STATS
name: Bruce Wayne (alias)
age: 37
height: 6'3"
weight: 210lbs
eyes: Blue
hair: Brown
occupation: Industrialist/ Philanthropist/ Crime fighter



STORY

Origins
Eight year-old Bruce couldn't make it the whole way through the opera. The Mark Of Zorro...a masked vigilante who upheld justice and punished the wicked. Bruce enjoyed what of the opera he saw, but, for any eight year-old boy, a little bit of opera goes a long way. He fell asleep. His father, Thomas, carried him out of the opera house when the show ended, and the crowd went on its way.

Bruce, the epic images of the underdog hero still in his head, ran ahead, swishing around an invisible sword, imitating Zorro, drawing Zs in the air. Thomas and Martha decided to take a "long" way back to the car, turning down what is now known in Gotham City as "Crime Alley." It was down a dark, empty street that Bruce met fate and death. A lone gunman came out of the shadows, pointing a revolver at the wealthy family, demanding money and valuables. Thomas immediately handed over his wallet, not wanting trouble, but when the gunman tried to assault Martha Wayne for her pearl necklace, Thomas tried to intervene...and he was shot. Martha screamed...and she was shot.

The gunman turned the smoking barrel onto young Bruce as he gathered up the pearls broken from the necklace. Then, he ran off into the night, leaving Bruce with his parents who lay dead at his feet. Bruce fell to his knees and sobbed over his mom and dad until the Gotham Police arrived.

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The Wayne family's butler since before Bruce was born, Alfred Pennyworth, took the task of raising young Bruce onto himself, and did his best to fulfill his needs in his parents' absence. Alfred made sure that Bruce got his education, along with everything else a growing child needs. Though, it was when Bruce turned 13 that he knew what he had to do with his life.

Making a sacred vow on his parents’ graves, Bruce swore to uphold justice and to never allow what happened to him happen to any other child.

The Sojourn
Bruce left home for a long, trying life. He studied at numerous colleges, taking a myriad of classes to broaden his knowledge and learn every possible thing he could learn. He never stayed long at any one college, which his classmates always found strange. Bruce then ventured into the physical training he knew he’d need. He spent years, almost a decade, training with the leaders of the craft, the top martial artists, thieves, assassins and fighters. There are over 230 styles of combat, and Bruce learned them all.

After he had finished all the training he needed or wanted, Bruce returned home.

The first night of Bruce’s “crime-fighting” was a complete disaster. He was nearly killed by a group of thugs who were trying to rob a group of prostitutes. Alfred arrived to save Bruce, take him home, and nurse him back to health. Bruce realized then that the reason the thugs didn’t respond to him is because they didn’t fear him. Bruce knew then that he’d have to make them fear him. And…as if to answer his dilemma, as if by fate…a bat crashed through Bruce’s study window and swooped all over the room. Bruce was terrified, startled, and that’s when he knew how to strike fear into his enemies.

Bruce fashioned himself a new persona…based on the mantle of a bat. He created a costume, dark and gruesome. He created custom weapons, non-lethal of course, that would aid him in his nightly endeavors. He also fashioned a name to fit this identity…he would become The Batman.

Shadow Of the Bat
The change worked. He soon became a hushed whisper among the criminal element. Very quickly, word spread of how a giant bat, with huge wings, would swoop down and take anyone who dared harm the innocent, or break the law. Some criminals laughed this off and said that it was the failing Gotham City Police Department spreading the rumor, trying to shake up the underworld scum. They soon found out otherwise.

The Batman, however distanced from the people he helped, soon became a household name. Everyone spoke of him, and wanted to know more. The media was pressed to keep it under wraps, but of course…the Batman sold. Commissioner Loeb was constantly hounded for quotes and statements about the Batman, to which he always stated that there is no “giant bat” in Gotham and that vigilantism is against the law, and that if there were a Batman, he would be arrested and locked up.

Changes
Though soon, things changed in Gotham, especially in the police department. Batman pinned the never-ending corruption within the GCPD on Commissioner Loeb, after gaining enough evidence to prosecute for negligence. Loeb instead stepped down, paving the way for Lieutenant Jim Gordon to become the new Commissioner of Police. He has remained in that position ever since. Gordon’s and Batman’s relationship is a strange one. They help each other, Gordon feeding Batman information and Batman delivering the criminals to Gordon. It’s an unspoken agreement between the two men, and however cold Batman may seem, Gordon could never truly give up the friendship they share.

The Man Behind
While Batman went on through the nights, Bruce had to make sure that Bruce Wayne continued to serve the public and uphold his business. But he could not be a CEO of a major multi-million dollar company and fight crime by night. So he gave the job to a much more able, and worthy man, Lucius Fox. This gave Bruce the freedom he needed to carry out his two identities, the bumbling, carefree playboy Wayne, and the stoic crime-fighter, Batman.

A New Ally
Not too far into his career, Batman made an ally, a boy whose parents were murdered right before his eyes…just like him. Richard “Dick” Grayson was his name…and he was in the traveling circus. His parents murdered by a local crime boss, Dick vowed to get revenge. Batman took him in, taught him how to channel his anger and strength. Dick became the first Robin.

After years of fighting alongside one another, emotions got in the way and Dick thought it’d be best if he left Batman’s side and ventured out for his own. Batman didn’t like it, and scorned him for it. Dick became Nightwing, and Batman ironically found himself a new partner, a boy who was trying to boost the tires off of the batmobile, Jason Todd. Batman saw the potential in him, and Todd became the second Robin.

Though Todd’s past came back to haunt him, and it cost him his life. At the hands of the Joker, Todd was beaten within an inch of his life, and left in a building set to explode…to die with his mother. Batman was destroyed by this loss. For him, Robin was the lighter side, the conscience and the warmth behind the duo…behind his own dark life. It was like losing his parents all over again.

Though, salvation came in the form of a younger detective…a boy whose intuition would prove to serve both Batman and Bruce. The boy’s name was Tim Drake, and he had used his intuitive detective skills to discern the identities of both Batman and the previous two Robins. He confronted Batman, and, faced with a tough decision, Batman took him in as his new ward. Tim caught on quick, and has been Batman’s Robin ever since.

Batman has matured and grown exponentially since his first night of crime-fighting, and he’s reached a point of “unstoppability.” Immortality, if one will. His skills have honed to a point where Batman no longer needs think but more react. His mind is capable of making split-second calculations of complex equations and situations. His vast knowledge only made more effective by decades of experience.

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Utilities & Weapons
Batman’s arsenal is far too expansive to elaborate on every single item. In basics, it is safe to say that Batman is prepared for any situation and/or outcome. All possible necessities are ready and thought out ahead of time. The Batcave is completely full-stocked with tools and materials for creating familiar and new weapons/tools/machines for Batman to use in the field. To cover everything in a short sentence, Batman has everything he needs to take care of almost any problem he’s facing.

But, to be more specific, and again, his arsenal is far too great to go into too much detail, we can break down the main, or most-used, items:

= The Batarang: These throwing and/or cutting –type weapons are Batman’s most-used and most reliable tools he has. The batarangs come in a vast number of varieties. He has razor-edged batarangs for cutting, slicing and throwing to disarm and do some considerable damage to whichever unlucky thug may be on the receiving end. Batman carries the standard batarangs, which excels in briefly stunning a foe with its blunt impact force. If thrown hard enough, these can also cut flesh. Batman carries batarangs exclusively for impact. These are weighted and have a very thick, blunt edge. These are capable of knocking a foe unconscious, and they’re also good for knocking items loose and disturbing stacks of things. The “hard-impact” types are almost virtually unbreakable.
Batman has also created “quick-release” batarangs, which are hinged, lightweight and very good for dazzling a group of foes. Throw a handful of these into the fray and watch the confusion ensue. These are foldable, so Batman can gather many in his hand at a time. Batman also has remote-controlled steering types, electro-cutting and drug-filled batarangs which, upon hitting, release whatever drug is stored within the batarangs to drug a foe.

= The Bola: Batman carries a small amount of bat-bolas, based on the bolas used by Argentinean cattlemen. This tool is a spool of wire with either two weighted spheres, or his signature batarangs at either end. These are twirled above the head then released to ensnare enemies.

= The Grappler/Jumpline: Batman has no real superpowers, so he needs a way to get around Gotham City fast…from the sky-scraping rooftops to the dark streets below. For this, Batman has a wall-penetrating grapnel launcher. This is a firing device fitted with a magazine of four spools of de-cel jumplines secured with braking and clipping mechanisms within the magazine sleeve. The darts fitted at the end of the spools have a micro-diamond drill head which have “smart” acceleration motors that drill briefly upon impact with a wall, securing a strong hold. The drill is capable of piercing aluminum, steel or concrete masonry. With this tool, Batman can scale up or rappel down buildings, or he can swing through the buildings on successive lines. Sometimes, Batman will have a normal jumpline spooled into his belt. This allows for simple throwing and swinging maneuvers.

= Pellets: Batman has found that confusion and deception can easily turn an outnumbered fight to his favor…especially if he can even incapacitate any of his adversaries. So, to achieve this goal, Batman carries a stock of gas pellets. He has created normal gas pellets, which spew out anything from regular smoke, tear gas, a regurgitant gas or almost any concoction he can think of. Also, Batman has found explosive “flash-bang” pellets come in handy, and usually do enough damage for him to dispose of what remains of his adversaries.

These are Batman’s main weapons and tools. His arsenal includes hundreds of miniaturized gadgets and weapons. To create a full catalogue of these would take a very long time, as no such record of Batman’s tools exists. Though, other known equipment includes bat-cuffs, made of lightweight, sapphire-impregnated nylon overlaying a standard-metal cable core…which can only be cut with a diamond-edged cutting implement. Batman has a full medical kit on his belt, which can treat most poisons, abrasions and minor injuries. He carries an infrared-flash mini camera on his belt, good for taking stealthy pictures at a moment’s notice. Batman carries a fingerlight, a miniature light that can be worn on any digit and emits a white, red or infrared light. Finger-sensitive controls can change the beam from focused to wide. Batman always carries a crime-scene kit, complete with all the tools one would need to gather evidence at a crime scene, and a mini bat-computer, which is hooked up to the batcave’s computer. Again, this is an incomplete listing of Batman’s tools, as a full account of such would not only be time-consuming, but also quite near impossible.

= The Car: The batmobile is simply one amazing piece of mechanics. The newest model, known as the BM7 Model, has a maximum speed of 266mph and can go from a dead zero to sixty in 2.4 seconds. The engine consists of a gasoline/ethanol mixed 1,500 horsepower jet turbine engine, and the transmission is a 6-speed manual, naturally. The new batmobile holds auto-engaged twin auxiliary fuel tanks along with seven-day emergency rations and water stores in the trunk, which considerably lengthen the batmobile’s already-extensive reach. The defenses on this model are mind-blowing. Along with the norm, rear gas expellers and tack dispensers, sticky-goo guns along the side-skirts and front defenses such as super-bright halogen headlights, the new-and-improved auto-theft system is state-of-the-art. The auto-theft system is set to 5 phases, beginning with proximity alarms and surface electrification increasing in severity to a full self-destruction of the batmobile. “The Car” is completely self-sustained. The wheels are gel-filled, not air, so when punctured, the gel leaks out and hardens on contact with air, sealing the hole. If the tires blow altogether, there is one set of spares for each tire…the old tire expels, and the replacement slides into place. The surface of the car is undetectable by radar due to the ceramic-composite surface, and the front bumper carries an infrared camcorder for recording anything in front of the car.

Bruce Wayne
= Wayne Enterprises: The quintessential backbone of Gotham City, Wayne Enterprises and its numerous subsidiaries and divisions employ the largest portion of Gotham’s considerable work-force. Some of these divisions include Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemical, Wayne Industries, WayneCorp, the charitable Wayne Foundation, WayneTech, Wayne Aerospace & Aviation and Wayne Investigations. Bruce cannot manage all of these himself, and luckily, he has a friend to help. Lucius Fox is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises…a very demanding job. Wayne is a humble humanitarian and is famous for donating a good amount of Wayne Enterprises revenue into charitable causes such as orphanages and needy families both stateside and abroad. Though, to the world, Wayne is still a billionaire playboy, dreaming of the golf course, fast cars and faster women, hot, bustling vacation spots and what designer suit will be in style next week. A common discussion between Mr. Wayne and CEO Lucius Fox would go something like this:
“Can’t this wait, Lucius? I have a tee-off at noon.”
“I’ll try not to waste your time, Bruce.”
Though, truly, it’s a cover…a mask for the world. Bruce Wayne no longer exists…he is the persona, the façade. In his place is the Batman. It consumes his life. The carefree personality of Bruce Wayne is to throw off any suspicions that Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person.













































Thanks to Dave for picture help