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Quote1 You will know my name one day. And on that day you will beg for mercy. You will scream my name! SCREAM IT! Quote2
Bane src

Bane is a super-intelligent world-class fighter and tactical genius who enhances his great physical strength with a steroid called Venom, making him one of Batman's greatest and most dangerous enemies. In addition to being one of the only men ever to independently figure out Batman's secret identity, he has also been an anti-hero, a government agent, a mercenary and a dictator. He has been a member of the Secret Six, the Suicide Squad and the Secret Society of Super-Villains.

Origins

 Main article: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1

His name is Bane; he knows no other name(s) than this.

Born to serve the life sentence of his father, Bane's childhood and early adult life were spent behind the walls of Peña Duro, an infamous prison located in Santa Prisca. His mother was imprisoned with him as his guardian, and remained so until she died when Bane was only six years old; at her 'funeral', Bane was forced to bear witness to her corpse being callously thrown by prison guards from the cliffs of Punto De Tiburon into the shark-infested waters. Though imprisoned, Bane's natural abilities allowed him to develop extraordinary skills within the prison's walls. He read as many books as he could get his hands on, built up his body in the prison's gym, and learned to fight in the merciless school of prison life. Despite his circumstances, he appeared to have found teachers of various sorts during his incarceration, ranging from hardened convicts to an elderly Jesuit priest, under whose tutelage he apparently received a classical education.

Young Bane 004

In Peña Duro with Osito

However, he committed his first murder at the age of eight, stabbing a criminal who wanted to abuse him but another criminal, Trogg arrived and the two then engaged in a fight with young Bane being knocked over the railing and ultimately falling to the ground below, having sustained a head wound. In his dream, he saw Osito walking into the light and then met a man who was his future self with his adult self telling him to conquer fear. Eventually, after spending thirty-one days in a coma following his accident, young Bane awoke but he was no longer a child. In fact, he had become a man. That night, Bane killed his would-be abuser, with the warden eventually arresting him and confining him to the Cavidad Obscura, a cell below sea level, where Bane was imprisoned for ten years. During that time, as Bane grew, he learned to swim, a necessary skill for survival, as the cell naturally flooded each night at high tide; meditate and even conquered fear.

During his years in prison, Bane carried a teddy bear he called Osito (Spanish for "little bear"), whom he considered his only friend. Unbeknownst to most, Osito had a hole in his back to hold a knife that Bane used against anyone who bullied him.

Bane ultimately established himself as the "king" of Peña Duro prison. The prison's controllers took note and eventually forced him to become a test subject for a mysterious drug known as Venom, which had killed all other subjects. It nearly killed him as well, but he survived and found its effects enhanced his physical strength, although he needed to take it every 12 hours (via a system of cables pumped directly into his brain) or he would suffer debilitating side-effects.[4]

Knightfall

 Main article: Knightfall

Years later, Bane 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 as, 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 representation of the Batman.

Wanting to test himself, Bane challenged and defeated Killer Croc, who was one of Batman's most formidable opponents at that time.[5] Later, he wanted to test Batman and he used the Riddler to do so. Injecting Venom to the criminal, Bane turned Riddler into a ripped version of himself, giving Batman not only a classical mental challenge by Riddler, but also a physical challenge.[6]

Aware that a direct assault on Batman would be foolish, Bane destroyed the walls of Arkham Asylum, allowing 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[7], where Batman spent three months rounding them up.

In the meantime, Bane started being noticed among the criminals of Gotham and when Mad Hatter sent a mind-controlled Film Freak to find him, Bane showed his superiority by killing Film Freak.[8] Bane noticed that Robin was following him and he captured the teen wonder. Robin was saved by the timely intervention of Killer Croc, who fought Bane for revenge from their last encounter.

Bane 0020

Bane breaks the Batman

Croc damaged Bane's venom pumping machine while Bane broke Croc's arm again.[9] They were dragged by the water current to the river, where Bane left an unconscious Croc.[10] Bane was later summoned to Gotham Civic Center by Bird. Upon arriving, Bane noticed Bruce Wayne among the crowd part of a charity event and he recognized him as Batman at the first sight. Bane returned to his hideout and told Bird to keep him updated on the situation with Poison Ivy while he followed Joker and Scarecrow's activities.[11][12]

After his last encounter with Bane's henchmen and running himself to exhaustion, Batman returned to Wayne Manor, where Bane had knocked Alfred unconscious and was waiting for him.[13] He fought Batman in the Batcave, defeated him and as the coup de grâce, broke Batman's back and left him paraplegic, thereby having been the only man to have "Broken the Bat".[14] Afterwards, Bane took Batman to Downtown Gotham and tossed his broken body in the middle of the street.[15]

Rise and Fall

With Batman out of the way, Bane started to take out all the leaders of gangs and organized crime in Gotham with help from his thugs and recruiting all their men. He even tried to recruit Catwoman to his army of crime, but she refused to work for him.[16] Not long after this, Bane became aware of a new Batman and he sent his henchmen to verify who was the impostor, but they failed and were captured by the police.[17] The next night, Bane was surprised to see them back at their hideout and as soon as he learned that someone had released them without his consent, Bane realized they had been tricked. The new Batman showed up in their hideout and after taking down Bane's henchmen, the fight between them started. Bane and the new Batman struggled for a while until Bane got the upper hand.[18] Batman managed to escape and Bane was forced to retreat before the police arrived. Bane looked for more venom for his next encounter with Batman and once ready, he challenged the impostor to a final fight. Bane confronted the new Batman, who was wearing a new battle armor and the fight was even as Bane used venom to increase his strength. Unfortunately, Batman cut the hoses connecting to Bane's system, eliminating the venom supply. After this, Batman beat Bane to a pulp and when Bane had no strength left to fight, Batman allowed the police to capture Bane, after which he was sent to Blackgate Penitentiary.[19]

While locked in Blackgate along with all the Arkham inmates he released, Bane remained in a catatonic state for months, but the night Bruce Wayne returned to his rightful place as Batman, Bane recovered, knowing that his dreaded enemy was back.[20]

Legacy

Following those events Bane recovered from his Venom addiction while serving time in prison. He eventually escaped and returned to Gotham, where he fought alongside Batman to take out a criminal ring that was distributing a Venom derivative to street-level thugs. Following a victory over the criminals, Bane proclaimed that he was "innocent" of his past crimes and urged Batman to stop hunting him. He then left Gotham (without fighting Batman) to begin a search for his father.[21]

Bane's search brought him back to Santa Prisca. In search of leads, Bane questioned the Jesuit priest who had taught him while he was in Peña Duro. The priest explained 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 in Rome, Bane encountered Talia al Ghul, who introduced him to her father, the infamous terrorist Ra's al Ghul. Bane impressed the old man so much that he chose him as his heir (an "honor" he had previously imparted on Batman).[22]

Ra's al Ghul and Bane then launched a plague attack on Gotham. Bruce Wayne, again costumed as Batman, got his rematch with Bane and finally defeated him in single combat.[23] Bane later held Gotham ransom with a mobile nuclear plant for two million dollars, but was again defeated.[24]

When Batman heard Bane had resurfaced, he allowed Azrael to pursue him. Bane injected Azrael with a new Venom formula as a demonstration for potential buyers, but after a night to recover, Azrael defeated and captured Bane. He brought him back to Gotham where they were caught in the Quake. Bane escaped in the chaos, but was recaptured.[25] Bane served as Lex Luthor's enforcer during No Man's Land.

Bane had a run-in with Black Canary while trying to destroy a Lazarus Pit in his quest to deny Ra's al Ghul his immortality.[26]

Veritas Liberat

According to the Jesuit priest, there was a possibility that Bane's biological father was an American doctor. In researching this issue, Bane came to the conclusion that he and Batman both shared Dr. Thomas Wayne as their biological father, as the late Dr. Wayne had apparently become close to Bane's mother during his time in Santa Prisca. Bane alerted Batman to this possibility, and stayed at Wayne Manor while the DNA tests were being performed, and even fought alongside his former nemesis on the streets of Gotham. Ultimately, it was revealed that Dr. Wayne was not Bane's father, and Bane left Gotham peacefully (and with Batman's blessing and financial backing) to pursue leads in the snowy mountains of Kangchenjunga.[27]

Bane eventually found his father, the unscrupulous King Snake. With Batman looking on, Bane helped foil King Snake's plans to unleash a powerful weapon upon the world. Bane saved Batman from being shot by King Snake, but was himself mortally wounded in the process. Batman then saved Bane by bathing him in a Lazarus Pit, and left him with a clean slate and a new opportunity at life.[28]

Infinite Crisis and One Year Later

Bane 0001

Bane in Secret Six

Some years later, Bane returned to his homeland to put an end to the drug lords' government after discovering that a new, more addicting strain of Venom had been created. He destroyed every research note on Venom, but not before learning that both strains of Venom derived from chemist Rex Tyler's early research on Miraclo, and vowed to kill Tyler for his role in the creation of the drug that was destroying his homeland. To this end, he joined hundreds of other villains in the Battle of Metropolis, during which he broke the back of the hero Judomaster, killing the hero.[29]

Bane resurfaced one year later, 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 had returned to Santa Prisca to eliminate the drug lords. He claimed that in his rush to wipe out the drug trade, he was captured and re-implanted with the cranial tubes, which pumped him full of the new Venom. Unable to shake off his addiction without dying from the withdrawal, Bane claimed that he was forced to work as an enforcer for the drug cartel. Believing that Bane sought Rex Tyler's expertise in chemistry, Rick let him approach his father, unaware that the story was a ruse through which Bane intended to carry out his revenge against Rex Tyler. Bane learned from the Tylers that no written notes exist of Rex's work, then captured Rex and stole Rick's equipment. He planned to kill Rex and force Rick to take the last of the new Venom, so that Rick would spend the rest of his life as an addict. However, father and son eventually subdued Bane, burying the mercenary in the rubble of the very same Santa Priscan penitentiary where his story began.

Shortly afterwards, Bane discovered that while his criminal pursuits in America had failed, he had become a hero to his countrymen. His campaign against the drug lords had destroyed the local cartels' stranglehold on the country's government, thus enabling the government to hold actual democratic elections. Bane joined in, throwing his support behind a national-isolationist party with anti-US interests. Bane's candidate was projected to win by 36% of the vote, but the results were manipulated by super-hacker Colonel Computron, under orders from Amanda Waller, then the White Queen of Checkmate. Upon discovering that the elections were rigged, an outraged Bane used his influence to enforce martial law, plunging the country into a civil war. Unaware that his client worked in the agency, Computron offered information to Checkmate on who ordered him to rig the elections in exchange for their help in escaping the country. Fire and Thomas Jagger, son of the late Judomaster, were sent to perform the extraction, with Jagger debating whether or not to seek revenge for his father's murder. The mission was sabotaged by Fire, who was being blackmailed by Waller, and as a result, Jagger was forced to fight Bane in order to allow Fire to escape. Though Jagger held back, Bane was brought to his knees.

Having lost his hero status after imposing martial law upon his countrymen, Bane became addicted to Venom once more and joined the Suicide Squad. He appears once more to be wearing the tubing system to apply Venom- whether he has returned to the drug is unknown. He was later tricked by his fellow squad members, and sent to the prison planet during Salvation Run,[30] where he joined with Lex Luthor's faction after Joker's faction rebelled against Luthor's leadership. He later attacked Thunder and Lightning when they were attempting to feed Martian Manhunter [31].

Secret Six

More recently, Bane has joined the Secret Six, and has sought to rid himself of any temptation to use Venom again by employing tactical combat techniques instead of relying on crushing strength. He has also adopted a more peaceful demeanor.[32]

As part of the team, Bane was joined by Catman and Ragdoll on a mission to stop criminals in Gotham City after Batman's death. Catman and Bane had a discussion about their suitable positions to take place as Gotham's vigilantes. Their hopes however, were crushed when Nightwing banished them from Gotham and they decided to move on as the Secret Six.[33]

Since joining the team, he became very attached to Scandal Savage, though not in a romantic way. He views her as his pseudo daughter and grew to love her, even becoming furious when someone hurts her or calls her derogatory words. In some lighter moments, he chastises her for using foul language, shows concern over what foods she should eat to have proper nutrition, and even tried to send her to her room when he was angry with her.

Though Scandal has bonded closely with him and proven she cares for him very much, (such as when she helped him through his withdrawals when he quit using Venom, or becoming angry/distressed when he is injured) he does not believe she loves him, saying "No woman will ever love me". However, this belief does not keep him from loving Scandal as a daughter, going so far as trying to conquer another world in an attempt to give her a safe place to call home where they could be family and free of enemies.

He has also assumed a role of leadership in the Secret Six by his own executive decision, believing the team was too disorganized and needed someone to keep them in line. While the team initially protested, saying they weren't blind followers, he has become leader none the less. Though admittedly, the team does not always listen to his orders, for example, they entered a cult base to save Black Alice (their newest teammate) when Bane had directly ordered them not to until they'd gotten more information. Despite this, he's still determined to shape them into an organized and disciplined team.

Powers

  • Venom Usage: Bane's use of the super-steroid Venom allowed him to temporarily enhance his physical functions to superhuman levels, particularly his strength, endurance, and stamina. His body's healing abilities are also augmented to a degree. Bane needs to periodically inject himself with Venom to retain these abilities, although overuse can result in temporary insanity.
    • Superhuman Strength: The primary effect of Venom is that it enhances strength to low superhuman levels, depending on how much Venom is injected. Bane has been shown to be stronger than Batman even without the Venom, and while injected is able to bend thick steel. When Bane injects the maximum amount of Venom that is considered healthy into himself, he becomes capable of lifting about 2 tons. He is ultimately capable of exceeding his limit to 3 tons, though not without temporarily losing control over himself.
    • Peak Human Durability: Under the effects of Venom, Bane's body is more resistant to physical injury than normal humans, augmented to the highest limit of human potential. He is durable enough that if someone with a wooden baseball bat struck him, the bat would break against him.[34] He can withstand powerful blows from metahumans, multiple bullets and explosions. With mere scratches and bruises, Bane has withstood extreme torment at the hands of his enemies. With the use of Venom, Bane's already enhanced durability increase to considerable levels.
    • Peak Human Speed: Under the effects of Venom, Bane can run as fast as the fittest human can. Running on par with Olympic runners, Bane can support his weight while maintaining a high rate of speed. The effects of Venom, can amplify his speed even far beyond an ordinary human, as revealed by Hourman.[35]
    • Superhuman Stamina: Under the effects of Venom, Bane can fight almost forever. As long as he can continue to pump Venom into his veins he can continue fighting indefinitely. While on a single dose of Venom Bane has fought many battles for many hours and never seemingly stopped.
    • Peak Human Reflexes: Under the effects of Venom, Bane can react just as fast as the fittest human can. Able to react as fast if not a margin faster than Batman, Bane has fought many opponents while applying his tactics and supporting his massive frame.
    • Accelerated Healing: Bane can also use his Venom as a form of medicine to heal from injuries, poisons and diseases. Depending on how devastating the injury, Bane needs to inject a certain amount of Venom into himself. When faced with extreme wounds, such as many broken bones, excessive blood loss, or terminal poisons or diseases, Bane needs to inject an unhealthy amount of venom which will cause him to temporarily go berserk in order to heal properly.

Abilities

  • Genius Level Intellect: Bane is also highly intelligent; Ra's al Ghul says that Bane "has a mind equal to the greatest he has known."[36] In prison, he teaches himself various scientific disciplines equal to the level of understanding of leading experts in those fields, making him a genius, as well as one of Batman's most intelligent foes.
    • Polymath: Despite the absence of a college, high school, or even primary education as a result of incarceration, he has completely memorized all the facts in countless encyclopedias and books during his time in Peña Duro. He is exceptionally knowledgeable in various subjects including Mathematics, various Sciences, History, Geography, Medicine, and most likely more, to a level that would have definitely given him degrees in these fields.
    • Tactical Analysis: He is also highly devious (he crafts the escape from Arkham Asylum of all of Batman's enemies), and a superb strategist and tactician, who has committed various famous war manuals (such as Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War" and Karl von Clausewitz's "On War") to memory. Bane once beat the immortal Ra's al Ghul in a chess game. He is one of two people to have ever done this, the other being the Joker.[37]
    • Escapology: Bane is challenged only by Batman, Nightwing, and Mister Miracle in the arts of escaping and infiltration, and has managed to break out of Peña Duro (which is arguably the most heavily fortified prison in the world) as well as various maximum security centers, including Blackgate and Arkham Asylum.
    • Multilingualism: Bane teaches himself ten active languages and at least four additional arcane and dead ones, those mentioned are Spanish, French, German, Russian, Mandarin, English, Farsi, Dhari, some Urdu[38] and Latin.
    • Photographic Memory: Bane has a photographic memory, which borders on absolute total recall. This has allowed him to memorize the countless skills, disciplines, and facts that he taught himself over the years. Within one year, he is able to deduce Batman's secret identity.
  • Martial Arts: Bane is a highly formidable combatant who has not only mastered, but also created several forms of martial arts. Though less skilled than the likes of Batman or Lady Shiva, Bane's fighting ability combined with his peak strength and endurance make him a highly formidable opponent for any non-meta and many metahuman foes.
  • Swordsmanship: Briefly matched Ra's al Ghul in a sword duel.[39]
  • Meditation: As part of his intense training regimen in Peña Duro, Bane would meditate for four hours every night instead of sleeping.[4]

Other Characteristics

  • Drug Addiction: (Formerly) Dependence on Venom.
    • Venom Overdose: If Bane happens to overdose on Venom, he will temporarily go into a feral state in which his physical abilities increase tremendously, but he himself becomes little more than a mindless monster.

Equipment

  • Venom: When Bane made use of Venom, he injected it into his brain through a special tube which was connected to wrist cuffs. Activating the control key, Bane could send large amounts of Venom directly into his brain for maximum effect.
    Osito 001

    Osito

Weapons


  • During his time as a boy in Peña Duro, Bane was often referred to by other inmates as "Niño". However, this is not his real first name but merely the Spanish word for "boy".

 Main article: Bane Recommended Reading

Related

External Links

Footnotes


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