One of the most iconic comic panels of all time is the image of Bane cracking Batman’s spine over his knee while yelling “…BREAK YOU!!” He breaks him in Knightfall, first released in 1993 and the next story from the DC library to get its own animated treatment. DC and Warner Bros made the announcement at NYCC.

Knightfall is one of the most important Batman stories and one that changed everything. Up to that point Batman was best known for being totally invincible and coming prepared for any situation, no matter how outlandish. A roided-out South American man in a lucha mask decided he could change that if he tried hard enough. So he wove an elaborate scheme to break all of Batman’s villains out of Gotham and have Bats fight them all in just one night. Then, when Bruce was exhausted and just wanted the comfort of his cushy rich-guy bed, that’s when super-muscular Bane would appear to finish him off.

It actually worked. Bane beat Batman on his first try. “The Man Who Broke The Bat,” he became known as. Bruce had to recuperate and stay in bed while his spine healed, and someone who called himself Azrael handled the job of Batman until he was better. Knightfall was a turning point for the Batman comic and the introduction of the “Bat-Family” as we know it. After this point Batman no longer fought crime alone.

Bane was such an instant hit that he got his own Batman: The Animated Series episode before the ink was dry on his comic. He’s appeared in almost every animated incarnation of Gotham since, including the lovably goofy version from the Harley Quinn TV show. There have also been live-action takes on him, from the memorable (Dark Knight Rises) to the not-so-memorable (Batman & Robin).

Because Batman Knighfall is such a big story — the fateful night is only part of it — it will be told over four films, with the first due out sometime in 2026. Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will be directed by Jeff Wamester (Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths) from a script by Jeremy Adams (Mortal Kombat Legends). Rick Morales will serve as supervising producer alongside producers Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau, with Sam Register and Michael Uslan overseeing as executive producers.

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