Bane is a secondary antagonist in Batman: The Enemy Within. Formerly a prisoner of Peña Duro, he escaped the prison thanks to the efforts of the Riddler and became a member of the Pact, a group of the world's most dangerous criminals. Bane also synthesized a super-steroid called Venom, which increased his strength drastically and allowed him to perform seemingly impossible feats. When Bruce Wayne joined the Pact, Bane remained cautious of the billionaire and his motives.
Biography
Bane was a former inmate of Peña Duro Penitentiary on the island of Santa Prisca. Once the king of the prison, he would often be challenged by opponents who wished to take his place, only to defeat them in combat. Bane eventually escaped the prison during the Riddler's attack on it and became acquainted with the criminal. At some point, Bane was able to retrieve the super-steroid Venom, which granted him immense strength in battle. However, he would become addicted to the chemical concoction and would use it on a regular basis.
Eventually, Bane officially joined the Pact, a criminal organization founded by the Riddler, with the villain believing that Bane and his followers were ideal candidates to help him in his own plans for revenge. The group put their plans together to attack the organization SANCTUS and steal one of their chemical weapons, Project LOTUS. With help from Riddler, the Pact planned to create a usable version of the virus to cure their problems, with Bane wishing to kick his addiction to Venom. However, Bane didn't know that LOTUS would drive him insane after he cured his addiction, as Riddler knew such information would entice the brute to not follow his plans. Bane and his men also put together a plan to attack the GCPD's arsenal and steal equipment from the building, including two armored vehicles and a number of weapons. Despite Riddler's plans to attack and kill Batman, Bane did not stand by him and proceeded with his own plans.
Batman: The Enemy Within
The Pact
Whilst Harley Quinn attacked the Gotham City Brokerage and Mr. Freeze broke into GothCorp, Bane and his men executed their plan and attacked the building that stored the GCPD's arsenal. There, they took a mechanic hostage, forcing him to give them the keys to the vehicles, and murdered all the officers. When Batman arrived, Bane confronted the vigilante and engaged him in combat. During this, he learnt of Riddler's death after he had been defeated in his attempt to kill Batman.
After Batman proved his worth, Bane injected himself with Venom and engaged the vigilante. Despite Batman's intelligence, use of both his gadgets and the environment, Bane easily defeated him and prepared to kill the vigilante. However, the mechanic, who had been freed by Batman, attacked Bane and tried to distract him, giving Batman the opportunity to escape his grasp. This was in vain however, as Bane caught Batman and prepared to deal the final blow. When the vigilante prevented him from doing so, he instead threw him against a wall, which collapsed on Batman. With his opponent presumed dead, Bane and his men took the vehicles and escaped.
Following the successful operation, Bane and his men would tell the Pact about Riddler's death and set up plans to retrieve his corpse, requiring it for the next stage of their plans. Bane would also brutalize the guard that had been guarding the mechanic, believing him to have let him go purposely. When Harley and "John Doe" suggested bringing Bruce Wayne into the Pact, Bane was reluctant to accept him, believing the billionaire to be a threat to their operations. When he was taken to the group's hideout, the Old Five Points, Bane threatened to murder him unless he gave a reason to spare him. However, these threats were cut off when John “accidentally” set off an EMP generator retrieved from Wayne Enterprises.
Bane would train whilst the final preparations were made, during which Wayne tried to speak to him. Bane refused to talk until Bruce brought him a beer, following which Bane tried to find out whether the billionaire had joined to take revenge on Riddler for the partial damaging of Wayne Tower and the death of Lucius Fox. If Batman called Waller to help him at the GCPD's arsenal, he can take the opportunity to slip in a tube of fake venom. Bane also presented the member of his group that he believed to be a traitor and asked Bruce to prove his worth by defeating his opponent in combat. Wayne managed to defeat the man, though is given the option of taking mercy on him or brutalizing him. Depending on what is chosen, Bane will either vote for him to join the Pact (if brutalized) or vote against him, if he took pity on his opponent.
Upon hearing that Riddler's corpse was being moved, the Pact mobilized to retrieve their fallen comrade and set up an ambush on the streets of the city. Bane was the driver of the truck Bruce Wayne was in, during which ordered the billionaire to prepare the EMP generator. He also allowed Wayne to lead the Pact as they attacked the Agency. During the attack, Bane engaged the agents when they tried to fight back, alongside Harley. Depending on who Bruce chooses to stop, the following will happen to Bane.
If Bruce chooses to head off Harley Quinn, Bane will continue to engage the Agency as the Pact leaves. He will also inject himself with a dosage of Venom to help him in the battle. If Bruce put in a tainted vial of Venom, he will notice the difference and realize someone has tampered with it. As the Pact leaves, he scolds them for leaving and continues to engage the Agency. However, Freeze warns the others that he will take revenge on the group for leaving him in battle.
If Bruce chooses to head off Bane, the two will work together to battle the agents, though Bruce will subdue a number of his intended targets non-lethally. Bane will warn him not to get in his way in the future and the two return to the escape vehicle. Despite trying to tell Harley to stop, Bane orders the group to leave her, despite the objections from John. Upon returning to the Five Points, Bane complements Bruce for his actions during the fight and argues with John about leaving Harley behind. He also lets the billionaire open the case containing Riddler's corpse and reveals why they needed to retrieve it. Bane is present when Catwoman returns with a component required for the next part of their operations.
Fractured Mask
Depending on who Bruce chose to stop during the fight with the Agency, the following will happen to Bane.
After his battle with the Agency, where he has been joined by his most loyal of men, Bane returns to the Old Five Points, having left the Agency and the GCPD defeated. Upon arrival, he orders his men to execute Quinn only for them to be gunned down by her single handedly. Harley then takes control of the Pact, though praises Bane for standing up against the combined forces.
After the arrival of Catwoman, Bane welcomes her and allows her to scan Riddler's retinals to bypass SANCTUS's security measures. When Harley returns from battling the Agency and the GCPD single-handedly, he sends his men to execute her, only for them to be gunned down. Harley then takes control of the Pact and chastises Bane for leaving her behind.
Bane was in charge of interrogating his men to find out who the mole was. When Bruce returned from investigating Riddler's lair, he saw him interrogate a member who had vouched for him earlier. Bane accidentally killed the man, earning Harley's wrath and forcing him to leave the duty of mole-hunting. If Bruce check whether the man is still alive, Bane will notice this action and, if he brutalized the "victim" during their fight, begin to doubt whether he really has the stomach for violence. Also, after John acted himself in front of Harley, Bane was suprised for seeing John being himself for the first time.
When he heard that Wayne had been visited by the Agency, Bane went to Wayne Enterprises to check on him. After noticing that he seemed to be unafraid by the visit, he began to suspect Bruce may be the mole and followed him to the Bodhi Spa. Confronting him, he revealed he had deduced that it had been the location of the SANCTUS blacksite, having learned the name from Bruce himself or John. He then knocked Bruce out and brought him to Harley for interrogation.
Bane is also present when the Pact attempt to execute the person revealed to have been the mole. If Catwoman was revealed, he prevents Bruce from interfering, suggesting that he could be killed trying to stop her execution. However, if Bruce is revealed, he personally places the billionaire into Mr. Freeze's cryogenic chamber. He and the rest of the Pact then left to raid the SANCTUS black site and obtain Project LOTUS.
What Ails You
Depending on who Bruce gave up as the mole, the following will happen to Bane.
If Bruce chose to blame Catwoman for the theft, he joins the Pact to steal the virus from the black site. Bane is involved with the fight and helps destroy security defenses like auto-turrets. When Bruce is separated and tries to destroy the virus, Bane breaks the doors to the lab and fights him. Bane almost kills the billionaire, but is drawn away when attacked by John. After Harley betrays the group to escape with the remaining vial, Bane is confronted by the Agency and knocked unconscious when shot continuously with their stun pistols.
If Bruce gave himself up as the traitor, Catwoman joins the Pact to steal the virus from the black site. Bane is involved with the battle between SANCTUS agents and the lab's defenses, even killing multiple employees of both the organization and the Bodhi Spa. Whilst Freeze extracts the virus from the incubators, Batman arrives to battle the Pact. Fighting the vigilante alongside Freeze, Bane's arm is frozen in the battle with Batman is able use the scientist's weapon against Bane. He is later knocked unconcious by either the vigilante throwing him into the incubator or detonating a sticky bomb to destroy LOTUS.
Bane was later taking into Agency custody and made part of her new group of supervillains, along with Catwoman and Harley Quinn (the latter determinant on whether she is captured by John). Batman would later make a display case for Bane to remember his defeat of the criminal, consisting of his mask and either his wrist guards or syringe gun (depending on who he chose to stop during the convoy attack).
Same Stitch
- The following only occurs if "John Doe" has become the vigilante Joker.
Several weeks after his capture, Bane is deployed by the Agency to assist in capturing "John Doe", now a vigilante calling himself "Joker". He is also told by Waller that his former comrade is responsible for Riddler's death, leading him to swear to kill him. After Joker and Batman are reported to be fighting agents at Riddler's old lair, the Agency deploy him to capture the two.
Place into a drop crate, Bane is dropped by helicopter near the two. At Roger Harrison's orders, he attacks the two, though decides to kill Batman as well, despite being told to capture him alive instead. When Harrison gets too aggressive with the shock collar around his neck, Bane decides to kill him, though he may also kill Willy Deever as well if Batman chose to save Harrison or doesn't get involved. Batman and Joker are eventually able to subdue Bane using either the Jokermobile or a disused chimney stack. Seriously injured, Bane tells them how Waller has accused Joker of murdering Riddler. In a fit of rage, the former Pact member stabs him repeatedly, until Batman forces him off. Bane falls unconscious from his injuries and is later brought back in by the Agency.
After regaining consciousness, he is returned to the GCPD headquarter to help Waller capture Batman. With the rest of the team, they are present as Batman forces the Agency director into a stalemate, threating to release blackmail on her responsibility for SANCTUS's continuation. Batman can try to negotiate Bane's release from the team so he can go to trial for his crimes. Just after agreeing or declining to bring the Joker in, the vigilante makes his presence known and, after he tries to kill her, Waller orders Bane and the others to attack.
Bane is the second member of the team Batman fights against, using his enhanced strength against Batman during the battle. Eventually, the vigilante is temporarily able to incapacitate him, using Waller's controls for his shock collar. However, the director is able to put him back into the fight by deactivating the controls. After cornering the duo, Joker throws two bombs towards the groups, one of which goes towards Bane. Regardless of whether Batman stops it or the other, Bane survives. After Joker is captured and if Batman tried to negotiate his release, Waller agrees to his demand and hands him over to the GCPD to stand trial. If not, he and Harley remain within Waller's power as soldiers.
Personality
As described by Harley Quinn, Bane was extremely "macho" and aggressive, due to his life at Peña Duro and his reputation as king of the prison. He was obsessed with fitness and strength, something which he admired with Batman and can be used by Bruce Wayne to win his favor. Bane was also very cautious of both his men and new people, believing that they might attempt to betray him. To ensure this would not happen, he would commission fights to the death to prove their worth or punishments to ensure they did not consider double-crossing him. However, he was also willing to leave others behind and betray others to further his goals. It seems Bane was also very intelligent and was able to put information together.
Equipment
Costume
Bane's costume was inspired by Mexican wrestlers and cage fighters, consisting only of a mask, tank top, combat pants and army boots. This offered little in terms of protection, but allowed more movement for his arms. Bane also had pouches of Venom on his costume, which could accessed whenever he required the steroid in combat. The Agency would eventually alter the suit giving a respirator like mask over the open mouth portion of his usual mask, and add a system mounted on his back that feeds the Venom directly to his brain more closer to the usual system he’s depicted using in other media’s.
Venom
It is currently unknown when and how Bane acquired Venom, but he would inject himself with the steroid to help him in battle and increase his strength drastically. Instead of having a tube system connected to his brain, he used a syringe gun to inject the steroid into his neck. With Venom in his system, he was seemingly unstoppable and could perform many acts of strength, such as moving cars or destroying walls. However, the Venom could be easily accessed and tampered with, as the Agency were able to do so.
After being captured by the Agency, Bane would receive a new version of Venom from the organization, which now lasted longer and was more powerful than its predecessor. With this version, Bane would become powerful enough to pick up larger and heavier objects and also survive attacks which would have otherwise killed him. However, this version of Venom was required to be stored in a tank. It seems Bane was also more aggressive whilst on the new version of the drug, sometimes even clouding his judgment.
Relationships
Bruce Wayne/Batman
Bane had heard stories about Batman and saw the vigilante as one of his potential challengers. When the vigilante confronted Bane at the GCPD's arsenal, he was quickly impressed with his fighting ability and, when close to defeating him, promised him a quick death. After learning of his survival, Bane would swear to kill the vigilante, either to fulfill the promise or to prevent him from stopping the Pact's operations.
When Bruce Wayne joined the Pact, Bane was initially suspicious of him and his agenda, even believing he would not be worthy joining the group. Depending on the decisions made throughout the billionaire's time with the group, Bane can either begin to trust him and, should he prove himself, vote him into the Pact, or keep a close eye on him. Regardless of whether he does, Bane would remain cautious of him and deduce that he was an Agency mole. When Bruce's cover is blown, Bane would attempt to kill him, either by letting him be frozen to death in Freeze's cryo-chamber or by breaking his neck in the SANCTUS lab.
The Pact
"John Doe"/The Joker
It seems Bane and Joker did not have a good relationship, with Bane considering Joker an "imbecile". He also kept an eye on him and was even able to figure out how he was secretly working against Harley with Bruce. After being captured by the Agency, Bane would learn from Waller that they suspected Joker of murdering Riddler, causing him to swear to kill him. Should Joker become a vigilante, Bane will be involved in a number of battles against him.
Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
Bane seemed to have a professional relationship with Harley Quinn, though did clearly dislike her, due to their conflicting opinions and personalities. Bane would also willingly leave Harley behind during a fight with the Agency, even refusing to return, believing her to be dead. When Harley took over the Pact, he would reluctantly agree to follow her rule, though only if she lead them to SANCTUS. However, he would only work with her if he needed to, working on the mole hunt by himself until being forced to give it up after he killed one of the suspects, and seemed to only give her information if required or knew it would upset her, as he did when he deduce Bruce Wayne was the Agency informant.
The Riddler
It is unknown when and how Bane first met Riddler, but the two would become allies and friends after the veteran was able to release him and his men out of Peña Duro. It's possible that Riddler was the one who brought Bane into the Pact. After Riddler was murdered, Bane swore to avenge his friend's death by killing the person responsible. It is unknown whether Bane eventually learnt their identity, but he would briefly believe that his former comrade Joker was responsible.
Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze
Despite their differences in personalities, Bane and Mr. Freeze seemed to get along. It seems he got along with the scientist more than he did with the other members, aside from Riddler, and trusted him enough during their extraction of the LOTUS virus. If Batman tries to stop them from obtaining the virus, Bane and Freeze would work together to fight the vigilante, though they were eventually both defeated by the Dark Knight.
Trivia
- Unlike most iterations, Bane feeds Venom into his system through the use of a syringe gun rather than a pumping system, though he does receive one after being placed on the the Agency's supervillain team. It also seems that he doesn't rely on the steroid as prominently as his comic-book counterpart, despite being addicted to it. This is also the first version of Bane with facial hair and tattoos on his body.
- Bane's mask in the vigilante Joker path for Same Stitch is vaguely similar to the respirator worn by his counterpart in The Dark Knight Rises.
- Bane's voice actor, J. B. Blanc, had previously portrayed another version of Bane in Batman: Arkham Origins.
- In a failure scene during his first battle with Batman, Bane will kill him with his "Back-breaker", which was used by the comic's version to cripple the Dark Knight during the Batman: Knightfall storyline.