SEEKERS OF THE BAT

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.

Originally conceived as a pushover ‘joke’ foe for Batman, Mr. Freeze has evolved into perhaps Batman’s most tragic villain.  His ill wife in a cryogenic coma, Dr. Victor Fries had no choice but to turn to crime to fund research that might one day cure her.  His ‘by all means necessary’  approach is both noble and insane.

This variant of the Mr. Freeze’s history was made famous in an Emmy award winning episode of Batman: The Animated Series, and continued in the feature film Batman: SubZero.

Batman’s greatest challenge has always been the murderous Joker. Both insane and brilliant, the Joker epitomizes the supervillain; the unstoppable criminal that can terrorize an entire city. Moreover, his seemingly random crimes strike a stark contrast to Batman’s calculated sense of order.

Batman started his career content to fight common street crime as an unseen urban legend, but foiling the Joker’s elaborate plans led him to up the ante and become a public defender of the city. However, some surmise that the Joker’s theatrics wouldn’t have surfaced in a world without a Batman. So which came first, the chicken or the egg?