In the comics, when Bane appeared, I thought he was the greatest thing, ever. I was a big fan of Doomsday (Superman's killer), too. These guys that come in and beat the hell out of the invincible hero instantly get kicked up a notch, in my book.
I've been dying to see Bane done right in other media ever since. Just seeing him in the spotlight as a capable and clever "anti-Batman" put him ahead of the Joker, for me......but then they made him just a goon for Talia Al Ghul. As soon as it was revealed that she was running things and Bane was just her lackey, his stock fell.
Meanwhile, Ledger did an amazing job with Joker. His death had no bearing on my opinion because I'd never seen him in anything before (never saw Tom Hardy in anything, either) and when I watched TDK, I didn't even think about him being dead. His portrayal was just an amalgam of everything I thought the Joker should be and it made the movie.
Joker takes it.
