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In the early years, Batman was aided by his confidante, [[Alfred Pennyworth]]. He soon became the ward of an orphan named [[Dick Grayson]]. At age nine, Grayson was the first of Batman's partners. Originally an aerial performer, Grayson was personally trained by Batman and soon donned a costume of his own, Robin. Batman also befriended Gotham City's Police Commissioner [[James Gordon]]. Though Gordon didn't approve of Batman's methods, he recognized that Gotham would need all the help it could manage as the city began to witness the advent of bizarre monstrosities and murderous psychopaths in addition to the corrupting force of organized crime already present. Going on 10 years, Batman met another ally, [[Batgirl]], who was actually James Gordon's daughter, Barbara. |
In the early years, Batman was aided by his confidante, [[Alfred Pennyworth]]. He soon became the ward of an orphan named [[Dick Grayson]]. At age nine, Grayson was the first of Batman's partners. Originally an aerial performer, Grayson was personally trained by Batman and soon donned a costume of his own, Robin. Batman also befriended Gotham City's Police Commissioner [[James Gordon]]. Though Gordon didn't approve of Batman's methods, he recognized that Gotham would need all the help it could manage as the city began to witness the advent of bizarre monstrosities and murderous psychopaths in addition to the corrupting force of organized crime already present. Going on 10 years, Batman met another ally, [[Batgirl]], who was actually James Gordon's daughter, Barbara. |
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| − | Some time after this, he would be reunited with the woman who almost prevented Batman. After being accused of murdering several members of the Valestra gang, Batman was able to determine that the real assassin, the Phantasm, was actually his former love Andrea Beaumont. When he confronted her, who was in a heated battle with the Joker, she said that vengeance was all she had left before she disappeared with a detained [[Joker]] as an abandoned theme park exploded in their wake.<ref name="Mask">"[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]"</ref> |
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| − | Eventually, Bruce took in [[Dick Grayson]] as his ward after Dick's parents were killed. He eventually took Dick as his partner, [[Robin]].<ref name="Robin Rec">{{btas}}, "[[Robin's Reckoning]]"</ref> |
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=== New Adventures === |
=== New Adventures === |
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Revision as of 01:11, 8 October 2011
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Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, was a Gotham City vigilante who rose up to fight gangsters, costumed criminals, metahuman threats, and eventually even gods, alternate universe despots and intergalactic tyrants.
History
Early Life
Bruce Wayne was born to the wealthy Wayne family, the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Young Bruce Wayne would often watch the television adventures of the Gray Ghost with his father; Bruce would take many ideas from this show later.[6]
On the way home from seeing the film The Mark of Zorro, Bruce watched as his parents were gunned down by a mugger.[3] Some say that Bruce died that night with his parents, and in his place, Batman was born. Batman later told Wonder Woman that he hadn't been a "kid" since that day.[7] Young Master Bruce was taken home to Wayne Manor, where he was raised by the Waynes' faithful guardian and butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Once old enough, Bruce Wayne traveled the world and honed his body and mind to the highest physical peak. Along the way, he studied every known science including criminology, forensics, chemistry and psychology with the goal of eliminating the crime that took his parents from him. He learned from masters in their fields, such as escape artistry from Zatara[8] and martial arts from Yoru Sensei in Japan and The Master in Nanda Parbat.[9][10] While he trained with Zatara, he and his mentor's daughter Zatanna became very close (the two would go on to work together in the Justice League).[11]
Years later, Bruce returned to Gotham City. He took on what most critics called a figurehead position as joint CEO in Wayne Enterprises, as he maintained a public image of a billionaire playboy. All the while, he stalked the night as a nameless
vigilante. He struggled to win every fight, intent on trying to find a way to strike fear from the start. While visiting his parents' grave, Wayne encountered Andrea Beaumont. The two fell in love but Wayne was conflicted with love and his promise. He couldn't make any attachments and maintain a straight course in his never ending crusade. Bruce very nearly gave up his plan to become a force for justice in the night when he nearly found happiness. Wayne decided to propose to Beaumont. In that moment, a swarm of bats awakened from below and flew past the couple, leaving them in a state of fear. Unfortunately, Beaumont's father was a businessman embezzling from the mob. Soon, he was forced to flee the States, with daughter in tow. Wayne was emotionally crushed but moved on. When Andrea walked out of his life, Bruce became even more determined and dove headfirst onto the path of becoming Batman.
Bruce Wayne
Wayne investigated the den of bats and discovered a system of caverns that stretched beyond his 150 acre estate into most of Gotham. He converted the caverns into his alter-ego's base of operations, complete with state of the art technology pinched secretly from Wayne Enterprises Research and Development. Chemistry and forensics lab, a high-tech computer database, a secret driveway, dock and shrines decorated the cave. Wayne then created a suitable identity for himself. It was something to use the darkness as a weapon, to strike fear in the hearts of criminals, Batman..[12]
Batman's second costume.
In the early years, Batman was aided by his confidante, Alfred Pennyworth. He soon became the ward of an orphan named Dick Grayson. At age nine, Grayson was the first of Batman's partners. Originally an aerial performer, Grayson was personally trained by Batman and soon donned a costume of his own, Robin. Batman also befriended Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon. Though Gordon didn't approve of Batman's methods, he recognized that Gotham would need all the help it could manage as the city began to witness the advent of bizarre monstrosities and murderous psychopaths in addition to the corrupting force of organized crime already present. Going on 10 years, Batman met another ally, Batgirl, who was actually James Gordon's daughter, Barbara.
New Adventures
An update of Batman's first costume.
Batman spent years keeping the people of Gotham City safe from common criminals and bizarre villains. He had several partners and occasional imitators, such as Batwoman,[13], but his most common partner was Barbara Gordon, who had officially taken the job at his side as Batgirl. While on another mission, Batman would rescue the young Tim Drake from Two-Face, who had made an attempt to kill the boy. The young boy found himself inspired by Bruce's desire to stand up to people like Two-Face. In combination with his own rebellious nature, Tim would unwittingly steal the Robin costume from the Batcave and take up the mantle as the second Robin. Receiving Tim as his new sidekick, Batman gave the young boy three rules: "Rule number one: You give me everything you've got. Rule number two: Then you give me more. And rule number three: I make the rules."[14]
Joining Up
For a short amount of time, Dick Grayson returned to Gotham as Nightwing to assist his former mentor. While he was a welcome addition, the two of them never truly seemed to forget the argument that caused Dick to leave.[15] Despite this, the partnership remained stable. Nightwing would spend a decent amount of time in Gotham, but he would later leave to establish himself in another city.
Batman would later find himself in Metropolis, having followed the Joker to the city. While his long-time nemesis struck a deal with Lex Luthor, Batman would find himself working with Superman to thwart the plot.[16] After foiling the Joker's plans to kill the Man of Steel and destroy Metropolis, he would return to the city a couple of times to stop villains from his own rogue's gallery. He would also form an unlikely partnership with the young Static when another case brought the heroes into one another's home city. While these two partnerships did not usually start off well, Batman would eventually learn to respect their abilities and would trust both of them with his secret identity.[17]
Batman had also worked with other superheroes, such as the demon Etrigan and the Creeper.[18]
It is later revealed that Batman was acquainted with many more of the world's greatest heroes. This group of heroes would later come together to foil an alien plot to take over Earth. Forming a new partnership, they became the founding members of the Justice League.
Saving the World
Another update of Batman's original costume, worn during his time with the Justice League.
Over the course of a few months, Batman had detected several security breaches in Wayne Tech's deep-space monitoring network. While investigating the Wayne Tech Metropolis sub-station, he encountered three scientists speaking a strange language. These scientists tampered with the station's antenna and, when confronted, displayed superhuman strength and resilience. Though Superman arrived to assist, he was incapacitated by J'onn J'onzz' telepathic contact, while Batman was unable to prevent the scientists from destroying the antenna. After the antenna's destruction, Superman gave Batman a signal watch to call him for help if he needed it. Batman tracked the scientists to an abandoned S.T.A.R. Labs facility where he found the scientists being held in stasis pods. He was attacked by a shape-shifting sentry and rendered unconscious, but not before signaling Superman with the watch.
Superman found the unconscious Batman at the S.T.A.R. Labs facility, just as a meteor crashed to Earth in Metropolis Park. Superman left Batman with an ambulance crew and flew off to investigate the meteor. Just as the medic was about to look under Batman's mask, he reached up and grabbed her hand, saying "Don't even think about it."
When the Imperium's attack walker emerged from the meteor, incapacitated Superman and began raining destruction down on Metropolis, Batman took off in the Batwing, which he seemed to have summoned while lying on the gurney. Batman began firing missiles on the walker, and then two more walkers emerged from the meteor. When military air and armor units arrived on the scene, Batman followed Superman, who had mysteriously left the battle without explanation.
Batman tracked Superman to a military base in the mountains outside Metropolis where they found more humans in stasis pods and the imprisoned J'onn J'onzz. After freeing J'onzz and learning of the Imperium, the trio were stopped by Imperium forces posing as military personnel.[19] Outnumbered, Batman fled with the incapacitated J'onzz in the Batwing while Superman covered their escape. The Batwing was pursued by Imperium craft and shot down, but rescued by John Stewart and Hawkgirl before the crippled Batwing crashed. Batman witnessed the other heroes battling the Imperium craft and the appearance of Wonder Woman. The Flash arrived at the end of the battle, having retrieved the Batwing's severed wing. After J'onzz informed the assembled heroes of the Imperium's invasion of Mars, their eventual defeat and their inadvertent release by Earth astronauts, the Imperium's factories began manufacturing smoke to block out the sun's rays.
The heroes split up to disable the factories. Batman went to Giza, Egypt with Wonder Woman and J'onzz. The trio infiltrated the factory and found the Ion Matrix Crystal, a vital component of the plant. Batman and Wonder Woman provided a diversion to allow J'onzz to remove the crystal. As he removed the crystal, J'onzz was incapacitated by Imperium forces. Batman then covered Wonder Woman and J'onzz's escape from the plant, but was himself trapped inside and cornered by Imperium forces. J'onzz reported that Batman was dead,[20] but in truth, he had mentally shielded Batman to prevent the Imperium forces from detecting him.
Batman remained hidden until the Imperium arrived on Earth. He then revealed himself and reversed the ion charge in the Ion Matrix Crystal, causing the plant to burn off the smoke it had been producing. With the sun shining again, the heroes defeated the Imperium and freed their human prisoners, then mopped up the remaining Imperium forces around the globe.
Inspired by a general's speech about vigilance and the possible return of the invaders, Batman had the Watchtower constructed by Wayne Enterprises, hiding the funding as a "line item in the aerospace R&D budget." Batman invited the other six heroes who had repelled the invaders to the station. With this, the seven heroes formed the Justice League. Claiming he wasn't a "people person", Batman did not officially join the League, though he did offer to be on call when the League needed his help.[21]
Batman was quick to place himself in danger, despite the awe-inspiring powers of his teammates. During the Atlantis Usurpation, Batman put a stop to the melting of the polar ice caps.[22] On another occasion, Batman single-handedly defeated five dangerous criminals before being surprised by an Amazon-trained criminal while managing to take her necklace as a clue to her identity.[23]
During his time with the Justice League, Batman showed his distrust of Superman. After Superman was brainwashed by Darkseid[24] Batman began carrying a piece of Kryptonite, which he acquired from Lex Luthor.[25] However, Batman still held a deep respect for the Man of Steel, especially after he had seemingly died at the hands of Toyman. But, regardless of his respect, Batman remained stubborn in his disbelief in Superman's death, and refused to mourn for him for quite a while.[26]
During the Thanagarian Invasion of Earth, Batman was forced to reveal his identity to his teammates and provide the Batcave as a temporary meeting place and battleground when the Thanagarians tried to take them down.[27] After successfully retaking the Watchtower from Thanagarian forces, Batman piloted the Watchtower through the Earth's atmosphere in an attempt to plunge it into a Hyperspace Bypass, a city-wide machine that would generate a wormhole through Earth. As Batman lost consciousness due to the heat surrounding him, Superman rescued him as the Watchtower destroyed the Bypass.[28]
With the Watchtower's destruction and Hawkgirl's resignation from the League, Batman and the five other members reformed the Justice League with a new Watchtower and an expanded roster of heroes. Batman was instrumental in recruiting Green Arrow who, along with other human Justice League members, helped keep the League from becoming an autonomous metahuman army.[29] He also succeeded in demonstrating to Amanda Waller that Cadmus was being used as a tool to further Lex Luthor's personal agenda to discredit and destroy the Justice League.[30]
Waller was so impressed with Batman that she created Project Batman Beyond to ensure that the world would always have a Batman.[31]
Late Adventures
Bruce Wayne in 2019.
Batman's partnerships would end following Robin's kidnapping by the Joker and Harley Quinn. Tracking them to the abandoned Arkham Asylum, the Joker revealed that he had brainwashed and genetically altered Tim to resemble the Joker, in an effort to have his own son, and had learned Batman's secret identity. Vowing to break the Joker, the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime had their final fight. In the end, however, the Joker was killed by Tim with a weapon intended for Batman. After Tim was mentally restored by Doctor Leslie Thompkins, Batman forbade him from ever being Robin again, and later ended his partnership with Batgirl.[32]
Bruce's most frequently used Batsuit towards the end of his career.
In his middle age, suffering from the effects of a hard life of crime-fighting, Batman developed a powered suit that augmented his physical abilities and allowed him to continue the never-ending battle for a while longer. At this time, his corporate rivalry with Derek Powers began, and Wayne Enterprises resisted a bid for corporate takeover.
Injuries suffered through the long decades of physical punishment and an ailing heart finally took their toll, and even the suit couldn't compensate any longer. While attempting to rescue his old friend Veronica Vreeland's daughter Bunny from kidnappers, Batman suffered from a mild heart attack and was forced to point a gun at a common thug to save Bunny and himself. After being forced to rely on the weapon of his parents' cowardly murderer, Batman was ashamed and vowed to never again wear the cowl.[33]
Passing the Mantle of the Bat
Bruce Wayne, mentor to the second Batman.
When Bruce hung up the mantle of Batman, Gotham City was without a Dark Knight for twenty years. Bruce became a recluse, shut off in Wayne Manor. During one of his yearly pilgrimages to the spot where his parents were murdered, he met a dog that he saved from a Jokerz; Bruce took the dog in and named him Ace.[35] Bruce also withdrew from the day-to-day operations of Wayne Enterprises, a decision that left the company vulnerable to a takeover by Derek Powers and caused Bruce much regret.[?]
Chance brought teenaged Terry McGinnis to the gates of Wayne Manor, where he learned of Bruce's past secret life. After Terry suffered the loss of his father, Bruce reluctantly agreed to allow him to take up mantle of Batman. He then served as a mentor and informant for the successor to his legacy.[33][36]
For years, Bruce coordinated with Terry, supplying advice and direction from the Batcave while Terry worked in the field. He also ran the labs and developed new gadgets for Terry to use in the new crusade against crime. During their adventures, Bruce would help Terry defeat modern adversaries and even some of his own rogues, such as Mr. Freeze,[37] Ra's al Ghul,[38] and the Joker, reborn through a chip implanted in Tim Drake all those years ago.[32]
The elderly Bruce occasionally ventured into the field to support Terry. His sense of duty and self-sacrifice ever present, he once donned a suit of armor to rescue Terry from Inque, despite Inque's metahuman power and the strain produced on his already-damaged heart.[39]
At some time after the arrest of Paxton Powers Bruce took back control of Wayne-Powers renaming it Wayne Enterprises. After regaining control of the company he took the position of CEO and Chairman of the Board. Subsequently, he and Terry had to cope with the return of his greatest enemy The Joker and an attempt by Jordan Pryce to seize control of the company and kill Bruce. These problems were dealt with and presumably Bruce returned to day to day business operations.
Bruce Wayne 35 years after retiring as Batman.
As Bruce continued to age, he suffered a kidney failure. When it was discovered that Terry was not just a suitable donor but a perfect one, their relationship reached its weakest point; Terry, like Dick Grayson before him, felt betrayed, manipulated and outright used. He set off to uncover the truth from someone willing to reveal it.
Terry confronted Amanda Waller and learned the truth about his heritage. Years earlier, Waller realized the world would always need a Batman. Taking fate into her own hands (unbeknownst to Bruce), she gathered a sample of Bruce's DNA, after a battle that left Batman in need of medical attention. Using her Cadmus connections, Waller injected a nanotech solution into Warren McGinnis that would replicate his genetic material into an exact copy of Bruce's. Thus, Terry was born, Bruce's biological son, sharing half his genetic code.
Terry returned to Wayne Manor with a new sense of purpose. Bruce wondered about the fate of Gotham, and Terry replied, "I've got it covered. Always." Their relationship seemed repaired; Bruce had truly become the father Terry had lost long ago.[31].
It was later confirmed by the production staff that Bruce's still excellent detective skills meant he was aware of Terry's true heritage and had been for some time, but had remained silent out of respect for Warren McGinnis.
Alternate timelines
The Savage Time
Batman in Vandal Savage's alternate timeline.
Vandal Savage created an alternate timeline by interfering with the historical events of World War II. In this alternate timeline, Bruce Wayne's parents were killed for speaking out against Savage's brutal regime. Thus, Bruce became Batman, the leader of the resistance movement against the regime.
When the Justice League from the original timeline appeared on Earth, Batman helped them escape from the authorities and learned of their timeline. He assisted the League in breaking into the facility where the time portal had appeared. However, Batman did not accompany the League into the past to thwart Savage; he preferred to stay behind and continue to run the resistance in case the League failed.[40]
The Once and Future Thing, Part Two: Time, Warped
When Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman followed Chronos into the future, they were immediately hijacked by a group of enhanced Jokerz. After being rescued by the future Justice League members, they met up with the elderly Bruce Wayne. Although Static reasoned that, whilst planning to take down Chronos, the fact that the elder Bruce existed meant that Batman would live through the event and that they would eventually succeed, Bruce pointed out he had no memory of ever traveling to the future and meeting his older self or of anything else that was happening that day. The explanation was that Chronos' careless disregard for the timeline had made history fluid.
Bruce aided the League's members in locating Chronos. When Terry was killed by Dee Dee, Bruce was visibly saddened. These events, however, were erased and therefore never occurred, although Green Lantern and Batman retained memory of the experience.
Batman's Secret Identity
- Main article: List of people who knows Batman's Secret Identity
While Batman kept his identity a closely guarded secret, there were a number of individuals to whom he had either revealed his identity or had discovered it. Among the most prominent ones there is Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Terry McGinnis, Leslie Thompkins, Talia, Hugo Strange, Ra's al Ghul, Andrea Beaumont, Lois Lane, the core Justice Leaguers, and his arch-nemesis The Joker.
Love Interests
Bruce Wayne has rarely had anything that could be described as a committed relationship, mainly because he is unwilling to ever get close to someone in case they are ever put at risk. Ironically, most of Bruce's more notable relationships would (at some point) become part of his Rogues Gallery.
Bruce's first true love is often viewed as Andrea Beaumont, who Bruce apparently loved so much that he was willing to give up his promise of avenging his parents and marry her. This was changed however, when Andrea broke off their engagement and left for Europe due to her father owing money to the mob (in her letter, she lied to Bruce by saying she was "too young" and "needed time"). Years later, she reappeared in Gotham shortly after the costumed murderer known as The Phantasm started killing off mob bosses. In reality it turned out to be Andrea behind the persona, killing off the same mob that killed her father and prevented their potential happiness. After an intense battle with The Joker, Andrea disappeared with the lunatic and left a locket with a picture of her and Bruce in the Batcave, leaving him heartbroken. Many years later, Andrea would later be recruited by Amanda Waller as part of Project Batman Beyond to kill young Terry McGinnis's parents to mirror Bruce's trauma and create a new Batman, but refused to out of respect for Bruce and his unwillingness to resort to murder. This convinced Waller that if she wanted to honor all Bruce stood for, neither could she.
During his training to become Batman, Bruce studied under the magician, Zatara, in escape artistry under the alias John Smith. During this time, Zatara's daughter, Zatanna, developed a crush on "John" and attempted to stop him from leaving by handcuffing him to a ladder. Bruce, of course, quickly got out of them and left before she could try again. Years later, a performance in Gotham led to her encountering Batman. She soon realized that Batman and "John Smith" were one and the same. At some unknown point in time, Zatanna learned that he was Bruce Wayne (though it is unclear how). On occasion, they worked together during their time in the Justice League. Bruce even went to her for help when he needed magical assistance kept under wraps. The two remained good friends.
Bruce's most notable relationship was with Catwoman. After their first encounter, both expressed strong feelings for each other (in Bruce's case, out of costume as well), but were never able to start a true relationship due to being on opposite sides of the law. Later on, they were more scornful of each other as they knew a relationship wasn't possible (due to no trust) and only dealt with each other when crime was involved. Selina even attempted to seduce Nightwing once (in "You Scratch My Back"), but soon realized she was being tricked.
His other most prominent relationship was with Talia, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Despite a dubious first meeting, Talia soon developed strong feelings for Bruce and often referred to him as her "Beloved". After testing him out, Ra's deemed Batman a worthy successor and offered him an alliance. Bruce, however, had seen Ra's' methods for bringing about a better world and refused. Bruce would come to develop feelings for Talia as well, but her loyalty to her father continually interfered with their chances of a true relationship. In Bruce's old age, Talia appeared on his birthday to offer him use of the Lazarus Pits (after reminding him of their time together). He later discovered it was actually her father who had transferred his mind into her body when his could no longer be sustained. After defeating Ra's with the new Batman, Bruce mourned Talia and referred to her as "a very special woman", but avoided answering when Terry asked if she was "the special woman". After looking at pictures from what appeared to be their time in an actual relationship, Bruce said goodbye: "Rest well, Beloved."
Bruce met and married Susan Maguire in a short span of time, citing his feeling happier with her than he had in a long time and was even going to give up being Batman to be with her. Susan was later revealed to be one of many human looking plants created by Poison Ivy to marry Gotham's rich patrons and inherit their fortunes. Bruce realized this and stated that his initial feelings were likely the result of pheromones.
For a short time, during his stay in Metropolis, Bruce was in a relationship with Lois Lane. Lois even planned to move to Gotham (and transfer to the Daily Planet's branch there) to be with him, but that changed when she discovered he was Batman (and there was a whole side to him she didn't know and wasn't sure if she wanted to know).[16] For some time after, Lois did have second thoughts about this decision and almost called him several times.[41]
During his time in the Justice League, Batman and Wonder Woman had a growing affection for each other that seemed to stem from his strong reaction when Diana was apparently killed by a missile in Gorilla City during their first encounter with Gorilla Grodd. Later, during the Thanagarian Invasion, in order to hide themselves from pursuing Thanagarian soldiers (in civilian clothing), they posed as two "lovebirds" in a restaurant which resulted in them embracing in a deep kiss. He himself would later admit that he may have had feelings for her when Zatanna noted his concern for Diana (who had been turned into a pig by Circe) and asked him about the two of them. Despite this, Bruce decided not to enter into a relationship with her due to the circumstances of the lives they led and to prevent Diana from becoming a target for his enemies.
It is implied that he was in a relationship with Barbara Gordon for some time (despite their age difference), but after The Joker's abduction of Tim Drake, he eventually broke off all ties with his colleagues and Barbara went her own way.
Powers & Abilities
Batman, though considered a "superhero," had no metahuman abilities. He was, however, at the peak of human physical and mental conditioning, having extensively studied the sciences, technology, martial arts, detection and many other disciplines under masters of their respective fields.[42]
Batman was a master of stealth and infiltration (all the more remarkable given that he stands 6'2" and weighs 210 lbs),[43] and often revealed himself to his enemies when they least suspected him to. This also allowed him to just disappear from allies in mid-sentence, a habit that frequently annoyed the likes of Commissioner Gordon ("One of these days I'm gonna nail his feet to the ground") and Harvey Bullock ("I wonder how the Commish puts up with that").[44]
Batman was capable of incredible feats of agility. During the Second Apokolyptian invasion, Darkseid commented that no one had ever been able to avoid his Omega Beams before.[45] His strength was also exceptional; He is capable of throwing Superman, and even Kalibak several meters across, as well as giving Darkseid an fairly good fight before being subdued.
With his martial arts prowess, occasionally augmented by technology, Batman was usually more than a match for any foe he encountered, human or otherwise.
As Bruce Wayne aged and retired from active crimefighting, he still maintained his wide variety of skills including martial arts. But, due to his weak heart and aging body he couldn't engage in prolonged periods of physical excursion without complications. He could, however, use his cane as a weapon.
Batman's mental powers were equally strong. He once manipulated nearly mindless Solomon Grundy into fighting with the super-genius Ultra-Humanite.[46] On at least two occasions, he overcame the temptation to live in a fantasy world with his "ideal" life, in order to save the day.[47][3] On another, he overpowered the mind control of Doctor Destiny, who had simultaneously overpowered the minds of nearly the entire Justice League, despite having not slept for three nights in a row.[48]
Perhaps Batman's greatest ability was his mind. He was one of the foremost detectives on Earth (Ra's al Ghul always addressed him as "Detective"), possessing one of the sharpest analytical minds[49] and skill in multiple fields of science, as well as speaking several foreign languages.[50][51][52] As a member of the Justice League, he contributed much of the technology that kept it going, including the Watchtower and Javelins. In addition to his fighting abilities, his contributions to the team as a scientist, a detective and a strategist have proved invaluable time and again.
Equipment
As the head of Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne had access to cutting-edge technology, and Batman made good use of it in his field equipment.
Batsuit
- See dedicated article: Batsuit
Utility Belt
Batman's Utility Belt had compartments to hold several items, the contents of which change according to his needs, and often include items such as flashlights, laser cutters, underwater rebreathers, binoculars, a fingerprinting kit, remote controls for his vehicles, and more.
While Batman himself never seemed to have any difficulty nor complicated procedure for opening the belt's compartments, it evidently involved some fairly sophisticated security measures (which for some reason didn't prevent it from being removed). When Batman was taken captive by the Injustice Gang, Lex Luthor spent a great deal of time and effort to open the belt. Initial brute-force attempts resulted not only in failure to get it opened, but in explosions and electric shocks damaging to the would-be attacker. Only after using a large and powerful machine of some sort was Lex able to open the belt and empty out its contents, which included Batarangs, hand grenades, and the remote control for access to the Watchtower[53]
Vehicles
Batman had used several vehicles in the course of his crimefighting career, including:
Background Information
Appearances
Batman is the only character to appear in every DCAU TV show at least once. He also was mentioned in and influenced the webtoon Gotham Girls. This is somewhat parallel to the Mainstream Comics Batman who, according to Wizard Magazine, is the only DC superhero to appear in every monthly title. Kevin Conroy is best known for his work as Batman in the DCAU and has returned to the role several times since.
Appearances and References
Footnotes
| Members of the Justice League |
|---|
| Founding Members: |
| Batman • Flash • Green Lantern • Hawkgirl • Martian Manhunter • Superman • Wonder Woman |
| Expanded League: |
| Aquaman • Atom • Atom-Smasher • Aztek • B'wana Beast • Black Canary • Blue Devil • Booster Gold • Captain Atom • Captain Marvel • Commander Steel • The Creeper • The Crimson Avenger • Crimson Fox • Dove • Dr. Fate • Dr. Light • Dr. Mid-Nite • Elongated Man • Etrigan • Fire • Green Arrow • Gypsy • Hawk • Hourman • Huntress • Ice • Long Shadow • Metamorpho • Mr. Terrific • Nemesis • Obsidian • Orion • Plastic Man • Question • The Ray • Red Tornado • Rocket Red • Sand • Shining Knight • Speedy • Stargirl • Starman • Steel • S.T.R.I.P.E. • Supergirl • Johnny Thunder • Thunderbolt • Vibe • Vigilante • Vixen • Waverider • Wildcat • Zatanna |
External links
- Batman at Wikipedia
- Batman at the DC Database