Bane is one of the more recently created characters to hit the mainstream. He first appeared in 1993, in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1. Although his comic book counterpart is an intellectual match for Batman, his onscreen personas have been considerably more brutish. He bulks up with a steroid like substance, venom, becoming a physical threat for mere mortals like the Dark Knight. Bane is perhaps best known for breaking Batman's back in the epic 90's Knightfall arc.
Bane first appeared on screen in 1994 on the Batman: The Animated series episode "Bane" as an assassin for hire who nearly broke the Bat's back.
His next appearance would not be so dignified. Many people recall that Batman and Robin featured Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze, fortunately they fail to remember the 3rd (because 2 just weren't enough) major villain of the film was Bane.
At this point it was tough to believe he would ever be used in any medium ever again.
This moronic brute was more of a "Hulk Smash" style nitwit thug than any sort of thinking villain... though he did a decent job filling in as a chauffeur.
In 1998, Bane regained a bit of street cred with appearances in both The New Batman Adventures and Superman: The Animated Series (although Superman really cleaned his clock).
For some reason, this incarnation of Bane took a bit of an S&M turn, complete with studded dog collar. This same interpretation would return in the 2003 direct to video move Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman.
The ultimate fate of Bane was revealed in 1999's Batman Beyond series which portrayed Bane as a washed up junkie still chasing a venom induced fix.
Bane made a couple of appearances in The Batman beginning in 2004. "Traction," attempted to retell Knightfall in 20 minutes, and threw in a Bat-mecha just for fun.
Bane also appeared red as a beet when using his venom... for no real reason other than it looked "cool."
Perhaps fearing that Bane was too violent or that drug use was inappropriate for The Batman's audience, Bane's appearances were few and far between, though Joker managed to beef up on venom in a later episode.
Enter 2009. Bane appeared in an opening sequence of Batman: The Brave and the Bold where he battled Batman and street brawler Wildcat. Again, the artists provided a little S&M for big Bane in the form of a zipper fitted gimp mask.
Later in 2009, Bane will appear in the Superman / Batman: Public Enemies movie. Not sure what role he will fill as he was not in the original comic book story, but hopefully he can will be able to go home at the end of the day proud of how far he has come since his low point 10 years ago.
I suppose there is a slim chance he could return to live action in the
future, but for now Bane seems resigned to an animated lifestyle.
UPDATE: October 2011
A truer to form, intelligent and somewhat refined Bane had a recent
stint on the animated Young Justice series where he opted for face paint
rather than a mask - though have no fear he still pumped himself full
of muscle inducing venom.
In 2012, Bane will join the Legion in their quest to defeat the Justice League in Justice League: Doom.
Bane has also been announced as one of the main villains in the 2012
live action The Dark Knight Rises where it looks like he will slip back
into that comfy mask.
In 1978 the Super Friends were rebranded once again with a major shakeup in the team roster and big name bad guys.
Challenge of the Super Friends
Banded together from remote galaxies are thirteen of the most sinister villains of all-time -- the Legion of Doom. Dedicated to a single objective ... the conquest of the universe. Only one groups dares to challenge this intergalactic threat: the Superfriends!
This diabolical Legion, consisting of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Solomon Grundy, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, Bizarro, Cheetah, Black Manta, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Sinestro, Captain Cold, and the Toyman, were actually mostly from Earth. Nevertheless, this series marked the introduction of real supervillains challenging the friends who had previously been occupied with natrual disasters, monsters, and the occassional alien threat. The heroes finally had an excuse to throw some punches.
Although there were 13 villains, there were but 11 heroes. Zan and Jayna were dropped from the line-up and replaced with previous guest stars. The roster now consisted of Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin, Hawkman, Flash, and Green Lantern, as well as the invented for the series Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Apache Chief.
Wonder Twins fans, despair not. In addition to the Challenge series, additional All-New Super Friends Episodes were produced featuring the core team of Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins. In all, 16 episodes apiece were produced for the Challenge and All-New series, but it was Challenge of the Super Friends which has gone on to become the most memorable of all the Super Friends titles.
Captain George Kirk that is. After two years we finally have some bits of tid on the Thor live action movie. I don't really have much to say except that it seems like they didn't want to break the bank on a recognizable star.
The trailer for the upcoming animated Superman / Batman: Public Enemies movie is online, exclusively at imdb.com. I have to say, it looks pretty good and so far, it seems to be sticking true to the source material. The trailer is jam packed with characters including Supes, Bats, Power-Suit Lex, Nippleless Solomon Grundy, Bane, Metallo, Giganta, Black Manta, Silver Banshee and more. This could be a fun ride and an excellent opportunity for a whole action figure toy line as well. No mention of a release date, but methinks, November perhaps.
In 1977, the Super Friends series, having gained a fan base in reruns, was revitalized and retitled.
The All New Super Friends Hour
Gone from this team were Wonderdog, Wendy, and Marvin but the kid factor was replaced with Batman's sidekick Robin and the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna with their space monkey Gleek. The twins hailed from the planet Exxor and although junior heroes, they got to participate in the adventures. Their powers were activated when the twins touched each other and said, "Wonder Twin powers, activate!" Zan could transform into anything made of water and Jayna could be any animal. Gleek occasionally used his prehensile tail to reach objects.
The All-New Superfriends Hour was structured in four segments. The first featured a team-up between two "Friends." The second segment showcased the Wonder Twins. The third and main event featured the whole team, and the fourth segment introduced a guest hero. The fifteen hour long episodes included guests Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Rima the Jungle Girl, The Atom, Green Lantern, Samurai, and The Flash. This series also featured villains from the comic books including Black Manta and Gentleman Ghost.
Between segments there were additional short spots with members of the Super Friends giving basic safety lessons, providing basic first aid advice, demonstrating magic tricks, and presenting a two-part riddle featuring the week's primary plot line.
Heroes: The X-Men core team includes Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, and Professor X with new additions Wolverine and Rogue. Also seens include Ice-Man, Jubilee, Shadowcat, and Pyro.
Villains: The Brotherhood of Mutants include Magneto, Mystique, Toad, and Sabretooth.
Diabolical Scheme: Magneto wants to turn all of the world leaders into mutants.
Coolest Moment(s): The melting of Senator Kelly, Wolverine's fight scenes, Magneto vs the police.
Worst Moment: Finding out what happens when a toad is struck by lightning.
Comic Book Logic: If Magneto has a magical thought proof hat, why not equip his whole team with them?
Opening Weekend: $54,471,475
Total Domestic Box Office: $157,299,717
Adjusted Domestic Total: $210,122,071
Review in 50 Words or Less: Good intro to the X-Men universe that could have used a couple more core team members. Establishes a mighty nemesis in Magneto. Provides a good mix of action and humor and a nice Wolverine / Cyclops rivalry. A fair stand alone, but a better set up for the next movie.
The biggest event of the year, and one of the biggest milestones ever for superhero shows was the 1978 debut of Superman: The Movie. Promising audiences that they would believe a man could fly, Richard Donner delivered an epic telling of the Man of Steel's origins and first clash with the diabolical Lex Luthor. While it was not the first live-action Superhero film, or even the first live-action Superman film, its success, technological accomplishments, score, and influence mark this movie as the beginning of an era for the superhero film genre. For more, check out the SuperheroShows film capsule.
Challenge of the the Super Friends
Another high point of the year was the animated debut of the Challenge of the Super Friends featuring the Legion of Doom. Under the leadership of Lex Luthor, the core members Bizarro, Black Manta, Brainiac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Riddler, Scarecrow, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, and Toyman united to take on the Justice League.
Although the Super Friends series was revived in 1977, the "Friends" mostly only fought weather, beasts, and aliens. Having actual villains took the show to a new level.
So DC had a good year. What about Marvel...
The Fantastic Four
Its hard to pick a high point in 1978 for team Marvel, but I guess I will give that award to the animated The Fantastic Four. Ironically, there are really only 3 of the team here: Mr Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, and the Thing. The Human Torch's rights were elsewhere tied up. You would think not having the whole team would prevent the show from being made. Ah, its called the Fantastic Four, but it doesnt specifically identify who the Four are. Besides, in the comics, the lineup has had some variation over the years including temporary members Luke Cage, Nova, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man, Namorita, Storm, Black Panther, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider. So which of them was in the show? None. Instead they opted to introduce the robot H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics). The series lasted just 13 episodes.
Dr. Strange
The Strange one also experienced what was asdly one of his carreer highs in 1978 in the form of a made for TV movie. The movie failed to inspire investment in a hoped for ongoing series. In the show, a young woman named Clea Lake becomes a pawn of the Sorceress Morgan Le Fay. The current Sorcerer Supreme, Thomas Linmer (aka Merlin) and his man-servant Wong recruit psychiatrist Stephen Strange, to become Linmer's disciple and the next Sorcerer Supreme. Strange must thwart Margan and save Clea. Youtube never ceases to amaze:
Spider-Man Strikes Back
Spider-Man Strikes back is nothing more than episodes 2 and 3 of the 1977 Amazing Spider-Man series packaged together for Eurpean and home theater release. Fool me once, shame on you... This Spider-Man is still lame.
スパイダーマン - Supaidāman
Japanese Spider-Man on the other hand is a whole other topic. Marvel gave a Japanese company unrestricted license to some of its characters. Spider-Man's likeness was used in this Power Rangeres-esque series. Probably a better use than Spider-Man Strikes Back. 41 episodes were produced. Come to think of it, this was probably Marvel's high point for the year. At least it enjoyed some longevity.
There you have it. 1978 was an uneven year for the big two.
Updated:
In 1978, existing shows Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle and The New Adventures of Batman were repackaged with 5 new shows to create Tarzan and the Super 7. These included a live action segment, Jason of Star Command and four Superhero themed shows: The Freedom Force, Manta and Moray, Superstretch and Microwoman, and Web Woman. I don't remember watching these as a kid, but honestly, I am amazed these things even got made. They look pretty terrible.
* The Freedom Force
The Freedom Force showcased Isis from the live-action The Secrets of Isis series of the time and added Merlin, Sinbad, Super Samurai, and Hercules from 1977's Space Sentinels
* Superstretch and Microwoman
Superstretch and Microwoman can kind of be described a Plastic Man and the Atom get married. The show featured Chris and Christy Cross, your average suburban African-American couple. Chris could take virtually any shape (such as a plane, a robot, a rubber ball, a perfect double of a villain, etc.) whileChristy could shrink to microscopic size. A match made in heaven. Frequently tagging along on their adventures was their little dog, Trouble with whom they battled Granny Candy, the Toymaker, and evil counterparts from another dimension,Superstarch and Magnawoman.
* Manta and Moray
You know what hero is cool? Aquaman. Manta and Moray, a pair of amphibious superheroes hoped to win over some of that rabid Aquaman fanbase. Manta (Monarch of the Deep) was the last survivor of the ancient civilization of Mu, which was destroyed by a terrible explosion, but Manta was engulfed by a wave of unknown radiation, and placed into a form of suspended animation deep beneath the waves. He was discovered and awoken by Moray, a human woman, whom he subsequently married. He was amphibious, but could not be away from water for too long or he would weaken and die. LikeAquaman he could communicate with sealife, but he could talk to land animals as well. Moray was raised by dolphins after the plane her parents had been flying in crashed into the sea; she learned to live in the ocean. Together with Whiskers the sea lion and Guppy the whale they protected the sea.
* Web Woman
Web Woman was the alias of Kelly Webster. She was originally going to be called Spider-Woman but Marvel getting wind of the plan invented their own Spider-Woman to assure the copyright which would debut in her own series in 1979.
Kelly saved the life of an alien insectoid who was swept into a raging river during a thunderstorm. In gratitude, the alien gave her with a mysterious ring, which gave her the powers of the entire insect kingdom. Her transformation into Web Woman was brought on by a vocal command combined with the power of the ring that spoken like this:
"Insects of the world...small creatures of the cosmos...lend me your powers...NOW!"
She has a variety of weapons, such as a webline from her utility belt, and the ring could produce sleeping gas and an energy beam that solidified into webbing. She was aided in her missions by a furry littleinsectoid-like alien named Spinner. She traveled in a spider-shaped, 8-legged flying saucer called Webtrac. Sounds pretty cool.
This moronic brute was more of a "Hulk Smash" style nitwit thug than any sort of thinking villain... though he did a decent job filling in as a chauffeur.
In 1998, Bane regained a bit of street cred with appearances in both The New Batman Adventures and Superman: The Animated Series (although Superman really cleaned his clock).
For some reason, this incarnation of Bane took a bit of an S&M turn, complete with studded dog collar. This same interpretation would return in the 2003 direct to video move Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman.
The ultimate fate of Bane was revealed in 1999's Batman Beyond series which portrayed Bane as a washed up junkie still chasing a venom induced fix.
Bane made a couple of appearances in The Batman beginning in 2004. "Traction," attempted to retell Knightfall in 20 minutes, and threw in a Bat-mecha just for fun.
Enter 2009. Bane appeared in an opening sequence of Batman: The Brave and the Bold where he battled Batman and street brawler Wildcat. Again, the artists provided a little S&M for big Bane in the form of a zipper fitted gimp mask.
