WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Batman: The Adventures Continue #1 by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Ty Templeton, Monica Kubina and Joshua Reed, on sale now.
In Batman: The Adventures Continue #1, the Dark Knight quickly finds himself trying to solve a case that involves Superman, Lex Luthor and a mysterious piece of alien equipment. The digital-first series is meant to be a continuation of the fan-favorite Batman: The Animated Series, as the comic plunges us back into the world of the DC Animated Universe. But before Batman learns that Superman is missing and that the Man of Steel's nemesis is somehow behind it, the series begins with the Dark Knight patrolling the streets of Gotham City.
There, he soon comes across one of his most dangerous villains: the hulking Bane. The Dark Knight quickly engages his enemy in combat, but Bane gets the upper hand. The villain then appears to recreate his signature breaking of Batman's back, as he did in the iconic "Knightfall" storyline. However, the Dark Knight planned ahead this time and found a way around his greatest defeat,
In the epic 1993 storyline "Knightfall," Bane went after Batman with one goal: to break the Bat, once and for all. In order to do that, he faced the villain in battle -- but not before ensuring the Dark Knight was already weakened and tired from taking on multiple other villains before him. Since Batman was nowhere near his best, Bane gained the upper hand in the fight. In a shocking twist, the villain lifted the Dark Knight over his head, and broke his back with his knee while screaming the now iconic line, "I will simply... BREAK YOU!"
It's an important moment in Batman history and mythology -- it was even translated to the big screen in Christopher Nolan's 2012 movie, The Dark Knight Rises. What's more, the storyline has continued to have an effect to this day, given how it played a central role in informing the recently-concluded Batman storyline, "City of Bane."
Now, the latest homage to this classic scene arrives in Batman: The Adventures Continue #1, where Batman engage Bane on the rooftop of a Gotham City building. After trading a few blows, the villain lifts Batman over his head, shouting "I will break you!" However, before he can bring him down on his knee to break his back, Bane falls unconscious to the ground.
As it turns out, Batman had already dosed Bane with a knockout sedative 30 minutes earlier. Therefore, with careful planning and foresight, Batman was able to defeat Bane before he even lifted a finger. While, the scene is meant simply as an homage to a classic moment in Batman history, but it also shows how prepared and efficient this version of the Dark Knight is.
Batman is a character who is known to be prepared for any eventuality. But in "Knightfall," the Caped Crusader was simply too weary from incessant battles with other villains to think ahead. Bane caught him in a weakened state, and that was how he was able to win. The different outcome in Batman: The Adventures Continue shows what happens when Bane goes after a Dark Knight who is in his prime, ready and prepared. Facing off against the Dark Knight at the peak of his powers, Bane simply has no chance.