Warning: Contains Spoilers for Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1!Batman's ability to get back up after taking a beating is the true nature of his persona. He's fought villain after villain time and again, and he's never given up - not even when Bane broke his back. Until fans travel to the one universe, that is, where the Bat finally stayed down.

Kyle Rayner's Green Lantern slips into a world of an alternate '90s reality in Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1 by Dan Jurgens, Ron Marz, Darryl Banks, Howard Porter, Jerry Ordway, and Kelley Jones. What he finds is one of the biggest what-if scenarios for Batman in DC history.

Comic book page: an old Bruce Wayne appears in a high tech wheelchair. Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and Batgirl talk about Bane breaking his back.

Deep within Wayne Manor is a paralyzed Bruce Wayne, living as a hermit in his mansion and using a high-tech wheelchair to get around. This is a sordid reality where Bane really broke the Bat - and the Bat never came back.

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1

Bane Is the Only Villain to Break Batman

The Iconic Image by Jim Aparo from Knightfall

Bane Breaks Batman Full Page

The events of Knightfall, by Doug Moench and Jim Aparo, had far-reaching consequences for the Dark Knight. One of the biggest shockwaves from this iconic storyline was the fact that the Batman could be beaten, and even more surprisingly, the beating came from an entirely new villain and not from the Joker. Bane broke Batman's back in a single comic that reverberated through the comic community for years to come. What came back, however, was only stronger.

The most unrecognizable aspect about this alternate Batman is that he gave up.

In Tom King's run on the Batman title — specifically in the City of Bane arc with artist Mikel Janín — Batman and Bane have a back-breaking rematch where Batman is finally able to take his revenge. King and Janín's story took years in the making and all of it happened because Batman was never truly broken. But this Zero Hour special asks an essential question, creating an entire alternate reality where the best DC stories of the '90s met their worst outcomes: what if the Bat was actually broken during Knightfall - and for good?

This alternate timeline also features the death of Superman - but with no return, unlike the iconic Death and Return of Superman saga from the same DC era as Knightfall.

The Real Batman Never Breaks

Batman Finally Catches a Break With His Revenge

Batman lifts Bane over his head in City of Bane comic art.

As Batman is becoming more powerful than ever in DC's modern timeline, it's important to that he's just a man, and men can be broken. In this alternate Zero Hour world, Batgirl takes the role of Gotham's protector full-time, and Bruce Wayne wastes away in his manor, practically unrecognizable with his gray hair and his full beard. More than that, the most unrecognizable aspect about this alternate Batman is that he gave up.

Batman isn't special - he just keeps getting up to fight. The worst part about this version of Batman isn't that his back was permanently broken, but that he lets that stop him. Even from the chair, Batman could still be the essence of the Dark Knight, just differently, not unlike Barbara Gordon's Oracle. If the person wearing Batman's cowl can be broken, then he wasn't Batman to begin with. Thankfully, in the real world, Batman always gets up, and he can never be broken.

Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1 is available now from DC Comics!

ZERO HOUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1 (2024)

Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special 1 Main Cover: Green Lantern Kyle Rayner leaps forward along with Supergirl, Batgirl, Donna Troy, and Hal Jordan.
  • Writer: Ron Marz, Dan Jurgens
  • Artist: Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Howard Porter, Kelley Jones, Darryl Banks, Paul Pelletier, Tom Grummett
  • Inker: Norm Rapmund, Brett Breeding
  • Colorist: Alex Sinclair
  • Letterer: Troy Peteri
  • Cover Artist: Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Alex Sinclair
Batman Stands in Detective Comic Art by Jason Fabok
Created By
Bob Kane, Bill Finger
First Appearance
Detective Comics
Alias
Bruce Wayne
Alliance
Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family
Race
Human
Franchise
D.C.

One of DC's most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world's leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.

FIRST APP
Detective Comics #27 (1939)