy of Jim's who arrives in Gotham to help pull the city out of it's state of lawlessness after the events of the Season 4 finale. Things will only have gotten worse during the time jump, so Jim will be happy for Eduardo and his team of elite soldiers to help... to a point.
Jim will discover that his old friend has dark intentions that may even be evil, which will undoubtedly just make life in No Man's Land all the more dangerous. Personally, I'm wondering if the Bane getup in the first look photo will be what the character wears right off the bat or if something will happen to land him in a respirator will all manner of tubes connected to him.
In true Gotham fashion, the show will embrace some of the most iconic elements of the comic character without actually delivering just another typical adaptation of Bane. Fans who need some back-breaking with their Bane need not worry, as Shane West's version will be going after one of the good guys. It won't be Bruce on Gotham, however. Poor Alfred will be the one to get his back broken. Could this be what leads the Bat-boys to go all-in on the Batcave?
Check out an even scarier look at Bane, courtesy of EW on Instagram:
We'll have to wait and see what he's like. For now, I think it's safe to say that Gotham will do justice to Bane the villain, even if he won't be a Bane we've seen before. We should see plenty of him, so get excited! The only bad news is that the show won't be back for Season 5 until 2019, so be sure to check out our fall TV guide for what you can watch between now and then.
