The introduction of the Arrow-verse's Gotham City could bring many Batman villains into our heroes' future stories, and it's looking as though a new image from "Elseworlds" is teasing one such classic Batman foe: Bane. Assuming Bane won't actually appear, the pic seemingly confirms that he exists in this iteration of the Gotham City, as his mask is seen on a display mantle that Nora Fries is checking out.
Superhero movie lovers may notice that mask looks mighty familiar, and bears a striking resemblance to the adornment worn by Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. We can't prove that it's the exact same mask, but it does have many of the same features as the one worn by Tom Hardy's villain in the final film in Christopher Nolan trilogy. Does this mean that franchise's Gotham City is the same one the heroes visit in "Elseworlds"?
That's probably not the case, considering how DC ensures separation between its film and television worlds, but it's something interesting to ponder as the time draws near for Batwoman's debut. To have one of Batman's greatest rivals operating in Gotham without the caped crusader there to take him down would be a frightening scenario for Gotham City, as even Bruce can have trouble taking him on from time to time.
That said, the fact that this mask is hanging out on a mantle and not on Bane's face could mean the villain merely "existed" and isn't currently able to wreak havoc. Without the mask to pump in the venom that his body depends on (in certain stories), Bane would probably lose his immense strength and go into painful withdrawals. So either Bane is dead, or he's in a state that wouldn't make him much of a threat to anyone, super-powered or not.
Of course, seeing as how the mask is generally important to Bane's overall well-being, it wouldn't be crazy to think he has more than one of them. This one may have been nicked off him after one of his villainous plots turned sideways, and is now hanging out wherever Nora Fries is in this picture. The mask is seemingly in a display case with other items, so either she's a collector, or Nora is somewhere she isn't supposed to be.
If Bane does become a part of the Batwoman show, it wouldn't be all that surprising. The villain is set to appear in Gotham's final season, so apparently, Warner Bros. is more cool with him being used in DC television than it is with the Joker. His arrival in the Arrow-verse would be an exciting moment, even if The Dark Knight isn't around to fight him right now.
The CW's "Elseworlds" Arrow-verse crossover kicks of the three-night event with a special episode of The Flash Sunday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Keep up with what else is happening on television in the meantime by visiting our fall and midseason premiere guide.
