It's a common misconception that Bane needs venom to pose a threat and without it, he's nothing but a scrawny individual (like Captain America before the super soldier serum). This is completely false. This man was hardened by spending his entire life in prison and using the time to train both his body and mind. While we were playing video games or going out to eat with friends, Bane was literally doing one-thousand push-ups, one-thousand sit-ups, and one-thousand pull-ups every day. Needless to say, he's most certainly not a weakling without the drug, and in fact, many of his most impressive showings are off venom, too.
