Batman (Arkham)

The Batman, real name Bruce Wayne, is a fictional superhero who hails from Gotham City, an Eastern Coast city in New Jersey. When his parents were gunned down in front of him at a young age, he grew up to be vengeful and bitter towards the criminals of Gotham. Since then, after spending years training himself to be at physical and mental peak levels, he returned to Gotham and took on the mantle of the Batman. He will serve as the upcoming protagonist of the Batman: Arkham Series videos.
== Biography ==
=== History ===
Bruce Wayne was born to wealthy philanthropists Thomas and Martha Wayne in Gotham City, New Jersey on May 18, 1985. He was raised in a rich family, having access to billions of dollars thanks to his parents.
However, on one fateful night in Crime Alley, behind the Monarch Theater in Park Row, Bruce and his parents cut through the alley, only to be approached by a mugger, who demanded their money. It ended with a struggle where both Thomas and Martha were shot and killed in front of young Bruce. He was discovered by the GCPD and was comforted by James Gordon, who sympathized with the boy, understanding his loss and grief despite the fortune he would receive.
=== Origin Story ===
=== Arkham Asylum Incident ===
In the summer of 2023, Batman was called to rescue the Mayor of Gotham from the Joker, who had broken into City Hall. Batman was able to pacify Joker, but with suspicious ease. Regardless, Batman then transported the Joker back to Arkham Asylum, on Arkham Island in the Gotham Bay in the Batmobile.
Batman then surrendered Joker to the Arkham guards inside the Intensive Treatment building, including Warden Quincy Sharp. After Joker was strapped to a gurney, Batman sensed that something was not right and decided to escort Joker and his security detail down to the holding cells, encountering Killer Croc along the way. It was mentioned that numerous inmates from Blackgate Penitentiary and old members of Joker's crew. Batman then met up with Commissioner Gordon, who was waiting for them. As Joker was freed from his gurney and taken into the Holding Cells area, Batman was prohibited from entering any further due to his presence upsetting the violent inmates. However, this would prove to be a fatal mistake as Joker managed to get loose by killing his doctor and guard, with Harley Quinn having gotten access to the security gates and detail via infiltration.
Batman broke through a glass window to try and catch Joker, but he got to safety behind an electric gate, revealed that he had set a trap for him, and then released then inmates to deal with him. Joker ran while Batman fought off the inmates, enabling him to set up his next plan. Joker then decided to test Batman and see if he could come and find him, with Batman being well aware that it was a trap. He then followed Joker’s trail, noticing the dead bodies of multiple Arkham guards. After he pacified more inmates, he came across Eddie Burlow, waking up from unconsciousness near a locked gate, who had miraculously survived Joker’s assault. He realized that Joker may have gone through the gate. As he said that he was going to try and get it open, Zach Franklin notified him that Victor Zsasz had gotten free in the Patient Pacification Chamber and he needed backup.
Batman then rushed to the chamber, where Franklin told him that Zsasz had gotten free, captured a guard named Mike, and strapped him to an electric chair in the middle of the chamber, threatening to deliver a fatal shock to him if he saw anyone, including Batman, try to get close. Batman knew that if he was to be spotted, Zsasz would shock Mike to death. He then devised a plan after speaking with a guard, realizing that he needed to stay up high as Zsasz would spot him on the ground. He noticed some old gargoyles and realized that if they could support his weight, he could use them. After getting in prime position, he glide kicked Zsasz and knocked him out before he could get back up and kill Mike. Moments after, Harley Quinn turned on a monitor to show that she was also free and had captured Warden Sharp. Batman attempted to intimidate her into surrendering, but she refused due to her new power as one of the leading inmates of the asylum now. Although she locked the doors and disabled comms to prevent Batman or any of the survivors from leaving the chamber, this did not affect Batman as he discovered a vent leading back to the corridor where Eddie Burlow was left, with Oracle patching Batman into the guards' comms to listen to the inmates breaking out.
He returned to Burlow's position, where the door leading to Decontamination opened. However, as they approached the observation window to the room, it was suddenly filled with Joker Toxin that killed everybody in the room, except for three lucky guards and an abandoned inmate, who managed to get above the toxin gas before it could affect them, but two of the guards and the inmate were hanging from the edges for dear life. Batman was able to get into the room via a vent above the entrance to the room and pulled the guards and inmate up, with the latter being knocked out to avoid any hinderance. One of the guards mentioned that the other guard, Steve, tried to reach the control panel was trying to reach the control panel to turn on the fans that would suck out all of the gas and make the room safe to enter again. Batman then used his Batarang to activate the panel and turn on the gas extraction fans, ridding the air of any Joker Toxin. Batman then continued to follow Joker's trail, which he left behind for him to follow.
Batman then confronted Joker in the extreme cell transfer chamber, where he attempted to pacify him using his Batarang while he stodd atop a metal box cell being held by durable metal chains, but missed. Joker then released an inmate from the box cell, who was unusually mutated with a formula that made the inmate more bigger and tougher, but also horribly disfigured. Batman was forced to survive against the mutilated enhanced inmate by throwing a Batarang at the inmate and have him charge at the walls until he was weakened. However, mid-fight, the effects of the formula took hold and the inmate ultimately suffered a fatal heart attack, prompting Joker to take note that he needed stronger test subjects. However, he decided to feel generous and offered Batman the very chance to end their feud once and for all and knock Joker off of the cell to send him plummeting to his death into the pit below. Batman nearly gave it and threw his Batarang, but resisted as to not break his no-kill rule. Joker laughed at this show of resistance and used the cell's transfer system to move the cell beyond locked doors, preventing Batman from following him any further while mentioning that he had plans for all of Arkham.
Batman then noticed a guard regaining consciousness from his brush with mortality and powered off the electrical gate to allow Batman to enter. The guard then explained that Joker entered Extreme Isolation, where the only way in was via the main entrance there. Although the guard tried to call another cell to allow the door to open, he failed to do so. Joker then appeared on the nearby monitor to mock Batman as well as to notify him that his inside man, Frank Boles, managed to capture Commissioner Gordon and threatened to kill him if he tried to follow him. The guard was able to open the door back to the Transfer Loop, where Batman decided to return to the Holding Cells where Gordon was captured, and pick up a trail on Boles. He followed a trail of bourbon vapors via his Detective Vision all the way to the elevators, where Harley refused to allow Batman to use the lifts, blowing one of the weights on one of them, plummeting it downwards and nearly crushing both Batman and a nearby guard. Realizing that he cannot use any lift to get back up to the surface, Batman resorted to climbing the old-fashioned way by using any ledges to shimmy and pull himself up to as well as using his grappling hook.
Batman eventually reached the surface, taking down groups of inmates, some of which managed to arm themselves with assault rifles. As a result, Batman isolated his enemies and took them down without being seen or shot. Batman continued on until he finally reached the exit to the Intensive Treatment Scanning Chamber, where he discovered Boles’ dead body strapped to a gurney and a smile painted on his face, with a sign saying “Dead End,” implying that Joker figured out that Boles was inadvertently leaving a trail behind, as well as the fact that he had outlived his usefulness.
=== Arkham City Incident, January, 2023 ===
=== War on Gotham & The City of Fear, October 31, 2023 ===
=== Disappearance ===
After he finally apprehended Scarecrow, Alfred congratulated him, with Batman requesting him to prepare the “Knightfall Protocol,” with the voice recognition password being “Martha.” Alfred then activated the Knightfall Protocol and notified him that it is ready upon his return to Wayne Manor.
With every supervillain brought to justice, the Arkham Knight militia having vacate Gotham, and the rioters being weakened, Batman rendezvoused next to the Bat-Signal, where he removed the cowl and dropped it, finally giving up the Batman mantle, becoming Bruce Wayne once more. Bruce then contacted Gordon that Gotham was safe, the latter thanking him for everything he has done over the years. Bruce then said goodbye and after looking longingly at his city one last time, he called in the Batwing and flew back to Wayne Manor, detonating the explosive inside of the Bat-Signal, symbolizing that Gotham no longer needed him. Bruce flew back to Wayne Manor, where reporters, criminal, and other concerned citizens were waiting for him, all wanting to interview, kill, and/or mob him for his actions. Bruce ignored the reporters and approached the manor, with Alfred asking if he is sure he wanted to go through with the final phase of the protocol, which Bruce confirmed, saying that he needed to do it to protect his loved ones. The two then re-entered the house and after the front door closed, the manor suddenly exploded in front of the public eye, rapidly burning down and exploding, leading everyone in Gotham to believe that Bruce Wayne had perished in the explosion.
In reality, Bruce and Alfred used a secret lift near the front door to descend into the Batcave to avoid the Wayne Manor destruction, effectively faking their deaths and freeing Bruce of the burden. Weeks afterwards, Alfred finally retired after twelve years of being an associate to Bruce. He managed to get a hold of some of Crane’s Fear Toxin, and deduced that if he used the toxin, he could continue being a masked vigilante in Gotham undisturbed.
One night, while two muggers were robbing a family who resembled Thomas, Martha, and young Bruce in an alleyway, which resulted in the muggers knocking out the father and snatching the mother’s pearls, the two noticed the shadowy figure standing atop a rooftop, overlooking them. The thugs initially held little fear, shouting that Batman was dead and the look do not terrify them anymore, but the two became much more uneasy about the figure as it did not initially respond and instead, it moved closer to the edge before it finally glided towards them, turning into a nightmare Batman that terrified the thugs as it ambushed them. This is most likely Bruce, having decided to become Batman once more, but as a new myth, as he had mentioned to Catwoman.
=== Brainiac Invasion ===
In 2030, just over five years after his disappearance, he later relocated to Metropolis, Delaware, where he officially became a member of the Justice League. He was still hailed a hero by many and worked alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern. Unfortunately, due to Brainiac invading the city, Batman inevitably fell victim to his brainwashing, turning him evil and willing to kill in order to do his bidding. Sometime before the Brainiac invasion, Batman made a video to be seen by Robin in the event that he along with the League went rogue, which would later be seen by Task Force X in his new Batcave. He gave instructions on how to defeat each member of the League, but stated that there was no actual anti-Batman device and that his defeat required years of Robin's training, and if he could, he would need to recruit Nightwing, Oracle, and Jason (now Red Hood) if he could find him while he also gave Tim an emotional speech about family, affectionately referring to him as "son." Unfortunately, by the time Robin found the video, a brainwashed Batman attacked him to the point where he was injured. Whether he killed him or not remains to be seen, but his bloodied mask was left behind.
Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad, members being Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark, were hired by Amanda Waller to initially pacify and recover the Justice League members, but once it proved too risky and dangerous, she ordered them to eliminate each member, Batman included. The Squad later took shelter inside of the Bat Experience museum, where Batman was waiting for their arrival. After killing two officers, the brainwashed Batman cut the building’s power and knocked out each member in a preemptive attack to stop them from escaping, except for Harley, who was knocked on her back. Batman attempted to execute her with a shot to the head, but the Flash used his speed and his fingers to deflect the bullet away from her forehead, saving her life. After taking the time to pummel him into unconsciousness, Harley slipped away. He then warped away with the Flash to convert him to Brainiac.
Later, after having already killed Flash and Green Lantern, the Squad discovered Batman's new Batcave and found the video that was directed towards Robin, with King Shark pointing out Robin's bloodied mask, although he did not smell a corpse, implying that Robin escaped. After Batman's video abruptly ended, the Batcave eventually became flooded with Fear Gas and the Squad finally fought Batman while he attempted to use Fear Toxin, but he lost and was wounded. He was later carried back to the Hall of the Justice League for Lex Luthor, but later, Batman’s fate was decided. After he had outlived his usefulness, the Squad carried him to a bench next to the Superman statue in Centennial Park, where Batman insulted the members of the Squad, with Harley lecturing him about his insults and his constant actions against every villain he had ever come across, while even commenting that although he had turned evil, he was still too good. After complimenting his lengthy career in Gotham for over a decade, Batman then smugly asked if "she was done with her bad stand-up routine." Harley then said that "they always got to end on their best joke" as she pulled out her gun and aimed it at the weakened and silenced Batman. As he looked up at her one last time, still under the brainwash influence, Harley finally pulled the trigger, shooting Batman point-blank in the face and finally ending the Dark Knight's life, fulfilling her quest for revenge.
=== Legacy ===
Moments after, Brainiac's ship reacted further and suffered some damage. This was also a successful attempt to lure Superman out of hiding after he had killed Wonder Woman. In retaliation, using Gold Kryptonite weapons, they killed him. Lois Lane later reported his death, remembering him fondly as a hero rather than a villain while also sharing a message he left behind in the event that he would be killed somehow.
== Appearance ==
== Personality ==
== Killed Victims ==
* Solomon Grundy (Possibly; Undead)
* The Joker (Indirectly Caused)
* Robin (Possibly; Unintentional)
* Two Metropolis Police Officers (Unintentional)
== Relationships ==
=== Alfred Pennyworth ===
=== Dick Grayson/Nightwing ===
=== Tim Drake/Robin ===
=== Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle ===
=== Talia Al Ghül ===
Bruce and Talia were in an off and on relationship that was mostly whirlwind. The two fell in love at some point in Batman’s career and he revealed his identity to her, and despite his secret identity, the two continued their relationship. The two had a few strains in their relationship, where Talia’s father, Rās Al Ghül, had chosen Batman to be his worthy successor in leading the League of Assassins, but due to Batman’s strict moral code of never killing, this was cause for conflict. According to Talia, the two had a date in Metropolis, which presumably had a sexual encounter occur. However, the two did not speak for a while after, mostly because Batman was busy with his work as well as Talia. The two reunited under bad circumstances underneath Arkham City, within the old Wonder City ruins. Talia initially slapped Bruce due to his lack of contacting her as well as tracking the League of Assassins down. Talia initially tried to flirt Bruce into becoming her partner, but when she tried to kiss him, she noticed that his face was sickly with veins bulging on his face, a result of the TITAN disease he was transfused with by Joker. Since Bruce was there to retrieve a sample of Rās' blood to make a cure for the disease, he had to lie to get her to help him. Although Rās was dead again, he could be brought back, but only the worthy could approach him. With no other choice, Talia instructed him to take the Demon Trials, which would prolong his life by a few hours thanks to a small quantity of the Blood of the Demon he drank. When he succeeded, Talia was relieved. However, when the two finally confronted Rās, who wished for him to finally kill him and take his place, he refused to, revealing his true reason of being there. During their fight, Talia tried to convince Bruce to kill him as it was his destiny and the two could rule together, but Bruce refused. After he defeated Rās, he took his daughter hostage, prompting Bruce to save her non-lethally. She was upset with Bruce's lies and walked off in anger.
Talia later tracked Bruce down to the Sionis Steel Mill, where he was crushed by rubble from the ceiling, caused by TYGER guards firing missiles at the Steel Mill. Before he could be killed by the Joker, Talia walked in just in time to propose a new deal, where if he lets Batman go, she will grant him the secret of immortality. This was merely a ruse and a plan to save Batman, even planting the tracker that he put on one of her elite guards to track her on her chest, even pointing it out to Batman in a subtle manner as Joker took her away. When Batman got free from the rubble thanks to Catwoman, he initially wanted to track Talia down as Joker could kill her, he was convinced otherwise by Oracle and Alfred that the people of Arkham City's lives are at stake and he needed to save Gotham, even if it meant sacrificing one life - Talia's.
After Batman stopped Protocol 10, Joker pointed out that they were at the Monarch Theater, and ordered him to get there if he wanted to save her. When Batman confronted him, he tried to convince him to talk this out, showing that he was desperate to save her. Talia got free and impaled Joker with her sword, much to Batman's dismay. Talia revealed that she managed to snatch the cure from Harley Quinn in order to save him. As he stood over the Joker's corpse, he reflected on the events from that night, and when he realized that the Joker that Talia killed was not the real Joker, it was too late as he called out her name, she was suddenly shot in the back by the real Joker, much to Batman's horror and grief. Her last words to him were "I'm sorry beloved. I didn't know," before she died in his arms, the cure rolling out of her hand. Talia's death was somewhat avenged by Batman when after he finally cured himself and initially held off from giving Joker the cure before silently deciding to save him, the latter stabbed him in the arm, causing him to drop the cure, spilling it all over the ground and rendering it useless. Joker died from his TITAN disease soon after, with Talia's death not being for nothing. Bruce still mourned her death by the events of Scarecrow's takeover, where he touches the evidence glass case containing Talia's sword, the same sword Batman used to defeat Clayface and his minions soon after she died. Joker also taunted him over her death, saying that she is in Hell and he goes to visit her at times, even claiming that she is hurt by Batman's feelings for Catwoman, despite her being dead. This could simply be an attempt to spite Batman and cause him to emotionally break, which failed.
=== Selina Kyle/Catwoman ===
Batman and Catwoman were often somewhat rivals, as they were on opposite sides. The two often had encounters that would turn flirtatious and occasionally romantic. However, the two often had their differences and their romance never lasted. She often complimented Batman as being "tall, brooding, and handsome." Batman also knew her real name - Selina Kyle, but she did not know his for a while. It can be assumed that she had developed feelings for him, but she knew that she could not act on them as it would make both of them liabilities for one another, as well as the fact that she did not know who he was, as well as the fact that he often resisted her charms, to her confusion, according to her interview with Hugo Strange. Catwoman refused to acknowledge her feelings to Strange so that she does not reveal much more about him as well as her pride not allowing him to win over their argument. By the events of Arkham City, the two had a somewhat strained relationship due to Batman often intervening in her work prior to the events within the megaprison. However, when Catwoman was captured by Two-Face, Batman had saved her, hoping that she would give him more information of what was happening in Arkham City, but she was only able to supply ample information, such as Hugo Strange working with the Joker. Batman also saved her from being shot by a sniper that was controlled by Joker, soon asking him afterwards if he was expecting a kiss. He simply told her that the place was not safe and she left.
Hours later, when Batman was pinned by rubble after his fight with the Joker, Catwoman was in the middle of stealing her goods from the Confiscated Goods Vault, where she overheard that Batman was downed and saw helicopter footage that he was pinned. She wanted to leave Arkham City and she contemplated leaving him as he was tough, but she realized that if she left him to die, she would never forgive himself for his possible demise. In a non-canon segment, she left Arkham City after saying "screw him," which in turn, led to Batman dying within the Steel Mill, and Joker launching his forces upon Gotham. However, this was more of a joke segment and in actuality, Catwoman developed a conscience and left her goods behind to save him. After Batman had stopped Protocol 10 and Joker, the two reunited on the rooftop opposite of Penguin's museum, where the two had decided that they would stay in Arkham City and wrap up any unfinished business.
Months after Arkham City's closure, it is assumed that Batman eventually trusted Catwoman enough to reveal his secret identity. She agreed to keep his identity a secret, and the two often crossed paths and helped each other, but this led to a damage in Catwoman's reputation, painting her as more of an anti-hero rather than a self-centered thief, irritating her. She mentioned to Batman that the two had not spoken in months by Halloween, due to Batman being busy.
After Scarecrow had forced Gotham to vacate and took it over with the assistance of the Arkham Knight, the Riddler had managed to kidnap Catwoman as he had realized that the two, although had a complicated relationship, had a strong enough one where Batman would go through his trials to save her. Initially, she was frustrated with Batman still in relation to her reputation as well as the Riddler figuring it out that the two were connected in a way. However, she slowly lets go of her irritations with him and she began to warm up to Batman again after she observed that he was taking time out to save her from her imprisonment at the Pinkney Orphanage by the Riddler, even telling him that although this was his mess, she appreciated him cleaning it up, but affectionately and sternly advising him to be careful.
Eventually, Batman saved her after he underwent every last Riddler trial and after the two finally escaped the orphanage, Catwoman proposed a celebration, even noting that "she knows a couple of hotels," implying that she wanted to celebrate with Batman by taking him to a hotel and presumably have sex with him. However, he refused, noting that there was still more work to be done. She was somewhat disappointed, but understood his job. This conversation could imply that the two had slept with each other at some point before, but it was not confirmed. When he later confronted Riddler once more, where he had turned the fight against Batman in an unfair manner, she stepped in once again to help Batman as well as get her own revenge. After the two worked together to stop Riddler, she tried to get Batman to "bestow a kiss to his savior." He initially resisted, which caused her to nearly slap him. He then revealed to her that the two cannot be together as he needed to disappear, which concerned her. As Batman stated that Gotham needed a myth more powerful than Batman that would only rise from his ashes, she noted his secret identity as Bruce and told him that there were some things he could not do alone.
After the two had shared their final passionate kiss, he told her that there were some things he had to. When she told him to call her if he needed her, he noted that he won't, a fact that she realized but wanted to say anyway. This can be assumed that the two had reached a peak in their relationship and had things worked out differently, the two would have entered a long-term relationship. The two never crossed paths again due to Batman's disappearance.
=== The Joker ===
=== Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn ===
=== Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze ===
=== Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin ===
=== Harvey Dent/Two-Face ===
=== Jason Todd/Robin/Arkham Knight/Red Hood ===
== Gallery ==
== Trivia ==
Category:Characters
Category:Protagonists
Category:Males
Category:Batman Characters
Category:Alive
Category:Fathers