Warning: spoilers for Batman #71 and all preceding issues!
The Rebirth era of Batman follows one, long master plan orchestrated by one of Batman’s most iconic and imposing foes, Bane. Seventy-one issues have been released as of this writing, meaning we’re almost to the end of writer Tom King’s 100-issue run. With Bane’s plan being rather long, complex and multi-layered, we asked King himself to break it all down and explain how all the hidden clues are setting up what’s to come.
Before we get to the particulars, it’s important to understand Bane’s end goal.
“It’s that ultimate Bane moment which is to lift someone above your head and crack them on your knee. That’s what Bane’s move is. So this is what he’s done to Batman for 75 issues. The first 50 issues, he lifted Batman above his head. He got Batman to the happiest place he’s ever been. He got Batman to be this close to feeling the joy he felt before he was 10 years old, before that alley. In Issue 50 through 75 he brought it down. In issue 74, which is what we’re leading to now, ‘The Fall and the Fallen,’ is where the back hits the knee and you hear the crack. So
Source: IGN.com Batman Writer Explains Bane's Master Plan