Bane in other media

Adaptations of Bane in other media
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)

Batman's adversary Bane is a comic book character, but has appeared in several other forms of media. He has been portrayed by Robert Swenson in Batman & Robin and Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises. Henry Silva, Joaquim de Almeida, Ron Perlman, Clancy Brown, Michael Dorn, Danny Trejo, Héctor Elizondo, Carlos Alazraqui, Fred Tatasciore, Jason Liebrecht, and Steven Blum have all provided voice work for the character. Peter Marinker voices Bane in the radio adaption of Batman: Knightfall.

Live-action

Batman & Robin (1997)

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

Bane appears in the live-action film Batman & Robin (1997) as a tertiary villain. His last film before his death in 1997, former WCW wrestler Robert Swenson played Bane. Unlike the DC comics character, this incarnation of Bane has a real name, Antonio Diego (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay), a skinny serial killer serving life in prison. A mad scientist named Dr. Jason Woodrue (John Glover) who acquires him for an experiment to produce super-soldiers using "Venom" to sell to the highest bidder in his lab in South America. Dr. Woodrue uses him as a test subject by injecting Venom into his body through tubes connected to his head transforming him into the muscular Bane (portrayed by Swenson). Rather than being the devious, intelligent villain of the comics, this version is an inarticulate thug who serves as the bodyguard/henchman and assistant of Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), who in this film is also a victim of Woodrue after she uncovers his operation. Bane is barely capable of speech and uses growls and roars for most of his communication. Despite this, however, he is still muscular, wears a slight variation of his classic mask, and is still superhumanly strong; easily overpowering various thugs, police officers, and holding his own against both Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) in hand-to-hand combat. Bane is defeated while attempting to strangle Robin and Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) to death when they 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 depiction of the character was one of many aspects of the film which received negative criticism from fans and critics alike.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Bane appears as the main antagonist in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, played by Tom Hardy. Hardy intended to portray the character as "more menacing" than in Batman & Robin and gained 30 pounds (14 kg) of muscle for the role, increasing his weight to 198 pounds (90 kg). Prior to the film's release, Bane's voice was criticized as being unintelligible due to his mask. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, 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." 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 had developed had several influences, including Bane's intellect, Caribbean heritage and bare knuckled boxer Bartley Gorman.

In the film, Bane spent a fairly large period of his life incarcerated in a foreign penitentiary known only as the Pit. There, he befriended Talia al Ghul, a young girl who had been born in the Pit, and took on the role of her protector. While helping her escape, Bane was attacked and severely beaten by the other inmates. The penitentiary's resident doctor attempted to heal his injuries, but despite his efforts Bane ended up in a state of constant, excruciating pain. The mask, crafted following Bane's release, provides him with a constant stream of anesthetic gas to numb the pain and allow him to function. Unlike other adaptations, Bane has no "Venom" drug that gives him his enhanced strength, however when his mask is incapacitated by Batman, Bane enters an enraged state in which he fights with greater fury and less precision. This may be a reference to the "Venom" serum, but in this case the drug actually prevents the intense rage, rather than provokes it.

Bane was recruited into the League of Shadows by Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson) for his role in protecting Talia while they were in the Pit, but was eventually expelled because he reminded Ra's of the pain he had left his wife to endure while she was there. With Ra's al Ghul dead, Bane and Talia assumed control of the League, setting out to accomplish Ra's's goal: to destroy Gotham. Working under Wayne Enterprises rival John Daggett, Bane secretly arrives in Gotham, setting up a base of operations in its sewers and staging an attack on the Gotham stock exchange. He then has Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) lure Batman (Christian Bale) into his lair, where the two have a brutal fistfight, in which Bane prevails, breaking Bruce's mask and his back. Before doing so, he reveals that his base is located directly underneath Wayne's armory, granting him access to the weapons and vehicles within.

Bruce, who narrowly survived his injury, is taken by Bane to the Pit so that he may helplessly watch Gotham's destruction on television. It is here that Bane reveals the extent of his plan: Before annihilating Gotham, he will corrupt its citizens, allowing them to freely engage in lawlessness while simultaneously giving them hope for a future free of oppression by government and the elite. Then, having shown Bruce that he has failed to instill virtue and morality into the hearts of Gotham's people, Bane will destroy Gotham and kill Bruce.

Bane kidnaps a Russian physicist, Dr. Leonid Pavel (Alon Abutbul) and uses him to convert a stolen Wayne Enterprises fusion reactor into a bomb. Having used Daggett's construction crews to lay explosive-laced concrete around the city, Bane detonates the concrete and cuts Gotham's main island off from the rest of the world. Mayor Anthony Garcia (Nestor Carbonell) is killed in a blast. Claiming that he wants to liberate Gotham from the corrupt elite, Bane starts a public uprising which frees the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary. The city falls into a state of near anarchy, with its people - particularly the rich, powerful and corrupt - at the mercy of Bane and various citizen-formed gangs. However, Bruce is able to use his time in the Pit to re-train and heal his injuries, returning to Gotham after five months to confront Bane. Organizing an army consisting of the League, the Dent Act convicts, and his own mercenaries, Bane unleashes an all-out assault on Gotham's police force. Batman fights Bane once more, and manages to damage his mask, effectively cutting off his supply of analgesics and defeating him. Talia (Marion Cotillard) intervenes, stabbing Batman's abdomen. She fixes Bane's mask and leaves to detonate the bomb. Bane recovers and prepares to execute Batman with a shotgun, when Selina Kyle interrupts him, firing the Batpod's cannons at Bane from point-blank range. It has not been said whether Bane is killed or injured by the attack.

Animation

Television series

Batman: The Animated Series

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Bane attempts to break Batman's back in his debut Batman: The Animated Series episode, "Bane."

Bane made his animated debut in Batman: The Animated Series episode "Bane", even though producers were reluctant to use him as they felt his comic incarnation was too gimmicky. Voiced with a strong South-American accent by Henry Silva, this Bane is an articulate professional assassin hired by crime boss Rupert Thorne to assassinate Batman. Bane accepts the job, as he believes defeating Batman will cement his reputation within the underworld, and aid in his own aspiration to take over Gotham afterward. Batman discovers that prior to becoming an assassin, Bane had been interred at a prison in Cuba, where he was experimented upon with the strength-enhancing Venom chemical. During the climactic battle, Bane attempts to break Batman's back, but Batman causes Bane's Venom pump module to malfunction with one of his batarangs, resulting in a rapid and uncontrollable feed of the drug which severely increases his heart rate.

The New Batman Adventures

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Bane's redesigned appearance in The New Batman Adventures episode, "Over the Edge".

Henry Silva reprises his role as Bane for The New Batman Adventures episode "Over the Edge", now sporting an American accent. After Barbara Gordon is killed in action as Batgirl, Batman's secret identity is exposed and he becomes a fugitive from the law, hunted down by her father, Commissioner James Gordon. Unable to bring Batman to justice through traditional means, Gordon grants Bane an early release from prison in exchange for assistance in apprehending the Dark Knight. Bane and Batman have an especially brutal brawl on the rooftops of Gotham. The fight ends on the top of the GCPD headquarters, with Bane preparing to kill Batman. Gordon tries to stop him, since killing was not part of their agreement, but Bane quickly turns on him. Before Bane can kill Gordon, Batman cuts Bane's Venom tube and attaches it to the previously broken Bat-Signal, which delivers a severe electrical shock. Batman reaches over the edge of the roof to save Gordon but Bane uses the last of his strength to knock them over the side with the Bat-signal before collapsing. It is then revealed that the entire episode was merely Barbara's nightmare, induced by the Scarecrow's fear toxin.

Superman: The Animated Series

Bane also appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time". Henry Silva reprises his role. When Batman mysteriously disappears, Superman travels to Gotham to find the Dark Knight. The Man of Steel ends up donning the Batsuit to keep everyone from realizing that Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person as their disappearances are reported around the same time. Superman investigates the city with Tim Drake, the newest Robin. Their investigation brings them into an encounter with the Riddler, the Mad Hatter, and Bane, who were conspiring to take over Gotham. Bane gets into a fistfight with Superman, still dressed as Batman, which ends with Bane being pummeled by the latter.

Batman Beyond

Bane makes an appearance in the Batman Beyond episode "The Winning Edge". When an influx of Venom hits the streets of future Gotham, Terry McGinnis, the successor to the Batman mantle, and the now-retired Bruce Wayne suspect that Bane is the supplier and track him down, only to learn that a lifetime of Venom usage has taken its toll on the once formidable villain; he's now a frail old man, using a wheelchair and reliant on an oxygen tank to breathe. Terry surmises that the new Venom supply did not originate from him. However, it was eventually revealed that Bane's addiction to Venom had become so extreme that he needed it just to survive. Being too old and weak to make new batches himself, but still dependent on the drug, Bane was forced to give the Venom recipe to his nurse/caretaker, Jackson Chappell (voiced by Larry Drake), who subsequently began selling the Venom for himself. Batman defeats the Venom-induced Chappell, who overdoses on Venom while trying to bulk himself up to defeat Batman in battle only to be exposed to a large container full of Venom. As a result, Chappell is left brain-dead. Bane has no dialogue in this episode nor does he make any further appearances.

The Batman

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Bane attacks Batman in The Batman episode, "Traction."

A different version of Bane is depicted in The Batman, voiced by Joaquim de Almeida in the first appearance, Ron Perlman in "Team Penguin," and Clancy Brown in "The Batman/Superman Story" Pt. 1. This version of Bane is seen possessing an athletic body before pumping himself with Venom. To access this, he turns a control on his right hand which pumps the serum into his body. After doing so, he transforms into a huge hulking brute with red and black skin. In "Traction," Bane was hired by three crime bosses to eliminate Batman. Though he manages to injure Batman, Bane is later defeated by Batman using the Bat-Bot. In the season 3 episode "Brawn", the Joker uses Bane's Venom to terrorize the city. The Batman and Batgirl take out Venom-Powered Joker with help from the Bat-Bot. In "Team Penguin," Bane receives an invitation from the Penguin to join up with him, only to be taken down by Batman, Robin, and Batgirl before he can reply. Bane is later seen as one of the many supervillains captured by the vigilante Rumor in the episode "Rumors" and again in "The Batman/Superman Story" as one of several villains hired by Lex Luthor to capture Superman. Bane ends up being defeated by Superman.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Bane appears in the cold opening to the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!" voiced by Michael Dorn. This version of Bane is physically frail before pumping himself with Venom (much like his incarnation in Batman and Robin film). When Batman and Wildcat find Bane at a train station, Wildcat quickly mocks the supposed menace for his scrawny physique and asks why Batman needed his 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. Bane subsequently appears in "Night of the Batmen!", where he, Solomon Grundy, Killer Croc, and Blockbuster 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. Additionally, Bane makes a brief, non-speaking cameo appearance in the episode "Sidekicks Assemble!", as a holographic image of himself which serves as an opponent for Robin, Speedy and Aqualad, during their training.

Young Justice

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Bane's appearance in the Young Justice episode "Drop Zone".

Bane appears in the Young Justice episode "Drop Zone" voiced by Danny Trejo. 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 Young Justice 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 "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 Young Justice 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.

Animated films

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

Bane appears in Batman: The Animated Series spin-off direct-to-video animated movie, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003), voiced by Héctor Elizondo. In this film, he is once again hired by Rupert Thorne along with the Penguin and Carlton Duquesne. This time, he is hired to kill Batwoman, and captures her aboard Penguin's yacht, revealing her identity as Kathy Duquesne, Carlton's rebellious daughter. Towards the end of the film, Bane falls into a pit of fire during a fight with Batman aboard the burning yacht and is presumed killed, but his chronologically subsequent appearance in Batman Beyond makes it clear that he survived.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Bane appears in the animated movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, but has no dialogue and merely grunts. Bane, along with several supervillains, 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. 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 his parent's graves and informing Bruce Wayne of their disappearance, disguising himself as a worker at the graveyard. He then knocks out Bruce before putting him in one of his parents' coffins and burying him alive. Bruce manages to dig himself out and is the first League member to escape his death trap (Batman later remarks that Bane's mistake was burying him alive) and manages to save his fellow League members. Bane stays with Vandal Savage after he revealed his true plans, and faces off against Batman when the Justice League storms the Hall of Doom. Despite overpowering Batman early on he manages to defeat Bane by cutting his Venom tube.

Video games

Batman & Robin

He is a boss character in the Batman & Robin video game adaptation, and Batman: Chaos in Gotham (2001).

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu

In Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, Héctor Elizondo reprised his role as Bane.

Lego Batman series

Lego Batman: The Video game

Bane also appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame (vocal effects by Fred Tatasciore) as an enemy of Batman and a follower of the Penguin. 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." He is a playable character and has the super strong ability, 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).

DC Super Heroes

Bane appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes voiced by Steven Blum.

Batman: Arkham series

Arkham Asylum

Bane is featured in the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum with Fred Tatasciore reprising his role. He is being used as a human test subject in the Medical Facility, and the Venom has been drained from his system, along with his muscles. After Batman rescues Commissioner Gordon, the pair discovers Bane strung up to several test tubes as he begs to be cut down. As Bane reveals that Dr. Penelope Young was behind this experiment, the Joker appears on a security monitor and pumps the Venom into Bane's body with a remote switch stating that Dr. Young will be eliminated by someone else. Enraged, Bane attacks Batman, who manages to defeat him by tearing the pumps from Bane's body, who then is seemingly crushed by the collapsing roof. He later charges out from the wall in a frenzy, but is hit by the Batmobile and sent into the river. Bane's character biography is unlocked by examining his teddy bear located in a room before the player enters the chamber 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).

Arkham City

Bane makes an appearance in Batman: Arkham City, voiced once again by Fred Tatasciore. He forges a fragile alliance with Batman to destroy canisters of Titan/Venom extracts stored around Arkham City. While carrying out their plan, the two initially work together in fighting off Hugo Strange's TYGER private security force, but Bane reveals that he has been gathering Titan to use personally, which Batman had figured out, and lures Bane into a trap. Afterwards, he destroys all of the Venom, and leaving an enraged Bane trapped in an elevator.

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.

Young Justice: Legacy

Bane has been confirmed as a boss for Young Justice: Legacy.

The Dark Knight Rises App

In the iPad and iPhone app released to coincide with the movie, Bane makes several appearances, but is changed somewhat. Bane also has a shaved head instead of being completely bald. 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.

Toys

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• In 2007, LEGO released a Bane mini-figure in a Bat-Tank building set, alongside a Riddler mini-figure.

• In February 2009, Mattel released an action figure from The New Batman Adventures incarnation of Bane in the Justice League Unlimited toyline in a Matty Collector exclusive four pack along with Clock King, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow. The figure comes with no accessories. Mattel also released Wave 16 of the DC Universe Classics Action Figures which includes the parts of Bane once you get Jonah Hex (left leg), Riddler (left arm with Venom tube), The Creeper (right arm), Robin young or old (lower torso and head), Mercury of the Metal Men (upper torso), and Azrael Batman (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.