Bane in other media

Adaptations of Bane in other media
A mannequin of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises
Created by	Chuck Dixon Doug Moench Graham Nolan
Original source	Comics published by DC Comics
First appearance	Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993)
Films and television
Film(s)	Batman & Robin (1997) Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003) Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) Justice League: Doom (2012) The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Television show(s)	Batman: The Animated Series (1994) The New Batman Adventures (1997) Superman: The Animated Series (1998) Batman Beyond (1999) The Batman (2004) Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008) Young Justice (2011)

Bane was originally a comic book character and Batman's adversary, but has appeared in several other forms of media. He has been portrayed by Robert Swenson in Batman & Robin, and by Tom Hardy in the The Dark Knight Rises, where he serves as the film's central antagonist.

Henry Silva, Joaquim de Almeida, Ron Perlman, Clancy Brown, Michael Dorn, Danny Trejo, Héctor Elizondo, Carlos Alazraqui, Fred Tatasciore, Jason Liebrecht, Steven Blum and J.B. Blanc have all provided voice work for the character. Peter Marinker voices Bane in the radio adaption of Batman: Knightfall.

Film

Batman & Robin (1997)

Robert Swenson as Bane in Batman & Robin (1997).

Bane appears in Batman & Robin (1997), portrayed by former WCW wrestler Robert "Jeep" Swenson in his last film before his death. Antonio Diego (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay) is an incarcerated serial killer who is transformed into "Bane" by mad scientist Dr. Jason Woodrue using an experimental drug called "Venom". This version shares more similarities towards a character named Ivan/Ivor than the comic book incarnation of Bane. Just like Ivor, He is an inarticulate thug who serves as the bodyguard/henchman of Poison Ivy and is barely capable of speech, communicating mostly with growls and roars. However, just like in the comics, Bane is as muscular, wears a slight variation of his classic mask, and still exhibits superhuman strength as the character in the comics he was named after. Bane is defeated when Robin and Batgirl kick the Venom tube in the back of his head and disconnect it from the rest of his body, which changes him back to his regular self. This character was one of many aspects of the film which received negative criticism from fans and critics alike.^[1]

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Tom Hardy's portrayal in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) depicts Bane as intelligent, resourceful, and one of the main antagonists. The mask he wears provides him with a drug that dulls the pain caused by injuries he suffered in prison.

Bane appears in The Dark Knight Rises, portrayed by Tom Hardy.^[2][3][4] Intending to portray the character as "more menacing" than the Batman & Robin incarnation, Hardy gained 14 kilograms (31 lb) of muscle for the role,^[5][6] increasing his weight to 90 kilograms (200 lb).^[5] Prior to the film's release, Bane's voice received some criticism for being unintelligible due to his mask. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Christopher Nolan said "I think when people see the film, things will come into focus. Bane is very complex and very interesting and when people see the finished film people will be very entertained by him."^[7] "We wanted a very physical monster. We wanted more of the Darth Vader, if you like, and that was very important in the story dynamics."^[8] Hardy himself also commented on the voice in another interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying "It’s a risk, because we could be laughed at—or it could be very fresh and exciting," and that "The audience mustn’t be too concerned about the mumbly voice... As the film progresses, I think you’ll be able to tune to its setting." Hardy says the voice he developed had several influences, including Bane's intellect, Caribbean heritage,^[9] and in particular, bare-knuckle fighter Bartley Gorman, whom Hardy described as "...A Romani gypsy. Which I wanted to underpin the Latin, but a Romani Latin opposed to Latino. His particular accent is very specific, which was a gypsy accent".^[10][11]

Bane has been described as having "the physicality of a gorilla"^[12] and is shown to have substantial amounts of strength in certain instances throughout the film, such as punching holes in concrete pillars, ripping his wrists out of handcuffs, lifting Batman's armored body overhead and cracking his impact-resistant cowl.^[13] Hardy describes Bane's fighting style as "Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks."^[14]

Bane proclaims that his revolution's enemies are the rich and the corrupt, who he contends are oppressing "the people", and fooling them with myths of opportunity. Political theorist and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek sees Bane as fighting "structural injustice", while likening him to a modern-day Che Guevara who is counter-intuitively driven to violence out of a sense of love.^[15] Others have compared Bane to a "high-tech Robespierre on steroids", a melded triad of Lenin, bin Laden and Steve Austin set on fomenting "proletarian retribution", and "the one thing that's worse than the second film's raving anarchist: a demagogue."^[16][17] For his part, Nolan has said that his draft for the script was inspired by Charles Dickens' 1859 classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, centered around the French Revolution.^[18] This homage to Dickens' story is briefly illustrated by having Bane inconspicuously finger knit paracord in one scene of the film, symbolizing his Reign of Terror-based character Madame Defarge from the book.^[18]

While little information is given about Bane's backstory, he is said to have been born and raised in a centuries-old foreign penitentiary known as "the Pit",^{[19][20][21][22]} where he spent most of his life incarcerated as a prisoner. Although the viewer is led to believe that he escaped the prison as a child, it is later revealed he was the friend and protector of Talia al Ghul (Joey King), a young girl ultimately revealed to have escaped, whose mother, the daughter of a local warlord, gave birth to in the Pit after being banished there by her father. After the mother was killed by the prison's inmates, Bane protected the girl until the latter finally escaped.^[23] While helping her, Bane is attacked and severely injured by the other inmates. Bane was left in "perpetual agony" as a result of his injuries and the prison doctor's inept attempts to treat them; in lieu of his addiction to Venom in the comics, he is forced to wear a mask which provides him with a constant stream of analgesic gas which keeps his pain just below the threshold.^[24] Bane was then rescued by the Talia's father Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and recruited into the League of Shadows. Ra's eventually excommunicated him from the League for being a reminder of the prison Talia's mother was left to die in, and for Bane's platonic love for Talia. After Ra's' death during the events of Batman Begins, however, Bane rejoined the League alongside Talia.

Six months before the main plot begins, Bane infiltrates a meet up between CIA Agent Bill Wilson (Aiden Gillen) and Russian physicist Dr. Leonid Pavel (Alon Abutbul) posing a mercenary of the Masketta Man, who is theorised by the CIA agent to be Bane himself who in the meetup goes on a plane of which the CIA agent questions a Mercenaries, the CIA agent gives the impression he is shooting the "Hired Guns" as he called them which Bane questions after which the CIA agent questions about Bane's Mask and calls him a man of Large stature and then asks if Bane's capture was apart of his plan to which he told CIA that it was and then Bane went on to call his own plane to crash the CIA plane which succeeded and Bane taking Dr Pavel to convert a stolen Wayne Enterprises fusion reactor into a bomb. Bane and Talia set to carry out Ra's al Ghul' mission to destroy Gotham City, the home of Ra's other famous pupil, Batman. He sets up a base in the city's underground tunnels, where he captures Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), who escapes shortly afterwards. Masquerading as an enforcer of John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn), Bane bankrupts Dagget's business rival and Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) under Daggett's orders during a raid at the Stock Exchange, using Bruce's fingerprints that were stolen courtesy of cat-burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) to verify fraudulent futures exchange trades. He then kills Daggett and Selina arranges for Batman to meet Bane, but double-crosses the Dark Knight and leaves him trapped in the mercenary's lair. There, Bane breaks Batman's back and condemns him to the Pit, where he reveals his plan: he will mentally torture Batman and Gotham for several months before detonating the bomb, destroying the city in an atomic blast. To this effect, the League of Shadows uses multiple explosives to blow up all bridges, tunnels and major roads and streets in and out of Gotham, effectively cutting the city and its people off from the rest of the world and trapping most of the GCPD underground. He assassinates Mayor Anthony Garcia (Nestor Carbonell) and Pavel, filming the latter's murder on TV. Broadcasting that he wants to liberate Gotham from the corrupt and wealthy elite, Bane releases the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary while exposing Gordon's speech about the late district attorney Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart) crimes as Two-Face and their subsequent cover-up. Near the end of the film, Bane discovers that Batman has escaped and returned to the city, just as the Dark Knight frees the GCPD. The police then charge upon the League in a brawl outside Gotham City Hall. Batman battles Bane in the midst of the chaos and damages his mask, cutting off his supply of painkillers and rendering him helpless. Talia — who was masquerading as Wayne Enterprises CEO Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) — intervenes by stabbing Batman. She fixes Bane's mask as one last act of friendship before leaving to detonate the bomb. Bane prepares to execute Batman, but Selina appears and saves the Dark Knight by firing the Batpod's cannons at Bane, killing him.

Animation

Animated television

DC Animated Universe

Bane, as he is depicted in Batman: The Animated Series (left) and subsequent appearances (right).

Even though the producers were reluctant to use the character as they felt his comic incarnation was too gimmicky,^[25] Bane still appeared in the DC Animated Universe, voiced primarily by Henry Silva. He used a strong Latin American accent in Batman: The Animated Series, but later uses an American accent for subsequent appearances.^[25]

Bane made his animated debut in the Batman: The Animated Series episode entitled Bane. This incarnation was an inmate of a Cuban prison meant to contain the most dangerous convicts ever captured. While in the prison, Bane gained genius level intellect by reading as many books as he could, eventually learning of Gotham's vigilante Batman. Bane (who was already trained to physical peak) was then chosen as a test subject for a government project to create super-soldiers with the experimental steroid Venom, granting superhuman strength and durability. After escaping Cuba, he hired out his services as an articulate professional assassin. In his self-titled episode "Bane", he is hired by crime boss Rupert Thorne to assassinate Batman and accepts the job, as he believes defeating Batman will cement his reputation within Gotham City's underworld, eventually taking over Thorne's criminal empire with the help of the secretary Candice. After getting Batman's attention by wrecking the Batmobile with his bare hands, severely beating Killer Croc and kidnapping Robin (Dick Grayson), a climactic battle results in Bane attempting to break Batman's back. However, the Dark Knight causes Bane's Venom pump module to malfunction using a batarang, resulting in a rapid and uncontrollable feed of the drug. Batman then disables Bane's pump module, stopping the flow of Venom and causing Bane to pass out. Batman later delivers Bane's limp body to Thorne, and provides Thorne with proof of Bane's eventual treachery.

Bane returns in The New Batman Adventures, and was given a redesign to make him look like both a physical threat and an intellectual one, as the producers felt his last physical appearance was not menacing enough. His outfit is now completely made of black leather, and his traditional wrestler mask has been traded for a black gimp mask, making Bane appear far more intimidating. In the episode "Over the Edge", Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl's death at the Scarecrow's hands causes Commissioner James Gordon to blame Batman for not telling him of his daughter's alter ego. After the police force failed to capture Batman, Gordon granted Bane an early release from Stonegate Penitentiary in exchange for assistance in the Caped Crusader's apprehension. Knowing that Batman would watch Barbara's funeral from afar, Gordon had his men positioned on various buildings. After being spotted, Batman attempted to flee, but is instead confronted by Bane. The two then fought on Gotham's rooftops, with the battle eventually ending on top of the GCPD headquarters, where Bane prepared to kill the Dark Knight. When Gordon tried to stop the villain from doing so, Bane quickly turned on the Commissioner. But before Bane could kill Gordon, Batman cut Bane's Venom tube and attached the device to the broken Bat-Signal, delivering a severe electrical shock. While Batman reached over the edge to save Gordon, Bane used the last of his strength to knock the two off of the building with the Bat-Signal before collapsing unconscious. However, it is later revealed that the entire episode was merely Barbara Gordon's fear-induced nightmare caused by the Scarecrow's toxin.

Bane later appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time", where he returns to Gotham with a new, enhanced form of Venom. During Batman's mysterious disappearance (due to being brainwashed by the supervillain Brainiac), Bane conspired with the Riddler and the Mad Hatter to take over Gotham during the Dark Knight's absence. But when the villains met to discuss their scheme, they are interrupted by Superman (posing as Batman) and Robin (Tim Drake). At first, Bane managed to subdue "Batman" by burying him in a pile of rubble, though the hero surprises Bane by emerging and demonstrating superhuman strength. And although Bane was stronger than ever, the Man of Steel was ultimately able to pummel the villain into submission.

Bane appears as one of the antagonists in the 2003 direct-to-video animated movie Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, now voiced by Héctor Elizondo.^[26] In the film, Bane is hired by the Penguin and Rupert Thorne to help protect an arms deal with the Kaznian military from Batwoman, as their "muscle" Carlton Duquesne has been unable to do so ever since the vigilante's emergence. When meeting with the crime bosses to discuss his employment as their enforcer, Bane demands full control of the Penguin's operations, and reassures his benefactors that he will kill Batwoman should she interfere with their plans. After capturing Batwoman aboard Penguin's yacht, Bane reveals to his employers that the female vigilante's apparent secret identity is Kathy Duquesne, much to the surpise of her father Carlton. After Batman frees Kathy and the two escape, Bane uses Carlton as a hostage to lure Batman and Batwoman to him. As Kathy rescues her father, Bane fights Batman aboard the burning yacht where the villain severely injures the Dark Knight after a long and brutal battle. However, the Caped Crusader manages to cut Bane's Venom supply with Rocky Ballantine's advanced alloy, and Bane then falls into a pit of fire to his presumed death (although Batman Beyond makes it clear that he survived).

Bane makes a cameo appearance in Batman Beyond. In the episode "The Winning Edge", Bane's Venom formula is delivered in patch form as an influx called 'slappers' and distributed on the streets of the future version of Gotham and even to given teenagers, including Mason Forrest (voiced by Ian Ziering). The new Batman (Terry McGinnis) encounters Mason and his two friends burglarizing stores, resulting in Mason using some slappers to easily overpower Batman and make their escape. After Terry sees Mason accruing slappers from a supplier, Bane is initially suspected to be the supplier. But after tracking him down, Batman learns that a lifetime of Venom usage has taken its toll on the once formidable villain and that he's now a frail old man using a wheelchair and reliant on an oxygen tank and the support of a nurse due to years of substance abuse. Meanwhile, Mason's addiction has only gotten worse. When Mason goes to the supplier's next drop off, Batman interrupts the delivery with Mason pathetically trying to run after the car and is easily apprehended. Batman eventually discovers the supplier is actually Jackson Chappell (voiced by Larry Drake), the nurse/caretaker that was entrusted with the Venom formula when Bane had gotten too addicted to even operate normally without the recipe. Seeing this as an opportunity for money, Chappell mass-produces and sells the slappers to children for a profit. To fight the second Dark Knight, Jackson induces himself with his own Venom patches to bulk himself up to defeat Batman only to be exposed to more Venom patches. As a result, Chappell is left brain-dead from the overdose. After Batman broke up Chappell's slapper ring, Mason and his friends are arrested.^[27]

The Batman

A different incarnation of Bane is depicted in The Batman voiced by Joaquim de Almeida (in "Traction"), Ron Perlman (in "Team Penguin") and Clancy Brown (in "The Batman/Superman Story" (Part 1)).^[28][29] This version is a South American mercenary who pumps Venom into his veins to transform into a huge hulking brute with red and black skin. In the episode "Traction", Bane is hired by three crime bosses to eliminate Batman. Though he manages to injure Batman, the Caped Crusader ultimately defeats him. In the episode "Brawn", the Joker uses Bane's Venom to terrorize the city. Batman and Batgirl take out the Venom-Powered Joker with help from the Bat-Bot. In the episode "Team Penguin", Bane receives an invitation from the Penguin to join up with him but is taken down by Batman, Batgirl and Robin before he can reply. In the episode "Rumors", Bane is one of the many supervillains captured by the vigilante Rumor. In the episode "The Batman/Superman Story", Bane is one of several villains hired by Lex Luthor to capture Superman. However Superman defeats Bane with a single punch.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Bane appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Michael Dorn. Much like the Batman and Robin incarnation, this version is extremely frail and scrawny before pumping himself with Venom. In the cold opening to the episode "Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!", Bane is found by Batman and Wildcat at a train station. Wildcat quickly mocks the supposed menace for his scrawny physique and asks why Batman needed help for such a weakling. Bane then activates his Venom pump and soon towers over the crime fighters before knocking Batman out. Wildcat manages to defeat Bane by grabbing a Batarang and cutting Bane's Venom tubes, which fall onto train tracks and gives him an electric shock. In the episode "Sidekicks Assemble!", Bane makes a brief, non-speaking cameo appearance as a holographic image of himself which serves as an opponent for Robin, Speedy and Aqualad during their training. In the episode "Night of the Batmen!", Bane helps Solomon Grundy, Blockbuster and Killer Croc try to topple a solid gold statue of Lady Justice in order to steal the rubble and sell it. Before they can accomplish this, Bane and his cohorts are defeated and captured by Captain Marvel (posing as Batman).

Young Justice

Bane appears in the Young Justice cartoon series, voiced by Danny Trejo. In the episode "Drop Zone", Bane is in a small war against the cult Kobra over the production of his drug Venom. Here after losing control over the Santa Prisca prison to the cult of Kobra he agreed to fight their champion Mammoth (who had been infused with a Venom/Blockbuster formula) to get it back. Later the Team infiltrated the island to discern the reason why all Venom shipments have been cut off yet Venom is still being produced at full level. Bane quickly meets up with the team and proposes an alliance, and with Miss Martian unable to read his mind because he is reciting Spanish football scores in his head to protect himself, they agree. Later Bane revealed that he only needed help to get his factory back, and with the team apparently unable to do that, he had decided to kill them and frame Kobra for their deaths, with the knowledge that the Justice League of America would come to Santa Prisca and finish off the Cult in retribution. He is then soundly trounced by the combined powers of Miss Martian's telekinesis and Superboy's super strength, and is last shown tied up as he watches his factory being burned to the ground during the team's fight with the Cult. In the episode "Usual Suspects", Bane allows Lex Luthor and Queen Bee to use Santa Prisca when meeting with Superboy, Artemis, and Miss Martian. He joins the other villains into attacking the Team and is defeated when Robin disconnects the tube that feeds Bane his Venom drug, and then electrocutes him through the point where it was attached.

Teen Titans Go!

The Dark Knight Rises version of Bane makes cameo appearances in Teen Titans Go!.

South Park

A comparison of the mask before and after the premier of the South Park episode "Insecurity".

After the release of The Dark Knight Rises, Bane was parodied in Comedy Central's sitcom South Park in the episode "Insecurity" where several of the characters disguise themselves (such as Eric Cartman and Randy Marsh) as Bane to mob the UPS man. The mask itself was altered before the episode premiered.

Animated films

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Bane appears in the animated movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies but has no dialogue and merely grunts. Along with several supervillains, Bane tried to collect the billion-dollar bounty on Superman. He briefly fights Batman but was defeated when Batman used his batarang to cut his Venom tube and knock him out with a single kick.

Justice League: Doom

Bane appears in Justice League: Doom, voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.^[30] He 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 Batman's parents' graves and informing Bruce Wayne of their disappearance, disguising himself as a worker at the graveyard. He then knocks out Bruce before putting Wayne in one of his parents' coffins and burying his nemesis alive but Bruce manages to dig himself out and is the first League member to escape his death trap and manages to save his fellow League members. Bane stays with Savage after Vandal revealed his true plans and faces off against Batman when the Justice League storms the Hall of Doom. Despite overpowering Batman early on, the Dark Knight manages to defeat Bane by cutting his Venom tube.

Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite

Bane appears in Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite, an adaptation of the video game of the same name, with Steven Blum reprising his role.

Batman: Assault On Arkham

Bane appears in Batman: Assault on Arkham. At the end of the film, the Joker releases Bane and several other inmates from Arkham Asylum to distract Batman while he sets off a bomb that could destroy half of Gotham. During the riot, Bane attacks Killer Frost while trying to escape from Arkham by throwing the police car Killer Frost was trying to escape in, causing it to explode. Later, Bane is attempts to escape Arkham Island via the Gotham bridge, where he prepares to attack Commissioner Gordon. However, Batman defeats Bane by cutting his venom supply and causing him to fall into Gotham river.

Justice League vs. Teen Titans

While Bane doesn't appear in this animated film, he is briefly mentioned when Batman injects himself with a nerve toxin to prevent Trigon from possessing him, as the toxin was meant for Bane.

Batman Unlimited

Bane appears battling Batman during a robbery. Though he nearly manages to beat Batman Batman cuts the tubes pumping venom into Bane. Rendered immobile by the weight of his suit Batman knocks Bane out with a single punch. This version acts more like a bull and does not speak, though grunting is provided by an uncredited actor. He will appear in Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs Mutants as a major villain. He seems to have a grudge with Killer Croc for ratting him out to the police once.

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City Breakout

Bane appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City Breakout voiced by Eric Bauza.

Video games

Batman & Robin

Bane is a boss character in the Batman & Robin video game adaptation (1997),^[31] and Batman: Chaos in Gotham (2001).^[32]

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu

Héctor Elizondo reprised his role as Bane in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.^[33]

Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame

Bane appears as a first boss in London in the DS version of Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame.

Lego Batman series

Lego Batman: The Videogame

Bane also appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame, with vocal effects by Fred Tatasciore. He is an enemy of Batman and a follower of the Penguin, he is the one villain that doesn't serve as a boss.^[34] Ben of Game Informer writes that "this game is filled with cool playable characters... Nightwing, Joker, Killer Croc, Bane, Catwoman, and Man-Bat only scratch the surface of the game's catalog of great characters."^[35] He is a playable character and has super strength, toxic immunity, and a special "back breaker" move. The player can gain an achievement on the Xbox 360 version of the game if the player, as Bane, uses the back breaker move on Batman, the player's human- or computer-controlled partner (a reference to the Knightfall storyarc).

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Bane appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by Steven Blum.^[36]

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Bane appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, with J.B. Blanc reprising the role from Batman: Arkham Origins. In the game, he is able to manually change from a normal-sized mini-figure to a Venom-powered big-figure. His The Dark Knight Rises version is also playable via DLC.

Lego Dimensions

Bane will be a playable character in Lego Dimensions. Steven Blum will reprise his role once more. Bane also appears stealing kryptonite to defeat Superman. Batman and Robin give chase but a dimensional vortex sucks in Robin, who Batman goes after. Babe also makes a cameo as one of the villains working for Voltech and is one of the final bosses.

Batman: Arkham series

Bane is a recurring antagonist in the Batman: Arkham series, where he is voiced by Fred Tatasciore in Arkham Asylum & Arkham City, and by J.B. Blanc in Arkham Origins.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

In the first game of the Arkham series, Batman seems horrified to find that Bane is being used as a human test subject in the Asylum's Medical Facility by Dr. Penelope Young, and that the Venom has been drained from his system leaving him weak and emaciated. After Batman rescues a captive Commissioner Gordon and advises Gordon to get away as quickly as he can, the Joker appears on a security monitor and remotely pumps the Venom into Bane's body while promising that Dr. Young will be eliminated by someone else. Enraged, Bane attacks Batman, but is defeated after Batman tears the Venom pumps from Bane's body. He is seemingly crushed by the collapsing roof, but almost immediately charges out from the rubble in a frenzy, grabbing Batman and threatening to "break him" once more. Before he has the chance, Batman remotely calls the Batmobile to his location, which strikes Bane and sends both he and the car into the adjoining river. Bane is not seen re-emerging for the duration of the main campaign. In one of the possible post-credits sequences after completion, a floating tank of Titan formula in the river sees Bane's hand quickly rise from the water and grab it.

Bane's character biography is unlocked by examining his teddy bear located in a room before the player enters the chamber where Bane is being held in order to rescue Gordon from Harley Quinn. Bane's attack allows Harley to evade capture for the time being. His presence is explained with the discovery that Dr. Young was using Venom to develop the Titan formula (an enhanced version of Venom that triggers a Bane-like transformation without the need for the tank that Bane requires for the same purpose) when she worked for "Jack White" (one of Joker's aliases).

Batman: Arkham City

Roughly a year after the events of the first game inside the walled off prison in Gotham known as Arkham City, Bane forges a fragile alliance with Batman to destroy canisters of Dr. Young's Titan formula that are stored in different areas of the prison.^[37] The two initially work together in fighting off Hugo Strange's private Tyger security force, but Bane reveals shortly thereafter that he was only using Batman as a tool to gather as much of the Titan formula as possible for his own use. Predicting this, Batman traps Bane in an elevator so he can destroy the gathered Titan tanks without interference, and is left locked there for the duration of the game's campaign.

Batman: Arkham Origins

In the prequel game taking place roughly five years before the events of Arkham Asylum, Bane's character design resembles something of a composite between his traditional appearances in the comics and the more militaristic and "revolutionary" garb he wore in The Dark Knight Rises. Unlike the first two entries in the series, the story of Arkham Origins showcases more of Bane's character staples from the comics, particularly his intelligence, as well as his addiction to the Venom formula. His role in this game is also comparatively larger in Origins than it is in any other Arkham game.

While no details are given in regards to the exact details of his origin, Batman at first seems surprised that Bane has turned up in Gotham in the first place, implying that the character was already well-established in criminal circles by the time Origins takes place, which is during Batman's second year as a crimefighter. First appearing in the story as one of the eight assassins hired to kill Batman by Black Mask. he is present at the meeting in the Gotham Royal Hotel between Electrocutioner and Firefly with Black Mask, who quickly reveals himself to be a new criminal: the Joker. After Joker kills Electrocutioner, Bane chooses to remain behind in the hotel after the meeting in anticipation of his first confrontation with Batman. With Batman besting him in their first encounter, Bane flees.

Batman incapacitates Joker and leaves him for the police before tracking Bane to his hideout with a tracer, finding evidence of a new strain of Venom. While in his hideout, Batman also discovers that Bane has deduced that Bruce Wayne and Batman are actually the same person. Batman destroys this evidence, but is delayed in returning to the Batcave when Firefly attempts to destroy Gotham Pioneer's Bridge. This gives Bane time to invade the cave, destroy Batman's equipment, and attack Alfred Pennyworth leaving him for dead. Bane is next seen with the Joker during his riot at Blackgate Penitentiary, facing off against Batman a second time. Batman is told that if he does not kill Bane, the beating of his heart will power an electric chair that will kill both Joker and Gotham City Police Captain James Gordon. Though Batman uses the Electrocutioner's gloves to stop Bane's heart, he quickly revives him once the heart monitor is removed. In retaliation, Bane injects himself with an imperfect Titan prototype, turning him into the same kind of hulking monster Batman will go onto face in the future. Batman electrocutes Bane again to defeat him, and the brain damage he suffers due to his abuse of the Titan formula robs him of the knowledge of Batman's identity. He's then apprehended by the Gotham PD.

Bane is playable in the Batman: Arkham Origins multiplayer. If a player controlling a Bane Elite gets to the entrance door first, the Elite is replaced with Bane. Bane is equipped with a powerful rocket launcher, and is capable of performing devastating melee attacks, including a shock wave that knocks down enemies, and instant kills that vary based on the enemy's position (thrown across the room if standing, picked up and slammed down if prone, and slammed into a wall if near one). If Bane initiates an instant kill on Batman or Robin, he performs his signature backbreaker.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Bane appears in a limited capacity at the end of the handheld game Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. Taking place three months after the events of Arkham Origins, Bane has been incarcerated in the eponymous prison for that entire time. Because of the ravages the Titan formula made on his body, Bane grew substantially weaker, making his body look emaciated and pale.

After Batman manages to defeat Joker, Penguin and Black Mask inside Blackgate Prison, he proceeds to the recently-established "Arkham Wing" where he finds Bane sealed in a container. Marking her first chronological appearance in the timeline of the series, Catwoman reveals to Batman that she was hired to break Bane out of prison. After a failed attempt to divert Batman away from she and Bane, Batman finally catches up to Catwoman and defeats her. At the same time, a SWAT team led by Captain Rick Flag arrives and detains Catwoman. Batman intends to go after Bane next, but Flag stops him, saying that they had already captured him before he could escape. Later, it is revealed that Amanda Waller was the one who hired Catwoman to break Bane out.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Though Bane doesn't physically appear in Arkham Knight, his teddy bear and Titan canister appear in the Gotham City Police Department's archived evidence room, along with artifacts from criminals appearing in prior games like Anarky, Black Mask, Mr. Freeze, Ra's al Ghul, and the Joker. GCPD officer Aaron Cash said that Bane had to be released from custody after the shutdown of Arkham City, and that he was suffering from severe Titan withdrawal at the time of his release. While exploring the city, Batman can discover some of his belongings in a shipping container, which reveals that he has returned to Santa Prisca and launched a campaign against the drug lords who run the island.

DC Universe Online

Bane is featured in DC Universe Online, voiced by E. Jason Liebrecht. He has been supplying a new type of Venom throughout Gotham City with his hideout being the Cape Carmine Lighthouse. If the player takes the hero campaign, he/she will be assisted by Nightwing. If the player takes the villain campaign, he/she will be assisted by Killer Croc. Bane's henchmen are referred to as Hoppers, Juicers, Lieutenants, Muscles, Razors, Retaliators, Splints, Street Soldiers, Strongmen, Venomized Dogs, Envenomed Hoppers, Envenomed Guard Dogs, Envenomed Juicers, Envenomed Lieutenants, Envenomed Retaliators, Envenomed Street Soldiers, Envenomed Strongmen, and Venom Supplier Diego. In the Last Laugh DLC pack, Hero players may encounter Bane once again in the Shady Nightclub duo, an instance that generates three random Villains (others being the Ultra Humanite, Killer Croc, Killer Frost or Parasite). In this instance, his voice acting receives a little addition: he speaks in Spanish when the players attack him, saying "Madre de Dios" (mother of God) and "Basta!" (enough!). Bane can also be unlocked to use in Player Versus Player Legends matches, using a strong Brawling fight style. If a player using Bane defeats an enemy player using Batman, the player will get a feat called Breaking the Bat.

Young Justice: Legacy

Bane appears as a boss for Young Justice: Legacy, voiced by Eric Lopez. During the Team's mission in Santa Prisca, he aids Lex Luthor and Black Manta in containing a piece of an ancient statue. Bane confronts the Team, taunting Aqualad about his mentor's possible death before fighting him.

The Dark Knight Rises App

Bane makes several appearances in the iPad and iPhone game app released to coincide with The Dark Knight Rises. In this version, Bane has a shaved head instead of being completely bald and wields a shoulder-holstered handgun. Bane confronts Batman in the armory instead of the sewers, and beats him nearly to death, but does not break his back. Bane and his mercenaries attack civilians and set bombs on buildings on Bane's orders.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Bane appears as a playable fighter in Injustice: Gods Among Us, with Fred Tatasciore reprising his role once more. His "Prime" universe incarnation is first seen with Catwoman, Solomon Grundy and Lex Luthor fighting Nightwing, Raven and Cyborg aboard the Watchtower until he is defeated by Batman. Later on, his One-Earth dimension incarnation is seen as one of the Regime forces in the assault on the Insurgency headquarters that fights Wonder Woman until the latter is teleported to Themyscira by Ares and is later knocked out by the "Prime" Batman and Insurgency Batman. In the comics it is revealed that Bane was the first super-villain Superman recruited into the Regime. In Bane's single-player ending, after defeating the High Counciler Superman, Bane recruits Sinestro and Black Adam to assume control over Earth alongside him. However, this ruling triad would only continue until the next phase of Bane's plan.

Toys and Collectibles

• Kenner released different versions of Bane for each of its Batman: The Animated Series, Batman & Robin, and Legends of the Dark Knight action figure lines.^[38][39]
• D.C. Direct has released two Bane figures, one as the character appeared in the Batman "Knightfall" comic series as well as in the "Secret Files & Origins" series. Each came packaged with a figure stand specific to that particular series, with no other accessories.^[40]
• Mattel has included two versions of Bane in their D.C. Superheroes line of action figures. Both versions share the same mold and only vary in paint applications. The first version is set apart by black pants while the second (2007) version has pants decorated with a camouflage pattern. Both versions of this figure came with a small "Osito" accessory, although many of the first version seem to have been shipped to stores without.^[40]
• In 2007, LEGO released a Bane mini-figure in a Bat-Tank building set, alongside a Riddler mini-figure.^[41]
• Mattel has produced several Bane figures. They first released an action figure of Bane from The New Batman Adventures in the Justice League Unlimited toyline in a Matty Collector exclusive four pack. They later made a build-a-figure version of Bane in Wave 16 of the DC Universe Classics Action Figures (Jonah Hex (left leg), Riddler (left arm with Venom tube), The Creeper (right arm), Robin (lower torso and head), Mercury of the Metal Men (upper torso), and Azrael (right leg)). When put together they become a 7.5 inch tall Bane.
• Several toys of Bane were made following up to the release of The Dark Knight Rises. Collectible figures were made by Hot Toys and Mattel, vinyl figures by POP Heroes, and bobble heads by NECA and Wacky Wobbler.^{[42][43][44][45]}
• In late 2012, LEGO released a minifigure of the Tom Hardy version of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises.
• Square Enix are has released a Play Arts Kai figure of Bane, based on his The Dark Knight Rises incarnation.
• There have been several versions of Bane in the collectable miniature game "Heroclix". There were three versions in the first DC set "Hypertime", another in the "Batman Alpha" set, one in the DC 75th Anniversary set, three in the "Dark Knight Rises" set, one in the "Tab-App" set, and another one in the "Batman: Arkham Origins" set.
• DC Collectibles has released three Bane figures thus far: An Arkham Asylum Bane included in a two pack with Batman, an Arkham Origins Bane, and finally a The New Batman Adventures Bane figure which includes many interchangeable hands.

Music

The album Knightfall by multinational Swedish band Silent Images, is based on the Batman:Knightfall story arc, with Bane cast as a central character. Throughout the course of the album and its lyrics, he is referred to as "The Venomous One", and is depicted as a militaristic Übermensch, with an uncanny and almost homoerotic connection to Batman.^[46][47][48]

References