When Batman first encountered Bane, he endured a beating so bad he was put on the shelf for over a year, and new cover art reveals the Dark Knight may be facing an equally brutal fate. In a newly revealed cover for Batman #126, Batman looks to be in a bad way as Nightwing looks on in horror. Bruce Wayne has taken his fair share of beatings over the years, but this epic cover teases a truly devastating fight that could leave him worse off than Bane ever left him.
In Batman #497, by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Jim Aparo, Bane wreaks havoc on Bruce, breaking into Wayne Manor, discovering the Batcave and ultimately snapping Batman's back over his knee. The iconic moment sent shockwaves through Batman's mythos, marking the biggest defeat the Dark Knight ever endured. But now, with his fate already sealed, Bruce is facing down the barrel of an even more devastating end. The upcoming event Dark Crisis by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere will have the DC Universe reeling from the loss of their most iconic super team, the Justice League. The gruesome state of Batman in this cover is a big hint to fans that this event is also going to shatter what fans know about the Dark Knight.
As the Dark Crisis event marks the death of the Justice League and a shake-up of DC's heroic landscape, fans are highly anticipating what the future holds. On his personal Substack newsletter, comics great and new writer for the ongoing Batman series Chip Zdarsky revealed the covers for Batman #126, including the main cover by series artist Jorge Jimenez. The cover is a gruesome scene, with Batman silhouetted in a pool of blood, with a horrified Nightwing reflected in the pool, standing over him to check his pulse. The scene echoes the violence of Batman's devastating showdown with Bane.
The cover also harkens to the brutal tone of Zdarsky's latest series, Daredevil, which had Marco Checchetto as lead artist. This could mean an exciting new story for the infamous cowl. Zdarsky's Daredevil run saw the introduction of a new Daredevil, with Elektra Natchios taking the mantle when Matt Murdock was out of commission. She flourished in the role, now even sharing the title with Matt Murdock in the aftermath of Devil's Reign. While it's unlikely Zdarsky would re-use story beats from such a recent work of his own, it should give fans confidence that as Bruce Wayne sees his final days — for now, at least — that Gotham in capable hands in his absence.
Batman has proven to be one of DC's toughest heroes, but his endless array of tech and billions in the bank can't save him forever. While this is sure to be just the beginning of a new era for Batman, the brutal beating he's about to take is bound to rival what Bane did to him many years ago, and fans will get to see these events unfold for themselves when Batman #126 hits stores this August.
Source: Chip Zdarsky