system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[General Batman] Tell me about Bane. Why does he wear the mask?
gpt
There is a prison, in a more ancient part of the world. A pit, where men are thrown, to suffer and die. But sometimes a man rises from the darkness, sometimes the Pit sends something back.

There was a child in that prison who Bane protected, one day when there was sickness, the child climbed out making an impossible jump, and Bane, her protector was beaten mercilessly by the other prisoners (presumably because her escape meant they couldn't rape her) and the surgeon in the prison was an addict and had shaking hands while attempting to "heal" Bane. After the prisoners and surgeon had done their work, Bane was left in complete agony from the mutilation. 

The Mask has an anesthetic gas concentrated in it that allows him to function and deadens all pain. Thus granting him immense strength because he doesn't know his muscles are tearing. He was even capable of lifting a grown man in combat armor over his head with relative ease.