This article contains spoilers for Havoc.Tom Hardy's Havoc's ensemble cast includes veteran actors like Luis Guzman, Forest Whitaker, and Timothy Olyphant, as well as some new faces. While Havoc is not based on a comic book, it has a similar tone to a Tom Hardy comic book movie.
The world of Batman might have started as a blend of campy and dark, but the tone of the Batman movies has grown progressively more somber over time. By the time Tom Hardy starred as the villainous (if unintelligible) Bane in The Dark Night Rises, the more sinister vision of Gotham City and its inhabitants had become a staple of the live-action franchise. While Tom Hardy's characters in Havoc and The Dark Night Rises are very different, his appearance in Havoc felt like a return to Gotham City, if only in spirit.
Havoc's Setting Feels A Lot Like Gotham City From The Dark Knight Movies
Both Batman And Havoc's Walker Share The Same Enemies
Image via Netflix
Havoc is set in an unnamed American city, and the exact place was deliberately left ambiguous by the writer and director, Gareth Evans. The city is full of corruption and crime, perpetrated by The Triad Gang and the many crooked cops who oversee the crimes. This dangerous atmosphere makes the city in Havoc extremely similar to Batman's Gotham City, and the two even look similar. One of the first scenes in Havoc involves a nighttime car chase, in which one character wears a neon mask, and this light and dark contrast is often used in the Batman movies.
With the cities in both movies being overrun by crime, the main enemy has become corruption itself.
Most of the villains in the Batman movies are over-the-top caricatures that are so popular in comic book adaptations. When done well, the Batman antagonists can be both iconic and terrifying, like Heath Ledger's Joker. That said, Batman occasionally fights more realistic enemies, and these are a central part of Havoc.
The Triad Gang is a real organization and the main adversary for Walker, Tom Hardy's character in Havoc. With the cities in both movies being overrun by crime, the main enemy has become corruption itself, which is an all-too-real threat outside of Batman and Havoc.
Tom Hardy Isn't A Villain Like Bane In Havoc, But He's Also Not A Hero
Tom Hardy Regularly Plays Antiheroes
While Bane is not the main antagonist in The Dark Knight Rises, he is the most memorable in the movie, thanks to Tom Hardy's imposing portrayal of the character. Bane is one of the strongest Batman villains, with no empathy and the desire to dominate. On the other hand, Walker is willing to break rules, but he has a moral code, and when his selfishness was tested, he tried to help rather than allow a wounded officer to be shot. Walker might be a corrupt character with questionable morals, but he is far from being the villain that Bane is.
Tom Hardy is also listed as a producer for Havoc.
Tom Hardy is well-known for playing antiheroes, and even making some of the most brutal villains relatable through nuanced performances. Hardy's portrayal of the infamous gangsters, the Kray twins, is a great example of this skill. Eddie Brock, the host for Venom in the Venom movies, is a similarly conflicted character, with the movies pitting his selfish impulses against his moral code. "Mad" Max Rockatansky is arguably Tom Hardy's best-known and most successful antihero character, and both he and Walker are trying to survive a hostile world, though the world of Havoc is slightly more habitable than in Mad Max.
Havoc Will Likely Be The Closest We Get To Tom Hardy Returning For A Batman Movie
Havoc's Ending Sets Up A Potential Sequel
The Dark Knight Rises ends with Bane dying at the hands of Catwoman, which some reviewers described as an anticlimactic moment for a character that deserved a bigger death scene. This means that it is extremely unlikely that Tom Hardy would return to Gotham City to reprise his iconic role. Havoc is likely the closest movie that we can get to seeing Hardy return to Gotham City, This could be a good thing, as Havoc's setting contains the best parts of Gotham, while Hardy is given more of a chance to emote, without being hidden behind the Bane mask.
Havoc Proves How Much We Need Another Sequel To Gareth Evans' Critically Acclaimed Action Franchise Starring Iko Uwais
Havoc has received a mixed set of reviews from critics, but it serves as a perfect reminder of why Gareth Evans' acclaimed film series needs a sequel.
Gareth Evans has confirmed that Walker survives in the end of Havoc, after his major confrontation left him wounded, with audiences unsure as to his fate. While it is not yet clear what exactly will happen to Walker after the events of the movie, Evans has said that this was deliberate, telling Netflix’s Tudum, "I like the idea of the audience being able to make up their own mind about what they think Walker’s next steps will be." This leaves the possibility of a sequel open, and while Hardy may not return to Gotham, Havoc provides a similar city.
Source: Tudum
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