Captain America once nearly met the same fate as Batman, as his back was almost broken in a fight with the villainous strongman, Bane. How did Captain America avoid getting snapped like a twig? He can thank his trustee shield.

The venom-powered supervillain most famously broke Batman’s back during the Knightfall storyline. However, in the mid-90s DC vs. Marvel crossover event, where fans voted on who won fights between the publisher’s most popular characters, Bane ran into Captain America and tried the exact same move. The series saw a number of Marvel heroes (and villains) face off against one another, including intense matchups between the Flash and Quicksilver, Batman and Captain America, and Wolverine and Lobo. However, one of the shortest, most impactful fights came between Cap and Bane.

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Bane and Captain America first come face-to-face in the first issue of DC vs. Marvel (1996) as Steve Rogers blocks one of the baddies punches with his shield. Their fight extends into the second issue as Bane tries one of his most infamous moves against the Marvel hero. Bane grabs Captain America after he throws his shield and gets ready to smash him against his knee. The villain menacingly tells Cap that he exposed “yourself to a back-breaking attack that will leave you crippled and useless. I wonder stranger, what sort of pathetic strategy you would call that?” Unfortunately, Bane counted his chickens before they hatch.

As Bane is about to give Captain America the Batman treatment, Steve’s shield returns to him and smacks the brute to the ground, rendering him unconscious. Captain America is the victor in the fight and avoided suffering the same fate as the man he would later fight in the series. Captain America earned the win as he realized he couldn’t win Bane in a one-on-one fistfight, instead, he used his shield perfectly to catch him off guard.

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Captain America defeating Bane isn’t the most surprising outcome. But, the fact Bane had Captain America in his grasp and could have won the fight if it wasn’t for his own arrogance is pretty notable. When fighting against Cap, you have to account for his shield. Otherwise, get ready for a surprise attack. In this case, the shield came in clutch and ended the fight before Bane could break Cap’s back. The battle was short and quick. It might have not been a main event bout in the series (or decided by fan votes) but it was a fun moment that showed not to mess with Captain America, even if you’re as strong as Bane.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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