Batman (Earth-97)

For the Earth-789 version of this subject, see Batman (Earth-789).

* Batman (VK)
* Batman (GC)
* Bruce Wayne (VK)
* Bruce Wayne (GC)

### Comic(s)

Batman Forever: The Official Comic Adaptation of the Warner Bros. Motion PictureBatman & Robin: The Official Comic Adaptation of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture

### Book(s)

*Batman Forever* (novelization)
*Batman & Forever* (junior novelization)
*Batman & Robin* (novelization)
*Batman & Robin* (junior novelization)

### Game(s)

*Batman Forever* (video game)
*Batman Forever: The Arcade Game*
*Batman & Robin* (video game)

## Actor(s)

### Portrayed by

[Val Kilmer
(*Batman Forever*)
Ramsey Ellis (young, *Batman Forever*)
George Clooney
(*Batman & Robin*)
Eric Lloyd (Young, *Batman & Robin*)

**Bruce Wayne** of Earth-97 is a billionaire from Gotham City who became the vigilante **Batman** in response to the sudden and brutal murder of his parents by the gangster Jack Napier when he was Eight years old. He sees himself as the protector of Gotham, aiming to clean up the city's crime and corruption while bringing its criminals to justice by any means necessary.

## Biography

### Early life

Bruce Wayne had been born to wealthy but civic-minded parents in 1960. The noble Doctor Thomas Wayne and the philanthropic Martha Wayne had worked tirelessly to reverse Gotham City's urban decline, and had become renown for their glittering charity fundraisers and their support of initiatives to stimulate the city's growth as a place without crime and poverty.

In 1968, on one cold late October night when he was Eight years old, Bruce urged his parents to take him to see a movie  and his father gave in. The family went to the Monarch Theatre to see *Footlight Frenzy. after the movie, his father had decided they should walk for a bit before taking a cab back to Wayne Manor. The family happily walked down the sidewalk and it wasn't long before his mother had noticed someone following them. Thomas and Martha were subsequently gunned down by an unknown assailant, leaving Bruce as the only survivor Bruce went down on his knees between the dead bodies of his loving parents and began to cry. He prayed that he would eradicate crime from Gotham's streets so that no one else would suffer the same pain On the night of his parents' wake, the priest's words gave the distraught Bruce no comfort. Bruce walked over to his father's desk and noticed a red leather book lying on it. It was his father's journal. His father had written in it every day in his life, but now the journal will never be finished. Bruce took the red journal and ran out into a powerful storm. He fell in to a centuries old cave. When he got up he looked forward and saw a figure approaching him in the darkness. It was a giant bat. Bruce was at first scared but then decided to take that image and put fear into the hearts of those who did evil and criminals.*

Spending many of his adolescent years training to fight crime, Bruce learned martial arts and patience from a wizened old man in Korea while learning street smarts from a legendary man hunter in France named Ducard. He also came to learn fencing in the Soviet Union and auto racing in the streets of Rome. Along the way, Bruce became fluent across several different languages, gaining a working knowledge of several more. He also studied chemistry, biology, criminology and computer design from a dozen teachers in a dozen different locations.

At around the age of 19, Bruce met the famous decathlete Victor Fries at a university as the decathlete was doing his daily training. Awed by the man's movements, Bruce pointed out his feats but Victor stated that he could still do better. When Bruce asked him for the secret of his success, Victor pointed out that it was mostly about the decision of whether or not to make a landing. Bruce then promised to remember the advice before noticing Victor's girlfriend arrive to pull him away. As he watched them disappear from view, Bruce endeavored to replicate Victor's decathlete feats, managing to come close to doing so with his first attempt.

### Early Years as Batman

in 1989 Bruce eventually became a crime-fighter known as Batman, creating various gadgets and technology to use in his operations. He would occasionally listen in on the GCPD for any crimes they might've been dealing with. Bruce received help from his butler and guardian Alfred Pennyworth.

#### Facing the Joker

In October of the same year, a family in Gotham City was lost and walked into an alley guided by the father who says, "I know where we are". In the alley, they are asked by a thug to give him a dollar, to which they walk right past, with the father speeding them up. When they are about to turn around a corner, the father is knocked out cold by a second thug with a gun. He tells the wife not to scream as he points the gun at the kid, while the first thug searches the father's body and steals his wallet. The two thugs then run away, and the wife screams about what happened. Unknown to the thugs, Batman was watching from a building above them, and goes to confront them.

The two thugs sit on a rooftop going through the father's wallet, when the first thug says he's scared of being up high, and begins to talk about how one of their friends was killed by "The Bat". The second thug dismisses it, saying that there is no "Bat" as Batman begins to descend directly behind them. Batman then surprises both thugs, overpowering one and holding the other by his shirt over the building's ledge. The thug pleads with Batman not to kill him, Batman tells him that he won't, but he wants him to do him a favor: "tell all your friends about me". When the thug asks who he is, Batman says, "I'm Batman".

A charity part is held at Wayne Manor by Bruce. Some of the guests include Commissioner Jim Gordon and the new district attorney Harvey Dent, along with reporter Alexander Knox and photographer Vicki Vale. Bruce is at a table with other men when Vicki approaches him asking, "Do you know which of these guys is Bruce Wayne?" Bruce jokes by saying, "Well I'm not sure." Vicki took the answer seriously and left with Knox to search for Bruce throughout the mansion. Bruce follows Knox and Vicki into an armory hall and hears their remarks about the armor and him. When Alexander and Vicki wonder about where a set of samurai armor came from Bruce tells them it's Japanese, "Because I bought it from Japan". When Knox asks who he is Bruce reveals himself to be Bruce Wayne to which Vicki jokes, "Are you sure?" "Yeah this time," Bruce remarks. The trio begins to talk about Batman when Alfred Pennyworth comes in telling Bruce that Commissioner Gordon was compelled to leave very unexpectedly. Bruce then leaves. After Gordon arrives at the chemical plant, Batman appears and fights Napier's men before apprehending Napier. Jack's right hand man Bob threatens Gordon, telling Batman to let Jack go. Batman does and Jack smiles, saying, "Nice outfit". Bob tries to get him to leave but Jack tries to shoot at Batman. He fires a shot at him but it ricochets off of Batman's gauntlet, into a wall, and through Jack's face making him fall off the catwalk. Batman goes to save him, and grabs his hand, but Jack slips from Batman's grip and falls into a vat of chemicals. Gordon then tells his men to grab Batman, but Batman throws down a smoke pellet, and uses his grapple to escape through the ceiling. Vicki has dinner with Bruce in a very large dining room. After a while of trying to manage the date because of the long dining-room table, they decide to eat in the kitchen with Alfred. Alfred then begins to tell stories about Bruce's childhood. Alfred eventually leaves, and Bruce reveals that Alfred is the only family he has. Bruce and Vicki then head upstairs and sleep together in Wayne's room. The next morning, Vicki asks Bruce if they could have lunch at her place so she could show him some photos, but Bruce says he can't because he will have to be out for a couple of days. Vicki tells him that they will get together when he gets home. While walking down a flight of stairs, Vicki learns from Alfred that Bruce is not leaving town. Vicki decides to follow Bruce, wondering why he was being so secretive. Vicki follows Bruce onto a street where he places two roses on the ground. Vicki approaches the roses and picks them up, intrigued. She then continues to follow Bruce.

Bruce was in front of City Hall when a mobster that worked for Boss Carl Grissom walks out and is asked questions by Knox. The newly created Joker suddenly appears and kills the mobster by throwing a pen into his neck, before proclaiming to the audience, "The pen is truly mightier than the sword". He then walks away as his men, dressed as mimes, fire semi-automatics. Bruce's jacket gets shot as Bruce approaches Joker's limousine. He sees Joker's face and recognizes him as Jack Napier. Bruce then turns and sees Vicki Vale, and then heads back to Wayne Manor. Bruce returns home and tells Alfred that Jack Napier is still alive and has taken over Grissom's organization. Alfred then tells him that Vicki Vale called, before hinting that she might be a positive influence on the troubled man.

While watching the news about two models dying at a beauty salon, and then three new deaths, the female anchor begins to laugh hysterically and fall to the ground dead. Suddenly Joker appears on the screen making a fake commercial for his poison Smylex that he has put into an unknown item, saying that people probably have bought it already. Bruce then turns off the screen and tells Alfred that they are going to go shopping to find out more.

At Wayne Manor Alfred hears a message from Vicki about how she will be ten minutes late getting to the museum. Alfred tells this to Bruce who suddenly realizes that he isn't seeing Vicki that day. Vicki waits at the Flugelheim Museum, and is found by the Joker. While he was trying to seduce/mutilate Vicki, Batman bursts through the ceiling window. He grabs Vicki, pulls out a grapple, and gets Vicki out of the museum. Bruce and Vicki get into the Batmobile and then drive away. Shortly afterwards Joker's men drive after them in their cars. Batman manages to give them the slip, causing several car crashes.

Bruce and Vicki get out of the Batmobile and run into an alleyway. While running Batman initiates the Batmobile's shields to keep it safe. In the alley Bruce fires a grapple and gives the handle to Vicki. It propels her up onto a catwalk, and she than walks onto a rooftop and looks down. Joker's men arrive and shoot Batman down. Joker's men begin to inspect Batman, when Bob tells them to "take off the mask." When one of the thugs is about to, Vicki takes a picture and they notice the flash and begin to shoot up at her. Batman then springs up off the ground and takes down the Joker's men.

Batman and Vicki get back into the Batmobile and drive into a wooded area. They eventually drive through a trap door in a cliff and enter a long tunnel, and then a raised platform in the Batcave. Batman reveals that the Smylex toxin wasn't put into just one product, but many, and that the toxin only works when certain components are mixed, making it untraceable. Batman gives Vicki a file containing the cosmetic products to avoid mixing and tells her to get it to the press. Batman says that the Joker is psychotic, to which Vicki replies, "Some people say the same thing about you." Eventually when Vicki asks if there is anything else, Batman tells her that she has something else that he needs, and Batman then knocks Vicki out and takes her camera film.

Alfred tells Bruce that he should confess to Vicki, and Bruce then leaves to do so. Bruce goes to Vicky Vale's apartment to tell her that he is Batman. Before he could do so, he gets into a heated argument with her about how he lied about leaving town after having a dinner date with her, and even sleeping with her. They are then interrupted by the doorbell. When Vicki answers the door, the Joker barges in with his men, angry about what happened at the museum.

Bruce goes out to confront him. He tells the Joker a story about a man named Jack (hinting that he knows the Joker's true identity), remarking that he was a "Mean kid, bad seed, hurt people." Bruce then tells of how Jack's life of crime screwed him over. As he finishes his story, Bruce then takes the opportunity to flip out and threatens Joker with a fireplace poker. The Joker then pulls a gun on him and asks, "Tell me something my friend -- you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?".

Bruce was stunned at those words, and Joker claims he says that to every person he kills, just because he likes the sound of it. Joker then shoots and apparently kills Bruce before he leaves. Vicki goes to check on Bruce, only to find out he is gone and that he used a silver platter to protect himself from the bullet.

During a press conference with the mayor, the Joker intercepts the live television feed to announce there will be a parade with 20 million dollars in cash being thrown to the crowd, and a challenge between him and Batman. Bruce watches this as he looks over the police file on his parents' murder. He then comes to the conclusion that the Joker killed his parents. Vicky arrives, knowing that he is Batman through the alley pictures she took, and the newspaper report on his parents' murder. Bruce hints that even though he kept her at a distance, he does love her. She tries talking Bruce out of being Batman, but Bruce refuses, knowing that if he stops now no one will stop the Joker. The parade goes off like Joker promised. Batman then shows up in his Batwing. But Joker is ready for him; he and his thugs put gas masks on and releases Smylex gas from the parade balloons to the city intent on killing Gotham. Batman steals all the balloons and releases them into the sky. Joker, feeling that stealing his balloons is the last straw, shoots the Batwing down with a comically long barreled pistol.

After Batman crashes into a nearby cathedral, Joker takes Vicky hostage inside the cathedral and up to the top. Batman follows him and fights off the Joker's thugs while the Joker dances with Vicki, taunting Batman. After Batman beats all the thugs, he comes after the Joker, asking him the same question he was asked: "You ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?". He then severely beats the Joker, promising to kill him. The Joker reminds Batman that he made him what he is. Batman then counters him with the murder of his parents, stating "I made you, you made me first." The Joker is stunned by this revelation, to the point where he backs away in terror. Batman then knocks him off the tower. Joker grabs Batman and Vicki and has them hanging off of the cathedral ledge. The Joker tries to escape when his thugs arrive by helicopter. Batman fires a bola launcher at Joker's leg and a nearby gargoyle, attaching a rope between the two. The gargoyle breaks off, weighing the Joker down. The Joker, unable to hold on, falls to his death. Just after, Batman and Vicki fall, but luckily Batman uses his grappling gun to save himself and Vicki.

Batman sends a letter to Gotham City Hall saying that if Gotham has any crimes that become too much for the police, to call him. Knox asks "How do we call him?", to which Commissioner Gordon replies, "He gave us a signal", unveiling the new Bat-signal, which Batman is later seen viewing in triumph.

#### Facing Catwoman and the Penguin

Keeping his promise, Bruce continued his endeavors as the Batman; patrolling Gotham's streets and inflicting terror into the heart of the city's shrinking crime populace. His persistence to this path eventually led to Vicki leaving him; alienated by Bruce's inability to resolve his duality as Batman and Bruce Wayne. During the Christmas season, Gotham began to be overrun by rogue circus performers known as The Red Triangle Gang. The police are unable to stop them, so Gordon orders the Bat-signal to be activated. Batman then appears and manages to scare off most of the gang. He also manages to rescue a frightened secretary named Selina Kyle.

While deterred by Batman's arrival, the circus gang remained a threat and, the following morning, a member of the gang publicly attempted to kidnap the mayor's baby during a public presentation. While attempting to escape via the sewers, the gang member "encountered" the Penguin who took the baby from the thug and, emerging from the sewers and before the crowd, returned the baby to the mayor. Watching the reports of the event, Bruce initially felt sympathy following the Penguin's speech about finding his parents. However, when observing how calmly Shreck stood next to the deformed creature as the press took photos, Bruce's suspicions were perked. As the Penguin was admitted private access to the city's Hall of Records to trace the family records for his parents, Bruce began investigating into the Red Triangle Circus gang's past to see if there was a connection between them and the Penguin. Discovering reports of the circus once possessing an "aquatic birdboy" as part of its freakshow performers, Bruce found adequate cause to suspect the Penguin of ulterior motives in his "return" to Gotham.

Bruce attended a meeting with Shreck the following day to contest his latest venture to build a new powerplant to supplant Gotham's power reserves. During the meeting, Bruce mentioned suspicions of the Penguin running the Red Triangle Circus gang. While Bruce expected Shreck's outburst on the accusation, the appearance of Selina Kyle was something he was unprepared for. Recognizing her, but as a more confident woman than the one he had encountered earlier on, Bruce was immediately smitten with the secretary. Whilst talking, Bruce momentarily forgot where he was and let slip knowledge of their previous encounter.

Bruce returned to monitoring Gotham's streets for signs of the Red Triangle Circus gang's movements, and so was ready when the gang emerged to cause more public damage. While working his way through the gang members and losing one of his batarangs during an encounter, Bruce managed to confront the Penguin. The Penguin let slip his intention to become the city's mayor, but was interrupted when a "cat-woman" appeared before them moments before the destruction of Shreck's store. As the Penguin used the opportunity to escape via a helicopter-umbrella, Bruce turned to pursue the "cat-woman" only to be ambushed by the villainess and become momentarily perplexed by her alternating passive/aggressive attacks; ultimately becoming seduced enough for her to get in close enough to stab him through the weakest portions of his armor.

Returning to the cave to attend to his wounds, Bruce observes the Penguin's official challenge against the Gotham mayor for mayorship of the city on the television the following day; noting that the challenge was also aimed at Batman himself. Bruce goes to the Gotham Plaza during the day as a precaution; observing the preparation for the night's ceremony but becoming distracted when he encounters Selina window shopping. After a short conversation that led to their discussing the public opinions of their alter egos, Bruce invited Selina to spend the night at the manor. After a brief reluctance due to her own plans that night, Selina accepted. That night, the pair reclined to the watch the lighting of the tree ceremony but became more interested in each other instead. However, their attempts to get more intimate were deterred by the prospect of having to explain the injuries they each had received during their forays as Batman and Catwoman. Eventually jarred out of it by a news report announcing the kidnapping of the ceremony's Ice Princess and Batman's suspected involvement due to the discovery of the batarang that he had lost the previous night. Making an excuse to leave, Bruce leaves Selina in the lounge while he enters the Batcave to don a Batsuit and investigate the kidnapping personally. While he does so, Selina also excuses herself from the manor and rushes to Gotham to do her part in the Penguin's plot against Batman. Entering Gotham, Bruce parks the Batmobile in an alleyway. He tracks down the Ice Princess tied to a chair in an adjacent building. Making his way to her he attempts to free her only to run up against Catwoman who, after a brief engagement, takes the princess hostage and ascends the building. As Bruce follows, he once again discovers the princess alone, this time standing on the edge of the building's roof, however, before he could bring her to safety, the Penguin appears and throws an umbrella before the princess that releases bats. Startled by the flying creatures, the princess topples over the edge of the building, plummeting to her death and uncannily landing on the switch she had to press to light the tree. However as the tree was lit, the sudden eruption of light startled a massive flock of bats that had been stowed amongst the tree's branches. The bats erupted from the Christmas tree and flew into the crowd, causing mass hysteria in the gathered populace.

Accused of pushing the princess off the edge and for planting the bats within the tree, Batman tried to apprehend the Penguin but he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Gotham's police who, due to Batman's reputation, shot at him on sight. The force of the bullets on his body armor forced him over the edge of the building only to land on another one where the Catwoman was waiting for him. Easily pinning him down in his weakened condition, she again attempted to seduce him; licking his face under a mistletoe that was conveniently above them. However, when she tried to stab him again her claw only punctured armor. Fully recovered and throwing her off, Bruce moved to the edge of the building and converted his cape into a glider; gliding his way to where he stowed the Batmobile only to find that the Penguin had gained control of the car and, while he was in it, sent the car on a destruction joy-ride through the Gotham streets. Batman manages to find the device that the Penguin had planted which would give him full control of the Batmobile and tears it out, almost hitting an old woman. The Penguin screams in frustration so Batman smashes the video-screen that projected his face. Unfortunately, the Penguin's plan had worked and Batman's reputation as a hero was debunked in the eyes of the Gotham public.

The following day, Bruce formed his own plan in retaliation and waited for the Penguin's public address; hacking into the plaza speakers and replaying unflattering quotes the Penguin had spat at him the previous night during the Batmobile's joy-ride. The ploy had the intended effect; effectively turning the Penguin's supporters and public opinion against him. Penguin's reaction turned violent as his supporters and Max Shreck abandoned him. Firing into the crowd, the creature fled to the park where he returned to his lair beneath the city.

While repairing the Batmobile, Bruce makes plans to attend Shreck's costume party to see Selina again. Attending the party, ironically without a mask, he momentarily confronts Shreck once again before finding Selina, who was also not wearing a mask. While the pair quickly start where they left off romantically, Selina eventually breaks down; revealing to Bruce that she had come to kill Shreck for what he had done to her. Furthermore, an off-hand quote about mistletoe that the pair had spoken to each other previously as their alter egos caused Bruce to realize she was Catwoman, and her to realize he was Batman. Intending to work things out, the pair left the dance floor just as the Penguin blew the floor apart and appeared from beneath it to announce his intention to kidnap and murder all of Gotham's first-born sons as retribution for what his parents had done to him. The Penguin then takes Max Shreck with him into the sewers as retribution for abandoning him. Leaving the party, Bruce immediately set out to stop the Red Triangle Circus gang members as they gathered babies into a circus train. Capturing the gang members, he let the Organ Grinder's monkey escape with a note to deliver to the Penguin. The note is revealed to be a formal in-attendance letter, mocking the Penguin's attempt.

As the Penguin enacted his second plan to use his penguins to destroy Gotham itself, Bruce used the Batskiboat to enter the city sewers and home in on the Penguin's hideout; simultaneously working with Alfred in the Batcave to block the penguin army's control signal and redirect the penguins to the abandoned zoo. Cutting off the Penguin's escape route by using a tunnel that led to the zoo above, Bruce confronted the Penguin and the two fought. The Penguin pulled a blade out of his umbrella, while Batman pulled out a black box with a red light. The Penguin thinks the device is some kind of weapon, so he manages to wrestle it off Batman and pushes the button, only to find that Batman had once again tricked the Penguin into releasing the penguins' missiles within the zoo; causing the base's destruction. A flock of bats then surround the Penguin and cause him to fall through the skylight and land amongst glass and sewerage of the base's lagoon.

Descending into the lagoon, Batman caught sight of Selina stalking Max Shreck. He moved to stop her from killing the mogul; pleading with her stop her vendetta before it destroyed her. Knowing that he couldn't reason with her as an enemy, Batman pulled off his mask and tried to reason with her as a lover. His pleas fall on deaf ears, however, and as Shreck pulls a gun and shoots Bruce in the chest, Selina corners him and uses a taser she had acquired from a Red Triangle gang member to personally electrocute the corrupt tycoon; causing the base's power generator to explode as she did so. Recovering from the attack, Bruce began searching for Selina amongst the wreckage only to find the charred remains of Max Shreck. His search was further interrupted when the Penguin, slowly bleeding to death, attempted one last time to kill Batman only to pick up the wrong umbrella. The Penguin, poisoned from the polluted lagoon water, drops dead. Bruce then watched as a group of emperor penguins dragged their master to the water's edge and let him sink beneath the surface.

Bruce is last seen being driven through the streets by Alfred. As they were passing an alleyway, Bruce thought he saw Selina's silhouette and urged Alfred to stop the car. However, when he enters the alley he only finds a black cat, which he picks up and takes into the car with him and returns home as the Bat-signal is lit once again, not knowing that Catwoman was alive and well.

#### Two-Face Returns

in 1995 On the second anniversary of Harvey Dent's capture, Batman learned that Two-Face had escaped Arkham Asylum and was committing a robbery of the Second Bank of Gotham. Arriving on the scene, Batman learned that from Gordon that Dent had taken a guard hostage and threatened to kill him. He also met with psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian, who gave him details on Two-Face's psyche. The two struck up an immediate attraction.

Using the elevator, Batman pursued Two-Face to the vaults, defeating the goons present. Whilst attempting to rescue a hostage from the main vault, he was sealed into it by Two-Face. Able to open the vault with the guard's hearing aid, Batman returned the vault back into the bank and pursued Two-Face as he attempted to flee in his helicopter. However, Dent escaped before the helicopter crashed into the Statue of Justice. Batman managed to escape moments before the impact.

#### The Riddles Begin

The following evening, Bruce visited the Wayne Enterprises R&D department to look at development projects. During it, he met the eccentric Edward Nygma, an employee who had developed device called The Box. Concerned about how Nygma's project seemed to manipulate brainwaves, Bruce cancelled the project on ethical grounds. He then left to respond to the Bat-signal as Batman, using a tunnel connected from his office to the Batcave.

Upon arrival at GCPD Headquarters, Batman discovered that Meridian had lit the signal to summon him. Sharing observations of Two-Face's reliance on a coin, she flirted with the Dark Knight and attempted to seduce him. Batman, however, politely rejected her advances and left shortly after Gordon arrived to investigate.

The following morning, Bruce learned that Fred Stickley had died and arrived to observe the scene. Though Gordon and the officers were willing to pass it off as a suicide, he remained suspicious regarding the circumstances. While in his office, Bruce discovered a riddle addressed to him. Another would later appear on the gates of Wayne Manor the following night.

Deciding to investigate further and wanting to pursue a relationship with Dr. Meridian, Bruce took the Riddles to her to gain further insight into the person. During it, he took notice of a Rorschach test (in which he saw a bat) and a dream doll, split with two colors. When Chase caught onto his intentions, Bruce finally asked her out to a charity circus performance at the Hippodrome.

#### The Circus Attack

With her accepting his invitation, Bruce and Chase attended the event. During the event, they observed the Flying Graysons perform. However, Two-Face attacked the performance and threatened to detonate a bomb unless Batman unmasked himself. Bruce attempted to give up his identity, but the audiences' shouts drown out his voice. While the Flying Graysons attempted to get rid of the bomb, he distracted Two-Face and his men by attacking them. However, Dent got wise to his intentions and, after deciding their fates with a coin toss, murdered the Graysons. Bruce was still on the scene when the only survivor of the troupe, Dick, returned to the scene.

#### Meeting Dick

After the events, Gordon approached Bruce to take Dick under his wing until Two-Face was caught. Though Grayson was intent on leaving immediately, Bruce recognized a lot of himself in the youth and convinced him to remain behind, giving him access to the manor's garage. Memories of his parents murder began to haunt him again. During a nightly patrol in the Batmobile, Batman was ambushed by Two-Face and his henchmen. However, he was able to escape the attack. During the time, a new criminal called the Riddler began aiding Two-Face in complex schemes and robberies. Around the same time, Nygma, having left Wayne Enterprises, formed a rival company called NygmaTech, producing the Box on a mass scale. Bruce remain skeptical of the intentions and functionality of the devices, though also continued to receive the threatening riddles.

Whilst visiting Chase one evening, Bruce shared with her the return of visions of his parents deaths and how they'd been haunting him since the events at the Hippodrome. Suspecting they were repressed memories, she gave him the doll to help overcome them. Bruce also noticed she was obsessed with Batman and her interest in their duality. After sharing their first kiss, Bruce was contacted by Alfred, who covertly revealed that Dick had discovered the Batcave and gone joyriding in the Batmobile.

Tracing him to a street in Gotham, Batman watched him fight off the Golums and subsequently become overwhelmed. When the group noticed him and fled, he confronted Dick and let him know he'd had have done anything to save his family. Taking him to the Batcave, Bruce learned that he wanted to join his crusade, mainly so he could kill Two-Face in revenge. Noticing the same inner darkness that had consumed him and someone else, he tried to dissuade him from doing so, worried he'd become what he was.

#### Identity Compromised

Bruce later attended the NygmaTech showcase of the newly developed Box with Chase. Goaded into investigating the device by Nygma, Bruce attempted to safely look at it without a necessary component. Unknown to him, Nygma's assistant installed a backup, leading his knowledge to be absorbed by the device. Bruce finally broke out of his trance when Two-Face attacked the event and shot the Box he was using. Suiting up as Batman, he apprehended several of Dent's men. After checking on Chase, he pursued Dent to a subway line under maintenance. Two-Face escaped by collapsing the structure on Batman, causing him to be buried. However, he was quickly rescued by a disguised Dick.

Returning the Batcave, Bruce chastised Dick for putting his life at risk and refused to bring him as his protégé. After the incident, he began to doubt his capabilities and began to ponder leaving the life to be with Chase. Visiting her later as Batman, he learned she'd fallen for Bruce instead. Recognising he'd been using Batman to fight against their greatest fear, Bruce finally decided to abandon the identity and lead a normal life. Unknown to him, however, Riddler and Two-Face learned his dual identity through the brainwaves they'd recorded through the Box.

The following Halloween, Bruce called Chase to visit him at Wayne Manor to spend the evening together and reveal his identity. After she knocked over a vase, Bruce's repressed memories began to return, which he recited to Chase. Through them, she quickly realized that he was Batman. Shortly afterwards, the Riddler and Two-Face invaded Wayne Manor. With Chase's help, Bruce attempted to fight their men while Two-Face attempted to decide whether to get involved in the confrontation. Eventually, his coin gave the desired outcome, leading Dent to shoot Bruce. However, the shot grazed his skull and Riddler stopped Two-Face from finishing him off. Instead, the villains destroyed the Batcave and kidnapped Chase, leaving a final riddle for Bruce.

Upon waking up, Bruce learned from Alfred that the criminals had destroyed the Batcave and kidnapped Chase. Deciding to redon the Batman identity, he worked to solved the last riddle left, deducing from the others that Riddler was none other than Edward Nygma. Donning the new prototype Sonar Batsuit, Batman decided to confront them at Nygma's fortress on Claw Island. While deciding whether to confront them by air or sea, he was met by Dick. Having noticed he'd assumed the identity of "Robin", Batman decided to accept his help to confront the villains.

#### The battle on Claw Island

While Robin approached in the Batboat, Batman flew the Batwing through Gotham to let Gordon, the GCPD and citizens know he was responding to the situation on the island. After an energy beam from the main fortress crashes the Batwing into the ocean, Batman transforms the plane into a submarine, using the nets to subdue Riddler's Frogmen. Making it to the shores with Robin, the two were separated when the ground detached. Entering through a hatch, Batman discovered a trap set up by the Riddler, though he managed to escape it using the Sonar Batsuit's rocket boots.

Arriving in Riddler's main control room, Batman confronted the villain and Two-Face. There, he learned they planned to absorb all the knowledge from Gotham, planning to use it to rob or blackmail all its citizens. With Robin captured in a separate confrontation, Riddler planned to drop both him and Chase to their deaths to see which Batman would save, thereby indicating which identity was more dominant. After distracting Nygma with a riddle, Batman destroyed the main control with a Batarang, which caused great damage to Riddler's mind in the process. When the distorted Nygma dropped both, Batman was able to catch and save both of them using his grappling hooks.

While ensuring they were safe on a structural beam, Two-Face confronted the trio, planning to execute them. Reminding him his about his need of his coin, Batman was able to goad him into flipping for his decision. However, as he did so, Batman threw a handful of coins at him, causing him to lose track of his coin. In a panicked frenzy, Two-Face tried to grab all of them and lost his balance, causing him to fall to his death. Confronting the now-crazed Nygma, Bruce told him he was Batman not because he had to be, but because he chose to be. He then arrested Riddler and took him to Arkham Asylum.

#### Moving On

After ensuring Nygma had forgotten his identity, Bruce decided to continue operating as Batman, with Dick's help as Robin. Giving Chase the dream doll she'd given him, he said his goodbyes to her and subsequently broke up. Rebuilding the Batcave, he developed new equipment and technology to use, including a new vehicle for Robin. Some time after the events of Claw Island, Bruce began dating Julie Madison, though did not inform her of his double-life as Batman.

### Initial Encounters with Mr. Freeze

2 years passed and Bruce is now 37 years old he just Received a call from Gordon, Batman and Robin responded to a break-in at the Gotham Museum of Art organized by a ice-themed criminal called Mr. Freeze. Arriving shortly after he stole a valuable diamond, they fought off his Hockey Thugs to retrieve the diamond and chased him through the Gotham skyline. However, during the confrontation, Robin was frozen by Freeze and, rather than let him die, Batman chose to revive him at the cost of letting Freeze go. After the fight, Bruce reviewed footage to discover Freeze's past, including his wife, her disease and his lab accident. Deciding to set a trap for Freeze and his men, he donate some of his family's diamonds to an auction to lure him into another heist.

Sometime later, Alfred's niece Barbara arrived at Wayne Manor. Knowing that he'd asked her to visit because of his recent diagnosis, Bruce allowed her to stay at the manor with them. Meanwhile, he presented a new telescope at the Gotham Observatory with Julie. During the event, Bruce was confronted by Dr. Pamela Isly on several radical environmental reforms. Recognizing her as an employee of the disgraced Dr. Jason Woodrue, he politely refused her offers and instead suggested she'd meet with Batman.

Attending the auction as honorary guests, Batman and Robin fell under the pheromonic control of Poison Ivy, who sought to steal the funds of Gotham's wealthiest to fund her schemes. Under her influence, they bid against each other to extravagant amounts of money. This finally ceased when Freeze attacked the auction and stole the diamond, forcing them to chase him. As Robin attempted a potentially dangerous stunt to chase after the criminal, Batman overrode the Redbird via remote controls to stop him from endangering his life. He then subdued Freeze himself, ensuring that he'd be taken to Arkham. Though he'd stopped the criminal, Bruce's actions shattered Dick's trust in him and, as a result, fractured their partnership.

#### Fighting Over Poison Ivy

Batman and Robin, both got affected by Poison Ivy's mind control dust, which caused them to fight over her throughout the film. Batman soon realized what happened, and avoided her beauty and charms while Robin was still influenced. Eventually, Batman was able to gain Robin's trust again and the Dynamic Duo, along with their new partner, Batgirl, managed to apprehend Ivy, who was then imprisoned at Arkham Asylum.

### Batman, Robin and Batgirl vs Mr. Freeze

Batman was tasked with apprehending a thief with a tragic background, known as Mr. Freeze. Throughout the current missions that forced him to face Freeze and Poison Ivy, Bruce thought about his relationship with his butler and friend, Alfred Pennyworth.

Batman stopped Freeze, along with Robin and Batgirl, from freezing Gotham with the new telescope at the Gotham Observatory, and revealed to Freeze that Poison Ivy had tried to kill his wife, Nora, in order to be the only woman in his life. Batman promised to have Freeze's wife moved to a lab at Arkham Asylum, where he would be able to continue his research and find a cure for her disease. Freeze also provided Batman with an antidote to save a dying Alfred, who suffered from a lesser case of the same disease: MacGregor's Syndrome. Freeze was locked up in Arkham, where he promised to make Ivy's life "*a living hell*"

Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce gave Alfred the antidote, and saved his life. After initial hesitation, Bruce allowed Alfred's niece, Barbara Wilson, to continue being Batgirl and join the crime-fighting team.

## Equipment

* Batsuit - Batman's highly durable suit that masks his identity
	+ Utility belt - A yellow belt that has a few gadgets such as a grapple gun, a Batrang and a few more pieces, the belt lacks any boxes.
	+ Glider cape - A glider build into Batman's cape for soaring through the skies of Gotham.
* Batcomputer - A computer within the Batcave used for researching crimes.
* Batmobile - Transportation for Batman to roam around Gotham.
* Batwing - Used for surveilling the skies of Gotham.
* Batboat - Batman's transportation on water.
* Batskiboat - Used by Batman for traveling through the sewers of Gotham.
* Batarangs - Bat shaped boomerangs used to knock out enemies.
* Super-Batarang - A Batarang with a built in tracking system.
* Grapple Gun - Grips onto further away objects to pull Batman closer.
* Bola Launcher - Releases two bolas that grip onto objects to keep them from spreading apart.
* Bat credit card - Batman's personal currency card.

## Abilities

"*The cave was monstrous. It must have been there for centuries. And there deep in the shadows. I saw... it was coming toward me. I was scared at first, but only at first. The figure in the dark was my destiny. It would change my life forever. I would use its image to strike terror into the hearts of those who did evil. I would ensure what happened to me would never happen to anyone else again. I would have my revenge.*"
―Bruce Wayne to Chase Meridian[src]
* **Peak Human Condition**: 00000.45
* **Master Martial Artist**: 45000000
* **Stealth:** *350000*
* **Intimidation**:201688
* **Genius-Level Intelligence**: 34579011244
	+ **Master Detective**: *75000000000000000000000*

## Personality

One of the deleted scenes from *Batman Forever* had an amnesiac Bruce revisited the part of the Batcave that he'd originally fallen down as a child. There, he discovers his father's missing journal and reads it, learning that his parents would have visited the theatre regardless. Bruce would the encounter the Giant Bat he'd originally encountered, leading him to regain his memories and reaccept the Batman identity. This scene notably brought resolution to the arc of Bruce's repressed memories and the duality of the Batman identity.

Some fans regarded the particular scene as part of Batman's character development in both the film and the wider series. Among these views is that Bruce finally lets go of his parents' murder and decides to use the Batman identity to help others rather than a way to cope with the trauma. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman was against removing it, believing that it was both thematic and would have strengthened the final film. However, a rough form of the scene was added to the Special Edition DVD releases, thereby restoring and completing the subplot.

## Relationships

### Family

* Thomas Wayne † - Father
* Martha Wayne † - Mother

### Allies

* Bat-Family
	+ Alfred Pennyworth - Guardian/Butler
	+ Dick Grayson/Robin - Crime-fighting partner
	+ Barbra Wilson/Batgirl - Crime-fighting partner
* Selina Kyle/Catwoman - Former Love interest, ally/enemy
* Julie Madison - Love interest
* Chase Meridian - Former love interest
* Vicki Vale - Former love interest
* G.C.P.D.
	+ Commissioner James Gordon

### Enemies

* Jack Napier/Joker † - Archnemesis, parents murderer
* Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin † - Framer
* Red Triangle Gang - Allies of Penguin
* Selina Kyle/Catwoman - Former Love interest, ally/enemy
* Max Shreck - Greedy businessman
* Harvey Dent/Two-Face † - Rival
* Edward Nygma/Riddler - Vengeful employee
* Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze - Rival
* Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy - Vengeful employee
* Antonio Diego/Bane