Absolute Batman Meets Absolute Bane, and the Results are Mind-Boggling

Absolute Batman whitethorn deficiency galore of the innate advantages of DC's accepted Dark Knight, but 1 happening helium has going for him is sheer mass. Writer Scott Snyder famously joked that this is "The Batman Who Lifts," fixed the mode helium towers implicit conscionable astir everyone other successful Gotham City. Though not rather everyone. What happens erstwhile Absolute Batman meets Absolute Bane?

That's the question Snyder and creator Nick Dragotta person acceptable retired to reply successful the series' latest communicative arc, "Abomination." Absolute Batman #9 introduces Bane to Bruce's rapidly increasing rogues gallery. If you thought the Bane of the Arkham games was huge, conscionable hold until you get a load of Absolute Bane.

Read connected for a afloat breakdown of what happens erstwhile Absolute Batman meets Absolute Bane for the archetypal time, arsenic good arsenic the different cardinal Batman players who marque their debuts successful this issue.

Meet Absolute Bane

Bane makes his instauration successful this contented erstwhile helium crashes a backstage bid acme betwixt the leaders of Qurac and Kahndaq. No sooner bash the 2 men hold to extremity their agelong warfare and embark connected a caller epoch of bid and practice than Bane comes knocking. He informs the 2 men that, sadly, their bid talks broke down, and 1 antheral killed the different successful a acceptable of rage. After securing a volunteer, Bane promptly crushes the different leader's caput successful 1 monolithic fist.

Art by Nick Dragotta. (Image Credit: DC)

As you tin see, Absolute Bane is an awesome carnal specimen, dwarfing adjacent Bruce Wayne. You mightiness person expected Snyder and Dragotta to spell successful a wholly antithetic absorption with this mentation of the character, making him thin and lithe to opposition Batman's earthy muscle, but Snyder told IGN successful a caller intervew that this was ne'er an option.

“Bane, the 1 happening I'll accidental is he's truly big. That's it,” Snyder said. “People were like, ‘Oh, he's going to beryllium small.’ He's not going to beryllium small. He's not small. We wanted idiosyncratic who makes Bruce's silhouette look smaller.”

Absolute Bane whitethorn beryllium large, but he's hardly a dumb brute. If anything, the quality is oddly pleasant and well-spoken successful his debut scene, adjacent revealing a philosophical bent:

Art by Nick Dragotta. (Image Credit: DC)

The accusation successful this country is that Bane is moving for Absolute Joker, a antheral whom we cognize is simply a reclusive billionaire who runs JK Industries and the mysterious Ark project. This assassination is portion of a larger, systematic effort to destabilize satellite governments and enrich the affluent elite. No sooner does Bane execute his ngo than he's called to Gotham City and his archetypal brushwood with the Batman.

Absolute Nightwing and Deathstroke

Bane isn't the lone large Batman quality who makes his debut successful contented #9. We besides conscionable the Absolute versions of Dick Grayson and Deathstroke.

As acold arsenic we know, this Dick Grayson hasn't go Robin oregon Nightwing conscionable yet. Instead, he's moving arsenic a Gotham City EMT. His occupation has grown overmuch much hard of late, arsenic Batman is presently cutting a bloody swath done the transgression underworld and leaving countless Maroni and Falcone household members battered and broken. With each ambulance and each rideshare conveyance called into action, Dick is forced to contention 2 of his charges to the infirmary connected a rickshaw.

Art by Nick Dragotta. (Image Credit: DC)

Why is Batman connected the warpath? He's searching for his puerility friend, Waylan, who was abducted successful contented #8. Once Batman discovers (with assistance from GCPD serviceman Barbara Gordon) that Waylan has been taken to Ark-M, helium hatches a program to infiltrate the still-under-construction installation and rescue his friend. Serving arsenic his eyes and ears is Alfred Pennyworth, who has returned to Gotham to lend a helping manus to its caller protector.

However, Alfred has heavy misgivings astir the ngo and Batman's quality to safely exfiltrate Waylan. Something has Alfred spooked, and we larn that it involves a find astir an aged friend. Alfred is haunted by the cognition that his aged comrade-in-arms Slade Wilson is present acting arsenic the Joker's bodyguard. To Alfred, everything leads backmost to the overarching warfare that present looms implicit humanity.

Art by Nick Dragotta. (Image Credit: DC)

It's besides worthy mentioning that contented #9 alludes to different large constituent of the Batman mythos (and 1 that played a cardinal portion successful Snyder's erstwhile Batman work). As helium explores the depths of Ark-M, Batman comes crossed the skeleton of a gigantic bat frozen successful ice.

Art by Nick Dragotta. (Image Credit: DC)

This skeleton appears to beryllium Barbatos, the demonic Bat-God that consumes decaying worlds created by the World Forge, and the being that pursued the Dark Knight crossed clip successful 2010's Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. This Batman doesn't afloat comprehend what he's seeing, but helium seems to consciousness that some helium and it are portion of immoderate larger cosmic game. Given Barbatos' ties to Darkseid, and the information that Darkseid was the catalyst down the instauration of the Absolute Universe, this cameo appears to beryllium hinting astatine a larger storyline.

Absolute Batman vs. Absolute Bane

Batman and Bane yet conscionable successful the closing pages of Absolute Batman #9, and their showdown doesn't spell good for the Dark Knight. Bane approaches their combat with a lackadaiscal calm. He calls retired each of Batman's moves with an appreciative air, earlier responding by breaking his opponent's arms and limb successful turn.

Here's wherever things get truly wacky. Batman attempts to taunt Bane by calling him a "juicer," lone for Bane to uncover that helium hasn't really activated the Venom tubes strapped to his back. As monolithic arsenic Absolute Bane is, helium tin turn adjacent bigger. And turn helium does, revealing the monstrous translation that takes spot erstwhile helium does devour Venom.

Once throughly juiced, Bane is present truthful tremendous that Batman is astir the size of 1 of his arms. No mentation of Bane we've seen before, whether from the classical comics, the cartoons, oregon the games, tin measurement up to this hulking monstrosity.

Clearly, Batman has his enactment chopped retired for him. Will helium find immoderate mode of overcoming this acold stronger and much skilled opponent? Will helium travel the illustration of classical Batman and upwind up with a breached backmost for his troubles? We'll find retired arsenic "Abomination" continues to unfold.

For much connected DC's Absolute line, find retired wherefore it's DC's astir breathtaking motorboat successful years, and spot the galore ways Absolute Batman reinvents the Dark Knight's mythology.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.