Venom or Bane: Which villain did Tom Hardy play best?

Before the modern era of superhero movies, it was unthinkable for performers like Michael Keaton — who played Batman in two Tim Burton-directed films — to return to the big screen as a Marvel character. That’s largely because Marvel movies were rarely a big deal before the turn of the century. Since the launch of the MCU in 2008, Keaton, and his Batman successor, Christian Bale, have both crossed over to Marvel. Yet, neither of the two Batmen have had the impact in Marvel’s realm that Tom Hardy has had as Venom.

Hardy was cast as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises opposite Bale’s Batman in 2012, before returning to the genre as the star of Sony’s Venom in 2018. The actor returned for two sequels, including the recently released Venom: The Last Dance, which seemingly wrapped up the title character’s story. Now that Hardy has finished his stint in Sony’s corner of the Marvel multiverse, it’s time to answer the question of which villain he played best: Venom or Bane?

When considering the answer to that question, it should be remembered that Hardy is actually playing two roles in the Venom movies, since he portrays both Eddie Brock and voices the Venom symbiote in the Venom movies. Additionally, the vast majority of comic book movie fans may not be aware that Venom was Spider-Man’s greatest adversary before his popularity convinced Marvel to turn him into an antihero. While the characters are different, there are some comparisons we can make between Venom and Bane to help determine which role Hardy was better in.

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Physicality

Tom Hardy is generally in good physical condition in his films, but he’s rarely bulked up to superhuman proportions in the way he did for The Dark Knight Rises. Bane was introduced in the comics as one of the few villains who could physically dominate Batman in a fight, and he even broke Bruce Wayne’s back in their initial throwdown. Hardy’s physique in the film gave Bane the credibility he needed even before his version of the character mopped the floor with Bale’s Dark Knight.

The Venom films weren’t as reliant on Hardy’s body to sell the illusion of the title character’s strength and powers. CGI took care of most of that. Hardy is hardly a slouch in those films, but he’s not larger than life like he was as Bane.

Edge: Bane

Characterization

Bane is an intimidating presence in The Dark Knight Rises, and he’s a very different villain than Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight. However, Bane isn’t as fondly remembered or as memorable as the Joker in part because he doesn’t ultimately turn out to be the primary villain of the film. One of the big reveals in The Dark Knight Rises is that Bane is working under someone else to bring their dream of vengeance to fruition. That’s what makes Bane’s final showdown with Batman feel like an undercard bout rather than the main event.

There’s not a lot of depth to Bane, but there was a lot for Hardy to explore in the Venom movies. Eddie is a journalist who wrecked his career and his relationship with his fiancée, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), early in the first film. So the audience sees Eddie at his lowest before he’s bonded with Venom, which changes the course of both of their lives. The trilogy is the exploration of that bond and the ups and downs of the friendship they shared. Eddie and Venom aren’t always on the same page, but viewers were more invested in their characters than they were in Bane.

Edge: Venom

Voice

Neither Bane nor Venom sound like Hardy’s normal speaking voice. He crafted a high-pitched voice and odd accent for Bane, which worked well enough for the film. However, Hardy’s Bane voice has since become a source of unintended humor. For example, voice actor James Adomian uses an impression of Hardy’s Bane for the character in Max’s Harley Quinn animated series.

Hardy’s voice as Venom is also a little unusual, but it doesn’t lend itself to parody as much as his Bane accent did. There was also something endearing about the Venom voice that made it easy to forget that Hardy was playing off of himself in every conversation between Eddie and the symbiote. Venom and Eddie really seemed like two separate characters, and that wouldn’t have worked if Hardy couldn’t differentiate the voices he gave to both of them.

Edge: Venom

Story

There have been three Venom movies to date, and yet you’d be hard-pressed to find any critic who would rank them among the best superhero movies ever. Audiences like Eddie and Venom, but the diminishing returns of The Last Dance‘s box office suggests that fans are also somewhat over them. They’re great characters who have been held back by lackluster movies, even though they fared a lot better than other Spider-Man-adjacent characters like Madame Web and Morbius.

The Dark Knight Rises is often considered to be behind The Dark Knight and Batman Begins in terms of quality. Director Christopher Nolan and his creative collaborators — as well as the all-star casts — set a very high bar with those first two films. The Dark Knight Rises may not live up to its predecessors, but the film is miles ahead of all three of the Venom movies combined.

Edge: Bane

Iconic status

Bane and Venom were both prominent comic book villains in the early ’90s for Batman and Spider-Man, respectively. DC and Marvel’s top heroes have very deep rogues’ galleries, yet few of the modern creations have broken through like those two. Bane entered the pantheon of Batman’s greatest bad guys and he has maintained his place there over 30 years after he was introduced.

However, Venom transcended his status as a villain. The movies may have skipped over this important part of his character development, but there’s no question that he’s far more iconic than Bane. Could you picture comic book fans lining up for three Bane movies when even the Joker faltered with his sequel? The Last Dance may be lagging behind its predecessors, but Venom still has three movies under his belt. That’s a feat that Sony’s unlikely to repeat with Spider-Man’s other villains.

Edge: Venom

With a score of 3-2, we’re calling this contest in favor of Venom over Bane.