The Plane Scene is a cinematic masterpiece directed in 2012 by Bravo Nolan. It details the adventures of characters such as CIA, Bane, Masketta and Dr. Pavel, during the undertaking of the Agency's Operation 98H1. The film's runtime is divided between a section on the ground in Uzbekistan and a section on the air, aboard the Wreckage Brother.
Clocking in at approximately five minutes, the Plane Scene is followed immediately afterwards by the Post-Credit Scenes.
The screenplay can be viewed here.
Themes and subplots
The depth of the Plane Scene is staggering. For example, only analyzing the conflicts within the Plane Scene would encompass at least the battle between good vs evil, terrorism vs the CIA, big vs small, master plan vs flight plan, control vs chaos etc. Nolan also takes the opportunity to explore in depth the idea of love. For example, CIA's initial carefree stance soon changes to frustration and sexual tension when he interrogates Bane, which then escalates to an unrestrained fistfight between Bane and CIA reminiscent of sexual passion. The anguished expression on CIA's face at the end of this fight could be interpreted as signifying climax. Regardless of personal belief, the richness of Nolan's Plane Scene allows for potentially endless cinematic analysis.
For You
Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the Plane Scene is the "Big Guy" exchange between CIA and Bane. The question of whether Bane's response meant that taking off the mask would be extremely painful for CIA, or if Bane is a big guy for him, can be considered the foundation of (modern) Baneposting.
The Tom Hardy interpretation
According to Tom Hardy's AMA, "[the line] was written meaning it would be painful for you, but I intoned it meaning 'I'm a big guy for you.'"
Some Banescholars believe that it is unlikely Hardy had the time for an in-depth study of that particular line, and that Bravo Nolan misdirected Hardy into thinking the after-credits scenes are more important. It is possible Nolan included the intonation in the final cut because it was what he wanted in the first place.
The classic interpretation
Traditionally, Baneposters have interpreted the line as meaning "Big guy for you," to different interpretations of these words. Bane may have meant that CIA must think of him as more than a man in order for theatricality and deception to work on the agent. Or that he's about to be a big guy and crash the plane with no survivors. It could have been a reference to Aidan Gillen's role in Queer as Folk. This being the most common interpretation of the dialogue, Baneposters have given "Big guy for you" an endless variety of meanings. It has also raised the question of whether one can be a big guy, but not for someone else.
UUUU
This interpretaton claims that Bane said "Four U," highlighting the fact that the previous two lines of dialogue contained the letter U four times.
The personal interpretation
Some baneposters believe that Nolan did not have a specific interpretation in mind, and left the line for each viewer to freely interpret. They gladly ask others what "For you" means to them.
Theories
"Friendship"-Interpretation
Dr. Pavel, after being confronted by CIA telling him he doesn't get to bring friends on the Plane, immediately denies the mercenaries to be his friends. Knowing CIA to be an impulsive and megalomaniac person, it is likely Dr. Pavel wanted to protect his friends from CIA.
CIA's insistence that only one of Pavel's friends may stay on his plane shows his true motive: the whole interrogation is nothing but a test, to make sure Pavel is not corrupted by false friends without loyalty. This theory is reinforced by him letting go of the first mercenary, apparently satisfied with his loyalty, and the nature of the question he asks. "Who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?" both implies that the mercenary is a false friend and that he only "grabbed" Dr. Pavel as a friend for his own profit, which is an attempt to crack him.
The second interrogation seems to go into a different direction, since CIA asks about Bane, who is another one of Leonid Pavel's friends according to this interpretation. However, since Bane is a mysterious man, nobody knows much about him, so CIA's question comes along as a rhetorical or even ironic question, which is an indicator that he's completely satisfied with Dr. Pavel's friends. This is reinforced by the final statement of this scene, "A lot of loyalty for a hired gun!", which confuses many students of baneposting.