SEEKERS OF THE BAT

The Joker/Riddler;   Two-Face/Solomon Grundy?; Mad Hatter/Scarecrow

Killer Croc/Bane;  Mr. Freeze/Penguin;  Catwoman/Poison Ivy

Dustin Nguyen gives us this awesome group shot of the major characters in the Bat universe. It must have been a blast to put together. The only character I had trouble identifying was the little girl sitting on Clayface’s shoulder. It turns out she’s Annie, Clayface’s “daughter” from the animated series. For such a loner, Batman sure does have a lot of people in his life :)

Bat In The Sun productions gives us another excellent addition to its Batman fan film portfolio with Batman Legends, a compilation of clips featuring faithful renditions of several scenes including the creation of the Joker, the death of Jason Todd, and Bane’s breaking of the Batman. Also notable was a shot of the original Bob Kane Batman with the wide ears :)

With the majority of Batman’s rogues gallery, it is a foregone conclusion that Batman will always eventually physically get the upper hand.  Not so with Batman’s modern rival, Bane. Not only does Bane possess gifted intelligence rivalling Batman’s, but he is also demonstrably stronger than Batman.  Add to that an appetite for breaking spines and a daily IV drip of the fictional supersteroid Venom, which amplifies his strength many times over and allows him to heal quickly from any injury, and you have the makings of a villain who gives even the Dark Knight nightmares.

In fact, those nightmares are well deserved. Bane is most well known for deducing Batman’s identity, then orchestrating a series of events that culminated with his breaking of Batman’s spine over his knee.  Paralyzed, Batman was forced to surrender his cape to Jean-Paul Valley, an outsider. Bruce Wayne was broken in both body and mind for months while his replacement tarnished the reputation of the Batman. This was to be one of the most difficult times in the Batman’s life.

Bruce Wayne did eventually recover and took back both his caped identity and his confidence by defeating Bane in combat. Since then, Bane has straddled the line between hero and villain, kicking his addiction to Venom, and seeking redemption for his crimes. He has a deep respect for his one time rival, and even attempted to take over as Batman when Bruce Wayne appeared to die during Final Crisis. Bane currently serves as leader of the Secret Six, a sympathetic group of antiheroes, but it is unclear where the future will take him.