Bane

## Origin

Born into a life sentence for the crimes of his father, he was raised from birth within the harsh prison known as Peña Dura (“Hard Rock”), in the Caribbean Republic of Santa Prisca. He was named Bane by the warden after his first murder as an adolescent, and as he grew to adult hood he became the most feared and respected inmate, the "king" of Pena Duro. Gifted with physical prowess and natural intelligence, he used his time in study, meditation and exercise to hone his body and mind to the peak of human potential.
[1]Vision of his FutureHis father who would be eventually known as Edmund Dorrence aka King Snake, was known to be a revolutionary within Santa Prisca. Edmund managed to escape imprisonment and had the corrupt government charge his crimes onto his unborn child.

Life grew hellish for the child after being born as he feared the violent nature within the prison, fearing that each day may be his last. Protected by both Zombie and Trogg who were also inmates within the prison, the child's survival was still at stake. Bane developed a strong survival sense from a vision he gained after getting attacked. The child finally found the courage to kill while he was confronted by one of the inmates - using a knife hidden within his teddy bear.

Gaining the wrong attention by the Warden and taken into an isolation cell for his murders, the child realized that courage, dedication, and strengthening of both mind and body were his only ways to survive. Calling himself Bane, he trained his body through the harshest environments when his isolation cell flooded during some nights. Upon his release from isolation, Bane continued his intense training while studying whatever literature he found within the prison. Self-taught within the fields of strategy, philosophy, languages, math, grammar, and more, Bane developed into the ultimate killing machine that even the guards found themselves fearing.

It would be the stories from another inmate, Bird, about a monster with Gotham City known as the Batman, that would inspire Bane to escape and look for new "prisons" to conquer. Meanwhile, the Warden attempted to rid himself of Bane, and nominated him to participate in an experiment to create a super powered soldier with a steroid like drug known as Venom. They injected the Venom into Bane, almost killing him, as had happened to numerous subjects before him. Believing him to be dead, Bane was tossed into the sea, where he freed himself. Returning to the prison, Bane held the Warden hostage while escaping by means of a helicopter. With his inmate friends escaping alongside with him, Bane traveled to Gotham to set about his destiny to be the king. His first step was hunting down this Batman breaking him.

## Creation

[2]BaneBane was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan and first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1. He was conceived as a darker take on Doc Savage, with inspiration from the Count of Monte Cristo and Mexican luchador culture. The steroid Bane uses appeared previously in the Batman story Venom.

## Character Evolution

Characterized initially as an amoral product of a corrupt prison system and an unscrupulous super-soldier program, yet ultimately fated for greater things, Bane was shown to be savage in physical combat and shrewdly calculating in matters of strategy. Venom made him more powerful than most of his foes, allowing him to defeat the likes of Killer Croc, Robin and even Batman himself. Jean Paul Valley, assuming the mantle of the Bat, exploited this reliance on the drug and handed Bane a crushing defeat.

In Vengeance of Bane II, Bane would defeat his addiction to Venom and turn away from his desire to conquer, deciding he was "innocent." Resolving to find his father, Bane's search for his past, and subsequent redemption, would be the driving force for several years, with occasional lapses, influenced by Ra's Al Ghul.

Scott Beatty was the writer to reveal that Bane was the son of King Snake. Meeting his father, Bane found him wanting. This saw a turn in characterization, back towards a more overt menace. Gail Simone wrote Bane into the Secret Six, exploring his own approach to fatherhood with Scandal Savage, as well as his lingering craving for Venom and his lack of direction since defeating Batman. He was shocked to find that he was destined for Hell, making him question his self perceived "innocence."

Often portrayed in other media as more of a brute, and less of a tactician, this take has appeared in the New 52, heavily influenced by the popular video game Arkham Asylum. He now is featured as a villain hired by the Court of the Owls to kill Calvin Rose in the Talon book.

## Major Story Arcs

[3]Bane Breaks the BatBane escaped Peña Duro, along with several accomplices, his friends Trogg, Zombie, and Bird. His ambition turned to destroying Batman, about whom he had heard tales while serving his sentence. He was fascinated with Gotham City, like the prison, it was a place where fear ruled: in this case, fear of Batman. Bane was convinced that the demonic bat that haunted his dreams since childhood was a related to the Batman.

Aware that a direct assault on Batman would be foolish, Bane destroyed the walls of Arkham Asylum, allowing a horde of all of its deranged inmates, including the Joker, the Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, the Ventriloquist, Firefly, Two-Face, and Zsasz to escape into Gotham City. While Batman spent months rounding them up, bringing himself to the point of exhaustion, Bane consolidated power in the Gotham underground. When the time was right, Bane set up a gauntlet of his three associates for the Dark Knight, which he barely survived. Then, when Batman returned to Wayne Manor, Bane was waiting. The fight was quick and one-sided, as Batman simply had nothing left. As the coup de grâce, Bane broke Batman's back and left him paraplegic.

Bane was firmly established as ruler of Gotham's criminal underworld, and saw no challenge. Desparate, Bruce Wayne passed the mantle of Batman to Jean-Paul Valley, also known as Azrael. Utilizing a sophisticated combat suit in place of the traditional Batman uniform, he fought Bane and defeated him by severing the tubes that pumped the Venom into his bloodstream, causing severe withdrawal. Valley then gave the weakened Bane a vicious beating, leaving him alive but broken.
[4]The weight of the pastIn Blackgate Penitentiary, Bane rehabilitates himself and beats his addiction to Venom. He then escapes, and begins a journey to unravel his past, most notably the identity of his father. Before leaving Gotham he encounters a similarly rejuvenated Bruce Wayne, once again Batman. Together they defeat a group of Venom-enhanced bank robbers. Parting ways, Bane states that he is "innocent," and Batman should leave him be.

Bane’s search for his unknown father began with his birthplace at the prison within Santa Prisca. Finding the oldest inmate, who was a Jesuit Priest, Bane would learn that one of four men could have been his father. One suspect was a revolutionary hated by the Santa Priscan government (who would later become dictator of the island), another was an American doctor (later revealed to be Thomas Wayne), the other was an English mercenary(Edmund Dorrence, long before he was known as King Snake), and the last was a Swiss banker. Deciding to take his chances with the Swiss banker, Bane traveled to Rome in search of his possible father only to run afoul of the League of Assassins.
[5]Bane with Ra's Al GhulBane is recruited as the new right hand man for Ra’s Al Ghul, traditionally known as Ubu, and works alongside both Talia Al Ghul and her father, as they plotted against both Gotham City and the world. Bane impressed Ra’s, leading to the Demon's Head offering Bane his daughter's hand in marriage. However, Ra’s choice of Bane only came from his daughter’s desire to spite her true love, Batman. After the Ra’s attempts to release the Legacy virus into Gotham failed, Bane was humiliated, having been defeated by the man he once broke. Seeking revenge by turning Batman’s beloved city into an irradiated wasteland, he hijacked a mobile nuclear power plant and sailed it towards Gotham. However, the combined efforts of Batman, Robin, and Nightwing thwarted Bane’s plans.

After his failed attempt at destroying Gotham City, Bane escaped and sought to replenish his resources by selling Venom to General Webez, a would be ruler of Santa Prisca. Batman dispatched Azrael to capture him. Initially getting the better of Azrael, Bane is captured and returned to Gotham City when Azrael uses Banes lingering craving for Venom against him. As they land in Gotham and are about to turn him over to the police, a Cataclysm occurs, allowing Bane to briefly escape, before Arael chases him down once more. Bane attempted to convince Azrael to join him in a life of crime, but Valley refused, and taking advantage of an aftershock, apprehends him again. Bane would soon find himself under the employment of Lex Luthor during Gotham City’s status as a No Man's Land. Attempting to rebuild and take over the ruined city, Bane is sent to destroy all official records of the city. Even though Bane is successful, Lucius Fox discovered copies of the original documents and foils Luthors attempts on taking over the city.

Bane later encounters the Joker, and a battle ensues. Batman intervenes and convinces Bane that Luthor is not to be trusted. Bane leaves Gotham to it's fate. Seeking revenge against Ra’s Al Ghul for his recent treachery, Bane travels around the world on a campaign to locate and destroy every Lazarus Pit. During this quest, Bane encountered Black Canary.

### Tabula Rasa/Veritas Liberat

Returning to the search for his father, Bane is convinced that his biological father is the American doctor that the Jesuit priest spoke about. Upon closer investigation, Bane realized that the doctor who was close to his mother was none other than Dr Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne. Upon realizing this, Bane was convinced that he and Batman were in fact biologically related. Sharing this discovery with Batman as he returned to Gotham, Bane found himself not only staying at Wayne Manor, but also working alongside with the Batman as well. A series of murders involving tattoo's coming to life were investigated by this new "dynamic duo." They found it was a traumatized girl named Pix who had used her technological the powers to cause her tattoos to attack the men who raped her. Meanwhile, Bane discovered that he was not biologically related to Bruce. Even after learning this, when Batman was in need of assistance in dealing with Pix and the rapist known as Ricky, Bane came to his aid, ultimately saving Batman’s life. Upon sharing his discoveries with the hero, Bane set off to continue his search for his father, now with the financial backing of Batman.

With additional help from Dr. Leslie Thompson, Bane set off on his quest, eventually arriving in the remote mountains of Kangchenjunga after learning that his father was possibly located within the area at an old Lazarus Pit. His resources proved correct when he located the man known as Sir Edmund Dorrance, AKA. King Snake. Barely alive and malnourished, Snake had been there stuck there since an encounter with Robin. Bane and Dorrance shared their sides of the story, agreeing that their relationship was likely. After years of built up anger and resentment, Bane found his father to be largely unrepentant, and was about to strike him down when the cult known as Kobra interrupted them. Bane chose to bide his time when Snake used a post hypnotic suggestion implanted in Kobra that he was aware of to take command of the small force.

Unsure of what to do because of his current emotional feelings, Bane allowed Dorrance to use the Kobra troops to harvest a weapon which had been stored when the Lazarus Pit was used as a Kobra base. However, he would side with Batman and his allies when they arrived to confront King Snake and his cult. Bane shielded Batman from King Snake's machine gun fire, and threw the acidic energy source at Snake, apparently causing him to fall to his death. Kobra was defeated, and Batman revived Bane with a Lazarus Pit at his request. As he was lowered into the Pit, Bane stated "I will be like new...cleansed...healed...reborn."

### Infinite Crisis and One Year Later

Recruited into the Secret Society of Super-Villains, Bane took part in the Battle of Metropolis during Infinite Crisis. He fought the original Judomaster and broke his back, killing him.

Bane returned to a business of his own after this. He and Hourman dismantled a drug operation distributing a new version of Venom. Then he saw to elections in his home of Santa Prisca, backing one of the candidates. The election was rigged, and Bane's candidate lost. He reacted by using his forces to put Santa Prisca under martial law and searching for the person with knowledge of the election rigging, Colonel Computron However, Checkmate was also after this man. When Bane caught up to them, he came face to face with Tommy Jagger, son of the original Judomaster.

Bane believed Checkmate was responsible for rigging Santa Prisca's election, and he attacked. He and Jagger fought, with Jagger defeating him. He was told the only reason he was able to kill Jagger's father was because Judomaster purposely put himself in harm's way to protect lives. Jagger let Bane live.
[6]Bane with the Suicide SquadComing on hard times after this, Bane was apprehended and strong-armed into joining Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad. He took part in abducting metacriminals and exiling them to a far away prison world. This continued until he was betrayed along with the other villainous members of the Suicide Squad, getting sent to the prison planet as well. When the villains divide and take sides, he allied himself with Lex Luthor and became Lex's personal bodyguard along with Deadshot.

Bane behaved loyally for as long as he was trapped on the planet, preventing Thunder and Lightning from freeing the captured Martian Manhunter. When the villains made their escape from the planet, Bane was among them to safely return to Earth.

### Secret Six

[7]Bane joins the Secret SixPossibly due to having worked with Deadshot on the Suicide Squad and the prison planet, Bane became a member of the Secret Six. He took a special interest in Scandal Savage and began treating her as a stern father would treat a daughter and occasionally referred to her as his adopted daughter. While Scandal Savage was binging after Knockout died Bane would constantly remind her of things to eat to help her feel better. She was often put off by his suggestions, like when he offered to let her sleep on his lap, but she did appreciate him. His strict code of honor occasionally created some tension with the other members of the Secret Six, many of whom had no such codes.

The Secrets Six's first mission was a very dangerous assignment from a mysterious benefactor: they had to deliver Tarantula and a Get Out of Hell Free card to Gotham City. The group had a large bounty placed on their heads by a powerful and demented mob boss know only as Junior. Their path to Tarantula was riddled with opposition from many mercenaries and super villains trying to obtain the card and the bounty.

While picking up their sixth member in Las Vegas the group was ambushed and while Bane went to get a bullet wound tended to he was captured. Bane was tortured to near death by Junior, who was throwing bricks at Bane until he told him where the card was.The Secret Six did eventually rescue him but while en route to their destination Bane was slowly slipping into death. When the Secret Six finally arrived in Gotham they were ambushed by hundreds of villains and mercenaries as their secret benefactor, the Mad Hatter, watched. Bane could not do anything while the others struggled to survive but once he saw Scandal was in danger he knew something had to be done.
[8]Bane's resolveIn order to heal quicker and fight off the attackers, he broke his promise to himself and risked relapse by ingesting a vial of Venom he always carried. Now enraged and on the war path, he grabs anybody he sees including Cavalier who he performs his signature back-breaker on.While going berserk he saw everyone as Batman and he was yelling: "Don't you know who I am?!" "I am the one that broke the Bat!" While observing this Scandal remarks to Catman "I guess in a way the bat broke him too." He also attacks Alex Merkel along with Scandal, Deadshot, and Catman but she fends them all off.

Bane was later seen with Ragdoll (in the guise of Robin) and Catman in an attempt to thwart an assignment they were originally offered. A group of mercenaries had been tasked with capturing multiple politicians children but that did not sit well with the team, especially Bane. Bane hated seeing children messed with or put in any kind of danger, probably because he was "raised" in a prison. The disappearance of Batman led the three to take on a more heroic stance as they attempted to stop the kidnappings. Through dialogue between Bane and Catman it was discovered how influential Batman was, especially on them. Bane respected Batman and felt if he really was gone only those who are worthy enough should be allowed to wear the cowl.
[9]Foiling a kidnappingWhile they "protected" the streets of Gotham out of respect for the Batman, they came face to face with Dick Grayson in his guise as Nightwing. Nightwing was upset about their methods. Nightwing's comments on their methods upset Catman who then considered physically challenging him but Bane kept the peace. Bane calmed down Catman and due to his respect for Batman, and his multiple protegees one being Nightwing, said they would leave. Catman questioned Banes actions and decision and revealed his reasoning for standing down. He told Catman they left because Nightwing is the only person worthy to be called Batman. Bane may not be as villainous as he once was but even then he respected Batman and what he stood for.

In a new story line Bane was hired together with the rest of the team by a new villain named Mr. Smyth, a slave trader. Mr. Smyth's objective was to build the largest prison in the world. For this he employed amazon tribes as slave workers.Jeannette saw and remembered Artemis from a previous encounter. She busted her out, the rest of the team reacted with opposition. While the team was fighting amongst themselves Wonder Woman arrived. Wonder Woman upon seeing Artemis hurt, engaged the Six in battle. Wonder Woman was defeated by a surprising display of power by Jeannette, and the Six split ways, knowing that they were soon to clash over this.
[10]Bane and ScandalAs the three of the six made off with Artemis, the half stayed loyal to their employer and delivered Wonder Woman to Mr. Smyth. Smyth insisted that their former teammates would have to be dealt with for their betrayal and likely imminent attempt to free the other Amazons. However, something Wonder Woman said to Catman caused him to decide to switch sides. He freed the Amazons, which started a prison riot. Deadshot and Ragdoll struggled a little with whether or not they should kill the others. Surprisingly, Ragdoll decided to go back to the control room and beat Smyth's head in with a wrench. Deadshot decided to give up on the job at this point, shooting an Amazon who worked for Smyth in the head to save Catman and Jeannette.

In the aftermath of the riot, Wonder Woman allowed what remained of the Secret Six to leave despite knowing they were criminals. Deadshot remained behind, where he executed Smyth much as he had executed a prisoner previously. As the group departed, Bane pointed out that every mission they take on ends with injury and no payment. He informed them that he would be in charge. His first decision was that Scandal was off the team, replacing her with Black Alice.
[11]Bane's Secret SixAfter Catman left to find the killer of his son, and Deadshot, Ragdoll, and Scandal joined him. Bane and Jeannette continue working. So to fill the ranks Bane recruited four new members. These members are: Giganta, Dwarfstar, Lady Vic and King Shark. The recruitment of new members caused a rift in the old team. There are now two Secret Six teams, one led by Bane and one led by Scandal. Over time these two teams came into conflict. As a result of them facing each other Bane was forced to fight against Scandal. Not wishing to harm her, Bane grabbed hold of one of her blades and slit his own throat. He was then revived by a doctor and the two team then banded together against Deimos who they then defeated.

The six were soon hired by Lex Luthor when he was held captor by Vandal Savage. They were almost killed by a bomb Luthor had set and were saved at the last second when Savage cut a deal.

### Darkest House

Bane ventured into Hell with Scandal and the gang to retrieve Ragdoll and Knockout and faced his greatest fear. He soon overcame his fear and in the end rescued Knockout and Ragdoll.

Bane then helps Scandal rescue her girlfriend. Later Bane goes on a second date and impresses his date by protecting her from some thugs. She then say she want to show Bane a world shes more brave which she implies as "lots of mating".

### Caution To The Wind

[12]Last stand of the Secret Six(es)Bane is once again seen with implants for Venom injection on the back of his head. He has come to the realization that despite the code of honor he's lived by, he is still destined for hell. He surmises that the only way for him to attain the true fulfillment that has alluded him all his life is to kill Batman and his allies.

Bane and the Six attack Penguin's base of operations to attain all the information he has on Batman's allies and then force him to join their team. The team then meets at an abandoned warehouse in Gotham to discuss their plan of attack. Unbeknownst to them, Penguin had a transmitter hidden beneath his skin which he secretly used to inform the entire superhero community of the Six's whereabouts. Realizing that his team was sorely outnumbered and could not win this battle, Bane and his teammates inject themselves with Venom; determined not to go down without a fight. The heroes ultimately prevail, and Bane and the rest of the Six are taken into custody. While being transported to Blackgate Penitentiary, Bane awakens he comes to a conclusion that they only thing holding him back from killing Batman was his recent girlfriend and somewhat his friends. He then breaks his shackles and prepares to escape.

### Knight Terrors

**For more information see: Knight Terrors**

After Flashpoint and the reboot of the DC Universe, Bane is introduced to the DCnU by writer Paul Jenkins and artist David Finch in the series Batman: The Dark Knight. Bane's appearance is similar to his appearance in the game Arkham Asylum, carrying a massive storage tank on his back and still fighting with his addiction to the Venom. In the story, Batman is investigating a massive riot in Arkham where all prisoners are being injected with a Venom derivative mixed with Fear Toxin which makes them stronger and immune to fear. Batman, while fighting an enhanced Two-Face, encounters a new villain called The White Rabbit and follows her, eventually leading him to Bane. Bane attacks him and after a pitched battle, with the help of the Flash,Batman emerges victorious. Bane is knocked off a cliff and carried out to sea. Most elements in DC universe were changed during the reboot but it was hinted in the dialogue from the comics that Bane had still broken Batman.

## Powers and Abilities

[13]The Man Who Broke The BatBane has one of the most cunning and disciplined minds within the DC universe. Studying several scientific fields, languages, strategy, history, etc, Bane has all the advantages of a classical education. Bane is fluent in the languages of Spanish, English, Urdu, Persian, and Latin. Unlike other intellectual characters such as the Riddler and Lex Luthor, Bane strongly focuses on his goals without any obsessive tendencies clouding his judgments. With his coordinated mindset, Bane was also capable of deducing Batman's identity with little support or investigation.

Bane has is his photographic memory, capable of easily studying and fully reading and understanding the actions and the physical movements of another individual.

One half of Bane’s greatest self-taught achievements was his strong dedication on keeping himself in perfect physical condition. During his prison stint, Bane studied and designed new methods of calisthenics, meditation, and a fighting style that he uses against other well-known martial arts fighters within the DC Universe, often to great success. Notable victories include, Batman (Bruce Wayne), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), and Judo Master whom he killed after fighting.

Through the years, Bane has built his mind and body to the point his body doesn't endure much fatigue from sleep loss or by physical means. It was said that Bane used a certain drug during his prison stint that connected both hemisphere’s within his mind, it’s unclear if the drug’s effect is still active within Bane’s body or not, but it would seem that the possible combination of Venom usage is still having it’s effects on Bane. It was through years of his enduring physical training, that even without Venom usage, Bane is capable of having strength, stamina, agility, coordination, and fighting skills that are slightly compared to a metahuman. It’s unclear if Bane possesses a metagene or not, but so far he’s still labeled as a human at his highest peak for physical and mental perfection in all respects.

Aside from his physical and mental capabilities, Bane also has knowledge within the fields of heavy weapons handling and explosives. For the most part, Bane wouldn't prefer using these type of weapons when confronting somebody; he would use such items when trying to destroy a building or any other man-made construction.

Even though Bane hasn't yet been verified on having metahuman powers of any sort, there was an incident within Bane's history as a teenager where he witnessed a future version of himself. It is a strong coincidence that he eventually became the same man, yet Bane was unconscious when encountering this vision.

### Venom

[14]Pumping VenomBane is known for using his signature Venom drug. Venom is a potently addictive strength-enhancing super-steroid. It is based on the Miraclo formula. The drug enhances the user's physical attributes to superhuman levels. By using the drug, Bane increases his already impressive strength. The amount of power Bane has is dependent on how much Venom he takes. It gives him accelerated healing, incredible stamina, and peak human speed. His durability increases to the point where bullets from most conventional firearms cause only superficial damage. The Venom drug increases his strength into the two ton range depending on how large a dosage he uses. Exactly how strong he can become has never been fully established. Venom has a severe withdrawal effect if the injections are not continuous. The symptoms are intense pain, dehydration, madness, coma and eventual death. Bronze Tiger once remarked that Venom withdrawal felt like his soul was being ejected by his body, and that it was much worse than the withdrawal effects of other drugs.

If Bane happens to overdose on Venom, he will temporarily go into a feral state in which his physical abilities increase tremendously, but he becomes little more than a mindless berserker. More savvy opponents have used this to their advantage, although many more have fallen before the onslaught.
[15]Batman is driving me insaneIn the new rebooted DC Universe, Venom enables Bane to leap multiple stories, makes him faster than Batman, able to survive falls from cliffs, throw around boulders and it makes him smarter. Bane created a special serum that can neutralize the effects on others. This serum causes intense bleeding from the mouth, nose, ears and eyes when it begins to wear off. It also can shut down the nervous system and turn the brain to jelly as claimed by Bane; Bane himself has proven to be immune to these effects.

As of DC: Rebirth, Bane claims to have completely stopped the use of Venom, stripping himself of all of the abilities that come with it. However, this was the result of Bane harboring Psycho-Pirate on Peña Duro. It was revealed that Psycho Pirate was using his abilities to make Bane think he was no longer dependent on the drug. Once Psycho Pirate is taken off the island, Bane immediately began craving Venom again. The addiction drives him to begin using Venom again, causing him to regain all the abilities the drug bestows.

### Statistics

* **Height:** 6'2-6'8 (with Venom).
* **Weight:** 225 lbs/350 lbs (with Venom)
* **Eyes:** Brown/Green (with Venom)
* **Hair:** Brown

### Personality

[16]Bane and his gangOwing to his unconventional childhood, Bane has a unique personality, sometimes at odds with his intimidating appearance, at others perfectly in keeping with his barbaric reputation. Bane quite matter-of-factly considers himself superior to almost everyone he meets. Perhaps because of this inherent self-esteem, Bane has developed a strong sense of compassion and often helps the weak and defenseless. What's more, he often teams with others, despite his lone wolf demeanor. Bane's dominance is not exclusionary, because his dominance is almost incapable of being threatened, his superiority self-evident.

Even though Bane has a very high level of intellect, his social skills are still developing, having spent so much of his live incarcerated, often in solitary confinement. His relationship with Talia Al Ghul ultimately proved incompatible, and his father/daughter relationship with Scandal Savage was at times awkward, although ultimately positive for both parties.

Aside from personal relationships, Bane has a strong sense of duty and honor. Bane has displayed respect for his ultimate adversary, the Batman. Though untethered by traditional ideas of "fair play," Bane adheres to a personal code of conduct. Bane's perceptions are colored by being deemed guilty before even being born. He was surprised to find out that he was destined for Hell, when the Secret Six visited there, as he considers himself "innocente."

## Other Media

It is notable that Bane's portrayal in movies, games, and television are often less complex than his portrayal in the comics.

### Films

#### Batman & Robin

[17]Bane from the Batman and Robin MovieA version of Bane is featured in the 1997 Batman & Robin film, played by the late Robert "Jeep" Swenson, who died from heart failure just a couple of months after the movie's theatrical release. Bane, in the screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, is barely able to speak and communicates through grunts and growls. Still a prisoner, he is this time a serial killer, the sole surviving subject of Venom. Bane now owes his creation to Jason Woodrue, and lacks any of the strategic genius or explosive physicality of the original version. He is superhumanly strong, muscular, and wears a similar mask including Venom tubes. Bane is little more than a lackey to Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy in the film, and finds himself being defeated by both Batgirl and Robin who disconnect the tubes connected to his mask. This depiction of Bane is one of the many aspects of the Joel Schumacher film that caused it to receive harsh criticism from fans and critics alike.

#### Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

He appeared in the DC animated universe film Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. In the film he is hired by Robert Thorne, Penguin, and Carlton Duquesne to deal with Batwoman. Towards the end of the film he falls into a pit of fire.

#### Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Bane appears in the animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. In film he is one of the dozens of villains after the 1 billion dollar bounty on Superman's head. He gets knocked out by Batman after he cuts Bane's Venom delivery system.

#### The Dark Knight Rises

[18]Tom Hardy as BaneTom Hardy played Bane in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Imprisoned in Asia, he forged a bond with young Talia al Ghul and became her personal protector and friend. He was injured while helping her escape and was later saved by Talia's father, Ra's al Ghul, and the League of Shadows, only to later be excommunicated from the League. His mask has pipes of anesthetic (instead of venom) because of near constant pain.

Bane comes to Gotham City under the pretense of helping his employer, John Daggett, take over Wayne Enterprises. Bane later kills Daggett when Talia becomes company CEO instead to gain access to a fusion reactor for use as a bomb. In their first confrontation, as in the comics, Bane soundly defeats, and seriously injures, the Dark Knight, and has him shipped to the prison in Asia. Bane holds Gotham under siege with a nuclear bomb that Talia secretly controlled, and he reveals the truth about Harvey Dent's crimes to spark a revolution against Gotham's elite utilizing the immense amount of poor citizens in Gotham. Upon Batman's return to the city, an all out war is waged as the culminated forces of Bane and the League of Shadows face off against Batman and the police, where Bane is defeated at Gotham City Hall.

#### Justice League Doom

[19]Bane 1, Gator 0Bane is the first member of the Legion of Doom to be introduced, trekking through Slaughter Swamp to the Hall of Doom before being attacked by a giant alligator. He is dragged underwater, but manages to free himself and break the beast's neck. He meets Metallo, Star Sapphire, Ma'alefa'ak, and Cheetah on the way to the Hall of Doom before they are invited in. Bane is chosen by Vandal Savage to kill Batman. He does so by stealing his parent's graves and informing Bruce Wayne of their disappearance, disguising himself as a worker at the graveyard. He then knocks out Bruce before putting him in one of his parent's coffins and burying him alive. Bruce manages to dig himself out and is the first League member to escape his death trap (Batman later remarks that Bane's mistake was burying him *alive*) and manages to save his fellow League members. Bane stays with Vandal Savage after he revealed his true plans, and faces off against Batman when the Justice League storms the Hall of Doom. Despite overpowering Batman early on he manages to defeat Bane by cutting his Venom tube.

### Television

#### Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series

[20]Bane's First appearance in Batman: TASHe appears as an assassin in Batman TAS. The producers where reluctant to use him because he felt too gimmicky. He was voiced by Henry Silva at first with a South American accent. Making his first appearance in the episode "Bane", he was hired by local crimeboss Rupert Thorne to eliminate the Batman. Reluctant for a challenge, Bane proceeded with the hunt and drew Batman into a one on one fight at a shipyard. As Bane was near victory over the hero, Batman interfered with one Bane's tubes causing him to suffer from a violent overdose of venom.

#### The New Batman Adventures

Bane would make his return in the fourth season of the Batman: The Animated Series, which was rebranded as The New Batman Adventures. With the rebranding, all characters were redesigned. Bane appeared in all black and a different mask, though he still had the machine that injected the Venom into his brain.
[21]The New Batman AdventuresIn the episode "Over the Edge", Bane is hired by Commissioner Gordan to help him track down and hunt the Batman after the death of Batgirl. Bane nearly defeats Batman, but rather than releasing him into Gordon's custody, he turns on them both. As Gordan and Batman combat the villain, Bane's final attack on both Gordan and Batman that would send them falling to their deaths. However this is revealed to all be a nightmare experienced by Batgirl after her recent attack by the Scarecrow's fear gas.

Bane also appeared in the Superman TAS episode "Knight time". With Batman nowhere to be found, Bane lead a trio consisting of himself, the Riddler, and Mad Hatter, threatening to taking over Gotham City. However the villains found themselves opposed by Robin and Superman (in Batman disguise). Quickly defeated by the heroes, Bane found himself shocked by Batman's increased strength and resiliency.

#### Batman Beyond

[22]Bane in Batman BeyondIn the future, Gotham's youth are falling prey to a new drug called "Slappers," a derivative of Bane's strength-enhancing "Venom." Terry McGinnis investigates the drug trafficking of this new drug by going back to the source. Bruce guides Terry to a remote invalid home outside of Gotham. Terry discovers that Bane has been in a vegetative state for years. An orderly named Jackson Chappell explains that Bane's constant use of "Venom" has left him in this state.Terry later discovers that Chappell has been producing "Slappers" ever since Bane told him the formula for "Venom." After the Slapper catastrophe, Bruce decided that Bane was too dangerous to be left unchecked. Bruce had Bane transferred to a secure facility where he has kept his own rogues as well as Terry's. Each rogue has been reduced to a catatonic state. The facility now houses Bane, Mad Hatter, Maxie Zeus and Bonk, a thug who was poisoned by the new Joker.

#### The Batman

[23]Bane in The BatmanHe appears in "The Batman" as an assassin hired to kill Batman. Nearly defeating the hero who barely escapes, Bane's chaos within Gotham City would attract Batman once more and this time fight the hero who's wearing a battlesuit. As the fight progresses, Batman managed to get the victor over Bane and defeat this powerhouse once and for all. He would also appear in the episodes "Traction","Rumors" and "Batman/Superman Story". He is voiced by Joaquim de Almeida and later by Ron Perlman. In this incarnation Bane is much more monstrous than he appears in other portrayals.

#### Batman: the Brave and the Bold

[24]Brave and the BoldHe appears in Batman the Brave and the Bold episode "Menace of the Conquering Caveman" having escaped prison only to be caught by Batman and Wildcat. He is later seen as a simulation for Speedy, Aqualad and Robin to fight against. In "Night of the Batmen" Bane is seen with Blockbuster, Solomon Grundy, and Killer Croc trying to steal Lady Liberty but are eventually beaten by Captain Marvel dressed like Batman. Unlike his comic book counter part Bane is shown to be weak and skinny before taking venom.

#### Batman of Shanghai

[25]Bane makes an appearance in the animated short from the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network. He is first seen sitting down on a rickshaw when he is put off-balance due to Catwoman using it as a landing for her escape. Bane is seen again attempting in vain to pull a very large woman on his rickshaw before using his Venom turning him into a massive giant. He pursues Catwoman landing on an assailant and taking the scroll of destiny. However he is engaged by Batman who with Catwoman tag team him and defeat him. This version of Bane is shown to be a simplified version as unlike his comic counterpart he has a thin build before Venom in the animation and has few lines.

#### Young Justice

[26]Young JusticeBane appears in the Young Justice episode "Drop Zone", where he is the head of a drug operation on Santa Prisca, dealing the enhanced steroid Venom. Beaten by Mammoth, who is enhanced by a mixture of Venom project Blockbuster, he does battle with the Cult of the Cobra and later tricks the team to help him before attempting to kill them in a way that would make the Justice League come after the Cultists in a way that would allow him to take control of his drug factory, but fails and see's his factory destroyed. He later joins Lex Luthor as an associate of the Light and He is voiced by Danny Trejo in this.

### Batman: Assault on Arkham

[27]This 2014 animated film was direct-to-video and featured many of Batman's notorious villains including the Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and even Bane. Bane was not one of the main characters who played in this film as a member of the Suicide Squad, but was introduced during a breakout at Arkham Asylum, along with many other villains. He was hooked up with venom tubes and was strong enough to flip over police cars, but was eventually defeated by Batman.

### Video Games

#### Batman & Robin

Bane is a boss battle in the video game adaptation of the movie Batman & Robin.

#### Batman: Chaos in Gotham

Bane is one of the many villains featured as a boss, in the Game Boy Color game.

#### Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu

Bane is the third boss battle in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

#### Lego Batman: The Videogame

[28]LEGO BaneWithin the Batman Lego series, Bane is seen as not only an opposing villain, but a playable character as well. Serving only as a minor boss, Bane would be used within the game to overcome obstacles that involve heavy lifting.

#### Arkham Series

[29]Arkham Asylum/Arkham CityHe makes and appearance in Batman: Arkham Asylum alongside the Joker and many other classic villains, Bane is a boss in the game and his appearance without exposure to Venom is a lot like his Batman and Robin movie version. When not pumped full of Venom he is rather thin, weak and sickly looking. In the game he is force-fed an enhanced version of Venom developed by Joker and Dr. Penelope Young. They intended to use the enhanced Venom to create an entire army of Banes to take over Gotham City.

Bane later reappears in the sequel Batman: Arkham City, having been locked in the city along with most other villains.He temporarily forges an alliance with Batman to destroy the Titan containers located throughout the city, but attempts to betray him following that and use the Titans for his own purposes. However Batman predicting this locks Bane in a storage unit, and destroys the last remnants of the Titan formula.
[30]Bane in Arkham OriginsBane appears in Batman: Arkham Origins, the latest addition to the Arkham series that serves as a prequel to Arkham Asylum. He is one of the eight assassins attempting to hunt down Batman and collect Black Mask's 50 million dollar bounty. He is the finale assassin (In the main storyline). When Batman is in Blackgate prison, Joker hooks himself up to an electric chair that is powered by Bane's heart beat, knowing that Batman will have to kill either himself, Joker, or Bane. Batman fights and is about to defeat Bane, but Bane gives himself a huge dose of venom, making him huge and strong, (Similar to his appearance in Arkham City and Asylum). Batman weakens him by pushing him into an electric wall, then captures him with Deathstroke's line launcher. Bane found out that Batman is Bruce Wayne, but exposure to the TN-1 gave him long-term memory lost making him forget about Bruce Wayne being Batman.

Bane is also a big part of Arkham Origins online mode. It takes place some time after the Origins story line. Each match consists of 8 players, 3 Joker soldiers, 3 Bane soldiers and 2 for Batman and Robin. Joker and Bane soldiers must kill the opposing team, while watching out for Batman and Robin. After fighting for a while, a door becomes available. If a soldier gets to the door, they can play as either Joker or Bane (depending on their team). In online, Bane can run extremely fast, throw enemies and break people's backs with his knee. He also has en extremely powerful rocket launcher. All of his hits are one instant kills.
[31]In Arkham Knight Bane has no physical appearance. This is because he was transferred back to Santa Prisca. But as an easter egg you can find his venom back pack.

**DC Universe Online**
[32]DCU OnlineIf you are a villain and your mentor is Joker. Bane is selling Venom. You fight his henchmen and eventually fight him alongside Killer Croc.However if you choose the hero campaign, you battle him alongside Nightwing. The Cape Carmine Lighthouse also acts as a daily Duo, with the player fighting an even more powerful version of Bane at the end of the level. Every time Bane uses venom in the game he becomes stronger taller and his health regenerates.

Bane also appears in the Penguin's Lair in the Instance Caging Penguin.He will appear as a mini-boss acting as muscle for the Penguin.

He also is a playable character in Legends: Player vs. Player.

#### Injustice: Gods Among Us

[33]Bane is a playable character in Injustice: Gods Among Us. His special move is an homage to him breaking Batman's back in Knightfall. Bane also has his classic Knightfall costume in the game.