6. Knight Saga
Published: 1993-1994
Authors: Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Jo Duffy, Dennis O'Neil, Doug Moench
The Big Bad: Bane
The Premise: The story that introduced Bane, Knightfall sees our hero come face-to-face with the muscled maniac in an already weakened state leaving him susceptible to Bane's attacks. Bane breaks Batman's back in what is one of the most memorable scenes in comic book history, and Jean-Paul Valley, also known as Azrael, temporarily takes up his mantle.
Why it Would Work: Bane has become somewhat of an obsession among some fans as evidenced by his starring appearance in the Dark Knight Rises. While parts of the story were adapted for the film there is still plenty to explore. First of all, seeing Batman come up against someone that is strong enough to literally break him - not just physically - makes for entertainment alone. The encounter with Bane is the climax of Knightfall but is in no way the only part of the story worth recognition. Everything leading up to the encounter - all orchestrated cleverly by Bane - demonstrates Batman's descent into a weaker state. There are two other reasons why this story would be great for a television adaptation. The second part of the saga sees Jean-Paul take over as Batman during Bruce Wayne's absence. While he is eventually able to take Bane down this is only due to his "system" taking over in the presence of the Scarecrow's fear gas. He endangers many innocent bystanders and uses lethal force. As time goes on he continues to act completely out of character for Batman using extremely violent measures while putting innocents at risk. The idea of a different Batman for a few episodes is exciting as it not only gives us time to reflect on Bruce Wayne the man, but it ultimately teaches the lesson that there can really only be one Batman and that is Wayne. The third portion of the sage sees Bruce retraining himself to overcome his injuries and reclaim his mantle. As Jean-Paul has become an antithesis for everything Batman stands for it is imperative that Wayne succeed and make certain the city is safe once more. There's more than enough story here to dish out great characterization and interwoven plotlines that could pull in high ratings. We've seen Nolan's take on the introduction of Bane and we'd love to see what another team could do with the story.