Villains defined The Dark Knight trilogy more than Batman: Nolan

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan says the antagonists in Dark Knight trilogy defined the character of Batman in each of the films.

Nolan, who is credited to have given a subliminal edge to the role of Caped Crusader of Gotham in his superhero interpretation, says all three villains - Liam Neeson's Henri Ducard/ Ra's al Ghul, Heath Ledger's The Joker and Tom Hardy's Bane helped Bruce Wayne become a more layered part.

About 2005's origins story, "Batman Begins", starring Christian Bale in the title role, Nolan said, "To me, each film is a different genre. They tend to be defined by the villain.

"The villain is an appropriate adversary. He's a mentor-turned-enemy."
Nolan, 47, called the 2012's final part, "The Dark Knight Rises", as "This historical epic. Bane as a militarist foe helped that."
"We hadn't planned on doing a sequel. So shifting genres and the nature of the antagonist felt the way to take the audience on a journey and tell them something different about Bruce Wayne."