When some of the lights went out shortly after halftime at Super Bowl XXXXVII, the online jokes went on. Many joked that an electrifying performance by Beyonce and Destiny's Child at halftime took out the Superdome's power, but others pointed to a more sinister entertainment connection -- "Dark Knight Rises" villain Bane.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Bane says: It wasn't me!

In the film, which was released in July, creepy villain Bane booby-traps Pittsburgh's Heinz Field and it slowly crumbles behind real former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward. Defenders chasing him fall into nothingness as the field explodes, and Ward scores the touchdown only to turn around and stare at what had, seconds ago, been a gridiron.

Bane also attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange, cuts the city from the rest of the world, and gleefully watches it descend into near anarchy. Which didn't, thankfully, happen at the Superdome, where the lights came back on and play restored in less than an hour.

Joked a Twitter user with the fitting name of The Batman, "Investigation confirms not even Bane's power outage attempt can save the 49ers."

"How epic would it have been when Super Bowl power went out to hear Bane's voice on the tv say "you think the darkness is your ally?" wrote the Yesh Gaming account.

The Bane jokes soon became so thick that even their very popularity became the joke. Wrote Brian Lynch, ""Grandpa, where were you during The Great Superbowl Blackout of 13?" "Making Bane jokes to strangers, lad. Making Bane jokes to strangers."

Related content:

• Football field crumbles in 'Dark Knight' trailer
• 5 great onscreen football scenes
• Beyonce electrifies halftime show