Bane Replaced Bruce Wayne as The True Heir of Ra’s al Ghul
For years, Ra’s Al Ghul has sought Batman to join the League of Assassins and eventually replace him at the head of the organization. Despite Bruce’s on-and-off relationship with Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter, Talia Al Ghul, he has resisted most attempts to enter the organization and take the reins. After much frustration, though, The Head of The Demon eventually found someone he considered to be a worthy successor in none other than Bane, the man who broke the Bat.
Batman: Legacy was a 2007 arc by Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Doug Moench, Jim Balent and Graham Nolan. As Batman, Nightwing, and Robin cross swords with the League of Assassins once more, Ra’s Al Ghul attempts to unleash a world-decimating pathogen. While Batman and his allies attempt to thwart the League’s plans in the Sudanese desert, Ra’s Al Ghul relies heavily on a costumed man, even indicating that he is ro Talia’s future mate in the coming apocalypse. As Ra’s Al Ghul, Talia, and the remaining members of the League of Assassins begin to make an exit, the masked man reveals himself to be none other than Bane, who Ra’s Al Ghul has selected to replace him at the head of the organization.
As Ra’s Al Ghul’s right-hand, Bane replaced the master assassin Ubu for the duration of the arc, even being mistaken for the henchman by Robin. Bane takes a slight backseat to Ra’s Al Ghul during the events of the arc, but that makes him no less dangerous. He stalks the Dark Knight and his allies, springs traps, and trades blows with all the might and cunning fans would expect of the Man Who Broke The Bat. At first, he appears to be the latest addition to the League of Assassin’s fearsome roster and committed to Ra’s Al Ghul’s goal to bring about the downfall of civilization. It makes sense for Ra’s Al Ghul to have selected Bane as a future heir when Batman rejected the League, given that Bane also has the qualities that made Bruce Wayne such a desirable candidate.
While Bane’s connection to the League of Assassins/League of Shadows largely entered the public consciousness through his appearance in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Legacy was the first instance of the Santa Priscan supervillain working with Ra’s Al Ghul. After failing to convince Batman to join the League of Assassins, Ra’s Al Ghul sought a replacement who possessed both a keen mind and a physically fit body. While few individuals compare to the Dark Knight’s intellect and physical prowess, Bane is one of the small number of figures in DC comics who possesses both. Bane even managed to defeat Batman and break his back in their first encounter, something that certainly won him brownie points with the Head of The Demon. Ra’s Al Ghul was ready to go all-in on Bane, seeing him as worthy to continue on his dynasty through an arranged marriage with Talia, which would hopefully spawn future heirs to the Al Ghul empire. Fortunately for Batman, and the world, Bane would find himself ousted from the League after being defeated by Batman in combat, and his standing in Ra’s Al Ghul’s eyes plummetted.
Ra’s Al Ghul has attempted to get Batman to agree to replace him as the head of the League of Shadows, but the Dark Knight has resisted at just about every turn. When Bruce Wayne was unwilling, The Demon found another man deemed worthy of succeeding him in Bane, a man with the intellect and physique to match the Bat.