10 Most Ridiculous Things Batman Has Survived
7. Having His Back Broken By Bane
The '90s was not, overall, a glorious decade for comics. It did, however, still have its share of classic storylines and iconic moments hidden among the pouch-wearing muscle-monstrosities and badly drawn feet. One such iconic moment is the defeat of Batman at the hands of Bane, with the super-serum villain breaking the Caped Crusader’s back over his knee on the cover of Batman #497, and in the pages therein; something Christopher Nolan would pay homage to in The Dark Knight Rises.
Bane is notable for being perhaps the first villain to present such a dual threat to the Caped Crusader, being both brawn and brains in equal measure - something that Batman & Robin did everything it could to make us forget - whereas other classic Batman villains such as the Joker, Riddler, Scarecrow Two-Face and Mr. Freeze tended to be one or the other.
Azrael took over the duties of the Dark Knight while Bruce took seven months to recover, despite his immense wealth, compounding the seriousness of the beating he had taken. Left a shell of himself both physically and mentally, Wayne underwent extensive training under Lady Shiva to regain his abilities, before returning to Gotham and reassuming the mantle of Batman.