'Gotham': Shane West Teases Bane's Venom

One of Batman's deadliest and most intelligent foes is coming to television as Gotham gears up for [...]

By Joe Schmidt

One of Batman's deadliest and most intelligent foes is coming to television as Gotham gears up for the arrival of Shane West as Bane.

After a set photo revealed the first look at West as Bane, the actor teased new details about his character on social media.

It looks like the show will show Bane's transformation into the Venom-addicted villain, exploring the character's origin rather than introduce him as a fully formed character.

Gotham showrunner John Stephens spoke about the tweaks they're making to Bane during the show's panel at New York Comic Con, teasing it will be different from what fans have already seen in the comics and the movies.

"Finally, we found that if you beg and you plead enough, and then they find out that your show is not going on anymore, they'll give it to you," Stephens said. "We always wanted to do it and we wanted to do it in a way that has not been told as much on screen or in the comic books, which was to really tell the story of how he was before he became Bane. And we tied it to Jim's back story, in a way that I think is clearly different than canon, but I feel like it is like a tributary that then goes into the canon."

Stephens also teased West's portrayal, praising the approach he brings to the popular character.

"When Shane comes in to play he him, he plays him with a level of -- this is weird to say, but -- authenticity," he said. "You believe that character and you believe that guy."

The series will also twist the popular Knightfall storyline for television, altering the fate of Batman's broken back and instead doling that injury out to Bruce Wayne's caretaker, Alfred.

"He has a nice showdown with Alfred," Stephens said at the panel.

"We have an altercation, and Cat's involved, and we give very good account of ourselves," Alfred actor Sean Pertwee added, "but I get my back broken."

Fans will be able to witness West's debut as Bane when Gotham returns to FOX for its final season in 2019.

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