1993 was a year alot of people remember. Bill Cinton became President, Jurassic Park roared onto theaters, Power Rangers dominated Children's TV and Doom started the first person shooter 3D video game genre. But it was also the year DC changed a status quo on Batman, he was broken by Bane.
Yup. Bane.
Created by Chuck Dixon & Graham Nolan in
Batman: Vengence of Bane in January 1993, the character is often credited as being the only villain to have "broken the bat", due to brute strength, exceptional and crafted intelligence and an addiction to Venom. Born in the Santa Prisca prison of Pena Duro in South America, the boy who would grow up to become Bane spends his life in the prison walls reading a number of books to craft his intrest while being kept accompanied by his Teddy Bear Osito as well bodybuliding to the size he is today. However, Bane grew a phobia of Bats in his dreams. Despite his phobia of Bats, Bane later became the king of the prison where he undergo a experiment that forced him to become a test subject for the drug known as Venom. The prison experiment nearly killed Bane at first, but he survived and found that the drug vastly increases his physical strength. Thus making him the Venom induced brute we know in love today. But Bane could'nt be alone appearing in a number of Cartoons, movies & video games.
A year later after his debut in 1994, Bane made his first animated appearence in
Batman: The Animated Series in his self titled episode "Bane", voiced by actor Henry Silva. In the episode, Bane was a mercenary from a Cuban prison hired by Rupert Thorne to assassinate Batman himself, but his encounter with the Dark Knight believed that Bane would be a shoe-in as the Kingpin of Gotham be overthrowing Thorne. But all those ambitions came to an end when Bane overdosed his Venom usage in a last minute use to end the Batman, but thanks to his tube cut, he later became well, limpy.
Three years later in 1997, Bane later had a major redesign in
The New Batman Adventures, Superman the Animated series and
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. While Silva reprised Bane in TNBA and STAS, actor Héctor Elizondo assumed the role in
Mystery of the Batwoman. Where he once again worked with Thorne, but with the Penguin also as a bodyguard to an arms deal from the Batwoman. Bane later appeared in a Cameo in
Batman Beyond, where all those years of using Venom, left him withered, frail & old in the episode "The Winning Edge".
Course in 1997, Bane made his cinematic debut in
Batman & Robin. Where he was portrayed by former WCW wrestler Robert "Jeep" Swenson in his last film before his death a couple months later. In the film, Antonio Diego (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay) is an incarcerated serial killer who is transformed into "Bane" by Dr. Jason Woodrue using Venom and had later became a thug who serves as the bodyguard/henchman of Poison Ivy, while barely capable of speech, communicating mostly with growls and roars. And we all know how this went out for the movie's reception. But as luck would have it 15 years later, Bane would get a chance of redemption on the Silver screen.
In
The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy portrayed Bane as just a terrorist who only just wore a Mask that allowed him to be painless as possible. But much like Christoper Nolan used
The Long Halloween as an influence to
The Dark Knight,
Knightfall once again served as a influence to this Bane. Where Bane once again, broke the Batman's back. Following the Batman's defeat and exile, Bane has took over Gotham with the use of a stolen Wayne Enterprises fusion reactor into a bomb, killing John Daggett and the unexpected help of Talia al Ghul/Miranda Tate. While preparing for his final trump card, Bane gets into a final showdown with Batman in snowy daylight during a battle between the GCPD and Bane's mercenaries with anarchits. While a twist was pulled by Taila's true colors, Bane's end came at an end with the help of Catwoman and the Bat-pod.
Five years later, Bane later appeared in
The Lego Batman Movie where he was voiced by Comedian Doug Benson. Much like how the entire movie is filled with Easter eggs centering around Batman's 78 year long history, Bane's design was a combination of traditional comic book design and Christopher Nolan's Bane with the addition of the accent.
The character contined to appeared in more DC Animated properties like
The Batman, Batman Unlimted, Justice League Doom and
Young Justice just to name a few. As well on the video game side.
Where in the Lego Batman video games, Bane serves as playable character as well in the toys to life crossover,
Lego Dimesions also. But this is where the fun begins.
Batman Arkham Asylum celebrated Batman's 70th Anniversary in 2009, where the character served as a boss and was voiced by veteran VA Fred Tatasciore. Bane became part of a test subject to the "Bruja" Dr. Penelope Young, and that the Venom has been drained from his system leaving him weak and emaciated. But considering the Joker took over Arkham, he released Bane in Full Venom-drugged terror to the Bat after saving Comissioner Gordon from Harley Quinn. Course Bane went down to the Gotham Ocean thanks to the Batmobile. A Year later in
Arkham City, Bane forges a fragile alliance with Batman to destroy canisters of Dr. Young's Titan formula. But Bane reveals shortly thereafter that he was only using Batman as a tool to gather as much of the Titan formula as possible for his own use. Course the character never returned in
Arkham Knight, but played a larger part in the Prequel.
2013 was pretty much a big year for Bane, not only 20 years of the character. But also appeared in 2 DC based games out in that year. So let's start with the Prequel,
Batman: Arkham Origins.
In Arkham Origins, the younger Bane was voiced by J.B. Blanc. Where before he became a hulking brute, Bane was the leader of his own band of Mercenaries, where he was one of the 8 assassins hired by the Black Mask to kill Batman on Christmas Eve. Course in addition to Blanc's casting, this younger Bane manged to showcase well on his steps to his Venom addition and Intelligence. And of course how extremely annoyed he is at the Joker. But both Bane & Joker worked together at Blackgate Prison in one final battle with the Batman, where if Batman does not kill Bane, the beating of his heart will power an electric chair that will kill both Joker and then Gotham City Police Captain James Gordon. But thanks to the Elecutioner's gloves, Bane was revived and used a Venom shot to turn him into a bulging monster. Batman electrocutes Bane again to defeat him, and the brain damage he suffers due to his abuse of the Venom garnered him memory loss on Batman's true identity.
Blanc himself would later reprise Bane in Telltale's
Batman: The Enemy Within four years later. Where this version uses needles with Venom from time to time and serves as a member of the pact with Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Joker and a recently welcomed Bruce wayne.
In 2013, the creators of the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, Netherrealm Studios brough
Injustice Gods Among Us, where Fred Tatasciore not only reprised Bane, but was one of the playable characters. Though his role in the game's story was short where he serves in Superman's Regime in the Injustice Universe, but in the Prime universe he faces Batman at the Watchtower with a Pre-battle message.
"He esperado mucho tiempo para esto - Now I Break your back"
Four years later, the sequel
Injustice 2 had Bane once again became a returning character and fighter. In the sequel's story, he joined Gorilla Grodd's Society after the Regime's fall and battles Green Arrow, Black Canary, Green Lantern, Catwoman and Cyborg. While in his single player ending against Brainiac, Bane grews bored as he had no one else left to fight after his newfound victory.
So there you have it, 25 years of Bane. He's to 25 more.