Batman has had a whole host of sidekicks over the years, but perhaps the most surprising person to him in his crusade was Bane, who believed at the time that he was Bruce Wayne's brother. Bane found some fascinating information about his possible relation to the Dark Knight and decided in light of it, maybe they should put their differences in the past to rest.
Bane and Batman haven't had the friendliest of relationships; when Bane first appeared in Gotham he obliterated a wall of Arkham Asylum, allowing criminals to pour out into the city of Gotham. When Batman finally managed to track down almost his entire rogues' gallery and return them to a new prison within a single night, he returned exhausted to the Batcave where he was ambushed by a man he'd never seen before, a man named Bane. Bane broke Batman in a way that even Joker couldn't do and proceeded to rule Gotham. It took a long time, but eventually, Bruce returned to Gotham City and resumed his role as the city's Dark Knight protector.
Bane eventually goes on a quest to find his father, while he has several leads, he eventually narrows it down to what he believes has to be the truth. The man Bane decides is the most likely candidate to be his father is none other than Thomas Wayne. He bases this conclusion on nothing more than a photo he finds of his mother alongside Bruce Wayne's father. This was revealed to readers in the 2002 storyline "Batman: Tabula Rasa," which originally appeared in Batman: Gotham Knights #33-36 by Scott Beatty and Mike Collins. Upon learning Bane might be his brother, Batman is surprisingly okay with this revelation. While the rest of the Bat-Family are naturally distrustful of Bane, Batman allows him to come out and fight crime alongside him while they wait on a blood test. The test eventually proves that Bane and Batman are not related, but for several weeks they fight alongside one another and Bane even refers to Bruce as a brother.
Bane Desperately Wants A Family Of His Own
Bruce Wayne may have lost his entire family and his world when he was a young child, but he eventually found a new family in the friends and connections he made as Batman. Bane was someone literally born without a family, he was born into a prison and forced to serve out the sentence for his father's crimes. While he certainly had henchmen, he's never had a family. This is something Bane seems to desperately want. When he goes to the hospital to retrieve the blood sample, he hesitates for a moment in the maternity ward, watching the young children there. When he learns the blood results, he confesses to Leslie Thompkins that he doesn't know how to feel over it, but the idea of it made him hopeful. The thought of having a family gave Bane another purpose aside from destruction.
After the results are revealed, Batman promises Bane that if he dedicates his life to doing good, to doing something noble, Batman will do everything in his power to help track down Bane's real father. While Batman and Bane didn't end up being brothers, this event did put Bane on the path to redemption, even if DC didn't stick with it.
