'The Dark Knight Rises' Characters: Who are Bane, Ra's al Ghul, and Catwoman?

The Dark Knight Rises, the latest movie in the Christopher Nolan Batman series, showcases interesting charaters from the Batman comic universe.

There is Batman, of course. The movie's arch-nemesis is Bane, a lesser-known (compared to The Joker or Two-Face) but highly intriguing villain. Catwoman and Ra's al Ghul are also involved in the plot.

Nolan's movie will likely differ from the comic books. Nevertheless, below are what the comics world had to say about these characters.

Bane:

Bane was born in the fictional Island Santa Prisca, which is ruled by a corrupt government. When his father escaped from his prison sentence, the government made the young Bane serve in his place.

It was in this gritty environment that Bane honed his fighting skills, cunning, and toughness. He also put himself under the tutelage of a Jesuit priest and read books to further his knowledge.

Bane's hardiness was noticed by prison administrators, who then injected him with an experimental drug called Venom that had killed all previous test subjects. Bane survived Venom and the drug gave him superhuman strength.

He eventually escaped from prison, and set his sights on Batman as a worthy opponent to conquer.

Bane approached Batman strategically. He first broke Batman's Gotham City foes like The Joker and Two-Face out of prison. Batman was then forced to put them back behind bars, a task that exhausted him.

When Batman returned to his civilian residence Wayne Manor, Bane attacked the weakened Batman and overcame him. He finished the Dark Knight off by breaking his back.

A topic of intense interest is whether or not Bane will break Batman's back in The Dark Knight Rises movie.

Ra's al Ghul:

Ra's al Ghul was born hundreds of years ago to a tribe of Arab nomads. One day, he accidently discovered The Lazarus Pit, a pool of chemicals that is a fountain of youth but affects one's sanity. He then went back to it repeatedly to prolong his life.

Through his many years of existence, Ra's al Ghul has accumulated deep knowledge of combat, sciences, and a vast horde of wealth and contacts.

When industrialization took place, Ra's al Ghul became convinced that it was destroying nature. He then devoted his life to perpetrating acts of terrorism against modernization and the entire human race.

His destructive activities has put him at odds with Batman and the two have battled many times. Ironically, his daughter is one of the love interests of Batman. The two even fathered a son together.

Catwoman:

Catwoman, or Selena Kyle, comes from a troubled childhood. Her mother spent her time with cats and committed suicide when Kyle was young. Her alcoholic father eventually drank himself to death.

The orphaned Kyle turned to stealing and eventually prostitution to survive. As an adult, Kyle began a successful career as a professional thief.

Catwoman has a love-hate relationship with Batman. Although she frequently fought against him, both have showed each other mercy. The two have also been romantically linked at various times, although they never formed a long-lasting relationship.