In today's Dark Knight Rises news, we have some new hi-res images from the film to share with fans - who are still buzzing about the recent Dark Knight Rises IMAX prologue, as well as the latest Dark Knight Rises trailer, which revealed such goodies as a Robin Easter-egg.

But more than anything else, the one aspect of TDKR that has been causing the most debate is the character of Bane (played by Tom Hardy). From his costume to his muscle size to his hard-to-decipher voice, Bane is the name on the tip of every Bat-fan's tongue right now.

Nolan's version of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, is that of a terrorist leader who arrives on Gotham City's doorstep to hatch a nefarious plot of mass destruction and socio-political upheaval. When Batman tries to stop him, he finds that in Bane he has truly met a villain who is his equal, both physically and mentally.

The photos below aren't "new," per se: They were actually featured in a recent issue of Empire and scans of the photos have been making their way around the Internet for weeks now. Of course, magazine pics and scanned images can't hold a candle to the true beauty you'll see in these official hi-res photos. Check them out below:

CLICK FOR LARGER VERSIONS

The Dark Knight Rises Bane Holds Harvey Dent Photo

The Dark Knight Rises Bane vs. Batman

That "Bane vs. Batman" image is destined to become a classic, no doubt about that. A brief hint of this scene in The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer was enough to give many fans goosebumps. Hopefully, the fight sequence in the actual film lives up to the anticipation; even the most ardent Bat-fan has to admit that filming close-quarter combat hasn't been Nolan's greatest strength throughout this series.

As for the Harvey Dent photograph in the other pic: We've known for some time that "The Harvey Dent Act" will be a pivotal plot point in TDKR, helping to tie the threequel to the previous film, The Dark Knight. While details of this 'Harvey Dent Act' are sketchy, it's known that the piece of legislation helped Commissioner Gordon and Batman bring order to Gotham in the 8-year span between TDK and TDKR. How Bane plans to use the law to his advantage (or tear it down) remains to be seen - but still, it's nice to see that Harvey Dent actor Aaron Eckhart made it into the film in some form or fashion...

The Dark Knight Rises in theaters on July 20, 2012.

Source: Warner Bros. via Batman News