King's Bane (Dark Knights of Steel)

The man who would become the King's Bane was a royal guard to the Waynes. He was paralysed and left for dead when the Green Man murdered King Thomas and Queen Martha, but was found by a doctor named Crane who nursed him back to health and fashioned a magic mask for him which allowed him to walk again and gave him great strength.

The King's Bane was loyal to the Wayne Family and believed that Bruce Wayne should have been made king despite being a bastard, and was outraged when the Els took the throne for themselves, unaware that the Els had also wanted Bruce to be king and tried and failed to convince him to take the crown. He became an outlaw in Hobb Forest and gathered a small band of like-minded people. He also managed to obtain a magic weapon which could harm the Els

One day, as Bruce was riding through the Forest, the King's Bane attacked and killed his guards, then bowed to Bruce and acknowledge him as his king. He told Bruce that the Els had stolen his birthright, and that if Bruce joined him, he would teach the young prince to kill monsters like the Kryptonians.

Bruce came to the King's Bane and asked him to learn how to fight people with powers. The King's Bane taught Bruce how to use stealth and surprise to fight people stronger than him. They trained together for months until Bruce was ready. Bane told Bruce how he had failed to protect his parents from the Green Man and been crippled, but that he would honour his parent's memory by putting a Wayne on the throne. The next day, Bruce smuggled the King's Bane into the castle to murder the Els at breakfast, but just before he was about to, Bruce cut the tubes on his mask that fed magic into his body, rendering him helpless. Bruce swore his loyalty to the Els and threw the King's Bane into the dungeon.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Weaknesses

Missing Eye
Restricted Mobility: The King's Bane is paralysed from the waist down.
- Magic Reliability: The King's Bane needs his mask to walk.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Mask: The King's Bane wears a mask which constantly pumps magic into his body to allow him to walk.
- Superhuman Strength: The magic also enhances his strength.

Weapons

Magic Mace
Sword: The King's Bane wields a massive broadsword one-handed.

Notes

Bane was created by Dennis O'Neill, Chuck Dixon, and Graham Nolan, first appearing in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1. However, the Dark Knights of Steel version of Bane first appeared in Dark Knights of Steel: Tales from the Three Kingdoms #1 by C.S. Pacat and Michele Bandini.

King's Bane (Dark Knights of Steel)

Contents

History