"If 'Scarecrow' is a madman, and 'Joker' is an anarchist, then Bane is an outright terrorist—highly intelligent and extremely ruthless… His physical condition is exceptional, and his mind is incredibly sharp, making him far more dangerous than other criminals."
Standing at the entrance of Warner Studios, Duke answered a swarm of reporters' questions about the film's villain. "When deciding what kind of opponent to give Batman, my team and I realized there had to be a significant shift here—that is, choosing a foil completely different from the 'Joker,' yet possessing equally formidable means and background…"
Since the previous news silence had been broken, Duke didn't mind saying a bit more. "First, this character had to physically match Bruce Wayne as he becomes 'Batman,' which wasn't necessary or addressed in the previous two films. I really wanted our protagonist to face an evenly matched opponent, even mentally. Bane presents an extremely primal strength and a blind obsession and fanaticism in what he does. Only death can stop him from moving forward."
Entering Warner Studios, Duke didn't go to his office but went straight to a costume design room, where multiple designers were rushing to create equipment for Bane and Catwoman.
When designing Bane's costume, Duke wanted an effect that looked like a "haphazard amalgamation of mercury alloy," because Bane came from far away. Part of his vest was cut from an old military tent, and his clothing carried a militaristic tone, yet could not be considered a uniform.
Of course, Bane's most striking feature was the terrifying mask on his face. The mask had to fit tightly—it was a device that continuously injected painkillers into his face. This physical torment stemmed from past injuries he had suffered in desperate situations.
"He lives normally thanks to this mask. You mentioned his past filled with shame and hatred. His face constantly reminds him of this, making him a true monster."
Standing in front of one of Bane's masks, Hannah Serlina, responsible for the section, told Duke, "So we designed the mask with a beast-like appearance. It forms a strong contrast with Batman's mask… and it cannot be black."
The mask was made by the costume effects team, digitally mapped to Dwayne Johnson's face and skull.
Costume effects supervisor Graham Cheziade explained to Duke, "For us, Bane's mask had to fit like prosthetic skin. But not exactly like prosthetic skin—it must look like it was molded from metal. We used Dwayne Johnson's digital cast, created each hard piece with 3D modeling, then conformed it to his head contours. This way, the mask clings tightly to his face, with no gaps."
From Dwayne Johnson's on-set photos, describing it as airtight still isn't enough.
The mask clamps his head like a vise. With his patience and cooperation, the costume team made the mask as tight as possible.
The front of the mask has a magnetic removal panel, and beneath the visible parts are a series of magnets, under which is a rubber seal, like a sealed jar, completely isolating the air and firmly embedding it into Dwayne Johnson's skin. Wearing it required courage, let alone acting with it—just hearing about it is unbearable.
But this is part of a Hollywood actor's job.
Bane's mask prioritized functionality over aesthetics, while Selina Kyle's mask combined both function and beauty.
Compared to Bane's equipment, which was already in production, Catwoman's preparation was still at the design stage.
After touring the design room, Duke sat at a computer reviewing several concept sketches from the costume effects team. He wasn't very satisfied, especially with the pointed ears—they overly emphasized feline traits.
He called over Hannah Serlina and costume effects supervisor Graham Cheziade.
"This character's debut has major significance. First, she's Catwoman, then Selina Kyle."
Pointing to the pointed ears on the screen, Duke said, "My requirement is to shape the cat ears without making actual cat ears."
Hearing this, Graham Cheziade took out a USB drive, inserted it into the computer. Duke stepped back.
Cheziade sat down, opened the drive, revealing multiple design sketches—all Catwoman equipment concepts.
Flipping through them, he told Duke and Hannah Serlina, "This is a backup version. Inspired by night vision goggles, it flips onto her head, forming a cat ear silhouette, seeming almost invisible."
After careful inspection, Duke nodded approvingly. "This is more suitable than the previous designs."
"I'll make further modifications," Cheziade added. "Once the concept is mature, the manufacturing team can beautifully materialize it and send it to you."
Duke added, "Every tiny detail in the character's portrait must have an extremely logical necessity."
Besides the night vision design, there were sketches of Catwoman's costume.
"I think her catsuit is practical too, allowing her to disappear into darkness instantly, always ready to strike," Cheziade added. "When Selina Kyle isn't in the catsuit, she still tends to wear black clothing, prepared for any occasion. I think she has a classic chameleon-like personality."
Indeed, in the script, Selina Kyle isn't a super-powered character but a thief ready to escape any scene, always prepared to conceal her identity or multiple identities.
In the design sketches, Selina Kyle's catsuit consists of two parts, with an additional tight-fitting belt, appearing like a one-piece outfit. The suit includes elbow gloves and over-the-knee high-heeled boots, all hiding clever functions.
"They're all weapons."
Cheziade continued, "In my concept, the catsuit is made of two layers: outer layer of polyurethane-coated elastic spandex, printed with hexagonal patterns, streamlined, fully outlining Catwoman's figure without being too flashy."
During the following discussion, Duke finalized Catwoman's preliminary look.
Regarding her glasses, the design extended two sharp tips outward from the sides of sunglasses, forming ears when on her head. Per Duke's requirement, the glasses should appear unexpectedly, sliding up from her face to the top of her head like sunglasses on Selina Kyle.
After a sample was made and Gal Gadot tried it on, Duke felt the effect was unsatisfactory.
The design clearly had a problem—the glasses clasping Gal Gadot's face made the character look foolish.
So, Graham Cheziade redesigned the concept, adding additional hinges to the glasses frame so the sides extended toward her ears. He also created a quick 3D animation to illustrate his idea, which Duke greatly admired.
After receiving Duke's approval, Graham Cheziade began a full design, showing how it would interact with the external goggles, then produced another sample. When Gal Gadot tried it on, even Duke had to admit he loved the idea so much that he didn't want the technicians to make any further modifications or improvements.
The Catwoman design project was more like a combination of engineering and aesthetics. Compared to other forms of design, it emphasized integrating external form with internal function—a level of innovation never attempted before on the character of Catwoman.
Since the catsuit fit like a second skin, clinging tightly from head to toe, the actress was truly exposed. Gal Gadot trained with a personal coach to ensure her posture and athletic ability allowed her to move freely while wearing such a tight outfit.
If you want the world to see her figure tightly fitted on the big screen, skipping workouts and avoiding the gym was simply impossible.
Moreover, Selina Kyle needed to ride the Batpod in the film.
However, Duke didn't place special requirements on the actress for this. Though it looked like a street bike, it wasn't easy to handle—it required sufficient strength and special skill to control it smoothly.
During the filming of The Dark Knight, in fact, only one person could truly ride the Batpod: professional stunt performer Jean-Pierre Goyet.
He was again invited by Duke to serve as the Batpod rider, also acting as the driving stunt double for both Gal Gadot and Christian Bale.
Jean-Pierre Goyet had a similar build to Christian Bale, so as long as it wasn't a close-up, no post-production adjustment was needed. But his physique was quite different from Gal Gadot's. With today's computer VFX technology, replacing the person riding the Batpod in post-production was not particularly difficult or technically demanding.
Digital technology provided more convenience for the film. From filming to production, Duke continued to use digital technology extensively.
Of course, 3D and IMAX were indispensable as well.
..
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