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The Dark Knight Rises: Bane Facts

You've seen Tom Hardy look awesome as the character in posters and promos, but who exactly is Bane? Don't worry about shelling out cash for graphic novels and back issues, we'll teach you all about the villain that will appear in The Dark Knight Rises.

Gregg By Gregg Katzman December 15, 2011
  

Bane is Batman's ultimate threat. Not only does he pose the same mental challenge the likes of Riddler can offer, but he also has the physical might and talent to engage Batman in a brutal fight if needed. 

It's looking like The Dark Knight Rises version of Bane will show respect to both aspects, but before you fall in love with the movie version (no, not the one from Batman & Robin!), earn some geek cred by learning all about his comic-counterpart. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the foe, so we're here to clear them up. Once you're done with this read, you'll be able to walk into The Dark Knight Rises feeling like a certified Bane expert. 

The Dark Knight Rises will break the box office when it hits theaters on July 20th, 2012.

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Bane
Credit: DC Comics
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Keeps It Classy

Although he grew up in a repulsive prison, Bane is a class act. The man respects women and enjoys a comfy robe and glass of wine during his downtime. In all honesty, I just really wanted to share this image with the Internet. Even the World's Most Interesting Man is jealous of how Bane looks during his downtime.

Bane
Credit: DC Comics
5

Tough As Nails

Even when off venom, calling Bane "tough" is a huge understatement. The man goes unfazed by a baseball bat to the back of the head, disregards a bullet wound to the shoulder (then uses said arm to lift up a fully grown man), and Jean-Paul Valley said striking him is "like hitting a sack full of cement." If the movie Bane is even half as resiliant as his comic counter-part, expect some jaw-dropping fights in The Dark Knight Rises.

Bane's Gang
Credit: DC Comics
4

Bane's Gang

Everyone needs friends, and it just so happens that Bane has a few. He escaped prison with his three buddies: Bird, Trogg and Zombie. Bird, as implied by the name, has a bet falcon who does recon work for them and in general annoys their enemies. Trogg is the muscle and Zombie is an expert with throwing knives. Not exactly the most unique bunch of characters, but Bane clearly sees something in them. It'll be interesting to see in The Dark Knight Rises if anyone in Bane's organization shares those names or traits.

Bane
Credit: DC Comics
3

New 52 Bane

DC is doing this little thing called "The New 52." The move basically rebooted and refreshed just about everything in the primary DC universe, and Bane was just one of the many characters that underwent a design change. As you can see above, he's larger than ever and back on venom. If he's now a brute that just flails and smashes stuff, the fanboy in me will cry a little bit.

Bane
Credit: DC Comics
2

Venom 101

As someone who's far too active on forums, I've seen a ton of misconceptions about Bane when he's on venom. Some think he can fight Superman, others think it gives him a healing factor similar to Wolverine's, and I've even seen people think it gives him laser vision (?). None of that is true. When the drug flows to his brain in the Knightfall story, it increases his muscle mass, granting him very low level superhuman strength (2-3 tons at most), slightly more durable, increased pain tolerance, and allegedly a very minor healing factor. More importantly, Bane completely quit the drug after the events of Knightfall because he realized he was dependent on it, and in turn, that was a weakness. He stayed off the drug for a vast majority of appearances, but then decided he'd return to the steroid in Secret Six. Long story short, he discovered he's going to hell regardless of what he does (read the series!), so he's returning to his evil, roid-raging roots (as seen in covers for the New 52). In the movie, the drug being injected through his mask (no word yet on if it's being called venom) will take one primary element of venom: it will numb his pain. From what we've heard, Hardy's version suffered a critical injury in the past and needs a constant fix of the drug to tolerate the suffering.

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