Bane (DC Comics)
Bane | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993) |
Created by | Chuck Dixon (writer) Graham Nolan (artist) |
In-story information | |
Species | Metahuman |
Team affiliations | Suicide Squad Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Six League of Assassins Legion of Doom |
Abilities |
|
Bane is a
Publication history
Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan created the character for the Knightfall storyline.[3] They developed the concept of Bane after an initial idea by Batman editor Dennis O'Neil.[4]
O'Neil had previously created Bane's birthplace of Santa Prisca in
Fictional character biography
Origin story
Bane's origin story is established in the storyline "Guttenberg".
Bane is tortured by a monstrous, terrifying bat creature that appears in his dreams, thus giving him an intense
In Joker #8, it is revealed that Bane's daughter Vengeance was created in a lab by scientists.
Batman: Knightfall
During the "Knightfall" storyline, Bane, wanting Batman reduced to his weakest physical and psychological state, uses stolen munitions to destroy the walls of
While Bane establishes himself as the new ruler of Gotham's criminal underworld, Bruce Wayne passed the mantle of Batman to
Unable to go to a hospital, Bane increases his Venom intake to temporarily block the pain and buy himself time to defeat the new Batman. A humiliated Azrael returned to the Batcave and builds an advanced combat suit of metal, in place of the traditional Batsuit, with many chambers within the suit that fire razor-sharp weapons. Reduced to little more than a wounded animal fleeing for survival, Bane is no match against the "new" Batman. Bane is finally defeated when Azrael severs the tubes that pump Venom into his bloodstream, causing severe withdrawal.
Mask
Further following the events of Knightfall, Bane recovers from his Venom addiction while serving time in
Bane's search brings him back to Santa Prisca.[16] In search of leads, Bane questions the Jesuit priest who had taught him while he was in Peña Duro. The priest explains that there were four men who could possibly have been his father: a Santa Priscan revolutionary, an American doctor, an English mercenary, and a Swiss banker. While searching for the Swiss man in Rome, Bane encounters Talia al Ghul and the League of Assassins and eventually impresses Ra's al Ghul so much that he chooses Bane to marry Talia and become his heir. Ra's also has discovered Bane's father's identity, but did not reveal this information to him.[16] Ra's al Ghul then launches a plague attack on Gotham in the "Legacy" storyline, with Bane at his side, who is posing as Ra's al Ghul's henchman Ubu. Batman gets his rematch with Bane in Detective Comics #701 and finally defeats him in single combat.[17] Disappointed by his protegé's failure, Ra's calls off the engagement to Talia and disowns Bane.[18]
Following the "Legacy" storyline, Bane appears in a one-shot publication called Batman: Bane (1997) with the intent of destroying Gotham City using a nuclear reactor. Batman foils the plot, however.
"Tabula Rasa" and "Veritas Liberat"
In the "Tabula Rasa" storyline, Bane learns from the Jesuit priest that there is a possibility that his biological father is an American doctor.[16] In researching this issue, Bane comes to the conclusion that he and Batman share a biological father: Thomas Wayne, who had been close to Bane's mother during his time in Santa Prisca. Bane alerts Batman to this possibility and, during the time that the DNA tests are being performed, stays at Wayne Manor and fights alongside Batman on the streets of Gotham. Ultimately, it is revealed that Dr. Wayne is not Bane's father, and Bane leaves Gotham peacefully – and with Batman's blessing and financial backing – to pursue leads in the snowy mountains of Kangchenjunga.[22][23][24][25]
Bane eventually finds his father, who turns out to be the unscrupulous King Snake,[26] in the "Veritas Liberat" storyline. Bane, with Batman looking on, helps foil King Snake's plans to unleash a powerful weapon upon the world. Bane saves Batman from being shot by King Snake, but is mortally wounded in the process. Batman then saves Bane by bathing him in a Lazarus Pit, and leaves him with a clean slate.[27][28][29][30]
Infinite Crisis and One Year Later
In Infinite Crisis #7, Bane fights alongside the villains during the Battle of Metropolis. During the battle, he breaks the back of the hero Judomaster, killing him. No reason was given for his actions in #7, though in Infinite Crisis' collected edition, one of the many changes made to the original series was Bane saying "I finally know who I am. I am 'Bane'. I 'break' people."[31]
Bane resurfaces in the One Year Later continuity of JSA Classified #17–18 searching for the Hourmen (Rex and Rick Tyler), asking them for help. To win their trust, he tells them how, prior to the Battle of Metropolis, he returned to his homeland to put an end to the drug lords' government and in the process discovered that a new, more addictive strain of Venom had been created. In his furious carelessness to wipe out the drug trade, he was captured, and re-implanted with the cranial tubes, hooked to the new Venom, and now unable to shake off his addiction without dying from the withdrawal. Bane was forced to work as an enforcer for the drug cartel, unable to escape. Believing that Bane sought Rex Tyler's expertise in chemistry, Rick lets him approach his father, only to discover that the story is a ruse. Bane, who had never truly been addicted to Venom, had in fact wiped out the drug lords and destroyed every research note on Venom. He discovered in the process both strains of Venom derived from Rex Tyler's early research on Miraclo. He discovers from the Tylers that no written notes exist of Rex's work, captures Rex, and steals Rick's equipment, planning to kill Rex and force Rick to take the last of the new Venom, living forever as an addict. Rick manipulates Bane into using Miraclo and demolishing the building as he and his father escape, burying the mercenary in the rubble of the very same Santa Priscan penitentiary where his story began.[32]
Eventually, Bane resurfaces in Santa Prisca and leads the country to
Secret Six vol. 3
From September 2008, Bane appears as a regular character in the ongoing
Driven to near madness, Bane decides to lead the Secret Six to Gotham in an attempt to psychologically break Batman by killing several of his closest allies. The team kidnaps the
The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Bane is re-introduced in the DCU by Paul Jenkins, and David Finch's run on Batman: The Dark Knight (vol. 2).[45] As Bruce Wayne is unable to keep up with the various legal conspiracies involving Batman Incorporated, he decides to investigate a breakout in Arkham. There, he finds criminals being fed a modified fear toxin that is mixed in with Venom which makes the criminals extremely strong and immune to fear. He finds it being given to criminals by a new foe named the White Rabbit; when Batman approaches her, she quickly defeats him and injects him with the fear toxin, which she then gives to the Flash. Bruce then finds Bane to be behind the new fear toxin and combats him. Bruce manages to burn the fear toxin out of his and the Flash's bodies by getting pushed to the limit. Bruce manages to defeat Bane and knock him off an edge, but is left confused by the White Rabbit. Bane is then washed away by the tide.[46]
Bane later appears in
During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Scarecrow learns that Bane may be the cause of the Blackgate uprising and will be their leader in the impending war and that the Talons were stored at Blackgate on ice.[48] Bane, having escaped Peña Dura Prison in Santa Prisca, ships his Venom to Gotham City to be there for when he arrives. As he is traveling to Gotham, he orchestrates the release of Blackgate's prisoners during the Crime Syndicate's broadcast to the world. Later, on board his ship, he prepares his men for the impending war with Scarecrow, and with Gotham in the distant, claims it will be his.[49] Bane enters Blackgate through the sewers to join the prisoners there. While there, he comes across where the Talons are stored hoping to make them into his weapons. While the attack on Gotham City begins between Bane's men and the GCPD, Bane also approaches Professor Pyg, forcing him to join his cause, and spread word that everything in Gotham is now controlled by Bane.[50] Bane arrives at Blackgate as the Man-Bat and his fellow bats are attempting to transport the Talons to Mr. Freeze and is able to keep one from leaving.[51] Bane retrieves Emperor Penguin for the Penguin as part of their agreement.[citation needed]
When Bane brings Emperor Penguin to the Penguin, the Penguin tells him that the Arkham fighters are not scared of Bane, as he does not instill fear as Batman did. Realizing this, Bane constructs a Batsuit for himself and heads to Wayne Tower to confront Killer Croc. Bane fights Killer Croc and is able to defeat him, setting his sights on retrieving the Talons.[52] Bane wakes up the Talon William Cobb and takes him through Gotham where he fights various inmates of Arkham Asylum. Bane begins recruiting Gotham citizens to his side, offering his base at Wayne Tower as a haven to the people to escape the rule of the Arkham inmates. He tells Cobb his plan to turn the city over to the Court, in exchange for use of Talons at his disposal to be powered by his Venom.[53] The Talons attack Bane's men, and eventually set their target on Bane. With Cobb's help, Bane is able to injure the Talons enough to activate their regenerative powers to remove the mind-control technology.[54]
During
DC Rebirth
At the beginning of the DC Rebirth continuity, Bane still lives in Santa Prisca. In Batman vol. 3 #6, it is revealed that he had been trading Venom to Professor Hugo Strange in exchange for the services of the Psycho-Pirate, who was helping him overcome his addiction to the substance. Strange then used the Venom to revive the corpses of several of his patients, as seen in the Night of the Monster Men crossover. In Batman vol. 3 #10, Batman, per the suggestion of Amanda Waller, undertakes a suicide mission to Santa Prisca aided by Catwoman, the Bronze Tiger, the Ventriloquist, and the clown couple Punch and Jewellee to take the Psycho-Pirate from Bane. Batman needs the Psycho-Pirate to undo the damage he caused to Gotham Girl, and each member of the team will receive some sort of reward for their efforts. Bane captures Batman shortly after he arrives, and then breaks his back again and throws him into the cell where he spent his childhood. Batman escapes, however, and fixes his back on his own. After allowing Catwoman to "betray" him and having the Bronze Tiger and Punch and Jewellee fake their deaths, Batman uses the Ventriloquist to incapacitate the Psycho-Pirate and tells Catwoman to break Bane's back. This act of humiliation and the loss of the Psycho-Pirate causes Bane to snap and scream for Venom from the prison guards.[56]
In Batman vol. 3 #16, Bane has recruited his old henchmen Bird, Trogg, and Zombie in his quest to break Batman once and for all before recapturing the Psycho-Pirate from Arkham Asylum. Bane hangs Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Damian Wayne in the Batcave before setting off for the asylum, but the three survive. Bane's henchmen then capture Catwoman, Duke Thomas, Commissioner Gordon, and the Bronze Tiger to cut Batman off from his allies. Bane beats Batman savagely in an alley and believes him dead, but finds out that Catwoman has escaped, freed the rest of the hostages, and tied up Bane's henchmen, giving Batman a chance to flee.[57] Enraged, Bane storms Arkham Asylum where Alfred is forcing the Psycho-Pirate to undo the fear he inflicted upon Gotham Girl. Batman decides to release many of the inmates to fight Bane and thus buy Alfred and the Psycho-Pirate more time, but Bane easily beats the likes of Two-Face, Solomon Grundy, Amygdala, the Scarecrow, the Firefly, and the Mad Hatter, among others, before making the Riddler open a door to Batman for him.[58] Bane and Batman then have another fight, with a bloodied Batman barely beating his nemesis.[59] In Infinite Frontier, a partial clone of Bane was introduced named "Vengeance", hunting Joker for information of her father.[60]
Bane: Conquest
In the 12-issue miniseries Bane: Conquest, it is revealed that Bane survived his fight with Batman, as he focuses on his criminal exploits outside of Gotham City. Bane and his trio Bird, Zombie, and Trogg, investigate a group of mercenaries who are transporting nuclear weapons to Gotham. Bane is captured alongside Bruce Wayne, but the pair escape together. Bane defeats the mercenaries and their leader, Dionysus, who is little more than a head and two pairs of limbs.
Bane and his trio decide to appropriate Dionysus' vast criminal empire.[61] They then attempt to destroy criminal rival organizations Vor and Kobra. Bane kidnaps the infant heir to Kobra, but Batman intervenes and appeals to his humanity, leading Bane to abandon the child for adoption.[62]
Powers and abilities
Bane is highly intelligent; in Bane of the Demon, Ra's al Ghul says that Bane "has a mind equal to the greatest he has known" (although he dismisses Bane's abilities as the cunning of an animal rather than the cultured, trained intellect of Batman). His strength is sufficient for him to lift 15 tons. In prison, he taught himself various scientific disciplines equal to the level of understanding of leading experts in those fields.[7] He knows ten active languages and at least four additional arcane and dead ones. Among these are Spanish, English, French, German, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Persian,
He is also highly devious and a superb strategist and tactician.[7] In prison, Bane also invented his own form of calisthenics, meditation, and a fighting style that he uses against other well-known martial arts fighters within the DC Universe. Bane creator Chuck Dixon's early tales portray Bane as a very calm, centered warrior akin to Bruce Lee; in as much that he draws strength through calm meditation and the spiritual energy of the "very rock of Peña Dura". Dixon imbued Bane with an almost supernatural quality when he explained that Bane triumphed in all of his prison fights by employing these abilities, while his opponents had only rage and greed to propel them. Multiple scenes in "Vengeance of Bane" explore this aspect when it explains that Bane's mastery of meditation techniques "made time and space playthings to him." A subsequent scene that reinforces this ability comes when Bird first comes to Bane for help because he heard from other inmates that Bane has "magic... the kind that allows him to travel beyond the prison walls."[16] Usage of Venom enhances his physical abilities, including his strength and healing process, to superhuman levels.[8][64][65] In most incarnations of the character, Bane requires a specialized tank to help control the amount of Venom which he injects into his body.
Although Bane had sworn off using Venom in Vengeance of Bane II in 1995, and his character is actually written as having kept that promise to himself, it is still not uncommon for artists to draw Bane as still wearing the tube leading from his old wrist device to the back of his head, as well as almost all media adaptations of the character, show him actively using the Venom compound. Writer Gail Simone explained these lapses in the continuity of Bane's appearance in an issue of Secret Six, in which
Other versions
Amalgam Comics
In the
Kingdom Come
In the Kingdom Come reality, an aged Bruce Wayne mentions to Superman that Bane and Two-Face broke into Wayne Manor and destroyed it, after Batman's identity was exposed, leaving only the Batcave intact.[69]
Elseworlds
Bane appeared in numerous Elseworlds including Batman: Nosferatu as a low-level criminal;[70] a dead Bane appears in a brief cameo in JLA: Riddle of the Beast, killed by the Green Arrow.[71]
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
In
Batman: White Knight
Bane appears in the 2017 series Batman: White Knight. Bane, along with several other Batman villains, is tricked by Jack Napier (who in this reality was a Joker who had been force-fed an overdose of pills by Batman, which temporarily cured him of his insanity) into drinking drinks that had been laced with particles from Clayface's body. This was done so that Napier, who was using the Mad Hatter's technology to control Clayface, could control them by way of Clayface's ability to control parts of his body that had been separated from him. Bane also appears in the sequel storyline Batman: Curse of the White Knight, being among the villains murdered by Azrael.[73]
In other media
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- ^ "Top 100 Comic Book Villains #34: Bane". IGN. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ UGO. Archived from the originalon February 5, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2005.
- ^ "Knightfall: An Oral History". Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- ^ Tobin, Suzanne (May 16, 2003). "Comics: Meet the Artist". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
Actually, Chuck Dixon came up the idea for an evil 'Doc Savage' and I designed the character
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j O'Neill, Dennis, Kane, Bob (w), Various others (a). "Broken Bat" Batman: Knightfall (1993). DC Comics, 1563891425.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
- ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey Books. pp. 16–17.
- ^ "Bane vs Batman: Batman #497". Secret Wars on Infinite Earths. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ "'Dark Knight Rises' Star Christian Bale Breaks Down Batman's End". MTV. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Movie Review: "The Dark Knight Rises" beyond expectations". July 22, 2012. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Has Colorado incident shot down Caped Crusader franchise?". July 22, 2012. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ Batman: Vengeance of Bane II - The Redemption (1995)
- ^ Dixon, Chuck (w), Nolan, Graham (p), Barreto, Eduardo (i). Batman: Vengeance of Bane II - The Redemption (1995). DC Comics.
- ^ a b c d e f Dixon, Chuck (w), Nolan, Graham (p), Sienkiewicz, Bill, Palmer, Tom (i). Batman: Bane of the Demon, no. 1 (March 1998). DC Comics.
- ^ Dixon, Chuck (w), Nolan, Graham (p), Hanna, Scott (i). "Legacy, Part Six: Gotham's Scourge" Detective Comics, no. 701, p. 32 (September 1996). DC Comics.
- ^ Detective Comics #701 and Robin #33
- ^ Dixon, Chuck (w), Burchett, Rick (p), Burchett, Rick (i). Batman: Bane (May 1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Azrael #36–40 (December 1997 – April 1998)
- Birds of Prey, no. 26 (February 2001). DC Comics.
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Collins, Mike (p), Sienkiewicz, Bill (i). "Tabula Rasa Prologue: The Devil You Know..." Batman: Gotham Knights, no. 44, p. 22 (November 2002). DC Comics.
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Robinson, Roger (p), Floyd, John (i). "Tabula Rasa Part One: Skin Trade" Gotham Knights, no. 34, p. 22 (December 2002). DC Comics.
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Robinson, Roger (p), Floyd, John (i). "Tabula Rasa Part Two: Pain and Ink" Gotham Knights, no. 35, p. 22 (January 2003). DC Comics.
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Robinson, Roger (p), Floyd, John (i). "Tabula Rasa Part Three: Pix" Gotham Knights, no. 36, p. 22 (February 2003). DC Comics.
- ^ Catwoman #4 (November 1993)
- ^ Batman: Gotham Knights #49 (March 2004)
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Robinson, Roger (p), Floyd, John (i). "Veritas Liberat Chapter One: King of the Mountain" Batman: Gotham Knights, no. 47, p. 22 (January 2004). DC Comics.
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Robinson, Roger (p), Floyd, John (i). "Veritas Liberat Chapter Two: Family Reunion" Batman: Gotham Knights, no. 48, p. 22 (February 2004). DC Comics.
- ^ Beatty, Scott (w), Robinson, Roger (p), Floyd, John (i). "Veritas Liberat Chapter Three: The Redeemer" Batman: Gotham Knights, no. 49, p. 22 (March 2004). DC Comics.
- ^ Tate, Ray (May 5, 2006). "Infinite Crisis #7 Review – Line of Fire Reviews". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- JSA: Classified, no. 17 (November 2006). DC Comics.
- ^ Bedard, Tony (w), McDaniel, Scott (p), Owens, Andy (i). "The Venom Connection, Part 2 of 2" JSA: Classified, no. 18, p. 22 (December 2006). DC Comics.
- ^ Bedard, Tony (w), Clark, Matthew, Randall, Ron (p), Thibert, Art (i). "You Killed the Outsiders" Outsiders, no. 50, p. 32 (November 2007). DC Comics.
- ^ Willingham, Bill (w), Chen, Sean (p), Wong, Walden (i). "Take This World and Shove It!" Salvation Run, no. 2, p. 32 (February 2008). DC Comics.
- Sturges, Matthew (w), Chen, Sean (p), Wong, Walden (i). "All You Need is Hate" Salvation Run, no. 3, p. 32 (March 2008). DC Comics.
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #1 (November 2008)
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #3 (January 2009)
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #7 (May 2009)
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #9 (July 2009)
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #14 (December 2009)
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #26 (December 2010)
- ^ Secret Six (vol. 3) #34 (August 2011)
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #35 (September 2011)
- ^ Batman: The Dark Knight vol. 2 #6 (April 2012)
- ^ Batman: The Dark Knight vol. 2 #4–7 (February–May 2012)
- ^ Detective Comics vol. 2 #6 (April 2012)
- ^ Detective Comics vol. 2 #23.3
- ^ Batman vol. 2 #23.4
- ^ Forever Evil: Arkham War #1
- ^ Forever Evil: Arkham War #2
- ^ Forever Evil: Arkham War #3
- ^ Forever Evil: Arkham War #4
- ^ Forever Evil: Arkham War #5
- ^ Batman: Eternal #21
- ^ Batman vol. 3 #13
- ^ Batman vol. 3 #18
- ^ Batman vol. 3 #19
- ^ Batman vol. 3 #20
- ^ The Joker #21
- ^ "Review: Bane- Conquest". Comic Book Wire. November 20, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Bane: Conquest #8
- ^ "Batman and Robin". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "Bane (comic book character)". Comicvine.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ "Bane". Comic Book DB. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ Secret Six vol. 3 #6 (April 2009)
- ^ Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
- ^ Challengers of the Fantastic #1
- ^ Kingdom Come #2
- ^ Batman: Nosferatu
- ^ JLA: Riddle of the Beast
- ^ "Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6". May 11, 2016. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ Batman: White Knight #2 (November 2017)
External links
- Bane at DC Comics Wiki
- Bane at Comic Vine
- Why do people think bane is dumb? at Comic Vine