On Super Bowl Sunday a 34-minute power failure cast a pallor of darkness over the big game, and though many valid conspiracy theories exist (voodoo priests avenging Katrina, concerted effort to bombard viewers with ads, etc) only one man could be the cause of it all: BANE!

In desperate search for his Adult Asthma Inhaler lost somewhere among the bleachers, the masked "Dark Knight Rises" bad guy announced his act of sports terrorism via, well, a few too many outlets, and Buzzfeed has the proof.

Apparently at least four separate videos sprang up of skinny dudes doing the goofy Bane voice and claiming this act of villainy as their own, which is simply a case of a very obvious joke making the rounds. The combination of Bane and football stadium calamity, as in last summer's blockbuster, was too good to pass up.

The College Humor piece above has the best Tom Hardy impression. Here's another Bane, courtesy of Funny or Die:

You can see the other two at Buzzfeed! The fire rises indeed.

ghosthause.deviantart.com

Remember back in high school, when you had yet to become a fully formed person but totally thought you were? It was your life, you could live it however you want, and shut up, mom!

Believe it or not, everyone went through the same "Indiana Jones and the Search for Personal Identity" adventure, even supervillains, which is why Buzzfeed has teamed up with wicked awesome artist GhostHause to recreate a facsimile of what Supervillains' High School Yearbook photos would look like.

While some of the paintings like Green Lantern foe Sinestro and Batman bad guy Two-Face seem to be inspired by their recent filmic counterparts, the rest are definitely drawn from their original, iconic comic book iterations. Don't worry, nerds, both DC and Marvel are represented.

You've got bat-breaker Bane as a buck-toothed ultra dork that even Robert Crumb would have picked on, prom king Venom, "Dungeons & Dragons" dweeb Loki, and Spider-Man nemesis Green Goblin trading his pumpkin bombs for a pumpkin bong. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Check out a few of the images here:

Warner Bros.

Though Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy may be over, if you thought you'd seen it all you're gravely mistaken.

Apparently there are still tasty morsels of Bat mythology to be gleaned on some future DVD release, as GQ learned when they interviewed franchise costume designer Lindy Hemming, who had not seen the film yet and didn't realize she revealed a key scene deleted from the final print of "The Dark Knight Rises."

[SPOILERS below for the three of you who haven't seen it yet.]

It all relates to the origin of wacky voiced villain Bane, who was your average prison inmate guy until he heroically rescued Talia al Ghul and got the crap beaten out of him, necessitating the breathing apparatus. Hemming revealed a scene that "showed you why he had the mask and where it came from."

"So one of the fundamental things about his costume is that he has this scar from the back injury," confirmed Hemming. "Even if he hasn't got the bulletproof vest on, he still has to wear the waist belt and the braces. In that scene in the prison, where he's learning to fight the same way Batman learned to fight, he's wearing an early version of his waist belt. It's showing support, but it's not the finished one he eventually wears. He's also wearing an early version of his gas mask, all glued together."

She also describes a scene where Bane is chained up and being attacked while wearing the mask. In the finished film we only see the briefest moment of Tom Hardy sans mask fighting off prisoners so Talia (played by child actress Joey King in flashbacks) can escape.

As far as the comic book origin of Bane goes, they transposed some of Bane's backstory -born in prison, forced to serve father's time- to Talia, perhaps as an intentional misdirect so the final reveal of Talia's identity wouldn't be spoiled, though anyone with two neurons to rub together could figure it out. *COUGH* Édith Piaf! *COUGH*

Warner Bros.

Even those most taken with "The Dark Knight Rises" have to admit there's... something off about Batman's latest nemesis Bane. With some badass headgear and a totally ripped bod that would make even Batman jealous, Bane is one of the most sinister villains in any of the Batman movies.

But as we all know, looks aren't everything. Bane is terrifying on the outside, he's not so scary once he opens his mouth — er, talks through his mouthpiece. You've probably noticed Bane's voice not only because it's been piped in, post-production, but also because it doesn't really fit the bad guy image he's going for.

In short, his voice makes him seem more like a cuddly old man. The question is: Which one?

Does he have the Scottish brogue of Sean Connery or the distinguished British accent of Patrick Stewart? Maybe he sounds American, from Kentucky to be precise, like the rich Southern accent of Colonel Sanders? Could you hear him say, "Ho ho ho" like Santa Claus or would a "You shall not pass!" à la Ian McKellen as Gandalf be more up his alley? Voice your opinion in our poll below.

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Christopher Nolan is old school. He doesn't save his surprising reveals for the credits, he keeps 'em in the damn movie.

I still remember the yawps of nerdish glee upon seeing the Joker card at the end of "Batman Begins," and "The Dark Knight Rises" has its share of ZOMGs during its final act as well.

I'm not about to take that experience away from you with the new one, but some of the impact may be lessened if you only have a hazy memory of Nolan's first film and the mysterious "League of Shadows." Allow me to hum a few bars to remind you.

If you recall, young Bruce Wayne goes on an epic walkabout in "Batman Begins" and finds himself in the Himalayas. He finds himself under the tutelage of Liam Neeson's Henri Ducard, a recruiter and advance man for the League of Shadows.

Here he learns advanced ninja skills as well as the importance of PSYOPS and showmanship when hoping to beat the hell out of your enemies. He's also taught how to embrace and exploit fear, seeding the idea to delve into his childhood traumas. (He also goes on a quest for a blue weed in the snow, which photographs really well.)

He soon discovers that the League's call for social justice is a little more extreme that merely boppin' someone on the head and calling the chief of police to come pick 'em up. It's here, when Wayne is asked to commit a summary execution, where one can argue that Batman really "begins."

Later in the film we learn that Ducard is not who he says he is. He is actually the League's spiritual leader R'as al Ghul. (Yeah, that name's a lot more scary, right?)

Like Aslan and Qui Gon-Jin, Neeson's character is someone who may have lived through the ages (hardcore comics nerds know all about the Leagues' access to "Lazarus Pits") and his methods may have been responsible for the sacking of Rome, the Black Plague and, if Batman doesn't stop them, the destruction of Gotham City.

The League isn't too involved in "The Dark Knight," but in "The Dark Knight Rises," when Bane is introduced as someone who was excommunicated from the League, you can rest assured that this is a guy who plays for keeps and has nefarious plans as well as humongous muscles up his sleeve.

Check out our gallery of 'The Dark Knight Rises' pics:

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