As famous as it is for Batman's heroism, the Christopher Nolan trilogy is renowned for its iconic line of villains. While Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow was a menace, infusing psychological horror, Bane was a physical threat to be reckoned with. Having used a revolutionary brutal strength to wreak havoc on Gotham, Hardy’s Bane came the closest to defeating Batman single-handedly. Heath Ledger's Joker, meanwhile, stood out for his anarchic chaos. His cunning laughter and gruesome grins turned the movie into a rather horror flick than an action thriller. 

In the history of Hollywood's villainy, Nolan's bad guys have left Batman and audiences shaken alike. So, who would know them better than the mastermind himself?

As posted by a fan account, quoting one of Nolan's interviews, the Oscar-winning director set side by side two of his most feared villains of all time. Despite hailing praises for Tom Hardy’s performance, the director claimed, “It's hard to compete with what Heather Ledger did.” Navigating through their fundamental characteristics, Nolan described how Joker is a ‘mad serial killer’, but Bane was ‘a monstrous soldier’

The director recalled the first time the Wuthering Heights star auditioned for the role. “It was scary,” he said. However, nothing comes close to what the psychotic Joker did in The Dark Knight. “They're apples and oranges,” added Christopher Nolan further. Describing the motive between the two brutes, the director set apart two of his most iconic savages of all time. 

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As had been Christopher Nolan's custom, he chooses his villains more carefully than his protagonists. 

Christopher Nolan's legacy in producing the most threatening of them all, results by making clear the coherent ideology that builds their characteristics. While Bane had an assassin organization, the League of Shadows, to serve, Joker's motive lay in gaining complete control, breaking Gotham’s belief in being morally upright. In the latter's case, "it is paradoxical and yet it works," having become an ideology, in itsel

Thus, it is safe to say, that the two do not outdo each other, but reign supreme in their realms. Going out of his way to render justice to each film he gets his hands on is what makes Christopher Nolan, one of the most brilliant minds Hollywood ever had. His years of hard work producing some masterclass movies fetched his much-deserved accolade, the Oscar, due for years.  

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Who do you think was the most fierce villain of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy? Let us know in the comments below.