Ledger had the charm, the one-liners, sliding down the money, sticking his car out the window, etc. Easy to see the appeal over this one...

... but it's clear why everyone's fucking terrified of Bane. His body is so massive. His tactics are ruthless. And he's every bit as smart and strong as Batman. In short, he might just be the better villain, period.

One of the best payoffs in the film is when he finally shows weakness at the end-- "How did you...?" The build with the character was perfect.

Really, Bale, Hardy, and JGL carried this film for me. Those three performances and arcs were top-notch.