Both film versions of Bane so far have changed his backstory, and a theory explains it’s all to benefit their respective versions of Batman.
Bane has appeared in two different Batman movies, each one giving him a different backstory from the one in the comics, and a theory gives an explanation for these changes. Batman has been adapted to the big screen various times, along with some of his most famous adversaries from the comics, and some of these have followed the Caped Crusader on more than one version. Such is the case of Bane, the only villain credited as having “broken the bat” after defeating Batman physically and mentally.
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Bane’s big screen debut was in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin, in 1997, where he was played by Michael Reid MacKay before the character’s transformation into a villain and by WCW wrestler Robert “Jeep” Swenson once he transformed into Bane. Over a decade later, Bane was once more brought to the big screen in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, now played by Tom Hardy, and with a completely different backstory and links to Christian Bale’s Batman. Bane’s backstory in the comics is quite interesting, and a theory explains why it has been changed in every film adaptation, and it’s all because of Batman.
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DC Movies Keep Changing Bane’s Backstory
Not only are the backstories of Bane in Batman & Robin and The Dark Knight Rises very different from the one in the comics, but they are also different from each other. Batman & Robin had too many villains and a story that had no real substance, so characters like Bane were nothing more than side characters, but he wasn’t even given a compelling backstory. Instead, Batman & Robin turned Bane into an incarcerated serial killer named Antonio Diego who is transformed against his will into Bane after Dr. Jason Woodrue (John Glover) used his supersoldier drug Venom on him. As a result, Bane was reduced to an inarticulate thug who served as the henchman of Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), whose research was used by Woodrue to create Venom. Although Bane nearly killed Robin (Chris O’Donnell) and Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), they manage to incapacitate him by kicking the Venom tube out of the back of his head, and after this changed him back to his vulnerable self, his fate is left unknown.
On the other hand, The Dark Knight Rises gave Bane a bigger role in the story and a better backstory, though still different from the one in the comics. The Dark Knight Rises’ Bane was born in the prison known as The Pit, saying he was born in darkness and molded by it, and didn’t see the light until he has an adult. At some point, he became the protector of Talia al Ghul, who was born in the Pit after her mother was banished there by Talia’s father, Ra’s al Ghul. After Talia’s mother was killed by the Pit’s inmates, Bane looked after Talia and kept her safe, and he helped her escape years later. Unfortunately, Talia’s escape led the other inmates to attack Bane, leaving him severely injured, and it was made worse by the prison doctor’s poor attempts to treat him. Bane was rescued by Ra’s al Ghul years later and recruited into the League of Shadows, and was given a mask that supplies him with analgesics. Bane was eventually excommunicated from the League of Shadows, but rejoined after Ra’s death and Talia taking the lead.
Bane Has Similar Childhood Trauma As Bruce Wayne
These backstories given to Bane in Batman & Robin and The Dark Knight Rises are very different from the one in the comics, in which Bane is actually more similar to Bruce Wayne. In the comics, Bane is the son of Edmund Dorrance/King Snake, a revolutionary who escaped Santa Prisca’s court system, so the government decreed that his son serve out his life sentence. As a result, Bane spent his childhood and early adult life in prison, where he developed various skills that were very useful once he escaped and became a villain. Bane read all the books he could get, focused on bodybuilding at the prison’s gym, developed his own form of meditation, and learned how to fight, and he had a variety of teachers that went from convicts to an old Jesuit priest. Bane’s first murder happened when he was eight, as he stabbed a criminal who wanted to get information about the prison.
Bane developed an intense fear of bats after a monstrous bat creature appeared in his dreams, but he continued his path to villainy after establishing himself as the “king” of Peña Duro prison, where he became known as Bane. After the prison’s controllers took note of his actions, he was forced to become a test subject for a drug known as Venom, and though he almost died in the process, the drug increased his physical strength but made him dependent on the drug. Bane eventually escaped Peña Dura and targeted Gotham City, which just like prison was ruled by fear, and Batman, who he was sure is the personification of the bat that haunted his dreams.
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Bane’s backstory is a dark mirror to Bruce Wayne’s, as they both lost their parents when they were young and they both trained hard – mentally and physically – to become the characters they are known as, but their paths are opposites. Bane had to literally fight to survive every day in prison, and even though he had mentors, they didn’t care if he learned or died, while Bruce was raised by Alfred and lived comfortably, so he didn’t have to fight for his life. Bruce was taught by the best teachers and was always safe simply because he is who he is, while Bane was pretty much no one, and he had to build his own identity.
Bane’s Accomplishments Make Bruce’s Less Impressive
As interesting as Bane’s backstory in the comics is, when translated to the big screen, there’s a big risk of Bane’s accomplishments making Bruce’s a lot less impressive. These would also make Bane a character the audience can sympathize with as they would see everything he had to endure in order to survive and thus would be given a reason to be the way he is and do what he does, but the character the audience is supposed to root for is Bruce/Batman. This would explain why Batman & Robin and The Dark Knight Rises opted for changing Bane’s backstory, as explained in a theory shared on Reddit, so Batman’s path and achievements would still be impressive and he would be the character the audience cheers for instead of having the spoiled boy fighting the one who had to fight his way out of the darkness.
A Comic-Accurate Bane Can Work In The New DCU
Of course, it’s not too late for a comic-accurate adaptation of Bane, and the new DC Universe can be his home. The recent changes to the DC Universe are leaning towards darker stories, and its Batman can come face to face with his dark mirror in a comic-accurate version of Bane that makes the audience question who is the character to root for. A version of Bane with a backstory like the one he has in the comics would challenge the idea of Batman that the audience has had for years, bringing deeper and more complex versions of both characters. While it’s understandable that Bane’s film versions so far have been different from the one in the comics, the DC Universe is the perfect chance for a darker and more complex version of this villain that is more loyal to the source material.
