Batman: I Am Bane

I Am Bane

Official Name

I Am Bane

Universe

Prime Earth

Locations

Gotham

Characters

Issue Began	Issue Ended
Batman Vol 3 #16 (April, 2017)	Batman Vol 3 #20 (June, 2017)

I am not a joke. I am not a riddle! I am not a bird or a cat or a penguin! I'm not a scarecrow or a plant or a puppet! I am not your broken friend! I am not your regretful teacher! I am not a child's fairy tale! I am not a circus act here to amuse and frighten you! I am not another one of your madmen howling at the moon! And I...I am not...I am not some rich boy playing dress-up! I AM BANE!

-- Bane

I Am Bane is a five-part Batman story-line written by Tom King and illustrated by David Finch, featuring Bane's attack on Gotham City, following the events of "I Am Suicide". Over the course of five days, Batman attempts to fend off Bane's attacks while he uses Psycho Pirate's abilities to heal the fractured mind of Gotham Girl.

Synopsis

In Day One, Bronze Tiger confronts Batman at Arkham Asylum, warning him that Bane is coming to Gotham for Psycho-Pirate. Later, Bruce informs the Bat-family about Bane’s impending arrival, urging them to leave Gotham. Catwoman appears on the GCPD rooftop, flirting with Batman despite his insistence that she should flee, as Bane seeks vengeance. That night, Bruce and Alfred are horrified to discover Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin apparently dead, with “I AM BANE” written on them.

Day Two sees Bronze Tiger attacked, while Batman places Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood in cryostasis with Superman for protection. Alfred, disguised as Jeremiah Arkham, attempts to help Gotham Girl using Psycho-Pirate, while Batman waits for Bane on the Asylum’s rooftop. Catwoman’s disguise as a construction worker reveals her motives, while Duke and Gordon fend off attackers only to be captured by Bane.

On Day Three, Bane captures and brutalizes Batman after his refusal to hand over Psycho-Pirate. Flashbacks reveal Bruce’s and Bane’s similar upbringings, but Bane ultimately defeats Batman. However, Catwoman interrupts, revealing a plan that lets her and Batman escape, leaving Bane humiliated as “I AM CAT” is scratched onto his thugs’ chests.

Day Four begins with Bane storming Arkham Asylum, plowing through well-known villains released by Batman as distractions. One by one, figures like Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, and Two-Face fall before him. Finally, Bane reaches Batman, who is prepared for a climactic showdown as Maxi Zeus quotes Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.

On Day Five, Batman and Bane engage in a brutal fight. Batman reflects on Gotham Girl’s significance, while Bane issues threats to kill everyone Batman holds dear. Near death, Bruce hears his mother’s voice but gathers his will to remind Bane that he may be Bane, but Bruce is Batman. With one final headbutt, Batman knocks Bane unconscious. Delirious, he finds solace in his mother’s voice, realizing he fights for Gotham not for glory, but because it’s right.

Issues

Notes

This story-line is Part 3 of 3 of the "I Am" trilogy; the first part being Batman: I Am Gotham and the second part being Batman: I Am Suicide.
The story-line shares its name with the Gotham episode I Am Bane.

Links and References

Batman Family Storylines

Batgirl	Batgirl Rising • The Darkest Reflection • Death Wish • Destruction's Daughter • Fists of Fury • Fresh Blood • Kicking Assassins • A Knight Alone • Knightfall Descends • The Lesson • Redemption • Silent Running • Year One
Batman	A Death in the Family • A Lonely Place of Dying • Arkham Reborn • Bane of the Demon • Battle for the Cowl • Batman and Robin Must Die • Batman and Son • Batman R.I.P. • Batman Reborn • Batman vs. Robin • Black and White • The Black Mirror • Blackest Knight • Blackest Night • Blades • Blind Justice • Born to Kill • Broken City • Cacophony • The Cat and the Bat • Cataclysm • City of Crime • City of Light • Clay • Contagion • The Court of Owls • The Cult • Cycle of Violence • The Dark Knight Returns • The Dark Knight Strikes Again • Dark Knight, Dark City • Dark Moon Rising • Dark Victory • Dead to Rights • Death and the City • Death and the Maidens • Death of the Family • Destiny • The Destroyer • Detective • Evolution • Eye of the Beholder • Face the Face • Faces • Faces of Death • Faith • Flyer • Freakout • Fugitive • Gates of Gotham • Going Sane • Golden Dawn • Gordon of Gotham • Gotham After Midnight • Gotham Underground • Gothic • Haunted Knight • Heart of Hush • Hothouse • The House of Hush • Hush • Hush Beyond • Hush Money • Hush Returns • Impostors • Infected • Joker's Asylum • Judgment on Gotham • King Tut's Tomb • Knight Terrors • Knightfall • The Last Arkham • Last Rites • Leaves of Grass • Legacy • Leviathan • Life After Death • The Long Halloween • Long Shadows • Lovers and Madmen • Many Deaths of the Batman • Mask • New Gotham • Night of the Owls • No Man's Land • Officer Down • Orpheus Rising • Pearl • Prey • Prodigal • Reborn • The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul • Revenge of the Red Hood • Riddle Me This • Rite of Passage • The Road Home • Rules of Engagement • Scare Tactics • Shaman • Snow • Strange Apparitions • Sword of Azrael • Tabula Rasa • Tales of the Demon • Ten Nights of the Beast • Terror • Tower of Babel • Transference • Troika • Under the Hood • Unseen • Venom • Victims • War Games • Werewolf • Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? • When the Earth Dies • The Wrath • Year 1 • Year 2 • Year 3
Catwoman	The Catfile • Catwoman Dies • Crime Pays • Crooked Little Down • Dark End of the Street • Dollhouse • Family Ties • The Game • Her Sister's Keeper • Hints and Allegations • I'll Take Manhattan • It's Only a Movie • Lifelines • The Long Road Home • No Easy Way Down • The One You Love • Only Happy When it Rains • Relentless • The Replacements • She-Cats • The Tin Roof Club • Trail of the Catwoman • When in Rome • Wild Ride • Year 1 • Year 2
Nightwing	Big Guns • Brothers in Blood • A Darker Shade of Justice • Freefall • The Great Leap • The Hunt for Oracle • A Knight in Bludhaven • The Lost Year • Love and Bullets • Love and War • Mobbed Up • On the Razor's Edge • Renegade • Road to Nowhere • Rough Justice • Ties That Bind • Traps and Trapezes • Year One
Red Robin	7 Days of Death • Collision • Council of Spiders • The Grail • The Hit List • The Rabbithole
Robin	The Big Leagues • Days of Fire and Madness • Fresh Blood • Flying Solo • A Hero Reborn • Scattered Fruit • Search for a Hero • Teenage Wasteland • To Kill a Bird • Tragedy and Triumph • Unmasked! • Violent Tendencies • The Virtual Cell • Wanted • The Wrong Town • Year One
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Batman Family Storyline

This event or storyline is specifically related to Batman, or to members of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Batman Storylines category.