Rush Limbaugh- Batman film is an attack on Mitt Romney
Stephen Send a noteboard - 18/07/2012 03:06:30 PM
Dark Knight Rises: Bane character 'part of plot against Mitt Romney'
Christopher Nolan chose villain with name viewers will link to Bain Capital, the private equity firm Republican nominee founded – or so says US commentator Rush Limbaugh
When Christopher Nolan announced two years ago that the character Bane would be Batman's nemesis in The Dark Knight Rises, more than a few eyebrows were raised. While the villain has played a prominent role in the caped crusader's comic book canon, he is not nearly so well known as traditional bad guys such as Joker, Penguin or the Riddler. Now, the real reason behind the hulking antagonist's deployment in Nolan's forthcoming superhero blockbuster has been revealed – at least, in the mind of the rightwing US commentator Rush Limbaugh: it's all a thinly veiled attack on Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
According to Limbaugh, who was speaking on his syndicated radio show on Tuesday, "Bane" is designed to get Americans thinking about "Bain" Capital, the investment fund that Romney founded in 1984. The presidential hopeful is currently embroiled in a political spat with Barack Obama's team, who have accused him of being in charge during a period in which the private equity firm made a high number of layoffs at the companies it owned. Romney says he left the firm before the layoffs occurred.
"So this evil villain in the new Batman movie is named Bane. And there's discussion out there as to whether or not this was purposeful and whether or not it will influence voters," said Limbaugh. "A lot of people are going to see the movie. And it's a lot of brain-dead people – entertainment, the pop culture crowd – and they're going to hear Bane in the movie and they're going to associate Bain.
"And the thought is that when they're going to start paying attention to the campaign later in the year and Obama and the Democrats keep talking about Bain, not Bain Capital but Romney and Bain, that these people will start thinking back to the Batman movies: 'Oh yeah, I know who that is!'"
Back in reality, Bane was not invented by Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises but first rose to prominence in the 1993 Batman comic book series Knightfall, in which he breaks Bruce Wayne's back. Unless the British director had the ability to see into the future in 2010 when he was finalising his plans for the new film, it seems unlikely that he decided on utilising the villain for political reasons. Then again, Nolan began his superhero trilogy with 2005's Batman Begins, featuring a sinister organisation named The League of Shadows, known for manipulating events in order to forge the future in its own image.
Bloggers, including the Guardian's Catherine Shoard, have suggested a rather different political thread running throughout The Dark Knight Rises, with Bane and his "Occupy Gotham" army cast as the 99% and Wayne's battling Batman the capitalist, "radically conservative" antagonist.
What a kooky bollox. it would be endearing if he didn't seem to be serious.
"I mean, if everyone had a soul, there would be no contrast by which we could appreciate it. For giving us this perspective, we thank you." - Nate
Rush Limbaugh- Batman film is an attack on Mitt Romney
- 18/07/2012 03:06:30 PM
2465 Views
Oh, he's wrong but the suspiscion isn't unwarranted
- 18/07/2012 05:09:48 PM
985 Views
Can you stop washing Limbaugh's balls already? *NM*
- 18/07/2012 07:53:07 PM
424 Views
Sorry, did you have have a better retort than a gay joke? Ya know, something countering the argument *NM*
- 18/07/2012 09:26:00 PM
425 Views
There is no greater insult in the liberal lexicon than calling someone gay. Catch up, man! *NM*
- 22/07/2012 01:34:01 AM
468 Views
So Republicans are evil...that's all the more reason to vote Republican!
- 18/07/2012 07:10:45 PM
818 Views
I thought it was because Penguin and the Riddler are just...really lame
- 18/07/2012 08:27:42 PM
927 Views
"Hell, the sexes are equal with their erogenous zones blown sky high!"
- 18/07/2012 11:17:01 PM
894 Views
He'd have had more ground to stand on if he'd only said Obama was glad of the fortuitousness.
- 18/07/2012 11:13:40 PM
835 Views
seems the movie has a lot of people upset
- 19/07/2012 08:55:05 PM
1011 Views
I heard about that.
- 19/07/2012 11:04:57 PM
806 Views
I didn't read him as saying that at all.
- 20/07/2012 03:42:59 AM
1008 Views
to hazard a guess, I think people noting it's stupidity has less to do with Limbaugh's politics...
- 20/07/2012 06:59:06 AM
1307 Views
My point wasn't who said it first, but that a liberal said it too. It's an apolitical observation
- 22/07/2012 01:41:00 AM
860 Views