I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope. So, as I terrorize Gotham, I will feed its people hope to poison their souls. I will let them believe that they can survive so that you can watch them clambering over each other to stay in the sun. You could watch me torture an entire city. And then when you truly understood the depth of your failure, we will fulfill Ra's al Ghul's destiny. We will destroy Gotham. And then, when it is done and Gotham is... ashes... then you have my permission to die. 
- — Bane src
Bane was a cunning and prideful tactical genius and terrorist with incredible strength who worked alongside Talia al Ghul to conquer Gotham City and destroy the Batman.
History
Origins
The man known only as "Bane" was a prisoner of the Pit, a Middle Eastern prison with horrible conditions that was nearly impossible to escape. He was said by some to have been born and raised there, but this was actually the young girl Talia al Ghul, who Bane took pity on and acted as her protector in the prison. When Talia got older, Bane helped her escape after several of the inmates raped and killed her mother. During her escape, the other inmates savagely tortured and beat Bane, leaving him barely alive. Another prisoner attempted to nurse him back to health, but despite his life being saved, Bane was horrifically scarred and his nerves were damaged, leaving him practically paralyzed by his state of constant physical agony.
Eventually, Talia was reunited with her father, Ra's al Ghul, and convinced him to rescue Bane from the Pit with his ninja army, the League of Shadows. Ra's provided Bane with a mask that allowed him to breathe an analgesic gas to alleviate his pain, and he trained him in the ways of the League. However, Bane became a reminder to Ra's of his failure to protect his wife and daughter, and so Ra's excommunicated him from the League, much to Talia's dismay. With his tactical genius and training from the League of Shadows, Bane became a prideful and cruel mercenary, and wanted by the C.I.A.
Years later, while on a crusade to destroy the corrupt Gotham City in the United States to keep a balance of power, Ra's died in a battle with Gotham's vigilante protector, the Batman, real name Bruce Wayne, who was also a former member of the League of Shadows. Upon Ra's death, Talia took control of the League and reenlisted Bane, and the two began a plot to finish Ra's work and destroy Gotham City and the Batman once and for all, while also making a terrorist statement about income inequality.[1]
Infiltrating Gotham City
About eight years after the Joker's attack on Gotham, the death of district attorney Harvey Dent, and the Batman's retirement after allegedly killing him as well as several mobsters, Talia and Bane began to put their plan into action. Bane captured the scientist Dr. Leonid Pavel and took refuge in Gotham's sewers, directing his men to pose as construction workers and commence projects across the city that rigged Gotham's tunnels and bridges with explosives. Meanwhile, Talia infiltrated the board of Bruce Wayne's company, Wayne Enterprises, under the name "Miranda Tate" in an attempt to get her hands on an energy reactor they had manufactured.
Through an ambitious Wayne Enterprises employee he'd enlisted, John Daggett, he fraudulently bankrupted Wayne Enterprises so Talia as Tate could become chair of the company, with the help of Bruce's fingerprints, acquired by the criminal Selina Kyle. However, during a sting operation searching for a missing congressman, a group of police officers, including police commissioner Jim Gordon, stumbled across Bane's sewer lair. Gordon managed to escape, albeit badly wounded, but not before he was searched by Bane's men. From his jacket, they retrieved a speech Gordon had written to confess that Batman didn't kill any of the people he was accused of murdering, and that it had instead been Harvey Dent after he had gone insane. Bane held onto the speech to help him drive Gotham further into chaos later.
Bane defeats the Batman
Later, Bane attacked a stock exchange to secure Bruce Wayne's bankruptcy, and was chased by both the police and the Batman, who had come out of retirement to stop Bane's plans. Bane escaped and killed Daggett, and arranged for Selina to trick Batman into following her to him. Sure enough, Batman walked right into Bane's trap underneath the Wayne Enterprises weapons development armory, and the two engaged in a violent brawl. Despite Batman's efforts, however, Bane defeated him with a backbreaker. As the League of Shadows armed themselves with Wayne's weapons, Bruce was taken away to the Pit, where he was left with a television set as Gotham descended into ruin.[1]
Reign of Terror
The League then willingly captured Talia who, along with Lucius Fox, brought Bane to Wayne Enterprises' energy reactor. They then had Pavel modify the reactor into a nuclear bomb, and then removed its core to allow it to destabilize over the coming months and eventually explode. Finally, they lured the entire Gotham City Police Department to Bane's underground lair, just as Bane set off the explosives laced all around the city, trapping all the police in the tunnels down below and killing hundreds of innocents, including Mayor Garcia.
Announcing the bomb's threat to Gotham
Bane then gave the bomb's remote detonator to Talia for safekeeping and revealed himself and the bomb to the public, which was televised across the country. After having Pavel explain the bomb's properties and confirming he was the only one who could disarm it, Bane snapped Pavel's neck before the entire crowd. He also stated that if anyone left Gotham, or if any outsiders—military or otherwise—tried to enter Gotham (with the implication that this also extended to any aerial or naval traffic not permitted by Bane), the bomb would be detonated by the remote detonator, which he claimed to have given to "an ordinary citizen". Bane then left the crowd and told them to prepare for the following day.
When the following day arrived, Bane read aloud Gordon's confession about Harvey Dent in front of Blackgate Penitentiary, making a case that those imprisoned under Harvey's jurisdiction or the "Dent Act" created in his honor were wrongfully oppressed. The League freed the Blackgate inmates, and then armed them and the impoverished masses of the city. Bane encouraged them to take their anger out on the wealthy and privileged, causing several violent riots, and ruled Gotham as a chaotic city state with no laws and no inequality for the next five months as the bomb became more and more unstable. He even granted Jonathan Crane full access to the legal system of the people, allowing him to execute anyone the masses saw fit to kill. He then had some of his men force a squad of policemen guard the only bridge not destroyed by Bane (all of the other transit points out of Gotham had been destroyed to prevent Gothamites from leaving), ordering them to blow up the bridge if anyone trying to leave got too unruly, as was the case with John Blake, who defiantly attempted to leave Gotham, only for the policemen to destroy the bridge, when the former had attempted to evacuate a school bus full of children.
Final battle against the Batman
As Bane's reign over Gotham continued, Bruce managed to heal in the Pit, with the help of the inmate who healed Bane, and even figured out how to escape. He returned to Gotham as the Batman by the final days before the bomb's detonation, and Bane arranged for his soldiers to guard Talia, anticipating Batman to trace her down. Batman managed to free all the police from the tunnels, and on the day the bomb was set to go off, Bane led his soldiers in an all out battle against Batman and the police. During the fight, Batman and Bane faced each other once more leading to their final showdown in Gotham City Hall. Batman, having heard of Bane's injuries in the Pit, managed to damage his mask and knock him to the ground, writhing in pain.
The Batman tried getting Bane to tell him where the detonator was before Talia revealed herself to him and stabbed him in the side. Talia fixed Bane's mask and tried to set off the bomb with the detonator, but when she realized Gordon had managed to stop the remote detonation, she went to chase after the truck holding it, saying goodbye to her old friend one last time. Returned to his full strength, Bane then prepared to kill the Batman, but before he could, Selina Kyle, who had joined Batman's side, rode in on the Batpod and fired its cannons at him, sending him flying across the room and killing him instantly.[1]
Legacy
Bane's final actions merely managed to slow the Batman down. He, Gordon, and Selina managed to stop Talia from reaching the bomb, which led to her fatally crashing her truck. Batman then used his aircraft, the Bat, to fly the bomb far out over the bay, and escaped just as it exploded harmlessly over the water. Bruce and Selina then retired to Florence, where they lived out their lives in peace and comfort.
Bane and Talia's attack didn't destroy Gotham City or the Batman, but it did allow Bruce to finally move on from his past and lead a happier, more peaceful life, while leaving all of his Batman gear to young police officer John Blake. It also allowed Bruce to see Gotham's inequality more clearly, as he made Wayne Enterprises more of a charitable foundation in his retirement. As for Bane himself, his siege on Gotham left hundreds dead, countless more wounded, and plunged the city into a darkness it had never seen before, and they were only pulled out by the Batman and his allies.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Peak Human Condition: Possibly thanks to his intense League of Shadows training, Bane possessed immense physical strength, greater than even that of Batman. He could left people into the air, smash through impact resistant armor with both his fists and his knee, and break out of handcuffs without any visible strain. He was also rather fast despite his great size, and could disable multiple opponents within seconds.[1]
- Pain Resistance: Due to his constant use of pain suppressors, Bane can withstand severe physical traumas, such as heavy punches from enemies, or even punching holes in a stone column.[1]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)
- Martial Arts: Bane was a skilled combatant even prior to being taught by Ra's al Ghul, but following his time in the League of Shadows, he became a skilled enough fighter to defeat multiple opponents simultaneously, and was even was able to beat the Batman himself in single-hand combat.[1]
- Genius Level Intellect: Bane was an expert in combat and leadership tactics, psychological warfare and torture, and even possessed working knowledge of nuclear physics.[1]
- Intimidation: As all members of the League of Shadows, Bane mastered the art of instilling fear into others, a weapon which he used both in his first battle against the Batman and his wider conquest of Gotham City.[1]
- Survival: Due to his time and torturous experiences in the Pit, Bane became remarkably resilient, both physically and mentally.[1]
- Indomitable Will: Bane fought for his cause, and especially Talia, to the end, enduring savage beatings, humiliations, and even risking his life several times to protect her and help her fulfill her goals.[1]
- Firearms
- Driving
Weaknesses
- Damaged Nerves: Bane's nerves were severely damaged by his torture in the Pit, and he would become paralyzed with agony if not constantly administered painkillers. However, he was able to recover quickly when his painkillers were re-administered.[1]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Mask: Bane wore a protective mask that covered most of his face and head. Covered with tubes in a skull-like pattern, the mask was designed to both conceal his horrific facial scars, as well as administer painkiller toxins to him at all times, numbing his constant agony caused by damaged nerves, and granting him general resistance to pain. However, it was breakable, as the Batman was able to break it with his gauntlets.[1]
Transportation
- Tumbler: After Wayne Enterprise was broken into from the sewers, Bane and the League of Shadows attained a number of powerful military tumblers.[1]
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the Nolanverse film series and is an adaptation of Bane. The original character was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan and first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1.
- Bane was portrayed by Tom Hardy.
- The original version of Bane was Latin American, but since Hardy is Caucasian, he researched Latin itself and the roots of the language, leading him to base his Bane voice off of Romani boxer Bartley Gorman.[2]
- Around time of The Dark Knight Rises' release, a controversy around Bane broke out with many political conservatives believing Bane to be inspired by Bain Capital, the investment firm founded by 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Dark Knight Rises writer and director Christopher Nolan and Bane co-creator Chuck Dixon denied the inspiration, stating that Bane's character was much closer to the liberal movement Occupy Wall Street.[3][4]
- Hardy stands around 5'9" where Christian Bale is over 6'. Since Bane towers over Batman in height in the comics special film techniques were used to make Hardy's stature and figure appear larger and imposing. In particular, three-inch lifts were added to Hardy's boots to make him equal in height to other tall characters. [citation needed]
- Both versions of Bane in The Lego Batman Movie and on Harley Quinn are comedic takes on the character that parody this version of the character.
- There have been some criticisms about Hardy's voice for Bane being difficult to understand on the trailers. This was fixed by being amplified in the final cut of the movie. [citation needed]
- Tom Hardy has described Bane 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 and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action." [5]
Trivia
- It is unknown how Bane ended up in the Pit. Years after his escape, rumors began circulating that he had been born and raised in the Pit, and that he had managed to scale the walls and climb out as a child. This was actually Talia's story, but Bane still referenced being "born in [the dark]", and that he "did not see the light until [he] was already a man", so it is possible he was still born and raised there.[1]
Recommended Reading
Related
- 2 Appearances of Bane (Nolanverse)
- 8 Images featuring Bane (Nolanverse)
- 2 Quotations by or about Bane (Nolanverse)
- Character Gallery: Bane (Nolanverse)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 The Dark Knight Rises
- ↑ Tom Hardy & Andy Serkis Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions - YouTube
- ↑ https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/07/limbaughs-dark-knight-rises-comments-bizarre-says-nolan/
- ↑ https://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/jul/16/picket-obama-camp-miscasts-batman-characters-romne/
- ↑ https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/news-dark-knight-rises/
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