Bane Theory

[Grazzt]

Okay, I have a theory as to why Bane is in the big melee that we saw in the Villains United special.

Bane previously refused the Society, correct? So it would make sense that rather than try to pressgang Bane into their numbers, to just make their own. So the Society just grabs the Venom technology and gives it to a completely loyal thug, under their complete control. This would also explain why the Society Bane has the Venom tubes attached.

This could have interesting repercussions if true, because theirs still the real Bane out there. We might get a Bane vs. Bane fight sometime in the near future, or a team-up between Old Bane and Batman vs. New Bane.

[Sean Walsh]

Bane refused the Society? I literally haven't seen Bane in years.......

[20yrslater]

It could also be Dr. Psycho controlling him. How many people can Dr. Psycho control at once?

[Syphre Zero]

It could also be Dr. Psycho controlling him. How many people can Dr. Psycho control at once?Quite a few, and apparently with a low maintenance overhead. During Gail Simone's run on Action Comics (the arc immediately following Sacrifice), Superman faced off against Dr. Psycho and Black Adam. In order to get Superman's attention (and jerk him around a bit), Psycho "convinced" a large crowd of people to put themselves in harm's way and throw themselves from buildings. His telepathic powers appear to have a semi-permanent effect, as though once a control has been implemented, it remains until he removes it.

[Damo]

Quite a few, and apparently with a low maintenance overhead. During Gail Simone's run on Action Comics (the arc immediately following Sacrifice), Superman faced off against Dr. Psycho and Black Adam. In order to get Superman's attention (and jerk him around a bit), Psycho "convinced" a large crowd of people to put themselves in harm's way and throw themselves from buildings. His telepathic powers appear to have a semi-permanent effect, as though once a control has been implemented, it remains until he removes it.

It's not just control - given time he's able to do psychological surgery, completely changing who you are. One of the few things that can fix the damage is Wonder Woman's lasso (which is all about truth, remember).

[Devil May Care]

Okay, I have a theory as to why Bane is in the big melee that we saw in the Villains United special.

Bane previously refused the Society, correct? So it would make sense that rather than try to pressgang Bane into their numbers, to just make their own. So the Society just grabs the Venom technology and gives it to a completely loyal thug, under their complete control. This would also explain why the Society Bane has the Venom tubes attached.

This could have interesting repercussions if true, because theirs still the real Bane out there. We might get a Bane vs. Bane fight sometime in the near future, or a team-up between Old Bane and Batman vs. New Bane.

I much prefer this theory over the possibility that one of my favorite villains gets nerfed for the sake of laziness/ lack of research.

[Devil May Care]

Bane refused the Society? I literally haven't seen Bane in years.......

If memory serves, Talia mentions this in one of the VU books. Apparently the messenger they sent with the Society invite got returned in a box (or maybe boxes). Apparently Bane hasn't lost his gift for gratuitous violence, even in his new, peaceful state.

In the Bat-books, Bane (with the help of the Bat family) finally found his father, completing his long quest. Gravely wounded, he's dipped in a Lazarus pit which heals both his body and his mind. The door seemed to be left open for his return as a hero, but having him in the villain army just doesn't fit.

[rfahey]

I wouldn't mind Bane's return as a villain. He spent the first 20+ years of his life in a maximum security prison, where he daily witnessed acts of violence, rape, and murder. He survived by killing the highest thugs on the social ladder. When he was in Blackgate after Knightfall, he retrained himself by getting thrown in solitary after fatally knifing another inmate in the eye. Realistically, I wouldn't expect him to be able to adjust to a life of peace, at least not easily, and a life of heroism would be even harder to pull off. Even if he did become more peaceful, his old instincts might resurface if things got difficult for him. I do hope that they make him out to be a real threat though, like he was portrayed in Knightfall, and not a semi-generic thug like he's been written since then.

[rfahey]

I would add that regardless of the explanation for Bane's presence, it does make for great symbolism. Fighting side by side are Doomsday and Bane, the one who killed Superman and the one who broke Batman. Something about it just feels right for IC.

[Buried Alien]

Although he hasn't been well depicted since KNIGHTFALL, Bane was dangerous not primarily for his great physical strength (as formidable as that was), but for his cunning mind. He was the first villain to have outplanned and outprepped Batman. *That* Bane would be useful to the Society. If they were to just use him as one more muscleman, well...there are equally strong and lower-maintenance flunkies available for that.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Sean Walsh]

In the Bat-books, Bane (with the help of the Bat family) finally found his father, completing his long quest. Gravely wounded, he's dipped in a Lazarus pit which heals both his body and his mind. The door seemed to be left open for his return as a hero, but having him in the villain army just doesn't fit.

Oh wow. I COMPLETELY forgot about all that. I'd even BOUGHT IT and still forgot about it.

Yikes. Now I'm concerned, as I recall that was a decent story too.

[Sean Walsh]

Entirely possible.

Plus, do recall that in Gail's BoP, the Society is now franchising costumed super-villains now. Hellhound......Black Spider......Bane!

[Grazzt]

Entirely possible.

Plus, do recall that in Gail's BoP, the Society is now franchising costumed super-villains now. Hellhound......Black Spider......Bane!

That might explain why we got a new Firefly as well. Given that the old Firefly was killed by OMACS, the Society might have gotten his suit and then continued on the franchise with a new random thug.

[seaflower]

Actually I like the idea that Bane reformed, and I think Scott Beatty wrote the Bane story arc in such a way that it is believeable that he did reform. Having a couple of villians actually grow and develop past their old selves gives a little hope that not all hard core criminals are lost. That is if you believe in rehabitation...

Plus Bane's form of heroism isn't the sweet and cuddly kind. Love the scene where he catches this thief and uses he own freezer gun on the thief's hand. Brilliant.

[Apathy Boy]

By all means, Bane should return to villainy. We have too few good villains as it is, and far too many anti-heroes. I would very much appreciate it if we could have at least one modern-day villain start off as a major threat and actually remain that way for more than a couple of years. (I'm looking at you, Prometheus! And the General. And Doomsday. And the KGBeast. Well, you get the idea.)

Spoilers from Dan Didio's column coming up...

My question is,

whose back does Bane break in issue #7? On the Perez cover, he's squared off with Aquaman. That might explain why Orin seems so out-of-sorts One Year Later...

[marshal99]

When the heck is Bane 8 ft tall ? He towers over Aquaman who's hardly a midget. After a dip in the lazarus pit , he grew 2 feet more ?

[Buried Alien]

Spoilers from Dan Didio's column coming up...

My question is,

whose back does Bane break in issue #7? On the Perez cover, he's squared off with Aquaman. That might explain why Orin seems so out-of-sorts One Year Later...

Bane on Venom is extraordinarily strong by the standards of ordinary humans, but Aquaman is considerably stronger. Even with Venom, Bane probably isn't as physically strong as Aquaman, whose physiology can withstand the ocean depths.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[rfahey]

Where is Dan Didio's column? I also agree with Buried Alien's comment - that would be an incredible mismatch.

[stealthwise]

Where is Dan Didio's column? I also agree with Buried Alien's comment - that would be an incredible mismatch.

At the end of most of this week's titles. But most of what he said is tongue in cheek (ie, killing off Hal again).

[Choppa]

When did Bane go evil again? And why? Why can't he make up his freakin' mind!?

[Devil May Care]

If only DC offered a "No Prize". We'd have several winners here.

[MRMcDermott]

My thinking is that the Society needed the "old" Bane, so they "redeemed" him, shot him up with Venom and got him hooked on it again. I hope it's something like that which could have repercussions in the "52" series or the Bat-titles, rhather than another sloppy error.

[Damo]

Dehydrate Arthur, and throw some extra strength Veolcity 12 (hey, Bane was able to improve on Venom, why not Velocity?) into those tubes on top of a refined venom, you just might have a fight.

[rfahey]

When did Bane go evil again? And why? Why can't he make up his freakin' mind!?

Maybe he saw what Venom had done to "little Bane" and decided that he'd much rather be a superhuman freak with microscopic genitals than a normal guy with microscopic genitals.