Cast

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire socialite dedicated to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld. Nolan has stated that, due to the eight-year gap between the events of The Dark Knight and those of The Dark Knight Rises, "he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state." Bale has stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be the final film in which he plays Batman. Bale commented on how the film will explore Bruce Wayne's motivations and conclude his journey: "How long will you let the pain and loss define your life? Walking around chasing bad guys is very heroic and attracts attention, but at the end it all accounts for, as a means to deal with the pain of a huge loss. We agreed that Bruce Wayne is absolutely sincere as Bruce Wayne, and as Batman utterly sincere but Bruce Wayne, the playboy, is a pure facade, it's a lie he has, somehow, to control one side of your soul that's not really under control. In fact, only Alfred knows who he is. It's time for Bruce Wayne to face the pain, that has always stirred his life." Bale also acknowledged that Batman is not a flawless individual, stating that "he's not a healthy individual, this is somebody that is doing good, but he's right on the verge of doing bad. He's got that killer within him that he's desperately not trying to let off his leash. And that's what I always return to." When asked about how Bale felt when leaving the franchise, Bale stated, "It's like saying goodbye to an old friend. When you have the opportunity to be a character so many times, you develop another relationship with him, a more profound one."

Tom Hardy as Bane:
Hardy stated that he intended to portray the character as "more menacing" than Jeep Swenson's version of the character in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin and gained 30 pounds (14 kg) of muscle for the role, increasing his weight to 198 pounds (90 kg). According to costume designer Lindy Hemming, the character wears a mask that supplies him with an analgesic gas to relieve pain he suffers from an injury sustained "early in his story", while Nolan explained that the character was chosen because of the desire to "[test] Batman both physically as well as mentally". Hardy describes Bane's fighting style as "[...] brutal. Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action." Originally, Nolan was unfamiliar with the character's back-story, but did acknowledge his physicality: "With Bane, the physicality is the thing," Nolan said. "With a good villain you need an archetype, you know, you need the extreme of some type of villainy. The Joker is obviously a particular archetype of diabolical, chaotic anarchy and has a devilish sense of humor. Bane, to me, is something we haven't dealt with in the films. We wanted to do something very different in this film. He's a primarily physical villain, he's a classic movie monster in a way — but with a terrific brain." Nolan also commented on Hardy's performance: "Tom is somebody who really knows how to put character into every gesture, every aspect of his physicality in the way that great actors can. He's a very, very physical actor. He transforms himself and it's there in every movement. He's not afraid to look at a character from the outside as well as the inside so there's a deep psychological branch to the character but also a very, very specific awareness of how he's going to use his body and his appearance to express that character too."

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle:
Selina Kyle is "an associate" of Bane. Hathaway has called the role her most physically demanding yet, especially fitting into the character's signature leather costume. Hathaway worked out five days a week for the role, including rigorous exercise and stunt training followed by an hour and a half of dance. She explained, "I've always thought that skinny was the goal, but with this job I also have to be strong." Aside from her physical demands, Hathaway comments on her suit being used for her character: "[The leaked photos are] disappointing. I think everyone feels a slight frustration with it because those stills so undercut the work that’s being done," she said. Hathaway also commented on her distinctive choreographing style: "They've given me a martial arts exercise that I have to do all the time to teach me grace and proper stance and fluid movement. It looks so gentle, but when you're actually doing fight choreography it's 'Oh my gosh, that's actually a block. Oh, I'm hitting somebody's throat right now'." Hathaway studied the work of Hedy Lamarr, who was the inspiration for the Catwoman character, with focus being placed on Lamarr's "long, deep, languid breaths".

Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:
Bruce's trusted butler and confidant. Alfred has acted as a father figure to Bruce, and continues to aid Bruce on his missions as well as supplying him with useful advice.

Gary Oldman as James Gordon:
Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. One of the city's few honest police officers. Oldman described his character: "He's a little reminiscent of the Gordon you see in Batman Begins. They've tidied up the city, but there's still work to be done. He's very world-weary."

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:
Fox runs Wayne Enterprises on behalf of Bruce Wayne and serves as his armorer, providing him with high-tech equipment.

Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate:
A "Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father's philanthropic endeavors for Gotham." Cotillard has denied speculation that she is playing a dual role as Talia al Ghul, stating that her character is a completely original creation.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake:
Blake is a "Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon." Dark Knight Rises will be Gordon-Levitt's second collaboration with Nolan, having previously worked with him on Inception (2010).

Josh Pence and Liam Neeson both appear as Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Shadows; Pence plays a younger version of the character in scenes set thirty years before the events of Batman Begins, while Neeson reprises his Batman Begins role in a cameo appearance. Cillian Murphy, who portrayed the villain Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the preceding films, was reportedly sighted on set during filming. Other cast members include Nestor Carbonell reprising his role as Mayor Anthony Garcia; Alon Abutbul as Dr. Leonid Pavel, described as "a mad scientist"; Juno Temple as a "street-smart Gotham girl"; Matthew Modine as Nixon; Brett Cullen as a judge; Chris Ellis as a priest; Aiden Gillen as a CIA agent; and Rob Brown, Tom Conti, Joey King, and Christopher Judge in unspecified roles. Aaron Eckhart expressed enthusiasm in returning for a sequel if asked, although he later stated Nolan verified that his character, Harvey Dent, is dead.

Several members of the Pittsburgh Steelers will make cameo appearances as members of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the film, including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, and Casey Hampton, and former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher as the head coach of the Rogues. Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl appears as a kicker for the Rogues' opponents, the Rapid City Monuments. In 2008, the Rooney family sold a minority stake in the team to Thomas Tull, the CEO and president of Legendary Pictures, which is producing The Dark Knight Rises.