‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Teaser Poster: The Legend Ends Thanks to Bane?

Bane’s voice may have caused some pause among recent viewers of the ‘Dark Knight Rises’ IMAX prologue, but that doesn’t mean the villain won’t be Batman’s toughest opponent yet. Need more proof beyond the fact that the hulking Tom Hardy plays the masked wheezer with muscles on top of muscles? Check out this brand new poster for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ that ominously shows Bane walking away from a shattered Batman cowl. In the rain! Dude is serious! Also, is this poster a bit of a spoiler for non-Batman obsessives who might not know the backstory of Batman’s latest foe?

[CLICK FOR BIGGER]

Sorta spoilers! In the ‘Knightfall’ story arc published between 1993 and 1994, Bane runs Batman ragged by releasing all the villains of Gotham from Arkham Asylum, and then later ambushes Batman and breaks his back. Now, that’s just the comic books and all — and Nolan hasn’t totally stayed true to the Batman canon — but this poster certainly makes Bane seem like “the man who broke the Bat.”

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ IMAX prologue gets released next week with ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’ The Christopher Nolan-directed film arrives in theaters on July 20, 2012.

[via TheDarkKnightRises.com]