Bruce Wayne

"Bruce gave me a great piece of advice once. Grow into the person you needed as a kid.'"

- Kate Kane

Bruce Wayne (born February 19) is a well-known billionaire, philanthropist, and former owner of Wayne Enterprises. He is the son of the late Thomas and Martha Wayne, the nephew of Jacob Kane and the cousin of Kate and Beth Kane. Sometime after his parents' murder, he trained himself physically and intellectually to become Gotham City's protector, the vigilante known as Batman, or simply the Bat, stylized as the "Dark Knight".

In 2015, he disappeared for unknown reasons, leading the local crime rate to rise higher than ever and the Bat-Signal to be finally switched off in 2018 to signify his permanent absence. After discovering his secret identity, his cousin Kate took on his mantle becoming Batwoman.

Early life
"Nothing could be average with Bruce. Even had to have more dead parents than me."

- Tommy Elliot to Kate Kane

Bruce was born on February 19 in Gotham City to Thomas and Martha Wayne. One fateful night, his parents were murdered, leaving Bruce traumatized as the sole survivor.

During his childhood, Bruce became best friends with Tommy Elliot.

Becoming Batman
Sometime after his parents' murder, Bruce committed himself to being the protector of Gotham City presumably becoming Earth-1's first vigilante and crafting himself a bat-inspired persona to fight crime and strike terror into the hearts of his enemies. He eventually became known as Batman, though his existence is considered a sort of urban legend by many. Over time Gothamites began to reliant deeply on him, to the point that a large customized projection lamp that casts the silhouetted shape of a bat across the sky, named the Bat-Signal, was created as a means of contacting Batman, whenever he was needed and placed on the roof of Gotham City Police Department's headquarters.

Bruce also began to act as the CEO of his family company, Wayne Enterprises, making it perhaps the most prominent multi-billion dollar corporation on the planet and accumulating such a significant amount of wealth to be one of the world's richest men. In his office, he kept the necklace his mother wore on the night of her death in a square pyramid-shaped glass container, the case also functioned as an entrance into an elevator that lead to an underground base where Bruce kept his Batman suit and gadgets. His maternal younger cousins Beth and Kate Kane, with whom he was very close to, often went visiting his place of work or tried to sneak into his office.

During his career, Bruce was associated with a number of individuals, notably Lucius Fox, who designed many of his weaponary, and a young individual known to the public as "Robin".

Kane family car crash
After having been Batman long enough for the public to be aware of him, Bruce was in pursuit of a school bus that had been hijacked by the Joker in January 2003. Through happenstance, the bus impacted a car that contained Bruce's two cousins and aunt, which caused the car to to crash on a bridge. He tactically shot two hooks with his grapple gun at his family's car, which was about to fall off of the bridge, securing it to the bridge and allowing Kate to escape, then quickly left to save the 34 children on the bus that crashed into the Kanes' car, managing to capture Joker, leaving him to be tried the following month. However, the part of the car his grapple was attached to separated from the rest of it, causing Beth and his aunt to fall into the river below. Bruce, feeling guilty over his failure to save them, was left haunted for years and spent hours searching for their bodies, but try as he may, he was only able to find his aunt's. With Kate thinking that Batman didn't care about the rest of her family, most likely deepening Bruce's guilt, Bruce took it upon himself to comfort his cousin, which Kate greatly appreciated. However, Bruce never told her his secret identity.

Saving Tommy Elliot and his mother
Two years later, in 2005, Bruce would save Tommy Elliot and his mother from a fiery car crash. Tommy would come to resent Batman for saving his mother as he was unable to claim his inheritance and would spend the next thirteen years being a nursemaid to her.

Hiring Luke Fox
Eventually Bruce employed Luke Fox, Lucius' son, as the head of Wayne Security and shared his secret identity with him. However, presumably due to a violation of his trust, he once fired Luke, but eventually reinstated him.

Disappearance
"Photos can be doctored. They could have put Bruce Wayne's head on that body. Has Bruce Wayne left Gotham to hang out in Star City recently? No."

- Oliver Queen

Around 2015, Bruce left Gotham City for unknown reasons, also leaving behind his identity as Batman. His cousin, Kate Kane, was left in charge of his properties in Gotham, while Luke remained responsible for watching over the Wayne Enterprises building.

In 2017, Oliver Queen mentioned Bruce Wayne at a press conference about Green Arrow's identity, citing that a forger could put anybody's head on Green Arrow's body, even Wayne's. He then jokingly asked whether Bruce Wayne left Gotham to hang out in Star City recently, but then said that it hadn't happened, indirectly hinting at his absence from the city.

Batman's disappearance led to the local crime rate rising higher than ever before. His iconic symbol, the Bat-Signal, was finally switched off in 2018 by the Gothamites to represent the permanence of his absence.

Legacy
Batman's existence was never fully confirmed to the public, making him a myth. While most individuals (including Barry Allen) believed that he did exist, other individuals (like Oliver Queen) believed that Batman was never real, but in fact an urban legend created by the GCPD in order to scare the criminals of the city; however, in Oliver's case, his refusal to acknowledge Batman's existence is out of jealousy; due to the fact that he is not the first/original vigilante.

Personality
According to Luke Fox, Bruce is a very caring and selfless individual, as he not only cares about protecting the citizens of Gotham from criminals, but also his remaining living family members as well, possibly due to the death of his own parents. Bruce also has a very close relationship with his cousin, Kate Kane, as he provided her with emotional support following the death of her mother, Gabi Kane and the apparent death of her sister, Beth Kane respectively, which she appreciated despite the latter's stoic personality. He is a very charismatic individual, quite popular to the press and well-liked by his fellow Gothamites as well as the majority of public opinion.
 * -|As a civilian=

Although she described him as being her "fun and irresponsible" big brother-figure, growing-up Kate has taken in great considerations and often remembering with nostalgia the many advices he usually gave her during the years, which prove that Bruce is also extremely deep and wise; Kate herself has the greatest respect for him.

According to Luke and Jacob Kane, Bruce achieved a lot with his life and shares many traits with Kate, while Tommy Elliot noted that "nothing could be average with Bruce". He also seems to have a great passion for theater and theatricality, as suggested by the bust of Shakespeare in his office and by his alter-ego's methods and whole figure.

Bruce is also well-read, as indicated by his full bookshelves in his office.

Bruce is described by Kara Danvers and Kate Kane as being a very heroic individual, he is also a no-nonsense and blunt individual. As Batman, Bruce is very stoic and committed to helping Gotham City even to the point to appear cold and detached in the eyes of some Gothamites, since Kate has spent fifteen years of her life believing that he didn't care of what happened to her mother and sister.
 * -|As Batman=

As Batman, due to Bruce's fame as a renowned vigilante, he is well liked by some vigilantes, such as Barry Allen; the latter who states that he would never compare himself to a "total badass" like Batman, well others are jealous of him, such as Oliver Queen, who refuse to acknowledge Batman's existence, out of jealousy; due to the fact that Bruce is the first/original vigilante.

Abilities
"I would never compare myself to a total badass like Batman."

- Barry Allen to Kate Kane

"Sitting at that desk, staring out that window, watching this city that we grew up in rot at it's core, you find a way to not break. Bruce didn't leave Gotham without a fight."
 * Peak of human physical condition: As a vigilante, Bruce is in exceptional physical condition, having a powerful physique from intense years of strenuous training as well as fighting crime in Gotham City for over a decade. His physical prowess has garnered such a reputation for being "a total badass" that Barry Allen noted that not even with Oliver's abilities he would compare himself to Batman. As noted by Tommy Elliot, "nothing could be average with Bruce."
 * Acrobatics/Free-running: As Batman, Bruce developed free-running skills and can fall from a height of several feet without hurting himself, chase and outrun enemies through various terrains with no wasted effort or time or running from rooftop to rooftop with ease. His abilities allow him to dodge and attack with fluidity from different directions without losing balance.
 * Genius-level intellect/Great business acumen/Master tactician/Leader: Bruce is an extraordinarily intelligent individual, being a nearly flawless tactician, he is able to think fast and calculate the variables of every situation in order to predict the results of his actions and quickly react as he sees fit, allowing him to seamlessly perform calculations in his head during missions, with Luke noting at one point that almost all of his calculations were perfect, with the only exception being the one slight miscalculation of the faulty engineering of Gabi Kane's car and the angle of the grappling hooks he fired to secure it when he tried to save her, Kate Kane and Beth Kane from a car accident caused by the Joker, which while saving Kate, tragically failed to prevent Gabi from being killed and nearly killed Beth to. Bruce's tactical abilities are so thorough that he planned contingencies for his contingencies should his plans go awry, as he not only designed a railgun to penetrate his suit if it fell into the wrong hands, but he also designed another weapon to cancel out the first one. His immense intelligence and tactical abilities were seen by how he was able to effectively fight against crime in Gotham for several years without exposing his real activities to the public or to his remaining family, to the point that when she found his cave Kate expressed deep shock upon learning his secret identity. He is also an exceptional businessman and leader, as he was able to successfully run and oversee Wayne Enterprises' daily activities for years, effectively acting as it's CEO and maintain it's status as a multi-billion dollar corporation despite his vigilantism, without any perceivable difficulty. Bruce accumulated such a significant amount of wealth that even after his disappearance, he still maintained a reputation for being the wealthiest man in the planet, which took Tommy Elliot, with his own company Elliot Estates, years ("half [his] life") to finally surpass.
 * Master of deception/Manipulator: Bruce is an extraordinarily skilled master of the arts of deception and manipulation, as he managed to successfully keep his identity as Batman a secret for many years, not only from the public, but also from his remaining living family members as well. The only individuals who are aware of his secret identity are: Luke Fox, Kate Kane, a "riddler" and Tommy Elliot respectively, with Kate only discovering his secret due to finding his cave by accident while Tommy only found out from the riddler. Furthermore, even the highly intelligent Oliver Queen doubts the existence of his alter-ego, Batman, dismissing him as an "urban legend concocted by the Gotham City Police Department to scare criminals", the former continued to believe he was a myth even after seeing the Bat-Signal and hearing a confirmation of his existence by Kate.
 * Master engineer/gadgeteer: Bruce is an extremely skilled engineer, having been able to develop technologies that would be deemed by both Luke and Kate as the best on the entire planet, along with being exceptionally skilled in the use of gadgets, effectively carrying and using tons of them to fight crime. He fired two grappling hooks to secure Gabi Kane's car, because he knew it would go over the bridge. Even the highly intelligent Luke Fox, as well as the intuitive Kate Kane, don't know how to operate most of Bruce's gadgets. Indeed, his abilities proved to be far superior to that of Luke, as he was able to built a rail gun capable of penetrating military-grade kevlar woven with enriched carbon nanotubes of Lucius Fox's own design, which is considered to be the most lethal weapon he ever designed. He also built a device designed to stop the railgun.
 * Expert driver: Bruce is capable of driving multiple vehicles, such as cars; as Batman, he utilizes the "Batmobile" when out on patrol.

- Kate Kane to Kara Danvers


 * Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Due to his years of fighting crime in Gotham City for over a decade, Bruce is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, which led him to having a reputation as being, as described by Barry Allen, as a "total badass" as Batman that made even him, when he notably had Oliver Queen's own extremely advanced combat prowess, admit that he would never compare his skills to Batman's, implying that the Dark Knight's combat skills are even superior to Oliver's; the latter who had been trained by Ra's al Ghul himself. As a result, Bruce is (possibly) one of the most deadliest combatants in the entire multiverse.
 * Expert marksman: As Batman, Bruce possesses an almost infallible aim, as proven when he uses his grapple gun, both for transportation in order to ascent rooftops, as well as to pull individuals or objects, such as Gabi Kane's car.
 * Master knife wielder/Knife thrower: Batman has great accuracy when he threw the batarangs, his signature non-lethal weapon, to his enemy.
 * Indomitable will/High tolerance for pain: Bruce has a tremendous force of will, he remained in Gotham City after the death of his parents, fighting crime even as he witnessed the putrefaction of the city he grew up in. Hence, he "didn't leave Gotham without a fight". He never stopped looking for Beth Kane's remains after he failed to save her and her mother.
 * Master of stealth/Infiltration: Bruce is extremely secretive, being able to approach other individuals without being sensed. He can quickly vanish from sight after performing his heroic deeds and managed to be a vigilante for over a decade with very few individuals having actually seen him.


 * Intimidation: As Batman, Bruce commands an intimidating presence, to the point where many criminals fear him; even a psychopath like Beth Kane, is visibly terrified of crossing paths with him, which was demonstrated when she (initially) mistook Batwoman for the Dark Knight. According to Kate Kane and Luke Fox; what made Bruce so terrifying was due to the fact that he played by his own rules, which scared criminals and citizens alike.
 * Network: According to Luke Fox and Kate Kane; Bruce had access to the best technology on the entire planet. Due to heading Wayne Enterprises, it is conceivable he possessed technology very few individuals on the planet had access to, which is backed up by his own equipment, which greatly aided Kate in her crusade as Batwoman.

Former equipment
"Guy had the best tech on the planet."

- Kate Kane to Luke Fox


 * Batman suit: Whilst fighting crime in Gotham, Bruce wore a protective black suit stylized like a bat designed to both terrify his enemies and hide his identity from them. After his disappearance, he abandoned the suit and it was later redesigned by Luke Fox and utilized by Kate Kane as Batwoman. The suit cost $10.8 million to create, is comprised of military-grade kevlar braided in enriched carbon nanotubes, making it completely bullet-proof; also it can blend into the darkness, is equipped with a remotely activated defibrillator, has a cape that allows the wearer to glide, and a cowl with a direct comm link to the Batcave.
 * Batarangs: Batman uses a roughly bat-shaped throwing non-lethal weapon. The batarangs serve as instruments of disarming, distraction, confusion or simply to warn his would-be adversaries that the Batman is present.
 * Batmobile: Bruce uses a vehicle dubbed as the "Batmobile", when he is out on patrol as Batman.
 * Grappling gun: As Batman, Bruce uses a length of monofilament wire attached to a spool. It could be used to make a quick ascent to a rooftop or offensively to pull people or objects.
 * Laser saw: The device can cut through anything. Bruce had previously used it as Batman.
 * Rebreather: As Batman, Bruce would use this device to breath underwater without needing an oxygen tank.

Trivia

 * Given that Bruce began his career as Batman before 2003 and continued for more than 12 years, he is the first known vigilante on Earth-1 and is one of the most experienced superheroes in the known multiverse (aside from J'onn J'onzz).
 * Other challengers for this title are Clark Kent of Earth-38, who had been Superman for at least 12 years as of 2015 and Oliver Queen of Earth-1's 7 years.
 * Bruce doesn't have a middle name.
 * Bruce owns a plethora of books: The Joys of Wine, Degas, The Golden Bible, and many more. He keeps them in a bookshelf in his office at Wayne Enterprises.
 * It is also possible that Batman has met Rip Hunter; in the episode ​​​​​​, Rip remarked that he had seen "Dark Knights fall", which is a reference to the classic Batman: Knightfall story.

Behind the scenes

 * In the DC comics, Bruce Wayne is a vigilante hero known as Batman, the protector of Gotham City, a man dressed like a bat who fights against evil and strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere. He is also a former mentor of Dick Grayson/Nightwing, who is the protector of Blüdhaven. He is also an occasional ally of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Barry Allen/Flash, and Clark Kent/Superman, the latter third of whom is his most frequent ally.
 * In the original script for, it was not Bruce Wayne but some other unrelated person's name on it. Stephen Amell himself suggested Bruce Wayne's name on the script after receiving approval from Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara, Greg Berlanti and DC Entertainment executive Geoff Johns.
 * The bust of William Shakespeare seen in Bruce's office in is a reference to the 1960's  TV series where it has a button to the entrance of the Batcave.
 * In the DC comics, Bruce puts up a fake façade of him being an arrogant playboy and womanizer; in order to avoid other individuals from suspecting that he is Batman.