Bruce Wayne

[Source]

"*I'm a detective. And I'm good at what I do.*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]
**Bruce Wayne** (also known as **Batman**) was a Human male vigilante as well as a billionaire industrialist, philanthropist, the third president of the Wayne Foundation and the fifth CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

Born in Long Island, New York on November 6, 1953, Wayne was brought up alongside his twin brother in wealthy surroundings. During the night of March 14, 1968, Bruce and his parents were walking to their car through a back-alley after seeing a movie at the theater when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger. In the ensuing struggle, both Thomas and Martha Wayne were shot dead in the streets. Watching his parents be murdered before his eyes had a profound effect on young Bruce and after their funeral he swore to avenge their deaths and spend the rest of his life warring on all criminals. His uncle Philip Wayne and his wife Agatha became his legal guardians from then on.

## Biography

### Early life

Bruce Wayne was born on November 6, 1953 in Long Island, New York. He was the son of wealthy industrialists Thomas Wayne and Martha "Kathy" Kane and was brought up at Wayne Manor and it's wealthy splendor just outside Gotham and led a happy and privileged existence. Bruce had several friends during his childhood including members of the Grayson and Gordon family. When Bruce was a young child, he witnessed his father sneaking into the house while dressed up in a costume that resembled a bat consisting of a pointed mask, and large, dark blue scalloped wings. The impressionable Bruce knew nothing as to why he wore the costume, but admired his father's outfit and openly asked if one day he might be able to wear such a fearsome costume. Dr. Wayne replied that he would keep the costume for Bruce to wear when he grew up, but had no idea how prophetic the innocent question truly was. Later on in life, Bruce recalled attending a New York Yankees baseball game at the age of five alongside his father where he would receive an autographed baseball from Mickey Mantle.

During the night of March 14, 1968, Bruce and his parents were walking to their car through a back-alley after seeing a movie at the theater when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger, who attempted to steal Martha's pearl necklace, an anniversary gift from Thomas. In the ensuing struggle, both the Wayne's were shot dead in the streets. In the wake of this tragedy, Park Row was given the nickname "Crime Alley." Watching his parents be murdered before his eyes had a profound effect on young Bruce and after their funeral he swore to avenge their deaths and spend the rest of his life warring on all criminals. His uncle Philip Wayne and his wife Agatha became his legal guardians from then on.
After graduating high school, Wayne attended New York University on a baseball scholarship where he played on the NYU Violets for two seasons and majored in criminology and microbiology as well as minored in applied sciences. It was here that he befriended his fellow teammate and student, as well as the future lawyer, Harvey Dent. Dent and Wayne enjoyed playing games of strategy, though Harvey always seemingly outmaneuvered the otherwise brilliant Bruce. This was also where he met his first longtime girlfriend, Julie Madison, through the theater department. They starred in a few shows together and eventually fell in love. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in January 1973 but elected not sign. After finishing college, Wayne was drafted in the last round (581st overall) by his hometown team the New York Yankees in June 1976, and eagerly signed with them. Bruce would go on to play third base for one of their farm teams until he was injured in 1978.

As he was recovering from his injury, Wayne decided to give up his baseball dreams and asked Madison to go with him to travel the world, but she refused because she wanted to focus on her acting career instead. In spite of this, with the vow to his parents still in mind, Bruce left America intending to heal his body and to train himself to intellectual and physical perfection. During his travels, Wayne learned 127 major styles of combat, from Aikido to Yaw-Yan as well as chemistry, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, and disguise. He even learned ventriloquism from practitioners of the art. It was at this time that he began his romance with Andrea Beaumont. The two quickly fell in love and even considered marriage, but they ultimately went their separate ways.

Upon returning, he returned to his family's original estate, Wayne Manor, and joined a police academy and after five months Wayne graduated the academy and became a police officer in the New York City Police Department, in part thanks to family friend Commissioner James Gordon who had also helped young Bruce after his parents died. He also rekindled his relationship with Madison around this time. After a few years of success as primarily a detective, Bruce was taken by surprise and shot by a crook at a convenience store and came perilously close to dying. Though seemingly unfazed by the experience himself, Julie told him she could not love a man who was constantly putting himself in danger and gave him an ultimatum between herself or his working in the field for the police. Before deciding anything for certain, Wayne first requested that he have time off from the Police Department which Commissioner Gordon willingly accepted.

### Becoming Batman

"*A fitting end for his kind.*"
―Batman after failing to save Red Hood[src]
Shortly after that, Bruce began to re-evaluate his future. In all his good work, he recognized the fact that law enforcement agencies were the victims of an endless bureaucracy that continually hampered him from meeting out true justice. Wayne also realized that he would lose Julie if he continued working the job. One evening later that week, a frustrated Bruce sat at a desk in one of his father's old study's drinking whiskey and pondering his dilemma when a bat flew into the room from an open window. Immediately, his mind harkened back to the image of his father, Thomas, dressed up as a bat-man. While attempting to shew the bat away, he accidentally dropped a bronze bust of William Shakespeare on the floor. Upon picking it up, Bruce discovered that the hinged head of the bust was pulled back from its shoulder, revealing a button. Confused as to what it was for, the young man pushed the button and suddenly sliding doors hidden behind a bookshelf opened which unveiled an elevator shaft. Wayne made his way down using the old but still functional elevator that lead him into the Batcave. There, he found not only suits of his father's but also one made for a woman, which he presumed to be for his mother, as well as several gadgets. Having also heard of the legends about the local "Bat-man", Bruce decided that it was destiny to become the new Batman. Wayne also knew that doing so would strike terror into the hearts of all criminals.

Now convinced that his father was some sort of crime-fighter, Bruce officially turned in his resignation at the Police Department and assumed control of his father's business interests at Wayne Enterprises. He then began to use all the resources at his disposal to prepare for his fight against crime, and secretly hired a few employees including family friend Lucius Fox to develop a more protective batsuit based off of his father's, bribing them to keep quiet. Soon enough, Bruce went on patrol for the first time as Batman, and managed to stop a small gang of criminals from attacking a young woman.

A few weeks later, Wayne arrived as Batman at the Axis Chemical Plant to stop a heist by Red Hood and his men. As soon as he entered the plant, he witnessed a fatal shoot-out ensuing between security and the Red Hood's men. Systematically working his way through Red Hood's guards, Red Hood himself tried to escape, but was cornered by Batman who attempted to apprehend him. In retaliation, Red Hood fired a shot at Batman instead, but Wayne was able to ricochet the bullet which ended up piercing through Red Hood's helmet and into the criminals face. Wayne attempted to save the thug from falling over the railing only to lose his grip and watch as Red Hood plummeted into the vat of chemicals below. The next crook he fought was a thief named "Slugsy" Kyle who was trying to rob a warehouse. Kyle was able to knock Wayne out and tie him up, but he recovered and delivered Kyle to the police. This failure made Bruce decide to settle down with Julie and focus on his desk job duties at Wayne Enterprises.

#### Engagement and return as Batman

Madison had since moved into a loft in the heart of New York City to help further her acting career, and Wayne set up a date to ask for her hand in marriage. On the date in Central Park, however, they were interrupted and later got involved in a series of murders involving the Apex Chemical Corporation. In response, Bruce became Batman again to solve the case. He took down several thugs and stopped the conspiracy's leader, corrupt businessman Alfred Stryker. After this, Wayne decided to continue acting as Batman in secret and also finally successfully asked Madison to marry him.

Shortly after this, Alfred Pennyworth, a retired intelligence agent and the son of Thomas Wayne's old family butler, arrived at Wayne Manor, insisting on becoming Bruce's butler and bodyguard as a result of his father's dying wish. Not wanting or needing a butler, Wayne at first rejected the offer, but later amended his decision, and on his first night in the manor he discovered that Bruce was Batman. Alfred later proved his worth by calmly attending to his employer's injuries after having been injured in the field. Pennyworth would from then on would be given support staff duties as well as his regular tasks and would provide him with many high-tech gadgets thanks to his prior connections to the British government.

#### Meeting the Joker

"*You played your last hand, Joker.*"
―Batman, to the Joker[src]
At was at this time that the Joker first brazenly challenged Gotham's underworld and police department by announcing over the radio that he would kill three of Gotham's most prominent citizens; Henry Claridge, Jay Wilde and Judge Alan Drake. Bruce as Batman investigated the crimes and was startled to find two of the victims' bodies stricken with a macabre perpetual grin upon their faces, allowing the Joker to quickly become a noted criminal entity in Gotham's criminal underground.

Batman tracked the Joker down as he murdered the mob enforcer Brute Nelson at his home. The two fought, but Joker managed to get away. Later that night at ten o'clock, Joker, disguised as a police officer, bared witness to Judge Drake's death by the same deadly Joker venom as the two others before him. Batman soon arrived and he and the Joker clashed once again. After the Joker ran out of bullets, Batman gained the upper hand as the police arrived and apprehended the criminal, sending the Joker to prison.

### Growing admiration and Encountering the Cat

"*She's clever and beautiful, yes... And it's a shame that we both work on opposite sides of the law; but I hope, I mean, I know we'll meet again... soon.*"
―Batman, discussing Catwoman[src]Originally considered a vigilante who seriously injured many of his early opponents, Wayne as Batman proved to be effective against the open-acting crime organizations that the ineffective New York City Police Department could not. Batman began gathering the grudging admiration of Commissioner Gordon in his efforts, despite Batman's original heavy-handed methods of crime-combating operations. Batman's crusade against crime continued and he stopped various criminals including the Painter of Death, where he saved the New York World's Fair. Bruce's fiancée Julie, somehow became hypnotized by the mysterious Monk. Bruce was forced to act as Batman in order to save Julie from the Monk and traveled to Paris, where he killed the Monk and rescued Julie. Batman and Alfred later solved a murder mystery perpetrated by the mysterious Clayface. Briefly after this, the Joker made a comeback with the Red Triangle Circus Gang and during a final fight on a light house Batman defeated the madman.

As time went by, Bruce began to notice the power grabs by commercial mogul Maximillian Zorin into many of Gotham's commercial and industrial districts and moved to position himself as a competitor in Zorin's bid to run the city. As a result, Wayne attended a party with some of the wealthiest and most corrupt in the city which was put together by the crime boss Carmine "The Roman" Falcone and his son Mario, who was contemplating a mayoral run. In order to scare them, Bruce as Batman interrupted the dinner and blew a hole through the wall with explosives and told them that none of them were safe from him. Later that night, Batman listened in on the Roman while he was hiring Johnny Viti as a hitman. Catwoman interrupted this meeting to rob Falcone, and met Batman for the first time as a vigilante. Batman took out the bodyguards while Catwoman scratched Carmine Falcone's face, and they both escaped.

Shortly after this, Julie Madison ended their engagement just around the time when Clayface struck again. After this encounter, Bruce was reunited with his old friend Linda Page.

## Personality and traits

"*Power isn't money or guns or the fear you inspire. True power is forcing yourself to do the right thing.*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]
As a young child, Bruce tended to be solitary and withdrawn, a condition only exacerbated by the murder of his parents. This lead to him being a loner who would prefer to be on his own rather than rely on others. His difficulty in trusting others was a constant issue for him to overcome.

His longest and closest relationship has been with Alfred Pennyworth, who represents a father figure, confessor and advisor. Alfred and he have clashed in the past, but share a deep and unbreakable bond. To the world at large, Bruce Wayne looks like a rich, good looking, dim-witted playboy. But there are times when Bruce has found love, the beautiful Selina Kyle, Victoria Vale, Talia al Ghul, Diana Prince, Sasha Bordeaux, Zatanna Zatara and some others. They have all reached Bruce's heart and have fallen in love with him.

Although he has no superhuman powers, he was one of the world's smartest men and greatest fighters. His physical prowess and technical ingenuity make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. He was also a founding member of the Justice Society.
His knowledge of so many varied disciplines had made Wayne an unconventional and unpredictable individual.

## Relationships

### Friends

#### Harvey Dent

"*In the beginning, Gordon, perhaps he really did have two sides, one good and one evil, but his evil side has steadily grown stronger over the years... eating away the good man who he once was. He's the most tragic foe I've ever faced, Gordon, and I still feel as I always have. Short of capital punishment, the only way to put an end to Two-Face's evil is to reach the good side of Harvey Dent trapped inside... and free it.*"
―Batman, on his former friend[src]
#### James Gordon

"*I've known Commissioner Jim Gordon for more years than I'd care to admit. During that time a friendship has grown that I thought was as solid as a rock. I would have trusted my life to the man.*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]
#### Alfred Beagle

"*I had a sickening and frustrating night. Time and again I think I've seen all the evil there is to see, and time and again, people prove me wrong. What is it about us, Alfred? What makes us such an easy prey for violence and depravity?*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]

#### Clark Kent

"*If the world ever had a true hero... that's him.*"
―Bruce Wayne about Superman[src]
#### Dick Grayson

"*Thank you, Dick... for all the years... for everything.*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]

#### Ace

"*He's a great dog. It was him who really saved us.*"
―Batman[src]

#### Jean-Paul Valley

"*You're a mistake, pal. The biggest of my life, made in a moment of weakness... and I'm here to take it all back.*"
―Bruce Wayne, to Jean-Paul Valley before taking back the mantle of Batman[src]
### Romances

"*Why is whenever I meet a woman I can care for, she's an enemy? That's my curse.*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]

#### Vicki Vale

"*I admire beauty... especially a beauty like you.*"
―Bruce Wayne[src]

#### Talia al Ghul

"*You're everything I could possibly want in a woman... beautiful, intelligent, loyal. If I was anyone else, I'd cherish you for the rest of my life. But I can't consider our marriage real. I have a mission and you'd keep me from doing what I have to. So, forgive me Talia...*"
―Bruce Wayne to Talia al Ghul[src]
The daughter of the supervillain, Ra's al Ghul, Talia's father had encouraged the relationship in hopes of recruiting Batman as his successor. Unlike Catwoman, Talia was more than willing to play second-fiddle to Bruce's mission. During their first encounters, Talia displayed a devotion to the Caped Crusader as strong as her love for her father, often saving Batman, but always choosing to remain by her father's side. After several encounters with Ra's, Talia and Bruce eventually began a sexual relationship, from which their son Damian was born and unknown to Bruce for many years.

## Powers and Abilities

"*I don't die that easily...*"
―Batman[src]
### Powers

Bruce Wayne possessed no known superhuman abilities.

### Abilities

**Genius-Level Intellect**: Batman was a brilliant, virtually peerless, detective, strategist, scientist, tactician, and commander. He was regarded by some as one of the keenest analytical minds on the planet. Given his lack of superpowers, he often used cunning and planning to outwit his foes rather than simply "out-fighting" them.

**Martial Arts Master**: Batman was one of the finest human combatants alive. He trained in the US for various martial arts for 3 years, before traveling the planet to learn anything he could. During his travels, he has mastered 127 styles of martial arts including Muay Thai, Escrima, Krav Maga, Capoeira, Savate, Yaw-Yan, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Jujitsu, Ninjitsu, Kendo, Fencing, Swordsmanship, Kenjutsu, Kali, Bojutsu, Francombat, Boxing, Kickboxing, Hapkaido, Wing Chun, Parkour, Shorin Ryu, Silat, Chin Na, Kyudo, Aikido, Varma Ati, Jeet Kune Do, Shaolin, Ba Gua, Hung Gar, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, and Kenpo.

**Weapons Master**: Through his martial arts training, he became an expert of various types of weaponry. He was an exceptional swordsman as evident in his fight with Ra's al Ghul. Wayne was also an expert in the use of the nunchucks and proficient at knife throwing, as well as Escrima. He was also trained in the use of fire arms during his time in the police academy.

**Expert Marksman**: Due to his training in Ninjitsu, Batman almost never misses his targets, 9/10 times he's successful.

**Master Detective**: He was widely considered by the Superhero community to one of the greatest detectives alive, capable of observation, forensic investigation, and inductive and deductive reasoning of the highest caliber. Human intuition was an unlearnable trait and one of Batman's most effective tools. Given any mystery, he could usually arrive at the correct conclusions with a fraction of the data.

**Master of Stealth**: His Ninjitsu training made him a master at stealth capable of breaching high security facilities with ease and without being detected.

**Master Tactician and Strategist**: He commonly utilizes cunning tactics to outwit his foes. He is an excellent leader and at times commands the Justice League.

**Skilled Pilot**: Has been seen flying the various versions of the Batplanes with ease and flying a helicopter.

**Skilled Businessman**: Bruce was also a talented businessman.

**Multilingual**: Bruce was able to speak English, Spanish, French, Gaelic, Latin, German, Japanese, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindi, Thai and possibly more.

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

* Various Batsuits: The costume Batman wore was composed by kevlar and a little percentage of titanium; it's bullet-proof and resistant to various types of attack (explosions, impacts, falls, etc...). It's also flame-retarding and insulating. The gloves and the boots are reinforced to rebound the impact of punches and kicks. The gloves have also some metallic blades on their sides. The cape is super-light and it can be used to glide. The mask has a little percentage of lead, which shields the face of Batman from x-ray powers or x-ray technology; it has also an infrared viewer and auditory sensors, sonar, night vision,which improve Batman's senses. The mask, is also accessorized with some security systems (aggravating gas, electric blasts, ecc...) like the utility belt. The mask is also a transmitter receiver de voice and video.

* **Utility Belt**: Batman kept most of his personal field equipment in a signature piece of apparel, a yellow utility belt. The utility belt has a button to call the car. Over the years it has contained items such as plastic explosives, nerve toxins, batarangs, smoke bombs, a fingerprint kit, a cutting tool, a grappling hook gun, and a "re-breather" breathing device. Superman had entrusted Batman with a ring made of kryptonite, to be used should the Man of Steel ever need to be reined in (due to being mind-controlled by a villain, etc.).

### Transportation

Batboat, Batcycle, Batmobile and Batplane.

### Weapons

Batarangs (several different types), small explosives, smoke, tear gas pellets and sometimes hand guns.

## Appearances

The ComicUniverse wiki has 11 images related to ***Bruce Wayne***.

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