| “ | Behold... ...the ideal killing machine! I call this little number... ... Bane. Bane of Humanity! | „ |
| ~ Dr. Jason Woodrue commenting upon his new creation |
Bane is the strong enforcer for Poison Ivy and the tertiary antagonist of the 1997 movie, Batman & Robin. He was created by Dr. Jason Woodrue and was given his name as intended to be a bane of humanity.
He was portrayed by Michael Reid McKay (in his normal form) and the late Robert "Jeep" Swenson (in his transformation).
History
Antonio Diego was a serial murderer serving a life sentence in the South American jail, Pena Duro, and the sole surviving volunteer for Jason Woodrue's 'Project Gilgamesh'. He was selected by Dr. Woodrue to be the initial test subject for a Super Soldier program. His hair was first permanently removed and he then had three holes drilled into his skull with one on his chest, before being strapped to a table in front of an audience that comprised of foreign dictators, generals, commanders and terrorists. Dr. Woodrue forced him to wear a mask with three holes snaked to his skull and gave him massive doses of the experimental drug Venom. Diego was screaming in pain for the first 15 seconds before his body started changing. The experiment was a success. Originally he was small and diminutive, but after the Venom takes hold, he becomes a vicious, hulking brute with superhuman strength. He was "the ideal killing machine" as Dr. Woodrue called him. Unlike most comic book appearances, he did not retain his above average intellect but was reduced to a less than average IQ. He was barely capable of speech and growls, snarls, and speaks only one or two word phrases (which was one of the many aspects of the film heavily criticized by fans and critics).
After Pamela Isley became Poison Ivy and killed Dr. Woodrue, she took Bane to Gotham City as her new enforcer. Bane scared a gang out of a Turkish bathhouse so Ivy can claim it as her new hideout. He also fought off the Arkham Asylum to retrieve Mr. Freeze's cryogenic armor and freezing gun from the storage locker.
During the final fight at the telescope platform, Bane fought and was defeated by Robin and Batgirl. He held them against a wall by their necks, and they kicked the Venom tube out of the back of his head, cutting off the Venom circulation. This causes him to go into massive withdrawal, and he reverted back to his original self. Later, Mr. Freeze tried to kill Batman by bombing the Gotham Telescope Platform, but apparently all it did was crush a weakened Bane. However, there was no evidence that Bane was crushed by the telescope other than a few traces of Venom where the telescope fell.
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