For years after, Bane appeared only sporadically. Basically, if he appeared, it meant that something big was happening. He gave up the addictive Venom and fought Batman under his own power. He signed on as Ra’s al Ghul’s apprentice. At one point, when Gotham City was cut off from the rest of the country, Bane helped execute Lex Luthor’s complicated land grab. His appearances were sparse, but he was always used well.
It’s important to note that Bane, despite being a huge guy who dresses like a Mexican wrestler, was never portrayed as a simple brute. He figured out Batman’s secret identity, for one. Up to that point, only Ra’s al Ghul had pulled that off, and he had immortality and a global network of operatives on his side. Bane beat Batman by coming up with a strong plan and then cheating like a mofo. Often cited as an example of everything that was wrong with the 90s, Bane is actually one of the more enduring and well-conceived characters to come out of those dark times. In fact, Bane’s roots go back to a time before Batman – he’s the evil version of pulp hero Doc Savage.
My favorite part of this was that Bane was in prison serving his father’s life sentence.
That never fails to crack me up – it’s a pretty sweet system of criminal justice. “Man, that guy’s hard to catch. Wait, he’s got a kid? Let’s just lock him up. You want to get a sandwich?”
In a way, it makes SOME sense. Maybe his parental guilt would lead him to turn himself in.