BATMAN versus RIDDLER

Who Riddled The Riddler? (DC)
Where: Batman #490 When: March 1993
Why: Doug Moench How: Jim Aparo

The Story So Far...
A note written in cut-out letters signals the return of The Riddler and his latest deadly puzzle: "What crowns just one but beats a dozen? Bim bam boom. Some percussion."

Commissioner Gordon summons a weak and weary Batman to crack the code, but the grim detective will be beaten to the solution by a man who has vowed to study his every move -- and break him!

With the midnight deadline fast approaching; Batman races to the belfry atop Gotham City Hall where The Riddler awaits -- but a brief encounter with another shadowy figure has changed The Riddler's game. Will Batman be ready?

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Batman 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)

Batman rarely has much to fear from a physical confrontation with Riddler. The puzzle-fiend's obsession with brain teasers lives in the mind -- but we're opening the Edward Nygma file with a very unusual case: Who Riddled The Riddler?

The answer is important: Bane was one step ahead of solving The Riddler's latest clue, and used his advantage over The Dark Knight to forcibly dart Riddler with a forty-eight hour dose of the powerful super-steroid called Venom!

Suddenly the slight, and sometimes meek, Riddler is developing some serious muscle, and even without years of combat training - it's enough to tear the stitching of his jacket and level the playing field with an unsuspecting Batman!

Preparation is a key component of Batman's uncanny ability to overcome superior opponents, but even he can be surprised. We saw The Joker make a getaway when cosmic unlikelihood caused distraction in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2, and outright defeat came when Alpha Lantern Kraken conspired during Final Crisis #2.

Not all surprises have to be cosmic in nature, but these dramatic unlikelihoods are comparable to the sudden muscle developed by Riddler. Made all the worse by Batman's recent bout with unexplained extreme fatigue and lingering anxiety!

Challenging Batman on the battlefield of the mind is one way to secure a victory, and although we give the intelligence edge to a broadly studied Batman in The Tape -- Riddler also earns a 5 for his expertise with complex strategy and concept analysis. With superior physical strength he becomes a formidable threat!

We all know the Venom super-steroid will eventually help Bane break Batman's back sometime after he mangled Killer Croc, but will the sudden boost delivered to Riddler result in victory? Let's solve the riddle by finding out!

The Tape: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...

A hulking shadow retreats to the darkness of a Gotham City belfry as the bell tolls midnight and Riddler is shaken from his bewilderment.

His bomb has begun its countdown -- much shorter than the deadline imposed by the chemical agent now coursing through his veins. He knows he must flee the coming explosion, but The Batman arrives to strike as suddenly as the dart that pumped Riddler full of venom!

Batman swings into the bell tower with 9 seconds on the clock, driving his feet into Riddler's waiting ribs.

It's a blow that would ordinarily put Riddler down for the count, but as his muscles begin to bulge through a question-marked green jacket, The Riddler feels no pain!

A straight punch to the face catches Batman completely unprepared!

His shock that Riddler is still standing is quickly replaced by bewildered analysis of incredible newfound speed and strength.

The Batman knows something is amiss, but with the seconds ticking away he must focus his efforts on dodging another lunging punch from The Riddler, whose confidence has suddenly skyrocketed.

Sidestepping the attempted blow, Batman counter-strikes with a well placed chop to the back of Riddler's neck. It does nothing!

Observing Riddler's "manic" aggression and enhanced skills, Batman detects the obvious presence of a drug. He can only suspect the involvement of his most recent arch-adversary - Bane.

The Bat ducks another stiff right-hand, leaving Riddler's fist to slam into the cold, hard stone of the bell tower.

The puzzler compels Batman to succumb to his blows, citing the deadly explosion that will come in just 5 seconds! The Dark Knight responds silently with another chop to the side of the head.

Batman considers the possibility that he may also be suffering weakness, but will have no time to further test the theory.

With 4 seconds on the clock -- Riddler desperately charges head-long towards the Dark Knight Detective in a desperate bid to clear the way!

Riddler leaps the belfry railing for the safety of the night, while Batman scrambles to use the information he learned during the fight to stall the swinging bell -- and halt the connected timer that will trigger the bomb!

With 1 second to spare, he fires his grappling hook around the striking mechanism and pulls it back from the bell. With his strength quickly fading, he tosses a batarang that shatters the detonator and ends the desperate struggle - for now.

The Hammer...

It can be surprising, after all this time, that we're still finding major characters to add to the fight club rankings. At the time of this writing we recently logged Black Knight, Blue Beetle, and Omega Red -- colourful characters you might've expected to factor in ahead of some of our more obscure entries.

The Riddler is certainly among the upper echelon of Batman rogues and recognizable DC Comics villains, but I'm not so sure he elicits the same degree of expectation as some of those more combative characters.

History shows that there are many Riddler confrontations for us to consider, but when I think of Batman's perpetually puzzling sparring partner - I don't think of a contest of fists, but rather a challenge of minds. Not exactly our usual domain.

My favourite incarnation of The Riddler is really quite meek. The quivering wreck of The Long Halloween comes to mind: with green blazer, bowler hat, and a constantly buzzing brain that seeks stimulation from challenging The Batman, or solving mysteries, as in that story, and the popular early 2010s incarnation.

Despite the concept lending itself to this physically unimpressive interpretation, earlier versions of the tights-wearing comic book villain could often be drawn quite muscular. In subverting his modern modus operandi with a dose of the Venom super-steroid, today's featured issue brings back the bulk, and puts him back in the classic question-marked tights for a titanic rematch.

Of course, despite the subversion, Batman #490 broadly serves as something of a return to form for what I'd call the definitive Riddler. It begins by resetting the villain from an even stranger early nineties tangent, which involved occult human sacrifice, costume zombies, and worshipping the demon Barbathos.

Though somewhat memorable, each of these excursions into experimentation were understood as temporary story-driven deviations, always returning to a more intuitive, iconic version of the character. I say this as writer/director Matt Reeves ignites enthusiasm for a very different interpretation in The Batman.

This new big screen vision eschews comic book reference to draw inspiration from elsewhere, notably the real-world "Zodiac" serial killer, and David Fincher's film based on related events, as well as some of his other works.

At a glance, this take has unfortunate ties with clichéd mid-2000s fan-fiction that took the blunt cues of Christopher Nolan, and imagined a Saw-inspired Johnny Depp portrayal, because this brand of grimy sadism has somehow become the poor man's version of "realism", preferable to a more forthcoming work of fiction.

As you can probably tell - I don't have a great deal of enthusiasm for this.

I'm bored with misery-sodden superhero adaptations, and an over abundance of pop culture bleakly glorifying the murderers and scumbags. A reset, or at least abundant available alternatives, feel overdue by more than a decade, but that's opening the door to a gauntlet of problems suffered by cinema, and pop culture as a whole. I should keep my grumbling a bit more focused.

The raincoated serial killer with a Harrods bag on his head has backstory that reminds me of the Hush storyline, but its wielded in all too typical fashion to make the world smaller, and a little less interesting. Antithetical to the comic book approach that birthed the shared universes movies are constantly chasing.

With many thousands of significant characters swirling around comics -- and room for many more -- my desire for film adaptation is always to see an iconic aggregate of what's on the page, maintaining all that makes a character distinct from any other that might soon join them in cinematic canon. On-model consistency that, admittedly, has become less reliable in comics, as well.

The majority of my irritation lies in the details, presentation, and weakly wielded references that appear preoccupied with other things, and much less interested in what's being adapted. Great creators make balancing broader awareness look easy, marrying external reference and inspiration with innate understanding and care for what its applied to. Yes, Riddler could kill, but he isn't a copycat killer.

He also isn't finished when our featured fight concludes! Which means we'll be able to come back for a rematch to discuss more about a Riddler enhanced with physical strength, and the unique place in time the issue takes place, between Death of Superman and Knightfall.

If you'd like to find more from the comic origins of your favourite characters you can follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked in excess of 1,000 characters! If you'd like to help me continue creating more entries consider becoming a patron on Patreon. As a thank you you'll unlock extra updates, content, and options to sponsor your favourite topics in future articles.

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Winner: Inconclusive
#1 (--) Batman
#481 (new) The Riddler

DEATH-DEALER versus SHANG-CHI

Flesh of my Flesh (Marvel)
Where: Master of Kung Fu #118 When: November 1982 Why: Doug Moench How: Gene Day

The Story So Far...
A deck of cards spilled by the assassin Death-Dealer reveals the Honan fortress of Wang Yu-Seng -- alter-ego of the international criminal mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu!

For Shang-Chi, the Chinese retreat is a homecoming. The Master of Kung Fu spent his formative days training within its walls. Beckoned by a note left with one of his father's hideous scientific creations, he parachutes in for a final showdown with the man who literally wants his blood to enhance the Elixir Vitae -- serum of youth and vitality!

Accompanied by MI6 agents, Jack "Blackjack" Tarr and Clive Reston, Shang-Chi defeats the many loyal factions of Fu Manchu in the so-called "Madness of the Running Beasts". It will be but one of many challenges faced when Shang-Chi confronts his past and his destiny, where the villainous Death-Dealer waits!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Draw 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Shang-Chi 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Shang-Chi 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Death-Dealer 3 (Explosives)
Total: Draw 24 (Champion)

Li Ching-Lin was a double-agent embedded within MI6 who was secretly working for Fu Manchu. His brutal methods made him a priority target for the British intelligence agency, who soon deployed Shang-Chi to take him out!

In his original incarnation: Shang-Chi was the son of Sax Rohmer's controversial literary villain Fu Manchu, and an American woman who was chosen by the fiend for beneficial genetic characteristics.

He was trained intensively from birth to be a master of multiple forms of martial arts: Fu Manchu's living weapon! However, on a mission he soon learned his father was not the hero he'd claimed to be, and swore to destroy his evil empire!

In doing so, Shang-Chi chose to align himself with Denis Nayland Smith, and MI6, entering a world of espionage and adventure. He travelled the world fighting evil, crossing paths with a parade of assassins and killers from its four corners.

Li Ching-Lin received the codename Death-Dealer from his master, wielding a sword of three blades, and wearing a costume with the death's head for a mask.

He fought Shang-Chi multiple times in England, and although he isn't as proficient a fighter as the Master of Kung Fu, his disregard for humanity and use of modern arms, such as grenades, has made him an incredibly lethal adversary.

We know from a much later battle that Death-Dealer sired a son of his own. Huo Li (LI Huo) took up his father's vendetta and tracked Shang-Chi to Hong Kong, but the son was unsuccessful in his bloodfued. Did his father fare better? If you've read about that encounter you already know the answer! Let's take a look...

The Tape: Draw Ranking: Shang-Chi (#334)

What Went Down...

Penetrating deep into Fu Manchu's Honan fortress, Shang-Chi becomes lost in the chamber of his own thoughts as he confronts the secrets of a room forbidden to him during his formative years.

Inside the silent quarters is evidence of a life lived in parallel -- a genetic clone raised exactly as he was -- but that isn't all that lurks within these shadows...

Shang-Chi's blood streams through the air as a stinging pain snaps him out of deep thought.

The martial artist has allowed distraction to enter his mind and paid the price on the sharp edge of Death-Dealer's blade!

The assassin lunges with his three-pronged sword, but Shang-Chi side steps -- driving his elbow into the Death-Dealer's stomach. A good counterstrike, but the assassin never the less pushes him towards the fire of a nearby incense brazier.

The tall ,torch-like stand impedes his movement as Shang-Chi pivots away from his attacker. Death-Dealer responds with his free hand, delivering an overhanded chop into Shang-Chi's naked shoulder while also raising his sword!

The skull-masked killer prepares a downward strike with the middle blade of his sword, but Shang-Chi grabs the brazier and swings it wildly!

The fire whips across Death-Dealer's body and the burning embers begin to ignite the dark materials of his costume!

The white "death-mask" rapidly burns away, revealing Li Ching-Lin's face -- twisting with agony as his body is engulfed in flame!

Death-Dealer's lone scream tapers into a "bubbling moan" as his spasming body disappears into the raging fire.

The writhing body dances into the "whining" flame and Shang-Chi holds his head in his hands for just a moment, struck by the awful sound.

The martial artist's back straightens as he steels himself for the tasks ahead and accepts his role in dealing death to the Death-Dealer: a killer who has come for him many times before, but will enact his brutality no more.

The Hammer...

I was surprised and thrilled when 2009's Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu One-Shot introduced a new character called Huo Li, (LI Huo in Chinese naming convention), whose backstory specifically connected with the original run of Master of Kung Fu.

Marvel's short-lived black & white retro specials obviously owed a debt to their roots in the 1970s, but I hadn't expected anything quite so detailed from its throwback reference. After all, that issue in particular was one that featured the decisively nineties creation and noughties phenomenon, Deadpool, on the cover.

Li Huo carried his father's three-bladed sword in the name of revenge, but otherwise required very little specific knowledge about Death-Dealer: a character who first appeared in Master of Kung Fu #115 and, as we've seen, only made it as far as three issues before meeting his grisly demise at the hands of Shang-Chi.

The fight with Li Ching-Lin is only one panel more than a single page, but it certainly leaves an impression. Such is the sometimes fast and cruel nature of Shang-Chi's world, which owed a heavy debt to the lethal kung fu and espionage genre films of the sixties and seventies: also a peak period for Sax Rohmer's 1913 creation, Dr. Fu Manchu, in cinema, portrayed by Christopher Lee.

Although the controversial pulp villain was embedded in Marvel canon as Shang-Chi's father, the creation of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu and Master of Kung Fu comic book series, as well as their starring character, is most specifically tied to the legacy of Bruce Lee.

The fusion of modern kung fu and Ian Fleming style espionage is right there in 1973's Enter the Dragon -- released theatrically right around the time Marvel created Shang-Chi for the December cover-dated Special Marvel Edition #15. 

In the film: Bruce Lee's character is persuaded to collaborate with British intelligence by attending a martial arts tournament on an island that doubles as the fortress lair for an international crime baron. It's a James Bond plot with a slightly harder edge and fighting you can actually believe in. Bruce Lee's specialty!

Fast-paced kung fu action may've made Lee an international icon around the world, but on the comic book page these references could sometimes read a little bit dry, so it's always welcome to see costumed enemies like Death-Dealer add a little extra colour and spice to the martial arts-spy action.

I absolutely love the iconic simplicity of Death-Dealer's design and character, cut from the same cloth that inspired G.I. Joe's revamp in 1982.

The ever-present threat of death may have complimented the pulp atmosphere of Shang-Chi's adventures, but it seems a real shame a character like Death-Dealer was so casually killed off. He's exactly the kind of remorseless costumed killer that could've outlived his Fu Manchu ties to become a staple Marvel mercenary.

To the best of my knowledge: Li Huo hasn't made any subsequent appearances since his debut in the black & white one-shot, either. Which gives me some shred of hope that he might yet make a return to comics wearing his father's regalia, especially now that a version of Death-Dealer is set to appear on the big screen in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

No doubt we'll be taking a closer look at more of the comic book originals that have inspired the movie, but if you'd like to get more of Death-Dealer's story, you can find the entirety of his existence in The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Omnibus Volume 4.

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Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! You can find them all by following links throughout posts, or by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

Get free daily links to battles inspired by the hot topics of the day by subscribing on Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget to like, fave, and share all the updates, and keep your eyes peeled for the top trending battles and more!

Winner: Shang-Chi
#106 (+228) Shang-Chi [+1 kill]
#961 (new) Death-Dealer

BANE versus KILLER CROC

Killer's Bane (DC)
Where: Batman #489 When: February 1993
Why: Doug Moench How: Jim Aparo

The Story So Far...
Once upon a time, Killer Croc was the new King of Gotham City's criminal underworld! Alas, much time has passed since the day he took out top boss: The Squid! Now the labyrinthine bowels of the city's literal underground devour him -- just another freak flushed away by The Dark Knight who protects this city.

Dazed and confused, Killer Croc is deposited on the banks of the vast urban sprawl. He escapes the torturous flood of his nightmares into a vacant stupor, feasting on rats as the autumn rain turns to winter snow.

When wayward humanity inevitably intrudes upon his solitude - the Killer awakens with a terrible vengeance! A nearby shopping mall is the recipient of his madness, spreading panic through the city's shoppers!

The public display summons Batman & Robin, but they aren't the only ones to witness Croc's strength through the eyes of live broadcast news. Bane has come to Gotham City, and in the former crime boss he sees opportunity to announce his arrival with a brutal test of strength!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Killer Croc 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Bane 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Bane 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Bane 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)


Bane's true name is unknown, but his history as an inmate of notorious Peña Duro is well documented. He was imprisoned as an infant with his rebel mother, to satisfy the criminal life sentence incurred by a mercenary father: King Snake.

At age six, Bane's mother died, leaving him to endure the unforgiving trials of prison life alone. The threat of other inmates honed his survival instinct and ruthlessness, while a kindly Jesuit priest nurtured his inquisitive mind.

By maturity, Bane had accomplished a classical education through extensive reading, while also developing his fighting ability by theory and intense physical training. This attracted the attention of prison officials, who subjected him to experiments with the chemical drug Venom, which only served to enhance his already impressive strength!

Venom featured prominently in Bane's early attacks on Gotham City, regulated by a wrist-worn device that controlled the feed directly into his brain. Chemical enhancement gave him the physical edge when he broke Batman's back [Batman #497], but he would eventually purge himself of the drug, relying on his already impressive, natural physical strength.

Killer Croc could probably relate to Bane's harsh upbringing. Waylon Jones was born with a rare condition of atavism that rendered his skin tough and scaly. His mother died in childhood, and his father disowned him. As he matured, his condition made him increasingly reptilian in appearance, further ostracizing him.

A byproduct of his grotesque condition was also phenomenal natural strength! Jones honed his power wrestling alligators as a carnival attraction of his native Florida. Adopting the Killer Croc moniker earned in sideshows, he soon turned his skills to a more profit potential career in crime. This led him to Gotham City.

Croc made an impact early in his attempts to overthrow the criminal establishment, but Gotham would be as unkind as any other home. Even after he was mutated to more closely represent his namesake, Croc continued to suffer defeats against the likes of Batman [Batman #608] and Solomon Grundy [Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1]!

Our Tale of the Tape reflects later incarnations of both characters, when the Venom-less Bane could plausibly accept defeat at the hands of Judomaster's son [Checkmate #12], for example. In 1993, Bane was at the height of his juicing - which should make him more than equal to Killer Croc!

Will enhanced strength be enough to defeat Killer Croc? Let's find out!...

The Math: Bane Ranking: Bane (#343)

What Went Down...
Like the crocodile's natural predator, Bane stalks through the emptied shopping mall with the purpose of a jungle panther. When he reaches his prey, Killer Croc is already on the floor -- upended in a skirmish with The Batman and Robin!

Bane introduces himself to his target, hitting the button that sends the drug Venom flowing through his body! Killer Croc isn't impressed with the sudden bulge of muscle. He throws a scaly fist at the bulging predator -- a mistake!

Bane snatches Croc's wrist and looms. He sees similarity in the fearless eyes of his powerful opponent, and the bat-demon that haunts his nightmares. He violently twists Killer Croc's arm backwards -- snapping it! He howls in agony!

The pair tumble to the ground, allowing battered rookie Batman and The Boy Wonder to escape unnoticed. Killer Croc's focus narrows on the man who broke his arm. He lunges at him in a rage with one good arm!

Had the punch hit its mark it would've been devastating, but Bane sidesteps the wild blow -- leaving Croc to shatter an indoor tree! He's momentarily stunned.

Bane sizes his foe up: "You're too ugly to hit."

The hulking convict thrusts his boot into Killer Croc's stomach! He follows the staggering blow with a second kick -- this time sending Croc uncontrollably tumbling into the display window of a nearby toy store!

Bloodied and broken, Killer Croc slumps amongst stuffed toys. Defeated.

The Hammer...
Just like that: Bane announces his emphatic entry into Gotham City nightlife!

He leaves the battlefield the same way he came: walking with silent purpose. In five months, this path will take him from emptied shopping mall to Wayne Manor, where in Batman #497 he succeeds in breaking Batman's back!

Even the most oblivious fan will tell you Bane "broke the bat", but not everyone remembers he broke Killer Croc first! It's an interesting side detail that gives a little texture to both villains.

Their dramatic showdown would lead to a bitter rematch some months later. It provided a rare distraction for Bane, who was otherwise pre-occupied with  preparations for Knightfall's dramatic conclusion. The rivalry was notable enough to inspire a memorably succinct retelling in Batman: The Animated Series. With any luck, we'll get a chance to look at the rematch in the near future!

Bane could've taken a shot at Batman right after he'd beaten Croc as early as Batman #489, but the studied villain knows a fake when he sees one! Indeed, this issue is noteworthy for also being the first time Jean-Paul Valley assumed The Dark Knight's mantle.

Valley would later adopt his own infamously nineties armored cape and cowl, becoming a replacement Batman while Bruce Wayne's broken back healed. He would later become better known under the persona of Azrael. We haven't featured him on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths yet! We will have to at least return to this issue in the future to take a closer look!

We have featured Killer Croc several times in the past, in appearances subsequent to this one. If there's one drawback to the otherwise thrilling detail of Bane & Croc's villain-on-villain vendetta, it's that it may have popularized Killer Croc as a fall guy. After today he'll be the fifth lowest ranked character on The Comic Book Fight Club! A hard fall for a villain who once took top spot amongst Gotham City's criminal underworld!

Browsing the letters page from this issue, I noticed readers feeling Jim Aparo had fallen from grace, as well. I didn't like some of the published vitriol, but I have to admit, his Bane and Croc weren't always dynamic. It definitely wasn't quite the same artist that thrilled me just a few years earlier. I've described his Batman of the late eighties as projecting an intimidating, stern fatherly quality. That sharpness is definitely missing from some of these panels.

Of course, the legendary artist was entering his early sixties by 1993. Which kind of flips the script on criticism he would've faced amidst the Image hype of the day. I hope I can do anything as well as Aparo did by the time I'm that age! I'm reminded that Jim Aparo passed away in 2005. A sad loss.

Killer Croc is our current Hero of the Week - inspired by recent appearances in the Suicide Squad film and comics. The ensemble cast featured in Friday Night Fights throughout August, and with five weeks in September, this is an extra bonus before we move on to a solo spotlight!

Winner: Bane
#112 (+231) Bane
#837 (-8) Killer Croc

BANE versus BATMAN
Knightfall Part 11: The Broken Bat (DC)
Where: Batman #497 When: July 1993
Why: Dough Moench How: Jim Aparo

The Story So Far...
He is the dark knight detective that watches over a city of crime, sworn avenger of the innocent, scourge of the underworld. With a sharp mind and trained body, he is the ultimate product of human invention and spirit, but what would it take? What grand gesture, or inventive scheme would finally push the caped crusader beyond his limits? What would it take to break the bat?

Armed with an arsenal of stolen weaponry and a strategic intellect as sharp as The Batman's; Bane arrives in Gotham City as a tortured soul born into the harsh prison system of Caribbean nation of Santa Prisca. Obsessed by the demon of justice Batman represents, he is intent on testing his chemically enhanced strength and brilliant mind against Batman, enacting a plan to combat the dark knight's will in both the physical and mental realms by unleashing his darkest demons like an army of chaos.

The gambit forces Batman to push himself to breaking point, hunting down the escapees unleashed from Arkham Asylum by Bane's surgical srike. Mad Hatter, The Ventriloquist, Amygdala, Victor Zsasz, Firefly, The Cavalier, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and Joker are all released to do as they please, forcing Batman to work to breaking point in an effort to bring them all in. Bruised, battered and exhausted, he retires to his inner sanctum as Bruce Wayne, but this respite will be short lived. There, Bane lies in wait to break the bat...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Bane 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Draw 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)


Real Name: [Unknown]
Group Affiliation: [Secret Six]
First Appearance: [Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1] Year One: [1993]
Win Percentage: [0%] Last Opponent: [Injustice League]
2006: [#147] 2007: [#254] 2008: [#206] 2009: [DNR]

Born into incarceration within the notorious Santa Priscan penitentiary known as Peña Duro -- Hard Rock; the man called Bane began life guilty for the crimes of his father, a revolutionary rallying against the corrupt governments of the small Carribean Republic. As a child, Bane learned from a school of violence and crime, beginning his path of brutality with blood on his hands at a shockingly young age. While his physical presence grew to meet the needs of prison life, Bane's mental accumen was also sharpened, taking full advantage of the collective wisdoms of various prisoners, and limitless time to study.

Rising through the criminal ranks thanks to his natural abilities and intellect, Bane conquers Peña Duro, raising the ire of it's appointed controllers. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Hugo Strange, Bane is entered into experiments using an enhancement drug called Venom, which claimed the life of many test subjects. Bane proved strong enough to survive the near-death side effects and is embued with a new strength almost instantly accessible with with the administration of the venom drug, every twelve hours.

With the aid of allies, Bane escaped his prison life, entering the world with a view to travel to Gotham City. Obsessed with Gotham's dark knight protector, who rules the city of crime through terror in a way similar to those in prison; Bane hopes to end his internal philosophical struggles by exercising his fantastic deductive skills, phenomenal strategic intellect, incredible strength, and access to the venom enhancement drug, to mentally and physicall break the Batman.

Bane is accompanied by an entourage of close personal allies; Trogg, Zombie, and Bird, former prisoners who escaped Peña Duro with Bane's help. Specialists in various fields, they are trusted assistants to Bane's ambitions to break the bat.

Real Name: [Bruce Wayne]
Group Affiliation: [Batman Inc, Justice League of America]
First Appearance: [Detective Comics #27] Year One: [1939]
Win Percentage: [72.7%] Last Opponent: [Superman]
2006: [#1] 2007: [#2] 2008: [#1] 2009: [#19]

After witnessing the street murder of his parents, the young Bruce Wayne's destiny was forever shaped to be one dedicated to an ideal. Having spent his formative years studying the various sciences, martial arts, and crime fighting techniques, Bruce is ultimately inspired to become the one-man war on the criminal element in Gotham City: Batman.

Perhaps Batman's greatest power is the millions inherited from his industrialist parents, and the various facilities that came with that. They prove crucial in the design and construction of his many weapons, which are typically non-lethal, and have a variety of uses.

Complimented by his keenly strategic mind is Batman's expertise in the martial arts. He is extensively trained in multiple fighting styles, and commonly regarded to be one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters in the world. He is also extremely proficient in general urban warfare.

Statistics: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
On the verge of exhaustion, the Batman becomes Bruce Wayne, a maskless debt to a faithful servant dedicated to maintaining the charade necessary of their grander goals. Alfred is nowhere to be seen, already the victim of a demon lying in wait. Bruce Wayne makes his way up the Batcave stairs to the manor above, the final trek on a path of misery that began with an assault on Arkham Asylum and his subsequent pursuit of its escapees.

A hulking mass of brawn and brain, Bane greets his opponent with a promise of mercy for the already defeated Alfred Pennyworth. It is not Batman's allies that this cunning hunter seeks, anymore than it is "Bruce Wayne" -- the mask that "no longer serves a purpose" in contrast to Bane's, a luchadore's facade with a direct line to feed "venom" into his brain and bloodstream.

With a flick of a switch Bane becomes more than mortal flesh, energized by the serum coursing through his veins. He is a super-human, a monster of chaos and order in one. As quickly as the venom transforms his opponent, Bruce Wayne becomes Batman again, triggered by the disdain he feels for an evil so callous and thorough it would condemn his city without cause.

He leaps into action, this dark knight. Exhausted and desperate, he is easily caught by a thriving Bane; tossed aside like the regard for his own safety. Treated like a human wrecking ball, Batman is noble to a fault, pleading for Alfred to flee while Bane prepares to choke him silent.


Recalling the trials of his life in the preceding week, Batman is rammed down the passage toward the Batcave, stomped, swatted, and staggered. He throws a punch to the gut, but it does nothing. "You are already broken," his tormentor declares. "It is over. You are nothing. A DISAPPOINTMENT!"


A dropkick sends the dark knight toppling to the lower levels of his Batcave. A clubbing blow to the back of the skull leaves him drained and vulnerable. A kick to the ribs sends him skidding along the ground. A bump against a stand drops a giant novelty penny across his spine. Pinned down, an uppercut adds torque to the wrenching position between the floor and a hard place.

Bane drags the Batman from beneath his massive momento and makes a static weapon of another of his trinkets, the famed Batmobile. Unrelenting, the villain growls, "WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT!?" The answer may be the physical fatigue of the last few days, perhaps the mental.

A stalagmite becomes a bat to club the Batman. He finally gives Bane what he wants, a moment of resistance that swats the stone formation from his hand. It is a rebellion quickly ended by a charging headbutt that sends Batman hurtling toward another trophy, and another mental blow. Draped in shattered glass and a yellow cape, the dark knight holds the symbol of his greatest failure in hand -- the domino mask of Jason Todd...


Rising like a living deadman, Batman throws a punch with nothing to it.
His arms clumsily absorb the impact of Bane's returning blows. Reflexes gone, he eats boot leather. The cave tears his costume. Bane compells him to submit, to beg for mercy. Batman tells him to go back to Hell.


"I am Bane -- and I could kill you... but death would only end your agony -- and silence your shame. Instead, I will simply -- BREAK YOU!"

A broken Batman. A nemesis triumphant.

The Hammer...
In a day not long passed, I would've begun this discussion by lamenting the longterm difficulties of a character like Bane. Best remembered for the fight featured above, he is -- or at least was -- the character who "broke the Bat"! An accolade so big and rare in a corporate environment, it rendered him effectively 'unemployable' in the eyes of those who felt the act could never be topped, and fans who grew to regard these early nineties stunts with bitter disdain.

As the feature villain of Christopher Nolan's upcoming trilogy cap, The Dark Knight Rises, the character is about to become something entirely new. First impressions of the Tom Hardy occupied vision, with distinctive open-muzzle head gear, suggests a liberal adaptation. One that reshapes the basic outline of a character who, in some respects, represents an 'Anti-Batman'. With DC Comics' 'New 52' relaunch shedding its history in favour of a DCU For Dummies, there's every chance this version of Bane will not only take hook with the mainstream masses, but also entrench itself in the comic books themselves, similar to some of the creations that went both ways, in and out, of the likewise streamlined Marvel Ultimate line.

The DC reboot is one of the reasons the opening statement doesn't seem so relevant anymore, but there're more factors at work.

I think it's fair to say that time has made for a relaxed indulgence in both the good and bad of Bane. Recent trends in comics have been flirting with nineties-esque gimmicks for quite a while now, making them seem more acceptable to a mass of internet-age readers who joined comics in the early 2000s. The passage of time has also allowed the Knightfall story to be retold several times over, in different mediums, making Bane's legend much less about a sales spike, and more about a chapter in the saga of Batman. There's also the all-important fact that, unlike his Superman-killing counterpart (Doomsday), Bane had an interesting concept behind the short-lived victory.

While it's clearly true that Bane was envisioned as an opponent capable of challenging Batman in the realms of the mental and physical, he wasn't strictly designed as a dark mirror to the hero himself. Accompanied in early appearances by an inner circle of trusted allies (Zombie, Trogg, and Bird), creator Chuck Dixon is well reported to have begun with the concept of an evil Doc Savage: famed "Man of Bronze" and pulp predecessor to Batman -- the ultimate reneissanceman and adventurer!

Therein lies the saving grace of a character who otherwise might've been relegated to sneering trivia: defined very early by a gimmick, and popularly degraded by a less-than-impressive follow-up appearance in the 1997 Joel Schumacher feature length farce, Batman and Robin.

Before Christopher Nolan and his team will have remade the character (with possible ties to Ra's al Ghul), there will have been many contributions that added depth to the original high concept and simplistic early exploits. Today, Bane is a much more altruistic figure, menacing, but generally treated with a sense of fighting honor that reflects an element of his iconic lucha libre design.

As a powerhouse villain Bane was the crowning obstacle for Jean-Paul Valley; DC's edgy replacement Batman who is better remembered in his own right as the armored, fanatical, violent, and very dead nineties hero, Azrael. Stories of typical villainy have persisted to sometimes undercut the credibility of the character, but time has allowed for other stories to balance the bad with the good.

Lesser characters, like Judomaster during Infinite Crisis, were offered up in sacrifice to recreate and readdress his penchant for backbreaking, reinforcing the mythology of it. There was also the journey of self-discovery, when Bane, with funding from Bruce Wayne no less, discovered his Kobra-fanatic father in a tale that humanized a Bane who literally lacked those qualities via a backstory of imprisonment. Purging the character of the Venom drug also went a ways to reforming the character, emphasising the human strength that was there from the beginning (and allowing for an analagous drug mythology to creep into Gotham's stories). [BTW: It's worth restating that, yes, the guy whose entire life has been one giant revenge-quest because of his parents' murder actually does have the ability to forgive, as was the case years after Batman was healed and back in the saddle.]

In 2007, I featured an issue of Checkmate [#12], wherein Greg Rucka and Nunzio Defilippis restored further credibility to the character in a story that saw Bane in his native Santa Prisca, politicized in a war against drug cartels and government corruption. It largely played background to other action, including a firey face-off against Son o' Judomaster, Tommy Jagger, but the idea was appreciated. From there, Gail Simone had her way with Bane, casting the back breaking brute in a cartoon role, clumsy and stoic as a member of Secret Six, with glimpses of brilliance leading to an eventual restoration of the villain, which presumably signals the design of any future Bane predicaments in the "DCnU".

The Dark Knight Rises and DCnU New 52 will in all likelihood canonize Bane as an unimpeachable feature member of the Batman rogues gallery. I think that's nice, but hope that the shift away from years of history doesn't simplify the character in unflattering ways. In the case of Nolan's films, that seems unlikely, even if the approach differs from The Dark Knight (for example), which embellished and showcased great elements inherent to The Joker character, without veering from a recognisable model. With a strong eye for story, it seems certain that the film version will not suffer the pitfalls of Knightfall, driven by an idea probably much stronger than merely breaking Batman's back.

I'm obviously looking forward to the film and am pleased to have finally been able to get back to this here Comic Book Fight Club. I won't pretend it will be a regular thing, like years gone by. I've had this particular entry sitting in my drafts from the day Bane was revealed, and in the time since, my faithful (and sometimes streaky) scanner has seemingly given up the ghost. I'm pleased that one of its last tasks was to capture the art of Jim Aparo, not at his all-star best in this particular issue, but still a Bat-favourite.

In keeping with the pro-Bane theme of this discussion, I should acknowledge the work of Doug Moench on the issue, as well. With Aparo, he plots a fine final battle, one that is among the most iconic fights in comic book history! The full page shot of Bane snapping Batman's back across his knee is inarguably one of the best recognised images in the game, right up there with Miller's impalement [from Daredevil #181, folks]! Bane's intrusion into the Batcave is also one of those things that people really seem to remember, perhaps because it plays out with such brutal significance throughout the battle. What I really want to mention, though, is one of my favourite quirks about the fight -- it starts with a conversation!

The fact that the hero and villain engage in reasonable dialogue before the iconic punch-up is something that stays with me, perhaps because I'm a ham for pro wrestling promos (and fights), or because it flies in the face of all of those versions that distilled the character into a hulkish brute who breaks backs. A depiction that is gleaned from the last page of an entire issue.

Winner: Bane
The Fight: 7 The Story: 4.5 The Pictures: 4.5