Meet the next Batman villain:

Fun Fact: Steroids make your nuts shrink

No, that isn’t Ronnie from The Jersey Shore’s pale, hairless brother that is a first glimpse of Bane, the next Batman villain.  Bane will be played by Tom Hardy, best known for his role as The Forger in last summer’s Inception.  

When I first heard Bane would be the next Batman villain I was a bit disappointed, I had been hoping for The Riddler or someone else who could psychologically challenge Batman.  However, I’ve had a change of heart and now think Bane is a great choice.  In Batman Begins, Ra’s-al-ghul presented a threat because he had extensive resources and a bunch of ninjas.  In The Dark Knight, the Joker challenged Batman because he constantly outsmarted everyone in Gotham.   Bane will be able to present a different challenge because he can beat the living hell out of Batman (in the comics Bane broke Batman’s back).  Using a villain like The Riddler would have created an enemy far too similar to The Joker.

I think Bane can help do what has been nearly impossible in movie history: make the third movie as good as either of the first two.  The Dark Knight Rises is set to release on July 20, 2012… I’m already excited.