Warning! Spoilers for Joker #14 ahead!
While many in Gotham, and indeed, Batman himself, would consider Joker to be the city’s most dangerous criminal mind, they would all be fools to discount Bane. While Joker has certainly captured the public eye in both Gotham and the real world, Bane has officially just surpassed the Clown Prince of Crime as Gotham’s deadliest criminal mind.
Over the course of the Joker series, James Gordon has learned the true nature of the DC world, and the fact that a secret cabal of ultra-wealthy cannibals exist and protect each other. This cabal influences governments, corporations, and religious organizations. Enter Cressida, Gordon’s point of contact within the Court of Owls; her father was ousted from his leadership position within the Court of Owls, Cressida found herself on the run from both the Court and the Network. She wanted revenge, but she lacked the intellect to put together a water-tight plan to bring both organizations down. So, she sought out the supervillain who did possess such a cunning mind, Bane.
In Joker #14 by James Tynion IV and Giuseppe Camuncoli, James Gordon’s quest to stop Joker once and for all begins reaching its thrilling conclusion in Hooper County, Texas. As Gordon makes his final preparations for one last play against the sadistic Sampson family, he finally sees the big picture and determines who is truly behind his present predicament, and the devastating A-Day attack. After joining all the pieces of the puzzle, Gordon determines that the mastermind behind A-Day, and sicking the cannibalistic Network and Sampson family on Joker is none other than Bane, who is alive and well!
With Cressida’s help, Bane executed A-Day in a way to both frame Joker and rile the Clown Prince of Crime up to lash out at The Network. The body discovered in Bane’s cell was a clone stolen from the Network, part of their research into creating a new generation of designer supervillains they could control. Bane knew how Joker would react, and played him like a fiddle to draw out the Network and the Sampsons. While historically Joker has always been Batman’s rival and Gotham’s most feared villain, in recent history Bane has clearly dethroned the Clown as Gotham’s biggest bad. In recent years, Bane gained control of the city, killed Alfred, and now caused the A-Day Massacre which pushed the city into the authoritarian arms of the Magistrate. Bane was always meant to be as cunning as he is physically imposing, yet his recent publication history has clearly taken the character to new heights, and cemented his place at the top of Gotham’s underworld.
Joker may be Batman’s most iconic foe, yet as Gotham and the Caped Crusader are likely to find out soon, Bane has become the city’s de facto greatest mastermind. As Gordon’s deeply personal quest reaches it’s resolution in the forsaken Hooper County, Texas, he realizes that all the recent misfortune that his befallen Batman, and indeed Gotham, was part of Bane’s chilling grand design and desire for conquest.
Joker #14 is available now from DC Comics!