An article that includes: a glass-based substrate comprising opposing major surfaces; a crack mitigating composite over one of the major surfaces, the composite comprising an inorganic element and a polymeric element; and a hard film disposed on the crack mitigating composite comprising an elastic modulus greater than or equal to the elastic modulus of the glass-based substrate. The crack mitigating composite is characterized by an elastic modulus of greater than 30 GPa. Further, the hard film comprises at least one of a metal-containing oxide, a metal-containing oxynitride, a metal-containing nitride, a metal-containing carbide, a silicon-containing polymer, a carbon, a semiconductor, and combinations thereof.