Bane vs Killer Croc: DC Finally Confirms Who Wins in A Fight

Warning: spoilers ahead for Batman: Urban Legends #4!

While Killer Croc is one of Batman’s brawniest enemies, the scaly terror often falls short when facing Bane. The pair have clashed many times in the past, and Bane consistently defeats his reptilian rival either without the use of his performance-enhancing Venom or with a minimum amount of the drug in his system. Batman: Urban Legends #4 finally offers some key insight as to why Bane so often gains the upper hand in this long-running feud.

In Batman: Urban Legends #4‘s ‘Superman Punch’ by Camrus Johnson and Loyiso Mkize, Batwing (Luke Fox) encounters Killer Croc after playing through one of Riddler’s schemes. Luke attempts to reason and talk to Croc as he realizes that the pair have been pitted against each other only due to Riddler’s design, but Croc pounces and begins fighting with Batwing. They exchange blows as Luke continues to plead with Croc to see reason and stop fighting, to which the latter replies that he is done listening to “normal” people on how to live and what to do. Batwing is quick to point out that Killer Croc’s inability to control his anger is at the root of his many losses.

Bane and Killer Croc’s rivalry far predates Batman: Urban Legends #4 and was even a staple of Bane’s introduction into the Batman mythos during the famous Knightfall arc. As part of one of Bane’s first forays into Gotham City, he ends up finding and defeating Killer Croc, breaking both his arms and leaving him for dead. While Bane ultimately suffers some wounds, his tactical mind and ability to fight intelligently ultimately triumph over Croc’s raw strength and rage. Later in the arc, Bane and Killer Croc clash again while Bane attempts to interrogate Tim Drake. This time, Croc disables Bane’s Venom supply, yet his lust for revenge gets the better of him again and he leaves himself exposed to a nasty uppercut, turning the tide back in Bane’s favor. Bane manages to defeat Croc for a second time, with the added laurel of being off his Venom.

Killer Croc’s anger and recklessness ultimately allowed Bane to best him not just in his introduction to the Batman lore, but numerous times since then. Croc often gets some payback, yet in the long run, Bane has consistently beaten the murderous reptile and considers him a minor threat at best. By all means, Killer Croc is a formidable foe, and absolutely deadly to most if he manages to get close and use his razor-sharp claws and crocodile-like teeth. But a keen tactical mind such as Bane’s or Batman’s ultimately gives Killer Croc’s opponents a large advantage that is exacerbated by the scaly scoundrel’s fits of rage.

Killer Croc is by no means a pushover, but his overriding rage can never match Bane’s tactical acumen and ruthless approach to combat, settling the debate about which of Batman’s hulking villains is the greater threat. Batwing eventually manages to talk Killer Croc around, even letting him go free in recognition of his time served on the Suicide Squad, so while he may not be as much of a danger to Gotham as Bane, at least the city’s heroes are more willing to cut him some slack, considering him a complex individual with anger issues rather than a deadly mastermind capable of bringing the city to its knees.