Which movie had Bane as the main villain? "The Dark Knight

Hero Characteristics

• Real name: Unknown
• Nicknames: The Man Who Broke the Bat, Antonio Diego, Big Guy, Masked Stranger
• Current nickname: Bane
• Identity: Hidden
• Universe: New Earth
• Gender: Male
• Position: Evil
• Height: 203 cm (6′ 8″)
• Weight: 350 lb (159 kg)
• Eye Color: Brown
• Hair Color: Brown
• Relatives: Edmund Dorrance (father), mother (name unknown, deceased)
• Group affiliation: Previously: Secret Six, Suicide Squad and Secret Society of Super-Villains.
• Friends: Deadshot ) , Catman, Lex Luthor, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul
• Enemies: Batman, Dick Grayson, Jean-Paul Valley, Killer Croc, Tim Drake
• Date of Birth: Unknown
• Place of Birth: Santa Prisca
• Nationality: Santa Prisca
• Family status: Not married

I am Bane, and I can kill you... but death will only end your torment and put an end to your shame. Instead, I'll just... BREAK YOU!

Bane is an incredibly intelligent, world-class fighter and tactical genius who enhances his enormous physical strength with a steroid called Venom, making him one of Batman's most famous and dangerous enemies. In addition, he is one of the few who managed to uncover the secret of Bets' identity. He was an anti-hero and a government agent, mercenary and dictator. Before Flashpoint, he was a member of the Secret Six, and was previously a member of the Suicide Squad and the Secret Society of Super-Villains.

Origin

Born to live in prison for his father's crimes, Bane spent his childhood and teenage years outside the walls of Pe?a Duro, the notorious prison in Santa Prisca. His mother was imprisoned with him and remained in prison until her death. Although Bane was a prisoner, his natural abilities allowed him to acquire incredible skills, as far as possible within the prison walls. He read as many books as he could find, developed his body in the prison gym, and was taught to fight by the merciless school of life, which is prison. Despite all the circumstances, it seems that the guy managed to find a variety of mentors during his imprisonment, starting with a seasoned Jesuit priest who taught him the basics of classical education. However, he committed his first murder at the age of eight, when he killed a bandit who planned with his help to collect more information about the prison.

While in prison, Bane had a teddy bear, which he called Osito ("bear cub" in Spanish) and which was his only friend. But most of the prisoners did not know that inside the cub there was a cavity where Bane hid a shiv through a hole in the back, which he used as a powerful argument for those who liked to cling to him.

In the end, Bane became the most " cool guy» in Pena Duro. The prison owners made a note of him and subjected him to testing with a mysterious drug called Venom, which killed all previous test subjects. He almost killed the “king” of the prison, but the Big Man survived and became much stronger, although to maintain this form he needs to take a new dose every 12 hours, otherwise he will experience very unpleasant side effects (popularly called “withdrawal” - approx. author).

Knightfall

Years later, Bane escaped from Pena Duro along with several assistants, his friends Trogg, Zombie, and Bird. He set out to destroy Batman, about whom he had heard entire legends while in prison. Gotham City fascinated him because this city, like his “native” prison, was ruled by fear: but here it was the fear of Batman. Bane was convinced that the demonic bat from his nightmares was the embodiment of the Dark Knight.

Realizing that it would be foolish to attack Batman directly, Bane destroyed the walls of Arkham Asylum, releasing all the insane patients, including the Joker, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Ventriloquist. , Firefly, Two-Face and Zsasz, onto the streets of Gotham, where Batman caught them for a good three months. Exhausted to the limit, he returned to Wayne Manor, where Bane was waiting for him. He fought Batman in the Batcave, defeated him and, as a finishing blow, broke his back and left him a helpless quadriplegic, thereby becoming the only person who managed to "Break the Mouse".

Falling Down

Although Bane defeated Gotham's protector, revealing himself to be the ruler of the underworld, Bruce Wayne handed over the Batman cape to Jean-Paul Valli, a. k. a.

Azrael. As Batman became increasingly violent, Jean-Paul even allowed the villain Abattoir to fall to his death. The new Batman also refused to accept Robin as his partner. Using an advanced battle suit instead of the traditional Batman costume, he fought and defeated Bane by rupturing the tube that pumped Venom into his bloodstream, leaving the latter severely weakened. He then brutally beat Bane, leaving him alive but broken.

Heritage

Due to these events, Bane recovered from his addiction while in prison. He eventually escaped and returned to Gotham, where he fought alongside Batman against a group of criminals selling Venom to street thugs. After his victory, he stated that he was innocent of his past crimes and called on Batman to stop hunting him. He later leaves Gotham and goes in search of his father.

Ra's al Ghul and Bane later caused a small plague in Gotham. Bruce Wayne, Batman again, gets a rematch with Bane and finally defeats him. Since then, whenever the two face each other in battle, the result is a draw.

Veritas Liberat

According to new information from the same priest, the most likely candidate for Bane's father was an American doctor. Investigating this mystery, our hero comes to the conclusion that Dr. Thomas Wayne was the father of not only Bruce, but also his own (suddenly, you will agree - author's note), since Dr. Wayne, apparently, became close to his mother Bane during his stay in Santa Prisca. Bane warned Batman about this, resided at Wayne Manor during the DNA test, and even fought crime alongside his former enemy. Of course, it turns out that Thomas Wayne was not his father, and Bane peacefully leaves Gotham (with Batman's blessing and financial support) to continue his search in the snowy peaks of Kangchenjunga.

In the end, Bane finds his father - the vile King Snake. Under Batman's supervision, the son helps thwart his father's plans to distribute powerful weapons Worldwide. Bane saves Bruce from the Snake's bullet, but is mortally wounded himself. Batman saves him with the help of the Lazarus Pit and gives him a chance to start new life from scratch.

Infinite Crisis & One Year Later

A few years later, Bane returned to his homeland to deal with government drug lords when he learned that a new, improved strain of Venom had been produced. He destroyed all records on the new project, but soon learned that both strains were created based on the early research of chemist Rex Tyler on the drug Miraclo (Miraclo - from “miraculous vitamin.” Taking concentrated doses increases physical performance to superhuman levels - author's note), and vowed to kill Tyler for his unwitting participation 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 killed the hero Judomaster, breaking his back.

Bane reappears a year later, seeking help from the Hourmen (Rex and Rick Tyler). In order to gain their trust, he tells them how before the Battle of Metropolis he returned to Santa Prisca to deal with drug lords. Bane claimed that in his haste to destroy the source of the drug, he lost his guard and was captured. He was forcibly injected with the new Venom. Unable to kick his addiction, he was forced to work as an enforcer for a drug cartel. Believing that Bane needed Rex as a chemist, Rick let his father go with him, unaware that this was just a ruse by which Bane wanted to get to Clockmaker Sr. and take revenge. After learning from Rex that there are no written records of his work, Bane leaves him imprisoned while he steals Rick's equipment. He plans to kill his father and force his son to take the new Venom and thereby turn him into a drug addict for life. However, they manage to defeat Bane, and the Tylers leave him buried under the ruins of the Santa Prisca prison, where his story began.

Soon after these events, Bane learns that while his criminal activities in America failed, he became a hero to his fellow citizens. His campaign against the drug lords destroyed the cartels' power over the country's government, which made it possible to try to hold new, now democratic elections. Bane joined, supporting a national isolationist party with anti-American views. Bane's candidate was thought to win with about 36% of the vote, but the results were rigged by super hacker Colonel Computron, under the orders of Amanda Waller, the White Queen of Checkmate. Upon learning of the deception, Bane uses all his influence to force the imposition of martial law, plunging the country into civil war. Not suspecting that his client is an employee of the agency, Compatron makes an offer to “Checkmate” with a request to receive help in leaving the country in exchange for information about the person who ordered the disrupted elections. Fire and Thomas Jagger, son of the late Judomaster, have been sent to retrieve him, but Jagger is tormented by the question of whether to avenge his father. The mission was disrupted by Flame, who was being blackmailed by Waller, and as a result, Jagger was forced to fight Bane to allow her to escape. Although Thomas holds back, Bane is defeated.

Having lost position national hero In connection with his latest actions, Bane again becomes dependent on Venom and joins the Suicide Squad. In his next appearance, he is wearing a Venom tube delivery system, but whether he actually uses it is unknown. Bane was later betrayed by his team members and sent to a prison planet in "Salvation Run", where he joined Luthor's faction after the Joker's faction rebelled against Lex's leadership. He attacked Thunder and Lightning when they tried to help the Martian Manhunter.

Bane then decided to kick his addiction completely, relying more on combat tactics and strategy than the crushing fury of a berserker. He also adopts a more peaceful worldview.

Secret Six

Possibly due to his collaboration with Deadshot in the Squad and on the prison planet, Bane joins the Secret Six. He was especially interested in Scandal Savage: he treated her like a strict father and daughter and even sometimes called her his adopted one. When Scandal went on a spree to somehow dull the pain of Knockout's death, Bane helped and supported her in every possible way. He often embarrassed her with his words, such as when he asked her to sleep on his lap, but she doesn't appreciate him. His strict code of honor sometimes created conflicts with other members of the Six, who were not so scrupulous.

The team's first assignment was a very dangerous mission from an unknown benefactor: deliver Tarantula and the Get Out of Hell Free card to Gotham City. But almost immediately they encounter difficulties: the influential and crazy mafioso Junior has announced a reward for their heads. As a result, to get to Tarantula, they will have to cope with numerous mercenaries and supervillains who want to get their hands on the map and the reward. While about to pick up their sixth member in Las Vegas, the group was ambushed, resulting in Bane being wounded and captured. Junior almost tortured Bane to death until he told him about the map. He is eventually freed by the Six, but on the way to their goal, Bane inevitably comes close to death. When they finally arrive in Gotham, they fall into a trap where hundreds of villains and mercenaries are waiting for the team, as their secret benefactor, the Mad Hatter, foresaw. Bane can't do anything while the others are fighting for their lives, but when he sees Scandal in danger, he knows something needs to be done. In order to quickly recover from his wound and deal with his attackers, he breaks his promise and swallows the Venom ampoule, which he always carried with him just for such an occasion. Now Bane is furious and goes in, crushing everyone, including the Cavalier, on whom he performs his signature backbreaker move. Being in a berserk state, he sees Batman in everyone and shouts: “Do you know who I am?!” I'm the one who broke the Mouse! Seeing this, Scandal remarks to Catman, "Looks like the mouse broke it too." He also, along with Deadshot, Scandal and Catman, attacks Alex Merkel, but she manages to fight back.

Bane later met with Ragdoll (in the guise of Robin) and Catman, trying to sabotage the mission that was offered to them. A group of mercenaries were ordered to capture the children of many politicians, but this did not go down well with the team, especially Bane, who hated when children were harmed, possibly due to growing up in prison himself. Baman's disappearance gave the trio a chance to show their heroic side as they tried to stop the kidnappings. From the conversation between Catman and Bane, it becomes clear how strong Batman's influence was, especially on them. Bane respected Batman and felt that if he was truly gone, then only the worthy should wear his cape. While they were "protecting" the streets of Gotham in the name of Batman, they were confronted by Dick Grayson in his Nightwing guise. Their methods upset Nightwing. In turn, the way he responded to this angered Catman, who was about to fight Grayson, but Bane manages to keep the peace. He calmed Blake down and, out of respect for both Batman and his protégé Nightwing, said they were leaving. Catman asked Bane why he did this and gave up. He replied that they left for one reason: no one except Nightwing can be called Batman. Bane may not have been as bad as he always seemed, since even then he respected Batman and what he stood for.

In the new storyline, Bane, along with the rest of the team, was hired by a new villain named Mister Smith - a slave trader. Smith's goal was to build the world's largest prison. It was for this purpose that he hired Amazon tribes as workers. Jeannette saw and remembered Artemis from their last meeting. She frees the Amazon, to which the others react ambiguously. While the team is fighting among themselves, Wonder Woman arrives. Seeing that Artemis is harmed, she attacks the Six. Jeanette demonstrates amazing strength and defeats Diana, after which the team retreats, knowing that they will soon have to face this again.

Although three of the six went with Artemis, half remained loyal to their employer and delivered the defeated Wonder Woman to Mister Smith. Smith decides that the former team members should be sold as punishment for their betrayal and to prevent them from freeing the Amazons. However, Wonder Woman said something to Catman that caused him to switch sides. He freed the Amazons, who staged a prison riot. Deadshot and Rag Doll resisted, but not much, as they were undecided about whether they should kill any of the team members. Suddenly, Rag Doll decided to go back to the control room and break Smith's head in with a wrench. Deadshot also decides to give up his job, shooting the Amazon who was working for Smith to save Jeanette and Catman.

Following the rebellion, Wonder Woman allowed the Six to go home, despite the fact that they were criminals. Since the group has disbanded, Bane notices that every mission they take on ends in injury and lack of pay. He decides to lead the team. His first decision was to remove Scandal from the team, replacing her with Black Alice.

After this, Catman set out to find his son's killer, and Deadshot, Rag Doll and Scandal joined him. Bane and Jeanette continued their work. To fill the missing spots, Bane recruits four new members: Giganta, Dwarfstar, Lady Vic and King Shark. The recruitment of new fighters caused a split in the old team. Now there were two Secret Six: one led by Bane, the other by Scandal. The conflict that arose was inevitable. As a result of the collision, Bane was forced to confront Scandal. Not wanting to hurt her, he grabbed one of her blades and wounded his own throat. He was later cured by a doctor and both teams teamed up against Deimos, whom they defeated.

The six were later hired by Lex Luthor, who was captured by Vandal Savage. They almost died due to a bomb set by Luthor, but were saved at the last moment as Savage called off the deal and admitted that Luthor had "beaten him".

Darkest House

Bane traveled to Hell with Scandal and company to retrieve Rag Doll and Knockout and faced his greatest fear. He later conquered his fear and saved the Doll, who was revealed to have become the Lord of Hell. Bane then helped Scandal free her girlfriend, Knockout.

Beware of the Wind

We see Bane once again with his implants attached to feed Venom. Despite the fact that he lived his life according to the laws of honor, he still belongs to hell. He assumes that the only way to achieve his true destiny, which has haunted him all his life, is to kill Batman and his allies. He and the Six attack Penguin's base to find all the information on Batman's associates and force him to join the team. The group later meets in an abandoned warehouse in Gotham to discuss a plan of action. Unknown to them, the Penguin is carrying a transmitter hidden under his skin that will notify the superhero community of the Six's intentions and whereabouts. Realizing that their opponents outnumber the team and that they cannot win this fight, Bane and the others inject themselves with Venom, deciding not to give up without a fight. The heroes still win, and Bane and the Six are arrested. While being transported to Blackgate, Bane comes to his senses, breaks the handcuffs and prepares to escape.

Powers and abilities

Powers

Using Venom: Bane uses the supersteroid Venom to temporarily enhance his physical attributes to superhuman levels, especially strength, endurance and speed. His bodily sensations and recovery abilities are also increased by an order of magnitude. Bane requires periodic injections of Venom to maintain these abilities, although abuse of the drug can lead to temporary insanity.

• Superhuman Strength: The main effect of using Venom is to increase physical strength to superhuman levels, depending on how many injections are given. Bane is stronger than Batman even without Venom, and with it he can break steel without any problems. When Bane injects the maximum amount of Venom he can safely do, he can lift about 2 tons. He is capable of lifting a maximum of 3 tons, but this is accompanied by a loss of control over himself.
• Increased speed/reflexes: Bane's speed and reflexes are also enhanced with the use of Venom, allowing him to run, jump and react beyond the capabilities of even the best athlete, although these abilities are dependent on how much Venom he has injected.
• Superhuman Stamina/Strength/Durability: Bane's stamina, as well as the density of his muscles, bones and skin, increases greatly when using the drug. Bane's stamina is very high, as he constantly fuels himself with new injections. His strength is potentially so high that bullets can be bounced off of him, he can survive falls from great heights, high temperatures, extreme pressure and attacks from superhumans. He can hold his breath for significant periods of time.
• Superhuman Wound Healing: Bane can also use Venom as a kind of cure for injuries, poisoning, and disease. Depending on the severity of the injury, Bane injects himself with a certain dose of Venom. When he encounters very dangerous injuries, such as multiple fractures, severe blood loss, or fatal poisoning, an overdose of Venom must be administered, which will temporarily put him in a berserk state, but will still heal him.

Capabilities

Genius Level Intelligence: Bane is also very intelligent; Ra's al Ghul once said that Bane "has a mind equal to the greatest he has ever known." In prison, he trained in various scientific disciplines to the level of experts in those fields, making him a self-taught genius, as well as one of Baman's smartest enemies.

• Photographic memory: He has a photographic memory, the exact extent of which is unknown. This allowed him to remember the countless skills, disciplines, and facts he had learned throughout his life. It only took him a year to unravel the mystery of Batman's identity.
• Erudite: Although Bane did not go to college, high school, or even have a high school education, he remembered everything from the encyclopedias and books he read in Peña Duro. He has exceptional knowledge of mathematics, various sciences, history, geography, medicine, and, in all likelihood, he could obtain a doctorate in these sciences.
• Polyglot: he independently learned 10 actively used languages ​​and, at least, 4 additional secret and “dead” ones. Spanish, French, German, Russian, Mandarin, English, Urdu, Farsi and Latin are mentioned.

Escape Master: Only Batman and Mister Miracle managed to surpass Bane in the art of hiding, arranging escapes and avoiding traps. He managed to escape from Pena Duro (which is considered one of the most fortified prisons in the entire world), as well as from many other secure centers, including Blackgate and Arkham Asylum.

Master of hand-to-hand combat: An extremely dangerous fighter who has not only learned, but also created several forms of martial arts. Although he is less skilled than fighters such as Batman or Lady Shiva, Bane's fighting skills coupled with his enormous strength and durability make him a dangerous opponent for any regular fighter and many superhumans.

Strategy Expert: He is very resourceful (planned the escape and Arkham of all Batman's opponents), an excellent strategist and tactician who has studied famous military manuals (such as Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War") and Carl von Clauswitz's "At War" (Karl von Clausewitz's “On War”)) in memory.

Peak physical fitness person: In prison, Bane also invents his own form of calisthenics, meditation, and a unique fighting style. His strength exceeds that of Batman even without using Venom.

Strength level:

Ordinary: Bane has peak levels of physical strength. He's stronger than even Batman. He left a dent in the iron gates with his fist, lifted adult men with one hand, holding them by the throat, and threw men of various sizes into the air. He also broke the bones of such superhumans as Killer Croc and Azrael (Member of the Teen Titans, not to be confused with him - author's note) in hand-to-hand combat. Bane was capable of all this without the influence of Venom.

While using Venom: Superhuman strength, capable of lifting 2 to 3 tons.

Weaknesses:

Drug addiction: Addiction to Venom (it seems he has already gotten rid of it).

• Berserker Madness: If Bane happens to overdose on Venom, he enters a feral state in which his physical abilities are enormous, but he himself becomes a mindless brute.

Personal property

Equipment:

When Bane uses Venom, he inserts a special tube into his brain connected to a wrist-worn device that can create a virtually unlimited amount of Venom by sucking unknown ingredients out of thin air. There is also a special “control lever” to regulate the amount of the substance in his body.

Osito: A baby bear that Bane played with as a child while serving time in Pena Duro. It is believed that Osito contained the blade that Bane used to kill the other prisoners.

Other

During his time in prison, Bane was often referred to as "Ni?o" by other inmates. However, this is not his real name, but is derived from the Spanish for "boy".

First appearance

Batman: Vengeance of Bane Vol 1 #1(January, 1993)

Let's pay tribute to the criminals who don't let the hero get bored at night.

It is commonly said that the essence of a hero is determined by the villains he has to face, and that no other hero has been as “lucky” with them as Batman. Are you ready to go into the dark cells of the Arkham mental hospital and meet the twenty-five best Batman opponents of all time?

25. Court of Owls

One of Batman's greatest assets has always been his unrivaled knowledge of all the streets and corners of Gotham. But when a frightening company calling itself the “Court of Owls” appeared in the city, and the “talons” they sent - killers similar to the undead - appeared in the city, Batman realized that he did not know his hometown as well as he thought.

24. Victor Zsasz

Many of Batman's opponents have taken the lives of innocent people, but none have done it with such gusto as Victor Zsasz. This fanatical maniac celebrates every time he kills someone by carving a new memorial mark into his body. Nowadays there are not many places left on his skin that are free from scars. But don't worry - he saved a special place for Batman.

23. Professor Pyg

Professor Pyg is a relatively new villain, but despite this, he has already managed to leave a significant mark on the Batman universe. Suffering from a mental disorder and obsessed with creating an army of disfigured people under his control, the "Dollotrons", he is clearly one of those opponents who should not be underestimated.

22. Lady Shiva

Lady Shiva is determined to prove to herself that she is the world's greatest martial artist, even if it means wandering the world and fighting anyone who gets in her way. She's good enough at her job to challenge any member of Batman's team, including himself. long years managed to teach a couple of lessons.

21. Ventriloquist

At first glance, the Ventriloquist doesn't seem worthy of being taken seriously. He is an ordinary timid man suffering from a split personality, the second of which he embodies through a ventriloquism doll named Scar. But this strange couple of a man and a doll created one of the most terrible criminal empires in Gotham.

20. Khash

Hush (real name Tommy Elliot) is a master of complex conspiracies. This bandaged, Aristotle-quoting villain loves to manipulate Batman into confrontations with his worst enemies. And all this is because of a rivalry that began when Bruce and Tommy were children and friends.

19. Clayface

Clayface has the ability to change the shape of his own body, so he can either impersonate people close to Batman or simply attack the hero, appearing as a clumsy but strong monster. In addition, Clayface is often in a mentally unstable state, which turns him into an even more dangerous and convincing villain.

18. Dr. Hurt

Few villains have come this close to destruction. Dark Knight, like Dr. Hurt. And all because this skilled doctor was a member of a satanic cult and the ancestor of Bruce Wayne, and also gained eternal life due to contact with weapons from the planet Apocalypse. Thus, Hurt had centuries to accumulate the strength and resources to defeat Batman.

17. Carmine Falcone

In the old days, Gotham was ruled not by crazy people in fancy dress, but by organized crime and drug cartels. The head then was Carmine Falcone, nicknamed "The Roman". And although times had changed, Falcone never lost hope of regaining control of the city.

16. Man-Bat

Batman may dress up like a bat, but this villain, Man-Bat, is actually one - thanks to an experimental serum. While Dr. Curt Langstrom himself may be Batman's ally, his alter ego is a terrifying beast and one of the Dark Knight's most powerful opponents.

15. Jervis Thatch

Jervis Thatch uses both of his obsessions in his criminal activities: big hats and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He's short in stature, but his mind-controlling hats are a force Gotham is forced to reckon with.

14. Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange is not only one of Batman's longest-standing adversaries, but also one of the few who managed to uncover the Dark Knight's secret identity. Hugo's brutal and sophisticated mind makes him a villain that few of Batman's other foes can match.

13. Killer Croc

Sometimes he is depicted as a man with a unique skin mutation, at other times as a humanoid crocodile. But either way, Killer Croc is a terrifying monster who rules the sewers of Gotham, and a villain who can push Batman to his limits. And what teeth he has!

12. Bane

Bane's physical strength and unbreakable will are as good as Batman's, but this villain spent his childhood in a terrible prison that raised him to be a seasoned killer. Thanks to a supersteroid called Venom, he was able to break Batman's spine and gain control of Gotham. How many villains are there who can boast of such an achievement?

11. Waist

Of all the villains, she is almost the closest to the Dark Knight. Talia loves Batman both as the father of her child and as the only person worthy of inheriting Ra's Al Ghul's empire. But this does not stop her from waging a constant war against her lover in the name of the League of Assassins.

10. Scarecrow

Fear is one of the most powerful weapons in Batman's arsenal. But Scarecrow - only person in Gotham, who understands the power of this feeling even better than the Dark Knight. This sophisticated psychiatrist turned villain has been able to literally make ammunition out of fear, and no one, not even Batman, can resist its effect.

9. Poison ivy

It makes sense that Poison Ivy is one of Batman's most powerful foes, given her ability to control and modify plants. And the fact that she can charm the minds of people (and not only them, because even Superman is subject to her) makes Poison Ivy even more dangerous. This lady's goal is to protect the life of Gotham's plants, which sounds noble, but only until she begins to destroy the entire human population of the city for this purpose.

8. The Riddler

The Riddler has a mania for testing Batman's deductive talents, leaving clues and hints for the hero to get on the trail of the one who started this whole game. However, the Riddler is very dangerous: he draws the Dark Knight into his crazy and deadly puzzle schemes, at the same time demonstrating his own intelligence, which is in no way inferior to that of Batman.

7. Harley Quinn

She first appeared in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series as a kind of analogue of Robin, working for the Joker, but later acquired its own crowd of fans and henchmen. It must be admitted that the clown costume and huge hammer make her a rather comical character. But she's also quite likable and interesting in her quest to escape her unhealthy and dramatic relationship with the Joker.

6. Penguin

Penguin, also known as Oswald Cobblepot,- the face of Gotham's underworld. He has no superpowers worth mentioning, but his boundless ambition and penchant for cruelty helped him rise to the very top of the criminal pyramid. Even Batman realized that sometimes it is easier to coexist next to the Penguin than to try to fight his criminal empire.

5. Mr. Freeze

Most of Batman's opponents are psychotic maniacs, but Mister Freeze is not one of them. He is simply a gifted scientist who had to go to extreme lengths in search of a cure for his beloved Nora, who was protected from death by being frozen. Freeze turned to crime only to find funding for further research and due to his high intelligence, deadly freezing gun and increasing the strength of the cooling exo-skeleton, he becomes a rival that even Batman can barely cope with. And when Batman still manages to defeat Freeze, it becomes difficult to get rid of bitterness and regret - this scientist is a painfully tragic character.

4. Ra's Al Ghul

Ra's Al Ghul, also called "The Head of the Ghoul", runs the League of Assassins - a secret society whose goal is to restore balance to the world, even if this requires mass murder. To be on our list, he would only need genius and outstanding fencing skills, but Ra's Al Ghul lives for hundreds of years thanks to the reviving Lazarus pits, and therefore poses a terrible threat that Batman still cannot get rid of. However, their relationship is very ambiguous: Ra's calls Batman "detective" out of respect and sometimes tries to marry his daughter Talia to him so that the Dark Knight inherits the title "Ghoul Head".

3. Two-Face

An incident in which half of Harvey Dent's face, Gotham's district attorney, was covered in acid led to the man's split personality and transformation into the criminal mastermind known as Two-Face. He is obsessed with the duality of things and phenomena and often uses the toss of a coin to make decisions that could determine the life or death of Batman and the people of Gotham. He was once an ally of Commissioner Gordan and the Dark Knight himself, but he switched to the side of evil, having managed to be the personification of both the best and the worst that a resident of Gotham can be.

2. Catwoman

A graceful thief with extraordinary acrobatic talents, Catwoman can steal anything she wants, from diamonds and collectible cat figurines to the heart of the Dark Knight himself. Because of her relationship with the latter, she regularly tiptoes between good and evil, being able to help Batman one moment and then run away with another jewel in her pocket the next. If it seems to you that all she can do is wave a whip and joke about cats, then you simply do not know that this lady is also one of the largest crime bosses in the city.

1. Joker

The Joker is everything that villains strive to be: insanely dangerous, wildly unpredictable, and always one step ahead of the hero. Over the 75 years that have passed since its appearance, we have not learned the story of its origin - it is still shrouded in a veil of mystery and darkness. This approach allows for multiple reinventions of the character over the years, but whether he's a costumed criminal or an anarchist clown, the Joker always tests Batman's strength, and also pushes his patience and many other emotions to the limit.

He's a villain who doesn't like to get his hands dirty, a criminal who can kill just for a laugh, and a man who likes to imagine himself as the crime prince of Gotham. He is the Joker, and he is Batman's greatest adversary of all time.

Who is Bane and what does his appearance mean for the Gotham saga? Today we will try to answer these questions and talk in detail about the most important events in the life of this character.

Spring 1993

After the successful release of the film in 1992, DC Comics was at a new stage in its popularity. Realizing that the iron should be struck while it was hot, the management demanded from the authors new incredible twists in the story of the Dark Knight. The new star of DC Comics, 38-year-old comics artist Chuck Dixon and his colleagues accepted the demands of their superiors with fierce enthusiasm. And already in the spring of 1993, the publishing house launched one of the darkest stories in the history of Batman - “The Fall of the Black Knight” (Knightfall). For such a serious event, a new supervillain was invented, against the background of which all the other psychos looked funny and pathetic freaks.

Birth of Bane

Bane has no first name and no last name. The biting “Bane” (from English - death, punishment, scourge) is just a nickname that this man took for himself in early childhood. His mother is the wife of a revolutionary from the island of St. Priscilla, a fictional "banana" republic somewhere in the Caribbean. In the late 60s, local rebels tried to overthrow the military junta, but suffered a brutal fiasco, their leaders were captured and executed, and their loved ones and relatives were forever thrown into the basements of the Pena Dure prison.

Among those sentenced to life imprisonment was not only the mother, but also her unborn child. Little Bane was born in a prison basement, where he spent his entire life early childhood. When the boy was about seven, his mother died of exhaustion, and the senior guard ordered the boy to be thrown into a common cell with seasoned prisoners. At night, expecting abuse at any moment, the child experienced his first, almost religious visit. The teddy bear, his only friend, woke the boy in the middle of the night and brought him to an empty cell, where a large and scary man was waiting for him. “Who are you, uncle?” - asked little Bane. “I am you from the future: that powerful superbeing that you will someday become if you conquer fear and pity in your own soul.” Perhaps the boy just dreamed it, but a couple of hours later he picked up a sharpener and brutally killed his first pedophile.

The boy was completely inadequate, so the guards locked him in solitary confinement, where he lived for the next 12 years of his life. Locked within four walls on three square meters of concrete floor, little Bane began to flex his muscles. His cell was flooded daily during the night tides, so he ate not only rats and insects, but also sea fish. Predatory fish. Lots of predatory fish. As a result of many years of hard physical exercise and endless struggle for life, an invincible superman was molded from the child.

So, 12 years later, Bane was released from solitary confinement, and within a couple of weeks he became the most dangerous man in Pena Dura. He gained serious and very loyal followers - the thug and bugbear Trogg, the underground chemist nicknamed Zombie, as well as the Italian mafioso from Gotham Bird Colossimo. Bird taught Bane to read and opened books for him. For the next few years of his life, he not only pumped up his muscles, but also read three works a day. First, all the literature from the prison library, then tons of publications that were brought to him through underground channels from outside world. Bane's consciousness was still that of a child crippled by life, who had never seen the world beyond the walls of his prison and did not know ordinary life. There were always predators around him that he had to fight for his life, but this child was an incredible prodigy. He learned a dozen languages ​​and all the exact sciences, hundreds of chess games, without ever seeing a simple chessboard in reality.

Gradually, Bane began to feel despair. He realized that he would not be released even if he behaved impeccably. And the guy began to “kill” his cellmates. The senior warden eventually got tired of this, and he handed Bane over for illegal experiments, where he turned out to be the only test subject who survived after experiments with the new drug “Venom,” which increases the strength and endurance of the user to incredible proportions. (Later, Trogg and Zombie made a special gadget for Bane, with the help of which the drug could enter his body at any time through tubes through connectors implanted in the skull.) After the guy was returned to his cell, Trogg and Zombie were able to fake his death so that the corpse was thrown into the ocean. So Bane found himself free.

While still in prison, Bird Colossimo repeatedly told Bane about his hometown Gotham and Batman, who invisibly rules this place. The image of a giant bat is the only fear that he could not overcome during all the years of his imprisonment. And now he realized that his destiny was to defeat Batman and seize power in Gotham.

This was not the plan of an experienced strategist, but of an over-aged child with the upbringing of a convict, the cunning of a predator and an IQ of under 200. The plan was simple, but powerful. Almost like the Joker in . Gradually destroy Batman's psyche, turn him into a weak-willed, tired rag, and then break him. Literally and figuratively.

The Man Who Broke the Bat

The timing was very good. Bruce Wayne was going through another mental crisis and was being treated by his protégé Lucius Fox, so he was in a very poor state. Instead of him, wearing a Batman costume, his new double Jean Paul Valli, a security guard from WayneTech, a former graduate computer scientist and heir to the assassins from the Order of Dumas, ran through the streets. Bruce Wayne understood that Valli lacked experience and strength, so, despite all the procedures, he himself regularly went out to act as a hero on the rooftops. Upon learning of his enemy's desperate situation, Bane organized an armed raid on psychiatric clinic Arkham. He blew up its walls, killed the guards and let all the psychos out. A real hell broke out in the city: the Joker and the Scarecrow stole the mayor, the Riddler took over television, Firefly began to methodically burn down all local landmarks, and there was enough to do for lesser psychos.

And the Dark Knight went crazy. After another fight, he crawled home, beaten and crippled, and saw that faithful Alfred was lying on the floor unconscious, and in his chair was sitting... Bane. The guy grabbed Batman, broke his spine, and then threw the hero's body out the window onto the pavement. All of Gotham saw that the Dark Knight had come to an end, and it was Bane who was the very man who was able to achieve the impossible. From now on, he is the new king of Gotham, and the Joker and his Arkham pack are schoolboys and losers.

Naturally, his friends saved Batman, repairing his spine and psyche over time, after which he brutally stabbed Bane in the literal and figurative sense... Yes, yes, we're talking about about tubes to the head. But the return of the hero from the other world is the most boring thing in all existing comics.

Bane in the service of a demon

After being defeated by Batman and returning from his coma, Bane pleaded guilty. In a Gotham prison, during two years of severe drug withdrawal, the criminal gradually got rid of the “venom” in his body. Now he has become just a mega pump without fantastic doping in his blood, but brilliantly trained and with a well-functioning brain. It was through these qualities that Bane planned to defeat Batman a second time. But someday in the future, not now. The fact is that now he has new goal— he decided to find his father. The criminal realized that his real enemy was not the Dark Knight at all, but those people who ruined the lives of little Bane and his mother.

Returning to the island of St. Priscilla, Bane sought out a blind Jesuit who had previously worked as a confessor at Pena Durre. The old man told him that Bane's father could be one of four possible candidates: either a heroic local guerrilla leader, an American doctor, a British mercenary soldier, or a Swiss banker who financed the doomed uprising. The Jesuit also knew that at the moment the American was already dead, and the whereabouts of the others were unknown.

While searching for the Swiss, Bane encountered occultists from the Order of Dumas, and then accidentally met the immortal Ra's al Ghul himself. The guy began working for Ras and gradually aroused sincere delight in the demon. “You are so cynical, cunning, mean and manipulative that you fully deserve to become a match for my daughter.” It was not by chance that Ras said these words. Bane was in love with Talia al Ghul. But his love is very unhealthy and sometimes pathological. Imagine the attitude towards the opposite sex of a male who has lived in prison his entire life from the moment of his own birth.

Naturally, Talia was not delighted with such a groom. She still remembered Bruce Wayne, whose place under the Race was now occupied. Bane also understood this perfectly well, but taking Batman’s woman for himself was another moment that excited him as a predator.

“Father, you are sorely mistaken. Your Bane is a very strong and dangerous animal with the heart and brains of a small child."

Further in the story, Ra's al-Ghul is trying to destroy humanity with the help of ancient microbiological weapons from the Pestilence Wheel. Batman and him comrades in arms they spoil all the raspberries for the immortal demon, and Bane screws up and falls into disgrace. Having lost the woman of his dreams and the chance for personal immortality, he declares a crusade against Ra's al Ghul. He begins to travel around the planet and methodically destroy the Wells of Lazarus, which provide the Race with regeneration.

Bane finds his father

One day, Bane returns to Gotham and again enters Bruce Wayne's mansion without disturbing the alarms and traps. “I come in peace. I have something to do." It turns out that he has tracked down the second candidate for his own father, and this is... Dr. Thomas Wayne, Batman's father.

Are Batman and Bane brothers? Alfred, Robin and the entire flying company are shocked. They quickly do a DNA test and make sure that no, not brothers, bad luck. Bane then leaves the city again, but this time with Batman, they part as almost friends.

A year later, Wayne helps Bane finally find his real dad. He turns out to be a British mercenary. More specifically, Sir Edmund Dorrance, also known as the Snake King. One of the most dangerous fighters on the planet, currently trying to subjugate sectarians from the Cobra Cult. During a long brawl, Dorrance almost kills Batman, but Bane shields him, taking the blow himself. The king is killed, and the dying Bane returns to life in the water of the next Lazarus Well.

The only negative is that the waters of the Well always cause the resurrected person to by-effect: uncontrollable madness. Therefore, Bane, who returns from the other world, quickly loses a hefty share of his positivity and integrity. But no one knows what happened to him after that, since in 2002, writer Chuck Dixon, who created all the main stories about this character, left the Batman saga and fled to another publishing house. After his departure, there were no more epic stories about Bane, although he firmly entered the list of Gotham villains of the top ten.

But there's nothing wrong with that. Over ten years of working for DC, Chuck Dixon managed to write so much about his favorite that the Joker himself would envy him. Let's remember again:

Bane broke Batman's spine;
- Bane almost became Batman's brother;
- Bane almost married Talia al-Ghul;
- Bane captured Arkham and released all the psychos;
- Bane was the right hand of Lex Luthor (we didn’t talk about this, but there was such an episode too).

Now let’s try to imagine which of the above may fall into New film. Prison past - yes. In Tom Hardy's career there was already a character with a similar biography - the British criminal Bronson from. The muscles, intelligence and habits of a predator can be completely borrowed from this picture, but I want to believe that Nolan will not do it so straightforwardly.

The plan for the moral destruction of Batman is also yes. Batman's broken spine is a possibility. An attack on Arkham is most likely. It's still up in the air how Catwoman will be introduced into the story. Perhaps she will appear as a patient in a mental hospital without any additional origin story.

As you know, Nolan promised a logical and plot-driven conclusion to the trilogy in the third film, so the appearance of Bane as a new Race may be the best outcome for such a denouement. Perhaps you have some ideas?

In the film you have a lot of scenes that require a lot of physical effort. What was it like filming them in that costume and mask?

Uncomfortable. The whole body is constrained, until you get used to the suit - a hundred sweats will come off. It's heavy, it's tight, and the costumers only care about making it look good and look put together. It looks great, but you can’t stand up or sit down in it. You need to walk around in this suit for a couple of hours, then it will finally begin to respond to body movements. But then, out of nowhere, a costume designer appears and adds something somewhere, tweaks something somewhere... As a result, the costume looks even better, and I have to start all over again. When you're already as wet as a mouse, sweat accumulates inside the suit and you get something like an additional pad between the armor and the body. And then, believe it or not, it becomes quite comfortable. It feels like tearing off a scab from a wound or tearing off a band-aid... the same feeling of freedom. But the first two hours are real hemorrhoids, and taking a leak like that is a whole problem.

Is it true? And why?

First zippers, then panties, special underwear that is worn under the armor... In short, the hassle is through the roof. And don't ask me how about taking a shit. This doesn’t happen to us (laughs).

So that's why Bane is so evil?

And you, damn it, try to keep everything inside yourself, you’ll probably go wild too!

Was it easy to breathe in a mask?

Well, this is more of a psychosomatic matter. If I'm excited it's hard, but if I'm relaxed it's fine. There is enough air to breathe, but when I'm scared, overexcited and all that, I start to choke. But again, after you get used to the mask, it’s quite comfortable.

What would you call your fighting style? It seems like you starred in “Warrior” before Bane... it seems, right before Bane?

After “Warrior,” I starred in “Inception,” then in Chicago I played with Philip Seymour Hoffman in the play “The Long Red Road.” Then there was “Tinker Tailor Spy!” , “So it’s war”, then “The drunkest district in the world”, and only then - “ The Dark Knight" “Warrior” took a whole year to edit. The installation turned out to be such a long one.

Let's get back to the fighting style. How is it different from what you did in Warrior?

Bane has a more brutal style, much like a military style. Mixed martial arts is a sport for real athletes. Krav Maga and everything else is taken from the world of Bourne. Very compact movements, very restrained, and at the same time the goal is one - to kill the enemy. Just kill, okay? Or, at worst, cripple. And Batman, as I understand it, uses Casey's style, which involves a lot of elbow strikes. But Bane is a beast. For him, it is important not to fight, but to kill. And this is his difference from the main character of “Warrior”, Tommy Conlon. When Tommy fights, it's like he's caught in the eye of a hurricane. He gains peace of mind. True, when he has to fight with his own brother, all his peace goes out the window. You understand that he is losing the fight because everything inside him has collapsed? But Bane is not like that at all. Bane is a supervillain for a superhero, which is why there is so much violence in the film. His style is a heavy hand. And a heavy leg to boot.

Doesn't it bother you that Bane is known mainly to comic book fans, but is not well known to the general audience?

Yeah, they'll just climb the wall. If you find yourself in the Batman family, get used to the fact that every fan considers himself the master of this house. Everyone considers it necessary to express their opinion, and some fans are so die-hard that they resist any changes... (laughs) In short, only hardcore. And this puts pressure on people like me. I'm just a small part in this huge mechanism. I was asked to play the role of a character who is very important to the world of Batman. I respect your opinion on what you want your villain to be, what you think he should be. Yes, comics are comics, but I work for Chris Nolan! I need to trust my director and make Bane the way we both want him to be. I stand shoulder to shoulder with someone I trust and have worked with before. He brought a lot to the Batman saga and people loved it. His films are real, full-fledged hits. And I have complete trust and faith in Chris Nolan. I hope I've made my point clearly?

How was it working with Christian Bale?

I love Christian. He's a genius and a lot of fun to be around. He's a very serious actor, he takes his work very seriously, but he doesn't take himself seriously. He is a very cheerful, witty person. And extremely smart. Christian - brilliant character actor and not at all an alpha male, in the sense that he always strives to be the center of attention and outshine others. He's not greedy. As an artist he is very humble. For me, working with someone like him is a real breath of fresh air. And we had a lot of contact with him on a purely physical level.

• Peak of human physical development
• Superhuman Strength (When using Venom)
• Hand-to-hand combat skill
• Great Strategist
• Escape Artist
• Brilliant intellect
• Photographic memory

• Venom injection mechanism

Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan and Doug Moench created the character for the Knightfall storyline. "Knightfall" ). It is also unknown which of the elements were represented by each of the two writers (Graham and Moench). Dixon described the character's first appearance in the comic Vengeance of Bane(Russian) "Bane's Revenge") with illustrations by Graham Nolan. It is also unknown what contribution Danny O'Neil (veteran writer of the Batman books, editor of the Batman comic series at the time, and author of the novel adaptation "Knightfall") made. Previously, O'Neill created Bane's birthplace - Santa Prisca - in the series The Question(Russian) "Question") and the drug “Venom” (Rus. "I") in the story of the same name published on the pages Legends of the Dark Knight(Russian) "Legends of the Dark Knight" ) No. 16-20. On the pages Azrael O'Neill presented Bane's view of Venom as an addiction and weakness responsible for his past defeats.

Original comic book story

While serving a sentence for his late father, Bane was imprisoned in Santa Prisca prison as a child. In prison, he had only one friend: a teddy bear. As he grew a little older, Bane began reading books that were secretly brought to him in his cell and practicing meditation. Finally, as an adult, Bane found spiritual balance, which helped him survive during an experiment conducted with a substance called Venom. Many people died during this experiment, but Bane survived and was able to escape to Gotham. Appearing there and wanting to prove his strength, he launched a multi-step plan: he blew up the Arkham psychiatric hospital, releasing all its insane patients, and then attacked and kidnapped Robin. The dark knight was exhausted from numerous battles with his opponents who had fled to the city, so he could not provide Bane with worthy resistance: he easily defeated the hero and broke his spine. While the Dark Knight was recovering, he was replaced in this position by Azrael, who used more cruel methods towards criminals. Bane also did not escape this fate: the Batman neophyte upgraded his suit and brutally beat him, breaking many bones and incapacitating him for a long time. When Bruce Wayne reappeared in the Batman costume, he wanted to take revenge on Bane and managed to do this by tearing out the Venom supply hoses into Bane's body. After this incident, Bane was able to assert himself and became one of Batman's most powerful and bitter enemies. Bane created a device with which he could pump Venom into himself whenever he wanted.

Powers and abilities

During his imprisonment, Bane read a lot, increasing his level of education. He devoted the remaining time to physical improvement. As a result, Bane is physically strong, just like Batman. However, his lack of agility is a serious threat to him. Bane is also extremely cunning and an excellent strategist and tactician, which helps him thrive in Gotham's criminal underworld. He also has a well-developed photographic memory. Within one year, he was able to guess Batman's name. Thus, Bane is one of Batman's most dangerous opponents.

However, Bane's costume itself is his Achilles heel. Only by depriving Bane of Venom's supply can he be defeated.

Bane outside the comics

Movies

Batman and Robin

Jeep Swenson

In Batman & Robin, Bane is a serial killer sentenced to life in prison. Having survived testing the supersteroid “Venom” on himself, he uses it to increase his strength. After escaping with Poison Ivy, he becomes her servant and Batman's adversary. But at the end of the film he is defeated, just like Ivy.

Contrary to his comic book counterpart, in the film Bane has a low level of intelligence and is a typical "dumb mountain of muscle" who follows orders. He utters only words from the remarks he has just heard.

The Dark Knight Rises

Bane is the main villain and has excellent fighting skills, impressive strength and high intelligence. However, here he is not using a steroid and is simply a trained person. In the film, Bane, thanks to his mask that supplies his body with anesthetic gas, feels absolutely no pain, so he fights to the limit of his capabilities. However, if his mask is broken, Bane begins to experience extreme pain and loses his strength.

Bane was once imprisoned in the Pit, where he became the protector and friend of little Talia al Ghul, whose mother died in the Pit. Bane was later severely injured by prisoners when he helped Talia escape, and after that he began to suffer constant pain. Therefore, the prison doctor developed a special respirator mask for him, which mixes the air he inhales with a gas anesthetic and thus saves him from pain. Therefore, Bane, as in the comics, almost always appears in this mask, since its dysfunction or removal could kill him.

When Talia escaped, the League of Shadows came to the Pit to rescue Bane, but Ra's'al Ghul did not accept him because he only saw him as a monster, however, the League taught him many things. After Ra's death, Talia found Bane and made him the second leader of the League, along with herself. They decided to destroy Gotham as a tribute to the fallen Race. To do this, they kidnap Russian nuclear scientist Leonid Pavlov. After this, Bane attacks the exchange using Bruce Wayne's fingerprints, thereby depriving him of his fortune. To prevent his company from falling into Daggett's hands, Wayne transfers control of Wayne Enterprises to Miranda Tate (whose name is Talia Al Ghul). Later, Bane, with the help of the deceived Catwoman, lures Batman into a trap and damages his spine, after which he locks him in the “Pit”.

Soon, with the help of Acrobat combat vehicles (Batmobile prototypes) stolen from Wayne Enterprises, as well as some other military weapons, Bane captured Gotham, cut it off from the rest of the world and, with the help of Pavlov, turned the Wayne Enterprises thermonuclear reactor into a neutron bomb, process, also telling its residents the truth about the death of Harvey Dent. After 5 months, in last hours Before the boma explodes, Batman returns and engages the villain, damaging his mask, knocking out some of the pipes, causing Bane to experience extreme pain and quickly weaken. Suddenly, Talia intervenes in the battle, stabbing Batman and repairing Bane's mask, after which she bids him farewell and goes to carry out the final part of the plan. He prepares to kill Batman, but Catwoman suddenly appears and blasts Bane with the Batpod's cannons.

Cartoon series

• "The Adventures of Batman and Robin". Episode - Season 3 Episode 2 “Bane”
• "The New Adventures of Batman". Episode - Season 1 Episode 11 “Over The Edge”
• "Batman of the Future". Episode - Season 1 Episode 9 “The Winning Edge”
• "Batman". Episode - Season 1 "Episode 2 Traction"
• "Batman: The Brave and the Bold". Episode - Season 1 Episode 17 “Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!” (cameo)
• "Young Justice"

Cartoons

• "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies." (cameo)

Bane in video games

Bane in the game Batman: Arkham Asylum.

• He appeared in LEGO Batman as the Penguin's henchman. It is also available in "free play".
• In the game "DC Universe Online" Bane is one of the bosses of the game, regardless of the chosen side. There he creates his own gang, and distributes the Venom steroid to all its members. He is also one of the characters in the Legend PvP mode.
• In the game "Batman: Arkham Asylum" Bane is one of Batman's opponents and the bosses of the game. He still uses a suit that enhances his strength. You can meet him in the Arkham medical block. A modification of the steroid “Venom” - “Titan”, is key element games.
• In the game "Batman: Arkham City", Bane offers Batman an additional task - to destroy 12 canisters with Titan in Arkham City (6 each). Batman destroys his share of the canisters, and Bane collected his 6 canisters and wanted to use them. After this, Bane rushes at Batman, but is locked up, and the Dark Knight destroys the remaining canisters of steroids.

Criticism and reviews

see also

Notes