Bruce Wayne was the protector of Gotham City as the vigilante Batman and C.E.O. of Wayne Enterprises. Three years after going missing, his cousin Batwoman continued his crusade.
History
Early life
Bruce with his parents
As a young child, Bruce Wayne watched his parents murdered before his eyes, something which became a catalyst in his later years. Thomas and Martha Wayne were walking home one night with their son, when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger who demanded the pearl necklace that Martha was wearing. When his father refused to surrender it, both he and Martha were shot dead in the streets, leaving the young Bruce an orphan. Bruce had also befriended Tommy Elliot whilst growing up under the care of Alfred Pennyworth.[1][3][4][5]
Becoming Batman
Bruce Wayne
Using the death of his parents as motivation, Bruce Wayne honed his skills to the highest ability, travelling across the world and eventually conceptualizing Batman, a bat-themed vigilante who would strike fear into the hearts of criminals in Gotham City. However, the G.C.P.D. were not fond of Batman's actions and Commissioner Loeb developed a tense relationship with the vigilante as a result, though later they would employ a means of communicating with him when necessary. Alfred had at some point discovered Batman's true identity alongside Wayne Enterprises manager Lucius Fox, the two becoming close allies going forward. A young individual also joined Batman's crusade, taking the moniker Robin.[6][2][1][7]
During Bruce Wayne's tenure as Batman, he had battled many themed villains and criminals who had evolved their means of terrorising the city, such as Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Phantasm, King Shark, Mad Hatter, Condiment King, Victor Zsasz, Bane, Killer Croc, and the Joker, the latter of which would become his most infamous enemy. In addition, the Riddler had acquired knowledge of Batman's identity, making him one of Batman's more dangerous villains. Batman had also presumably battled Penny Plunderer and Maxie Zeus. Bruce also had a briefly relationship with the thief Catwoman. Each of these battles culminated in a trophy being kept in Batman's lair, the Batcave.[8][9][10][11][12][3]
Some time as Batman, Bruce Wayne had come face-to-face with the League of Assassins, becoming a recurring enemy of both Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia. Despite being enemies though, Bruce's relationship with Talia was likely complicated since she gifted the Suit of Sorrows to him. With the armor in hand, Batman briefly used it only to discover its aggressive side effects and passed it onto someone else, a vigilante who later became known as Azrael.[13][14]
Later years
In 2003, Batman pursued the Joker, who had hijacked a school bus. This event led to the bus coincidentally colliding into the Kane family's car, sending it precariously on the edge of the bridge. Acting as quick as possible, Batman secured the car with a grappling hook and hurriedly left to capture the Joker, which he succeeded in doing. Unfortunately though, the grappling hook holding the Kanes' car in place led to the trunk splitting, causing Bruce's two cousins, Kate and Beth, to fall into the river, the latter of whom would go on to be missing for over a decade as their mother, Gabi, died in the accident. Feeling immense guilt as a result of this, Bruce searched for Beth and Gabi's bodies relentlessly but was only ever able to find Gabi. Although this act brought him closer to Kate, he never shared his identity as Batman with her. Joker and Kiki Roulette eventually killed Robin with a crowbar.[1][15]
Two years after the accident, Bruce found himself reuniting with childhood friend Tommy Elliot after saving his mother in yet another crash, this time being unable to save Tommy's father. Despite being an act of heroism on Batman's part, Tommy went on to resent him and began nursing a grudge against the vigilante.[3]
Bruce later hired Lucius Fox's son, Luke, as the head of Wayne Security. However, he would fire him shortly after for unknown reasons, despite sharing his secret identity with him.[1]
Final years as Batman
Nearly a decade after both accidents, Bruce was asked by Jacob Kane to diligently keep watch over Kate. In his last few months, Bruce had become more comfortable as the Batman than Bruce Wayne, especially when Lucius was later murdered. Finally losing control, Batman later killed the Joker, going against his own code. This act was then haplessly covered up. Presumably due to the years of being Batman taking a toll and breaking his own code, Bruce Wayne abandoned Gotham City and disappeared, also leaving his vigilantism and Batman persona behind.[16]
Three years after his disappearance, Gotham City had once again descended into a hopeless crime-ridden state. As the city began to die and its infrastructure fell apart, his cousin Kate Kane took on the mantle of the Batwoman to combat the rampant misconduct plaguing the streets.[17]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Genius Level Intellect: Bruce Wayne is widely regarded as a genius, both as a civilian and secretly as Batman. Balancing being the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, keeping his secrets hidden and quickly calculating strategies on the fly in battle, Bruce has held his own, concurrently being a businessman, vigilante and inventor all while deceiving the public for well over a decade.
- Business Management: Bruce's management skills are held as high as Lex Luthor. Even though Bruce was simultaneously living two lives, he was one of the wealthiest people in the world, able to continue managing Wayne Enterprises for years and retaining its status as the largest and most powerful company in Gotham City. It took Tommy Elliot half of his life to surpass Bruce's wealth and success, a testament to how great Bruce's ventures were as a businessman and CEO.
- Disguise[17]: Working two lives as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne and dark vigilante Batman, Bruce could disguise not only his appearance through the use of his Batsuit but also his voice, demeanor and personality, making a conscious effort to create a divide between both personas.
- Gadgetry[1]: Bruce has invented various gadgets and technology for his Batman persona, some which allude even both Lucius and Luke Fox. Bruce has been able to single-handedly create technology that otherwise took entire companies years to develop as well as inventing the only weapon in the world which could penetrate his own Batsuit. Not only is Bruce capable at creating aforementioned technology but has also demonstrated expert skill in using them.
- Leadership: Bruce was able to manage Wayne Enterprises as well as moonlight as Batman for over a decade, making him a talented and apt leader. Despite dedicating much of his time into Batman, Bruce was able to consistently ensure Wayne Enterprises' standing as the greatest conglomerate in Gotham.
- Deception: Bruce was able to deceive the public and those close to him for over a decade, devising ways to separate his dual lives by inventing various personality traits, successfully tricking people into thinking Bruce Wayne was merely an arrogant rich playboy. In addition, he was able to finance his operations as Batman without anyone realizing and keeping up appearances in order to regularly maintain both personas individually. It is also worth noting that Batman was generally believed to be an urban legend, meaning that Bruce was able to make his vigilante activities totally hidden from the public eye, creating doubt at Batman's existence.
- Multilingualism: Bruce is apparently fluent in over 40 languages, something which was noted by Tommy Elliot.
- Escapology: Bruce has been able to maintain Batman's existence as mere legend, keeping his vigilantism extremely secret and ensuring as few as possible could witness some of his activities. On top of this, Bruce was able to traverse areas completely undetected and escape from captivity easily.
- Indomitable Will: Bruce's willpower has been noted to be extremely impressive, having consistently been Batman for over a decade and was able to continue despite various losses and deaths of those close to him. He was known to have been nearly obsessive over certain cases, spending years searching for Beth and Gabi Kane and hunting for his mother's necklace endlessly. Although Bruce eventually abandoned both Batman and his city, he never left without a fight and had become known as a very determined individual, using the loss of his parents as a catalyst for his activities as Batman.
- Intimidation[17]: Bruce's alter-ego, Batman, was very much feared by those who believed in his existence. Employing brutal and fearful means of taking down criminals, Batman was capable of scaring even the most prolific criminals and held a consistent reputation for being a shadowy yet towering figure over the city.
- Martial Arts: Bruce is one of the greatest crime-fighters and combatants in the world, holding his own against the League of Assassins on multiple occasions.
- Peak Human Condition: Bruce Wayne was in perfect human condition, having been known to be the most proficient vigilante. Having survived numerous encounters with the al Ghul family, endured the side effects of the Suit of Sorrows and become impressive enough to be held at the highest standard by the general public and other vigilantes alike, Bruce is one of the strongest and capable beings on the planet.
- Driving: Bruce was known to use the Batmobile when operating as Batman.
- Stealth
- Weaponry[1]
- Marksmanship: Bruce has been able to expertly use ranged gadgets and weaponry such as his Batarangs and grappling hooks. He can also calculate various positions in which to best aim. His skills and accuracy in his marksmanship is so advanced that he could grapple through Gotham City without fail.
- Marksmanship: Bruce has been able to expertly use ranged gadgets and weaponry such as his Batarangs and grappling hooks. He can also calculate various positions in which to best aim. His skills and accuracy in his marksmanship is so advanced that he could grapple through Gotham City without fail.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Batsuit (Formerly)
- Bat-Belt (Formerly)
- Grapple gun (Formerly)
- Batarang (Formerly)
- Bat-Belt (Formerly)
- Green Kryptonite[6] (Formerly)
- Suit of Sorrows[13] (Formerly)
Transportation
Weapons
- Batarang
- Rail gun (Formerly)
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the Arrowverse and is an adaptation of Batman. The original character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane and first appeared in Detective Comics #27.
- In his first onscreen appearance in the Batwoman pilot, Batman is portrayed by an uncredited actor.
- Beginning in Season 2 of Batwoman, Bruce Wayne was portrayed by Warren Christie.
Trivia
- Prior to his first onscreen appearance, Batman was mentioned by characters in other shows set in the same universe.[18][17]
- Batman is one of the oldest vigilantes in the Arrowverse, having been active for at least 12 years.[1]
- On Earth-Prime, where Earth-38 merged with Earth-1, Batman is revealed to have met and established a friendship with Superman.[6]
- Bruce was born on February 19.[1]
- Bruce does not have a middle name, unlike his comic counterparts.
Related
- 6 Appearances of Bruce Wayne (Arrowverse)
- 3 Images featuring Bruce Wayne (Arrowverse)
- Quotations by or about Bruce Wayne (Arrowverse)
- Character Gallery: Bruce Wayne (Arrowverse)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Batwoman: "Pilot"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Batwoman: "How Queer Everything is Today!"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Batwoman: "Down Down Down"
- ↑ Batwoman: "Who Are You?"
- ↑ Batwoman: "Tell Me the Truth"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Batwoman: "O, Mouse!"
- ↑ Batwoman: "I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury"
- ↑ Batwoman: "Meet Your Maker"
- ↑ Batwoman: "Power"
- ↑ Batwoman: "I'll Give You a Clue"
- ↑ Batwoman: "Bat Girl Magic!"
- ↑ Batwoman: "A Lesson From Professor Pyg"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Batwoman: "A Secret Kept From All the Rest"
- ↑ Arrow: "The Demon"
- ↑ Batwoman: "We're All Mad Here"
- ↑ Batwoman: "A Narrow Escape"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Arrow: "Elseworlds, Part 2"
- ↑ Arrow: "Tribute"
  This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Batman, and a member of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Batman Family members" category. |