Warning: MAJOR spoilers ahead for Task Force Z #11!
As the leader of Task Force Z, death of Alfred Pennyworth. However, events in Task Force Z and Joker have shown that this 'Bane' is a fake, with the real version very much alive. So who is the superhuman killer Red Hood has been abusing? New DC art provides what seems like a definitive answer.
Task Force Z is DC’s latest super-powered group, in which Red Hood leads a coterie of resurrected supervillains. Successes are met with the Lazarus Resin, a compound which keeps the villains alive, and as they consume more, they become more like their old selves. Most of the team consists of Batman villains who perished sometime in the last few years, including Deadshot and Man-Bat, implying that while the zombie 'Bane' isn't who he seems, he is secretly a villain fans already know. Now, a hint as to his true identity suggests he could soon become Red Hood's perfect nemesis. Task Force Z is currently on issue 9, so don't read any further if you don't want the reveal spoiled by the cover for issue 11.
At the end of Task Force Z #9 - from Matthew Rosenberg and Eddy Barrows - "Bane" can be seen floating off the ground, with a net draped over him for a cape. This follows geneticist Mr. Bloom's ission that he wanted Task Force Z to have its own Bane, and that he experimented on another villain to create the zombie fake. While the image of Bane floating before Bloom clearly draws comparisons to Superman, these various hints actually seem to indicate that his true identity is Gotham (Hank Clover), the Superman-tier hero introduced in Tom King and David Finch's Batman run. The released cover for Task Force Z #11 seems to confirm this, showing a zombified Gotham reflected in Red Hood’s helm. Gotham’s return makes particular sense at this point, as Gotham Girl (his ally and sister) likewise returns in the ongoing Detective Comics, bringing the duo back at around the same time (she even s her brother on the cover.)
While Red Hood normally doesn’t have Outlaws and friendship with Bizarro, he also has past sympathy with tragic replicas of the Man of Steel.
However, that's unlikely to happen, as Red Hood has taken every opportunity to brutalize this 'Bane.' Once Gotham regains all of his faculties and reveals himself to Jason, it is sure to make for a compelling confrontation, and perhaps the birth of a new adversarial relationship. What's more, the Lazarus Resin makes Gotham more deadly than ever. Possessing similar powers to Superman, the drawback of Hank's might is that using his abilities shortens his lifespan - a limit which may no longer apply now he can be brought back from the dead.
While Task Force Z has answered a lot of questions regarding the Lazarus Resin, and brought back several villains readers saw die previously, one of the latest questions posed by issue #9 is just who is masquerading as "Bane." With issue 9’s last and issue 11’s cover art, it seems safe to assume that Red Hood will soon face a rejuvenated Gotham - a superbeing who will potentially combine the physical might of Bane and Superman.
