Bruce Wayne

Batman

Bruce Wayne

Kate Kane, Elizabeth Kane, Bette Kane, Grant Wilson, Joey Wilson, Rose Wilson (cousins)
Dick Grayson, Jason Todd (adopted sons)
Cassandra Cain (adopted daughter)
Damian Wayne (son)
Helena Wayne (daughter)
Athanasia al Ghul (daughter)

### Affiliation

Justice League of America (former)
Bat-Family
Outsiders
Titans
Wayne Enterprises
League of Assassins (former)
Order of St Dumas (former)

## Biographical Information

### Education

High School Degree (Brentwood Academy)
Some College (multiple)
League of Assassins training

### Marital Status

Married (Selina Kyle, wife)
Divorced (Talia al Ghul, ex-wife)
Broken Engagement (Julie Madison, ex-fiance)

## Biography

### Early Life

On March 23rd, 1972, Bruce Wayne was born the only son of wealthy physician, Thomas Wayne and his wife, politician Martha Wayne, also the owners of multi-million dollar company Wayne Enterprises.

Bruce grew up in a life of luxury. His father had many connections due to his status as a doctor, and the success of Wayne Enterprises left Bruce never to want anything. His mother was a well-known politician.

While his parents were away with their affairs, he was left in the care of Alfred Pennyworth and Harriet Cooper, respectively the “butler” and housekeeper for the Waynes, who adored young Bruce. Alfred, a former spy, loved to do athletics with the boy, and at a young age, discovered Bruce’s natural athleticism. The two became very fond of fencing together. As Harriet spent time with Bruce, she discovered his strong intellect and knack for puzzle-solving, and suggested the Waynes enroll him in Brentwood Preparatory Academy once he was of age. The Waynes decided to take this step.

At Brentwood, Bruce developed a close circle of friends very quickly. First were Jessica and Harvey Dent, twin siblings. Harvey and Bruce were especially close, as Bruce appreciated Harvey’s strong moral compass, something his father had instilled in him. Next, Bruce grew close with the brainy Tommy Elliot, who always tried to best him in chess matches. Then, there was Julie Madison, who from a young age was very well-informed and versed in politics.

Bruce would spend his early summers abroad, usually on family vacations with his cousins, the Kanes. He was not especially close with Kate or her sister Elizabeth, but still tried to get along.

In 1980, Martha was gearing up for a hefty political campaign, set on taking the mayoral seat for herself and bringing about serious political change. Martha was displeased with the mental health system in Gotham and knew about the need for systemic reform in their justice system, and she was ready to take it on.

However, things for her campaign became complicated. When mob boss Carmine Falcone was shot, Thomas selflessly operated on Carmine on his kitchen table, due to the criminal’s fear of being killed elsewhere. Falcone offered himself to fulfill any favor for Thomas in the future, much to Martha’s anger.

During the campaign, the Waynes decided to move the family from the Wayne Estate in the outskirts of Gotham into a penthouse in Wonder Tower in the city, as the Estate was donated to charity to open an orphanage as a political move.

While both grew busy with the campaign, they were determined not to leave Bruce behind, and thus planned every Sunday to go to the Monarch Theatre with Bruce, where they often showed old Westerns that the three were quite fond of. During these escapades, they left the butler at home, wanting to feel like a “normal” family.

The Waynes would be rocked by a tragedy when one of Wayne Enterprises’ employees was murdered by a man sporting a red hood. Martha spoke out about the tragedy, and was confronted with hatred in droves as people rallied behind the offender.

Days later, on April 26th, 1981, when Bruce was eight years old, his parents took him to the Monarch for the show. While inside, the “Red Hood” took over the Murray Franklin show and shot the host on air, and then called for the lower class of Gotham to rise against the rich, an occurrence that would come to be known as Gotham’s Burning.

Power was cut to the theater, and so the family left in the middle of the show. Seeing the riots outside the front, they slipped through a side door, planning to cross down Park Row to the next street, where the car was parked. While on the way out, they were recognized by a street thug named Joe Chill, also donning a red mask. He approached Wayne and produced a gun, demanding money, before fatally shooting both of Bruce’s parents.

Bruce’s whole world changed on that night - and the legacy of the Waynes would change forever as well. In the months that followed, he became a recluse, living with Alfred in the penthouse apartment. Alfred remarked that the boy seldom cried, seeming to internalize his simultaneous rage and guilt. Thomas’ best friend Doctor Leslie Thompkins, though not a psychiatrist by trade, did her best to console the boy, but to little avail.

A specialist, Doctor Hugo Strange, was brought in to do a psychological evaluation on Bruce, but Bruce refused to partake. Over that summer, he began spending lots of time at Wayne Enterprises, begging Alfred to drive him. When he refused, he would sneak down the fire escape and onto the metro there. He grew close with acting CEO Lucius Fox, who entertained the boy, seeing it as practice for the child he knew he would soon have.

Also during that summer, his parents’ killer was finally caught by Detective Jim Gordon, but Bruce found it to be little consolation. He was now determined to change Gotham for the better and prevent any child from going through the same thing he did.

### Training Begins

He convinced Alfred to sign the documents needed to let Bruce graduate from Brentwood early at age fourteen, and Alfred begrudgingly obliged. After completing his final year of high school, Bruce visited his parents mausoleum. Upon attempting to open it, a horde of bats flew out and around him, startling the boy, a lasting image that would haunt him for years.

He left Gotham, taking classes at Cambridge, the Sorbonne, the Berlin School of Science, and several other universities. He never stayed long at any of these colleges, and often found the more useful schooling through other mentors. At the Sorbonne, magician Giovanni Zatara taught Bruce the art of theatrics and illusion (rumor has it, his daughter Zatanna taught him other things). A boxer in England, Ted Grant, trained Bruce in combat, and even had him participate in an underground fight club. Detectives Harvey Harris and Dan Mallory also briefly mentored the boy.

Bruce returned to the United States after four years of this. He discovered the city had fallen even further into corruption and crime. During his return, he began a romance with Andrea Beaumont, who he was head-over-heels in love with, and very nearly considered giving up his pursuits, but decided it was for the best, leaving her alone in the dead of winter.

He moved to Quantico Virginia, and fudged some paperwork to say that he was twenty-four years old, under the alias of Frank Dixon, and enrolled in the FBI Academy. While there, he grew in paranoia, feeling as if someone was following him. His beliefs turned out to be true, when a man going by the name of Henri Ducard approached him and offered him an opportunity to change his life. Bruce dropped out of the FBI Program and disappeared on a plane with Ducard and his beautiful daughter.

### Khuffash

Bruce fell asleep on the plane, to this day, he’s unsure if he was drugged or simply tired. He awoke in an underground hangar and was escorted off by Talia. He was brought into ‘Eth Alth’eban, where he was stripped of his clothes and belongings, escorted to the Lazarus  Pits to heal his wounds, and awaited council with the Great One.

The Great One turned out to be Ducard, operating under an alias. He revealed his true name to be Ra’s al Ghul and offered him a place in their Society of Shadows. He told Bruce he had been following his efforts to train his mind and body to a physical peak. Here, they could do all of that in one place.

Bruce accepted, and spent the next five years as a star pupil of some of the greatest assassins in the world. The trainer David Cain took a particular liking to Bruce. Slowly, Bruce began to fall in love with Talia, which was a forbidden affair.

Unbeknownst to Bruce, Ra’s was priming him to take his place. As his mind and body reached a physical peak most men could only dream of achieving, Bruce was unaware that he was being brainwashed. He was elected to become one of the Seven Men of Death, and picked the codename of Khuffash (the Arabic word for bat). Slowly, his responsibilities grew, and he found himself unflinchingly carrying out more monstrous and violent tasks. He didn’t even bat an eye when Ra’s revealed to him the true name of the organization was the League of Assassins.

One such task came in his fifth year, on Halloween night 1995. Following the lead of Ra’s’ other daughter, Nyssa, he and his squadron blew up an oil rig belonging to Robert Queen, killing the man in the process. Bruce insisted to Nyssa there be no further casualties, and made them take his son, Oliver, alive.

Bruce faced Ra’s, who agreed to Bruce’s terms, and allowed Oliver a chance to rise in the ranks of the League. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Society, Bruce knew Oliver from a chance encounter in their childhood.

Oliver became a star pupil. He and Bruce were neck-in-neck in the ranks, and both would end up marrying one of Ra’s’ daughters. Both sisters were soon with child. Following the births of the children, Ra’s told Oliver and Bruce that both were in the running to become the new Head of the Demon, and told them of the Acts of Ascension they would have to undertake to complete the process - with the final combatant in the act of Self-Exaltation to be killing the other man.

Bruce’s assignment to complete the act of Self-Destruction was to destroy Wayne Tower in Gotham City. That night, he told Oliver that he had helped orchestrate the attack that cost his father’s life, but had also saved Ollie’s life. With the veil lifted from their eyes, the two men agreed to help the other escape.

Together, they planned an attack to weaken the League’s forces, preventing them from exacting any more harm on the world. Bruce was approached by another man, Benjamin Turner,who said had grown dissatisfied with the League due to their senseless killings.

The three men placed homemade explosives in the hanger, and then approached Ra’s’ chamber with their weapons brandished. Then, Turner revealed his true loyalty lay with the Great One, as he had been placed to test the other two. He and several other masters turned on the two men, forcing them to flee, stealing a boat and sailing away from their past lives.

### Batman Begins

They docked in Gotham City. Bruce and Ollie parted ways, Bruce heading to Wayne Tower, where he had a tearful reunion with Alfred. He spent several days resting and being examined by Leslie.

Upon his return to Gotham, Bruce had to survey the changes. The current mayor, Henry Claridge was running the city into the ground with corruption. The GCPD was brimming with dirty cops. Arkham Asylum had fallen more decrepit, now just a place for the undesirables to be hidden away, rather than a place for healing. Blackgate Penitentiary was overcrowded. Violent crime was at an all-time high. Wayne Manor had fallen decrepit and abandoned, so Bruce moved back in.

To make a true change in Gotham, Bruce needed to reinvent two sides of himself. First, the persona of Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy philanthropist. He immediately held a press conference to announce his return and his new position as Chairman of the Board at Wayne Enterprises - which positioned him closer with acting CEO Lucius Fox.

This also helped to complete his playboy look, as his new occupation introduced him to Silver St Cloud, an event planner who scheduled Bruce for all kinds of events, as well as proving to be an attractive piece of arm candy for the man.

Bruce began changing that. Honing his skills from over a decade of globe-trotting and with Lucius Fox’s genius and the resources of Wayne Enterprises at his disposal, Bruce began creating something greater than himself. He scrapped together a suit of armor, but at its center, he needed something, a symbol of fear to strike into the hearts of the criminals and corrupt. As he sat in his father’s study, pondering this question on an unusually warm spring night, a bat flew through an open window, the exact omen he needed to become the Batman.

At first, the Batman was an urban legend. Someone who appeared in lower-class districts to save innocent bystanders from muggings. But, he became something more when he secretly allied with District Attorney Harvey Dent, GCPD Lieutenant James Gordon, his wife Sarah Essen, and Detective Harvey Bullock, to bring down the operations of mafiosos Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni.

However, putting away the two powerful figures led to Harvey Dent’s face becoming horrendously scarred during Maroni’s trial, sending him down his own villainous path. The destruction of these two crime families created a giant power vacuum, causing new threats to grow in their wake, like Warren White, Oswald Cobblepot, and the resurgence of an old hitman in the form of Killer Moth. However, Batman’s rogues would grow beyond the mafia and crime families, expanding into the Red Hood Gang, the Riddler, and the Joker.

Bruce was able to hide his Batman secret from Silver very well, not wanting to put her in the fray, and unsure of her reaction. Around two years into his tenure as Batman, Bruce attended a charity circus performance to watch the Flying Graysons performed, where members of the troupe plummeted to their deaths after being sabotaged, including the youngest Grayson’s parents, leaving the young Dick Grayson orphaned. Reminded of his own childhood, Bruce had Silver help him adopt Grayson.

### Batman and Robin

Bruce and Dick got off to a rocky start. While coping with the loss, Dick was frustrated by the unexplained absence of his adoptive father. One night, he snuck out of Wayne Manor and attempted to solve the murder of his parents with the scarce evidence, where he encountered a member of the Red Hood Gang, but was saved by Batman.

Bruce returned home with the boy and revealed his identity to him, prompting Dick to want to join his operation. While Bruce was hesitant, Alfred encouraged it. And sworn by a candlelit oath, Robin was born.

Bruce and Alfred spent nearly a year training the boy, before they turned him loose on Gotham for one night by himself, with Batman observing close by. After proving himself, Bruce agreed to allow him to join his vigilante crusade as Robin.

Robin’s introduction would inspire others in Gotham, notably Sarah and Jim’s daughter, Barbara. On Halloween night of 2003, at a costume gala, Barbara attended in her own homemade “Bat-Girl” costume, where she ended up foiling Killer Moth’s attempt on her father’s life, sending him to Blackgate. While Bruce did not want to take her on, her persistence (and annoyance) eventually caused him to welcome her into the fold.

Bruce’s circle would grow even wider after one of his villains teamed up with those of Superman and Wonder Woman, and he worked with the two to bring them to justice. And then it grew again when the alien Appellaxians attempted an invasion of Earth in 2002, and thus Bruce helped assemble the Justice League. With Bruce’s absence either with his proteges or the Justice League, Silver broke up with him, later citing that she never felt like she saw all sides of the mysterious man.

When the Justice League proved too bureaucratic, Bruce created his own superhero team, the Outsiders, a black-ops team to operate internationally. While not an official team, they would come together on an as-needed basis.

As Bruce’s rogues gallery grew more eclectic, they grew in danger as well. While villains like Poison Ivy, Clayface, and Killer Croc posed unique challenges, one villain always seemed to be more dangerous than the others, and that was the Joker. Joker seemed to love toying with superheroes and didn’t mind going for their loved ones as well. One of his early escapades landed him in Arkham Asylum, where he seduced and manipulated his psychiatrist, transforming her into the equally psychotic Harley Quinn.

With the growing threat, Bruce and the League decided that their proteges needed a place to train and work together, and so they started the Titans, allowing them to operate out of the League’s base in Happy Harbor, before buying them a fancy clubhouse in Jump City.

One night, after dropping Barbara and Dick off in Jump City, Bruce returned to the Batcave to find his ex-wife, Talia, within, awaiting him. Talia seduced Bruce, the two slept together, and she disappeared the next morning, unclear on what she wanted from him in the first place.

Dick and Barbara would eventually fall in love. Tensions began flying between Bruce and Dick, coming to a head in 2008, when the Bat-Family had a near deadly encounter with the Joker when he shot Robin in the shoulder. Dick was forced to reconsider his priorities, and decided to step down as Robin, and then enrolled in Hudson University. On the day of his leaving, Bruce and Dick got into a terrible screaming match, resulting in Dick storming off, later breaking things off with Barbara.

That Christmas, Bruce was patrolling Gotham alone, when he caught a young boy attempting to steal the tires off the Batmobile. Bruce decided to take the young boy, whose name was Jason Todd, in as a new ward.

### A Death in the Family

Jason’s introduction into Bruce’s life swiftly moved into vigilantism. With little training, Bruce brought the boy into the field as his second Robin, much to the dismay of Batgirl. Jason’s temper and general brattiness pushed Barbara to step down as Batgirl. She ended up attending Gotham University and gave Bruce the cold shoulder.

Jason joined the Titans, where he proved to be sort of a pain, causing a couple of scandals for the young heroes, such as when he and Roy Harper decided it would be fun to hijack a hot-rod. Jason blurred the line for Bruce’s moral compass, often trying to convince Bruce to let him go the extra step and kill criminals. Bruce held firm and tried to convince Jason of another way.

Slowly, very slowly, it worked, and over the course of the next several years, Jason got whipped into shape, even prompting Barbara to come back as Batgirl part-time as she worked on her degree.

However, things would take a turn for tragedy. The night before Halloween in 2014, Barbara Gordon returned home after a night on patrol as Batgirl. Someone knocked on the door, she answered, and was shot by the Joker, leaving her crippled. In a frenzy, Bruce and Jason split up to find the clown. Jason was lured by Harley Quinn to Amusement Mile, where Jason was knocked out.

On a livestream jerry-rigged by the Riddler, Harley and Joker tortured Jason for all of Gotham City to see. They finally revealed the boy’s location, leading Bruce to desperately race there, only to watch them blow up the building before his eyes. Bruce waded into the wreckage and pulled his sidekick’s body from the rubble.

The Bat-Family was left broken, and Bruce had to do damage control. To keep up appearances, Bruce waged a public war on Batman, the Justice League, and the Titans, claiming the heroes indoctrinated his adopted son into their own war on crime. With the help of Martian Manhunter, Bruce and Batman appeared televised at the same time, clearing Bruce of suspicion.

As such, the League and Titans were forced to disband, and Batman appeared to disappear forever. Bruce stuck around for a little bit. He hired Sasha Bordeaux as a bodyguard, both for appearances, and because he believed the Joker would return as he was still at large. Unbeknownst to Bruce, Nightwing brought together Bruce’s old Outsiders team and they caught the Joker, quietly turning him in, reincarcerating him at Arkham Asylum.

When Bruce learned this, he disappeared. He left Sasha a note telling her that her services would no longer be required, and told Alfred to keep things up for him, and then simply dropped off the grid.

### Matches Malone

As Gotham adjusted to life without a vigilante, Bruce re-surfaced under the identity of John “Matches” Malone in Gotham’s Underworld. It has been a time of great change for the city’s criminal element. The mysterious Black Mask had murdered several members of the Cosa Nostra’s Five Families, leading to a massive power vacuum. Territory and  industry was being gobbled up by the likes of the Penguin, the aforementioned Black Mask, and the mysterious new gang called the Order of St Dumas.

The Order was assimilating the youth of Gotham under one umbrella and radicalizing them with religious text. The group was lead by a man named Joseph Blackfire, the Deacon of the sect, and a mysterious masked man with a flaming sword calling himself Azrael. The head priest was a man named Jean-Paul Valley, who was suspicious of Matches.

Bruce - or Matches - became a valuable member of the Order. They found he was an excellent spy. Bruce became closely allied with another member of the Order, a boy named Duke Thomas, who bonded over their shared hatred of guns. They were constantly paired up together for their missions. Bruce learned the Order was dealing a drug called the Titan formula, which was partially Mark Desmond’s Blockbuster formula, mixed with something new. He was told the other half came from another country, Santa Prisca.

He also briefly worked with Joseph Chilton, the man who had killed his parents years before. He was assigned to accompany the driver on courier missions. On one of the long drives, Chilton confessed to him that he had killed the Waynes, which prompted Bruce to reveal his identity. Joe took off running and ran into a group of criminals. After telling them that he was responsible for creating Batman, they jumped him and fatally stabbed him. Bruce saw Joe's last moments with his own eyes, as Joe begged him to tell his kids he was sorry.

Another boy, by the name of Alvin Draper would join the Order and become part of Matches and Duke’s little team. It was a scary time to be a criminal, as a hooded crossbow-wieding figure was carving a bloody path through the underworld. Bruce would encounter this character, when she knocked out his two associates. He managed to talk her down, and then left with her to her apartment.

There, she revealed herself to be Helena Bertinelli, and he revealed himself to be Bruce Wayne, and furthermore, the former Batman, he was unaware Alvin had tagged along and was watching from out the window. Alvin confronted Matches about it, and agreed to help Bruce try to collapse the Order, revealing his true name to be Tim Drake.

Bruce returned to the Batsuit, hesitantly gifting Helena with an old Batgirl costume. He told Tim that he wasn’t ready to have another Robin, and had him steer clear of the ensuing battle, where Batman and Azrael went toe-to-toe. Duke revealed to Batman and the GCPD that the source of the drugs came from the Sionis Steel Mill, leading to Roman Sionis’ arrest.

Helena and Bruce went to arrest him, and Sionis put up a fight, which led to Helena branding his black skull mask to his face. Bruce tore the bat symbol from her chest and revoked her status as Batgirl. Helena disappeared on him.

Bruce wanted Helena to remain an ally, but she decided to forge her own path. Using her father’s fortune, she upgraded her gear to become the Huntress. After a few more weeks of pestering, Bruce allowed Tim to become his new Robin, but he trained him with Alfred, Ted Grant, Black Canary, and several others first.

Bruce approached Dick and asked him to return to Gotham as Nightwing. But, Dick declined. He now had his own city to look after. They shook hands and left things on good terms. Barbara, after her brief stint with Task Force X, agreed to come back to Bruce, serving as a connective tissue between him and Nightwing. She established a communications center in the old Gotham Clock Tower, the Belfry, and gained the ops moniker of Oracle. They also gained a new ally in the form of Spoiler.

As things seemed to come back together for Bruce, they fell apart again.

### No Man's Land

On May 8th, 2016, in an event that became known as the Cataclysm, the League of Assassins activated several bombs planted beneath all the bridges in Gotham City. While Batman and his allies were preoccupied dealing with the wreckage, the League launched simultaneous prison breaks at Arkham Asylum and Blackgate, then began funneling all the prisoners within the city.

While at the bridges, the League introduced Batman to their Four Horsemen, Bane, Copperhead, Python, and Knightfall. Each battled with Batman, and when it proved too overwhelming, he was forced to retreat from the battle and regroup at the Belfry.

Nightwing, Huntress, Robin, Spoiler, Oracle, and Batman all discussed possible next routes, which included calling in some reinforcements from other cities, including Ragman and Black Canary. The heroes struggled to keep footing the city, as they attempted to deal with all the super-criminals flooding the streets, the four new super-soldiers the League introduced, and evacuating civilians, they were spread too thin.

The League activated the next phase, using devices created by Doctor Robert Coleman to create an artificial Earthquake, destroying much of Gotham’s infrastructure, causing flooding in lower-lying areas as parts of the sea wall collapsed, and leading to building collapses and power loss in several areas.

Within twenty-four hours of the attack, the GCPD enacted martial law, and the United States Government declared Gotham to be a No Man’s Land. To prevent further chaos, they ordered no further entry of any superheroes. The League, still disbanded and on bad bureaucratic terms, were forced to pull out the few reinforcements they had within the city.

Batman faced extreme difficulty trying to keep his foothold in Gotham. Gangs ran rampant in the street. Particularly, a young boy in a gold mask calling himself Anarky rallied several of Gotham’s citizens into raiding the GCPD’s armory. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn created a new version of the Garden of Eden in Robinson Park, and began allowing people asylum there. In the Iceberg Lounge, Oswald Cobblepot hired a dealer named Bone, who began auctioning off simple goods to citizens of Gotham.

Meanwhile, the Four Horsemen were nothing but trouble. Copperhead and Python stalked Batman throughout the city, attempting to poison him. Bruce had to be on edge, careful not to reveal the Batcave and the Belfry to the villains. Meanwhile, Knightfall was hell-bent on going after the newest Robin, seeming to have a vendetta against him. Finally, Bane was hell-bent on destroying Batman.

One day, he got too carried away with his vendetta, and battled with Batman on the GCPD rooftop, before breaking his back over his knee, and then attempting to kill him by throwing him off the roof. Batman, however, was saved by an unlikely ally in the form of Azrael, who caught him and got him to safety - handing him over to Oracle and Leslie Thompkins in the Belfry.

With Batman out of commission, Dick stepped up, briefly taking on the mantle of Batman, despite his hesitancy to do so. Bruce was reserved to Wayne Manor to recover. During his time at Wayne Manor, he was visited by Lady Shiva and her daughter. Shiva told Bruce she had left the League and wanted to help him heal. She left her daughter with Oracle, while she and Bruce (and the watchful eye of Ben Turner) journeyed to the holy city of Nanda Parbat.

In Nanda Parbat, master trainer Richard Dragon helped heal Bruce in body, while the monks and shamans of the city helped to heal him in spirit. They even let him bathe in their Lazarus Pit, priming his body to return to the city and strike down Bane and the League of Assassins.

Meanwhile, Shiva’s daughter, Cassandra Cain, proved to be a helpful ally, even becoming the third Batgirl. In a battle with Knightfall, Tim and Dick knocked his mask off, discovering him to be Jason Todd - now back from the dead. Flooded with memories, Jason tore off into the night.

The Order of St Dumas began to fall out of favor with the masked Azrael, who killed Deacon Blackfire in retaliation. Lower members of the gang rose up, re-establishing them as the Sons of Batman, taking back the streets, and coming into direct combat with Anarky’s gang.

While trying to maintain order in the streets, Dick was knocked unconscious by a mob. Tim was forced to evacuate him, and considered taking up the mantle of Batman. Tim didn’t even get the chance, when Azrael broke into the Batcave, stole a Batsuit, cut it up, and took to the streets as the new Batman - a more violent one. He wielded his flaming sword and didn’t hesitate to cut up criminals.

After his stay in Nanda Parbat, Bruce returned as Batman, stronger than ever. He struck down Azrael and then made his way for Bane and the other Horsemen. Knightfall would return, now donning a red helmet, and with the Red Hood Gang backing him. He retaliated against the Horsemen and revealed his identity to Bruce, much to his shock and confusion. He battled with Bane and made quick work of the assailant, figuring out that the super-drug venom was connected to his power source. When he cut off that supply, he was able to get the upper hand.

This was just enough for the Bat-Family to take the upper hand and turn the tide. Thankfully, they were aided by Lex Luthor of all people, when he became President and ended the No Man’s Land order. The GCPD repealed martial law, and the Justice League helped liberate the city, driving out the League of Assassins’ forces, and Gotham was reborn.

### Rebirth

The Justice League was reborn as the Justice League of America under ARGUS, with Batman back on the team, and several new members. The Titans also came back, with Spoiler, Batgirl, and Robin on the newest roster.

Bruce also reconnected with an old flame in the form of Selina Kyle. The months trapped in Gotham were pretty sobering for her - and she decided it was time for Catwoman to turn over a new leaf - with Bruce’s help. He agreed to help her, and she redeemed herself.

Dick approached Bruce and asked if he could lead a new version of the Outsiders, a steppingstone for the graduated Titans, and Bruce agreed. Their first operation was to bring Jason Todd home, a globe-trotting adventure that returned Jason to Gotham as an ally. Bruce tearfully reunited with the son he thought he’d lost, learning that Jason’s body had been stolen and resurrected in a Lazarus Pit.

However, the ally-ship with Red Hood would be short-lived. Anarky’s gang, the Joker’s Laugh Pack, and Black Mask’s False Face Society were all coming into conflict. In secret, Red Hood was picking off smaller crime bosses, bringing this conflict to a boiling point. In a giant gang war in Gotham Square, the Bat-Family was called to respond. The resulting conflict left both Joker and Black Mask dead at the hands of Huntress and Red Hood.

Both high-tailed it out of there, picking off a few crime bosses on the way out, before leaving Gotham entirely. As a result, Bruce’s paranoia in turn grew. He created a metahuman database he called Brother Eye, and established the Agamemno Contingency, a plan for every member of the Justice League to neutralize them should they grow rogue. This was his darkest secret, buried from the entire League, Bat-Family, and Titans - or so he thought. Unbeknownst to him, the Light hired Mirror Master and Calculator to steal these files from the Bat-Computer, secretly giving it to Maxwell Lord to use for his OMAC Project.

Over the coming months, Gotham was in a state of constant shake-up. Anarky was killed and replaced by another member of his gang. Gordon got voted out of his commissioner slot, replaced by Christopher Nakano, who destroyed the Bat-Signal and listed Batman as persona non grata for the GCPD.

The Bat-Family gains two new allies, Duke Thomas, who becomes Lark, and Harper Row, who becomes Bluebird. A new Azrael also appears, while Batman is unsure if he is friend or foe. New opponents show up as well, in the form of Punchline, another brainwashed nurse who takes over the Laugh Pack. And the GCPD further militarizes in the form of the Peacemaker Squadron.

Bruce’s world would be rocked yet again, when Talia al Ghul returned and introduced him to his son - Damian Wayne.

### Batman and Son

Damian was at first very off-putting. Having been trained since birth by the League of Assassins, he was very violent in nature. However, Bruce committed himself to changing the boy’s trajectory. His plans would change course when the Titans’ team member Kaldur seemingly turned on them and destroyed Mount Justice. Bruce approached TIm and asked him to go undercover into the League of Assassins, where Tim discovered that Damian was a League plant.

On Independence Day of 2018, the Light launched a joint effort with Maxwell Lord and the League of Assassins to destroy the Watchtower, the city of Bludhaven, parts of San Diego, and the Justice League’s reputation. They were aided with Bruce’s stolen Brother Eye and Agammemno Contingency files. Damian revealed his traitorous status to his father, and turned on the League. When Bruce’s involvement was exposed, he chose to resign from the League.

That week, Bruce, Selina, Alfred, Tim, Damian, Duke, and Cass boarded a boat, and Bruce took them on a nearly years-long globe-spanning journey to train them in the proper ways of vigilantism, expanding their minds and bodies. He and Selina also wed in the holy city of Nanda Parbat.

When they returned, Huntress had established the Network, and there was a new vigilante - Batwoman, who was Bruce’s cousin, Kate. Lucius Fox's son, Luke had also become the hero Batwing during their time away, and two new allies were welcomed into the fold. Very soon, Selina was with child, and Bruce was ready and excited to welcome his daughter into the world.

### Batman: Public Enemy

Shortly after their return to Gotham, security footage was leaked to the press appearing to show Batman murdering reporter Vesper Fairchild. In addition, Batman's involvement in the OMAC Crisis is leaked. Under immense pressure, Mayor Gordon was forced to send the GCPD after Batman, much to Commissioner Nakano's pleasure. The Justice League refuses to go against one of their own former members.

While Bruce is preoccupied trying to investigate the case, someone started impersonating him at Wayne Enterprises, assembling a group of metahuman criminals (including heavy-hitters like Major Force and Cheetah) to go after him and other members of the Bat-Family. Simultaneously, the Red Claw put out a hit on Selina.

The Bat-Family remained under an attack on all fronts for months, leading Bruce to team up with the Network in order to save his family. Eventually, with some help from a couple fellow detectives, they were able to prove Bruce's innocence. In secret, the Wayne impersonator was captured, deducing that the man was Bruce's childhood friend Tommy Elliot. Their troubles did not stop, as the Red Claw's hit was still active. After their baby was born, she was named after Huntress, who helped save Selina's life. But, just mere months into her life, young Helena was kidnapped by Film Freak and Angle Man. When Bruce eventually tracked them down, it wasn't pretty. But, the family was finally brought back together.

## Trivia

* Bruce doesn't drink - and will instead op for mocktails or ginger ale at parties.
* Mulligatawny soup is his favorite food.
* Bruce speaks over forty languages. In addition to English, he is fluent in French, Italian, and Arabic.
* As part of his protege's training, they each must come up with an alias and alternate identity to use. Bruce's is Matches Malone, Dick's is Freddie Dinardo, Babs' is Amy Beddoes, Jason's is Peter Miles, Tim's is Alvin Draper, Cass' is Kasumi Hardy, and Damian's is Turner Hayes.