5. Bane Breaks Batmans Back
I was only about 6 years old when this storyline took place but I remember the buzz surrounding it as my dad is a huge comic enthusiast. The thought that Batman could be broken was a foreign concept to my young mind. This story took place around the same time that Superman was killed by Doomsday so the whole world was watching what DC would do next. And they did not disappoint. The created a new villain in Bane, who would eventually be the one to break Batman. People tend to think that this happened fairly quickly or that Batman fought Bane one-on-one and lost. The actual story started well before the actual fight. Bane systematically took out Batman by exhausting him physically, mentally, and emotionally. Bane broke out all of the prisoners contained at Arkham Asylum. Batman was forced to fight criminals non-stop. Bane broke out not only criminals like The Joker and Riddler, but lesser villains like Killer Moth and Firefly. After a marathon of fighting the entire fleet of villains alone, Bane breaks an exhausted Batmans back by slamming him onto his knee. This is a triumph not just because of the physical harm done, but the mental damage done. Sure, Batman had been beaten before but he was literally broken. He had to also call in to question his decision to work alone and his entire way of taking down criminals. Bane also showed Batman does have a limit and that he should not underestimate his opponents. Luckily, with this past Summers Dark Knight Rises film, Bane was finally given proper film treatment and displayed as the criminal genius he is.