Originally intended as a "dark mirror" of the highly disciplined and multi-skilled pulp hero Doc Savage, Bane spends his childhood in a hellish prison on the corrupt island nation of Santa Prisca. He develops superhuman strength through a forced experiment involving the drug Venom. Although his dependency on Venom is an immense weakness, Bane has been one of Batman's most intelligent and physically powerful foes. He is best known for breaking Batman's back in the "Knightfall" story arc.

Although primarily a villain, Bane is a complex character and has worked to take down drug lords. Despite their history, he has sometimes had Batman's financial backing and direct assistance.

Bane has appeared in some other media adaptations of Batman, including Batman: The Animated Series and its sequels and spin-offs and its successor, The Batman. Pro-wrestler Jeep Swenson played him in the 1997 film Batman & Robin. In most of these adaptations, he is more simplistic and thug-like than his comic book counterpart.