Darth Bane was a character sort of introduced in George Lucas’s story notes for The Phantom Menace-basically, one of the lone survivors of the extinction of the Sith, who decided to make the order a secret two-person cult of Master and Apprentice, working through the next millennia to eventually overthrow the Republic and the Jedi from within-culminating in the Empire. It was also-for a while-thought that he had originated the title of “Darth”, although the Knights of the Old Republic games-taking place 3000 years earlier-quickly tossed that concept out. Oops.
This final conflict is partially portrayed in “Jedi Vs. Sith”, a 2001 comic series in which three cousins-Bug(Hardin),Rain( Zannah), and Davorit-are swept up into this conflict, now taking place on the world of Ruusan. The Jedi are led by Lord Hoth-who is probably the namesake for the Ice planet seen in Empire-and the Sith, by Lord Kaan, with Bane and female Sith Lord-Githany-as soldiers in this war, although with larger ambitions.
The series takes the “knight” concept of the Jedi to an interesting look, with both Jedi and Sith wearing armor and capes that wouldn’t look out of place in “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of thrones” (The concept of Jedi wearing armor was briefly considered during the Phantom Menace, and utilized to a degree in the Clone Wars animated series).
There’s even a guy who’s pretty much a centaur/Elf-Lord Farfella, one of the few Jedi survivors.
In the conflict, Davorit finds himself drawn to the dark side, but eventually doesn’t give in; Bug dies, and Zannah….
The Sith-and the large Jedi army (although of course not all the Jedi)-are eliminated eventually by a “Thought bomb” which destroys their bodies and largely traps their souls. Bane’s the only Sith Lord left standing (although Gitany *almost* makes it), and takes Zannah-who has used the force to kill a man on the battlefield-as his apprentice.
The story of Zannah and Bane-as well as Bane’s backstory-would be embellished later on in the Darth Bane series of novels, released five years later. The novel would also attempt to explain certain discrepancies between the “ancient” Star Wars universe and the prequel movies, explaining why everybody says the Republic is only a thousand years old, and why it’s also been disarmed (minus the Jedi) ever since and needs the Clone Army.
In addition to providing an explanation for the Sith’s near-extinction mentioned in the prequel’s, Jedi vs Sith also ties itself to the Jedi Knight video game, in particular the graphic novel which sheds some light on the Valley of the Jedi-which is in fact, Ruusan itself, with the Dark Jedi Jerec eager to use the trapped Jedi/Sith souls to put the Empire back on top.
Bane himself-wearing a biomechanical armor detailed in the novels-would also appear as a hologram in the “Legacy ” comics…
as well as get his own figure, as a three pack along with shirtless Darth Maul and Nihillus from the Old Republic series of games: 
However, given the 2014 re-shuffling of Star Wars canon, the events in the above material is no longer considered canon, although Bane sort of got it off easy, as he’s part of Lucas’s main story canon, and also made an appearance in the final season of the still-canon “Clone Wars” series as an illusion on the Sith World of “Moriband” (Formerly Korriban). Although the circumstances of the events are different, and his armor has more in common with Darth Vader’s than his formerly bald and organic looks, his basic place in Star Wars history is still sound as we hear from his dialogue.
The Sith killed each other, victims of their own greed. But from the ashes of destruction, I was the last survivor. I chose to pass my knowledge onto only one, I created a legacy so resilient, that now you come before me. Have you come to be my apprentice? You must kill me to gain my place.
It remains to be seen if the other parts of his backstory are re-introduced into Disney’s canon.
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