- "I am vengeance! I am the night! I am BATMAN!"
- ―Batman[src]
Batman is the world's greatest detective. Despite his tragic past, he has overcome all obstacles to dedicate his life to the eradication of crime in his home, Gotham City. Although he has no super-powers, Batman's powers of deduction combined with his obsessive determination combine to make him one of the most feared crimefighters in the world.
History
Early Life
Bruce Wayne was born to the wealthy Wayne family of Gotham City on the second week of October, in 1959. As a boy, Bruce would often watch the television adventures of his fictional hero; the Gray Ghost; with his father Thomas.[1] Bruce would later take many ideas from this show in the future. On the way home from seeing the film, The Mark of Zorro, eight-year-old Bruce witnessed the double murder of his parents; by a petty mugger in the slum area that; would become known as "Crime Alley".[2]
Some say that; the real Bruce died that; night along; with his parents and in his place, Batman was born. Young Bruce was taken home to Wayne Manor, where he was raised; by the Waynes' faithful butler and friend, Alfred Pennyworth. He also found comfort from his father's friend and medical colleague, Leslie Thompkins; who was; ironically; a resident of the neighborhood where Thomas and Martha were killed.
Training
Bruce learned many arts and sciences toward the goal of eliminating all the crime that took his parents from him. He learned from masters in their fields, such as escape artistry from Zatara, the master of magic[3] and various Japanese martial arts from Yoru Sensei.[4] While he trained with Zatara to be a master escapist, he and his mentor's daughter Zatanna became very close. Bruce very nearly gave up his plan to become a force for justice in the night when he nearly found happiness with Andrea Beaumont. When Ms. Beaumont walked out of his life, he became even more determined and dove headfirst onto the path of becoming Batman.[5]
On a night like many others before and since, Bruce sat reliving his parents' murder. While absorbed in this horrific daydream, a bat crashed through the window of his study. It was then that his obsession and plan was given form. He would become the bat, he would be the night and strike fear into those who preyed on the innocent. Using the caverns he discovered below Wayne Manor right before Alfred broke the bad news about Andrea, Bruce built his secret headquarters, the Batcave.[5]
Dark Knight
During the day, Bruce Wayne is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and maintains a public image of a millionaire playboy. In fact, Bruce intentionally goes to great lengths to convince others that the self-centered socialite is really his true self. However, by night he patrols the streets of Gotham. Batman arms himself with nothing more than technology, toughness and wits - combined with the virtually unlimited wealth of his company to fund his crimefighting pledge.
Batman spent years keeping the people of Gotham City safe from both common criminals and bizarre villains alike. Later, Bruce took in Dick Grayson as his ward after Dick's parents were killed by local gangster Tony Zucco. Batman eventually took Dick as his partner when he found out about Bruce's alter-ego. Dick then took up the mantle of Robin.[6] Batman would then spend years keeping the good people of Gotham City safe from both common criminals and bizarre villains. He had several partners and occasional imitators such as Batgirl[7], but his most common partner was still Robin.
Crime Fighting
Even with Batman's aid, Gotham is an urban nightmare, every bit as dark and gloomy as the criminals who inhabit it. The city cries out for justice, and Batman is Gotham City's "Dark Knight" who will stop at nothing to restore order to the city and protect its good honest citizens. However, on his crusade against crime, he encounters varieties of the most dangerous and deranged criminals, but Batman always manages to overcome adversity.
Man-Bat
The pharmaceutical companies of Gotham were being stolen by a mysterious Bat-creature and the Gotham City Police Department targets Batman as the most possible suspect. However, Batman's own investigation leads him to Dr. Kirk Langstrom, whose experiments at crossing species have turned him into the fearsome Man-Bat. Batman captured Man-Bat in order to save Langstrom from the mutation and also, he set the record with the police straight and cleared his name in the process.[8]
When another bat creature haunts Gotham again, Batman assumes it is Langstrom again, but after a test, Batman learns he is not the monster. Investigating further, Batman discovers that the second Man-Bat is actually Langstrom's wife, Francine, who was accidentally dosed with the serum. Batman locates the "She-Bat" and after a lengthy chase, he manages to give her the antidote, ending the threat of the Man-Bat for good.[9]
Joker
Joker was Batman's greatest foe and they clashed many times. When Joker escaped from Arkham Asylum, he kidnapped Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock and Summer Gleeson. Batman located Joker after a series of traps set by the criminal in order to stall Batman and prevent him from saving the hostages. However, Batman managed to save them and capture the Joker, returning him back to Arkham.[10]
On April Fool's Day, a mysterious gas was affecting the people of Gotham and Batman analyzed the air in Gotham, learning that the Joker was behind it all. Batman confronted the Joker and his deadly robot Captain Clown. After escaping a deathtrap, Batman followed Joker to his hideout in an abandoned waste treatment plant. Batman defeated and destroyed Captain Clown and then chased Joker through a series of traps until he finally captured the mad man.[11]
Some time later Bruce was invited to Mayor Hill's son, Jordan, birthday party and noticed that Jekko the clown was in fact the Joker. Bruce saved the guests from Joker's attack and later followed him to his hideout. After realizing that Jordan was there, Batman followed him to a trap set by Joker and after being knocked unconscious, Batman was placed upside down in a water tank with a straightjacket. It took him a while to escape the trap and after escaping, Batman chased down the Joker to a rollercoaster ride, where they fought an epic battle until Batman dropped the Joker to the river below. Batman then rescued Jordan and took him back home.[12]
A short while later, Batman stopped Joker's plan to kill Commissioner Gordon and a great number of police officers with a bomb during a ceremony in Gordon's name. Batman then tracked down Joker and his henchmen and captured them.[13] When Joker tried to murder public officials in order to achieve his mad plan to copyright his "Joker Fish", Batman saved Joker's victims before finally confronting the criminal at the Aquarium, where Joker managed to escape during the final fight in the rooftop.[14] Joker was eventually captured and taken to Arkham, but he escaped with the purpose of destroying Cameron Kaiser's casino themed after the Joker. Batman once again confronted the Joker and stopped him along with Kaiser, who was also a criminal.[15]
Eventually, Joker captured Batman and placed him in a deadly trap. Batman was able to escape only thanks to Catwoman's appearance. However, Catwoman was then captured by the Joker and in order to learn the exact location where she was being held, Batman posed as Killer Croc and learned the truth from Joker after he told his version of how he almost killed Batman. The Dark Knight then proceeded to apprehend the Joker along with other criminals and he returned the favor to Catwoman by saving her.[16]
When Joker stole a nuclear weapon and kidnapped Mayor Hill, Batman teamed-up with Harley Quinn in order to stop the Joker.[17] After this, Batman learned that Joker had escaped from Arkham in order to get revenge on three comedians that prevented him from winning a comedy contest. Using technology stolen from The Mad Hatter, Joker manipulated the comedians into crime and Batman was forced to stop them. Once they were dealt with, Batman confronted Joker, but was almost defeated until Robin arrived to assist him. Together, they stopped Joker and watched as the authorities captured the madman.[18]
Scarecrow
Jonathan Crane adopted the moniker of Scarecrow and started a crime spree as a personal vendetta against the Gotham University. Scarecrow committed his crimes using a special fear gas that made the people who came in contact with it to see their worst fears materialized in front of them. Batman tried to stop him, but Scarecrow dosed him with fear toxin directly to the bloodstream, causing Batman to have hallucinations about his father, Thomas Wayne talking to him and ashamed of Bruce for being a dishonor to the Wayne family. Batman managed to overcome his fears, stopped Scarecrow using his own fear gas and delivered him to the GCPD.[19]
Batman became aware of Scarecrow's escape from Arkham Asylum when Robin was suddenly affected by panic attacks. Batman investigated the case and discovered that Scarecrow has been using his fear toxin on professional athletes in order to place bets against the teams. Batman confronted Scarecrow and managed to capture him with Robin's help after he overcame his own fears.[20] Not long after this, Scarecrow escaped from Arkham and planned to poison the Gotham Water Supply with his fear toxin. Batman was earlier infected by the gas, thus he starts hallucinating and he is taken to Arkham Asylum as an inmate. After a long struggle, Batman managed to stop Scarecrow and Alfred administered an antidote to cure Batman from his delusions.[21]
Poison Ivy
Bruce Wayne helped Harvey Dent and Mayor Hill on the construction of Stonegate Penitentiary and five years later, a vengeful scientist sought revenge against Harvey Dent for destroying a plant field in order to build the prison. Batman captured a small time criminal that escaped from Stonegate and then had dinner with his friend Harvey Dent and Dent's new girlfriend, Pamela Isley. After dinner, Harvey was taken to the hospital on a severe coma. The doctors told Bruce that Dent was poisoned and Bruce analyzed the clues. Pamela showed up later and Bruce began suspecting of her when she tried to kiss him. After checking on her background, Bruce found that she had poisoned Harvey. Batman went to her hideout and uncovered her scheme, leading to a deadly fight, after which Ivy was captured and sent to Stonegate.[22]
Sometime later, Ivy started a new crime scheme and she started transforming people into trees, even going as far as attacking Alfred and his girl friend Maggie Page. Batman investigated the case and learned Ivy's involvement in these crimes, before confronting her and stopping her once again.[23] Eventually, Poison Ivy joined forces with Joker's psychotic partner, Harley Quinn and they went on a successful criminal spree. Batman tried to stop them, but the Joker crossed his path and the ladies were captured by Officer Renée Montoya.[24] Eventually, Batman learned that Pamela Isley had been released from Arkham around the same time as many crimes similar to Ivy's started. Although Ivy had seemingly reformed, she was actually responsible for the crimes, but she escaped before Batman could stop her.[25]
Two-Face
Bruce's friend and Gotham's DA, Harvey Dent started a re-election campaign that forced a hidden aspect of him to reappear. Dent suffered from multiple personality disorder and his evil personality was unleashed when Rupert Thorne tried to blackmail Dent into dropping his political campaign. The evil Dent attacked Thorne, but he was stopped by Batman. However, Batman was soon distracted by Thorne's henchmen and couldn't save Dent from an accident that scarred the man's face in half.[26]
In the aftermath of Harvey's transformation, he took up on the identity of the criminal Two-Face and Batman was forced to stop him. Considering Two-Face as a friend in need instead of an enemy, Batman tried to help him at first, but he couldn't and he was forced to capture and deliver him to justice, hoping that the man who was once his friend could somehow recover.[27]
Eventually, Two-Face resumed his criminal career, associating himself with corrupt official Gil Mason to frame Gordon and take over Gotham.[28] Batman went undercover as Matches Malone to stop Two-Face, but his plan failed and ultimately, he was saved by Robin and Batgirl, who took up the mantle of the Bat to clear Gordon's name. Batman, Robin and Batgirl stopped Two-Face and Mason, and cleared Gordon's name.[29] Finally, Batman confronted Two-Face when the criminal sabotaged the procedure that would remove Harvey Dent's scars and end his existence. Two-Face had Harvey kidnapped and Batman tracked him down in order to return him back to Arkham with help from Robin.[30]
Penguin
Batman came across Penguin and his gang for the first time after they tried to steal the Vonalster Fabergé Egg. Batman managed to locate their hideout, but he was knocked unconscious by some of Penguin's knockout gas. As a result, Batman had to be saved by a couple of kids, who took him to their basement, where Batman recovered and captured Penguin shortly afterwards.[31] When Penguin was later released from prison, Batman kept a watchful eye on him, but the Penguin seemed to go straight until he was made a fool by Veronica Vreeland and Pierce Chapman. Penguin kidnapped Vreeland and forced Chapman to deliver the ransom money, before he tried to kill them. Batman arrived in time to save the hostages and capture Penguin.[32]
Later, Penguin manipulated Batman's mechanic, Earl Cooper, to get control of the Batmobile,[33] and on his last criminal activity, Penguin stole a prototype weaponized helicopter called Raven X1-11, demanding ransom to prevent the destruction of Gotham. Penguin's heist of the Raven, left Bruce temporarily blind and he was forced to use a special gear to see, although in the end he captured the criminal while completely blind.[34]
Mister Freeze
Batman became aware of Mister Freeze's presence in Gotham when the villain targeted GothCorp industries for his cold related crimes. After learning the tragic past behind Freeze, Batman stopped him from killing GothCorp's CEO, Ferris Boyle and Freeze was locked away in Arkham.[35] Much later, Freeze was broken out of jail by Grant Walker, who wanted Freeze to work for him and help him achieve his plan of wiping humanity from Earth. Batman learned of Freeze's breakout and he confronted Walker along with Robin. At first, Freeze opposed Batman, but once he understood the error of his ways, he turned against Walker and assisted Batman in defeating the crook. However, Batman was forced to leave Freeze in the destruction of Walker's secret citadel in order to save Robin's life, but deep down, Bruce knew that Freeze did not die in the incident.[36]
In his final criminal act, Freeze kidnapped Barbara Gordon in order to transplant one of her organs to his wife, Nora and save his life, killing Barbara in the process. Batman and Robin learned of Freeze's plan and stopped the madman, but in the final confrontation, Freeze's hideout was burned to ashes and Batman could only save Nora while Freeze was presumed dead.[37]
Catwoman
Batman encountered Catwoman around the same time when Bruce met Selina Kyle. Catwoman was a thief and Batman found himself attracted to both of them. However the Red Claw also appeared in Gotham, which forced Batman and Catwoman to get involved.[38] Each of them used their own ways to get to Red Claw, but in the end they were both captured by the terrorist. Catwoman freed them both and Batman destroyed the place until the police arrived and arrested Red Claw's group. Afterwards, Batman went to Selina's house and arrested her as well.[39]
After her trial, Selina was allowed to go free on probation and was forbidden to use the Catwoman outfit again. Unfortunately, she was lured into crime again by Scarface, who only used her to steal valuable objects. Batman stepped in to stop Catwoman and Scarface and although he captured Scarface with help from Catwoman, she escaped and remained on the loose.[40]
Clayface
Bruce Wayne was framed for attempted murder against his own employee Lucius Fox, and as a result he was arrested when he tried to speak to Lucius in the hospital. The man who impersonated Bruce and attacked Lucius was in fact the famous actor Matt Hagen, under the instructions of Roland Daggett.[41] Hagen was being blackmailed by Daggett and shortly after, Dagget's henchmen tried to eliminate Hagen by giving him an overdose of a special chemical, which transformed him into Clayface. Batman investigated the framing of Bruce Wayne and he confronted Clayface, who sought revenge against Daggett. Their duel led to Clayface's apparent demise, but further tests on the Batcave confirmed that Clayface faked his death and escaped on the last minute.[42]
Batman confronted Clayface a second time, when Hagen's body started to fall apart. Batman offered to help Clayface, but he refused, choosing instead to steal technology to reconstitute his body. Batman stopped Clayface and during their final confrontation, Clayface apparently died.[43]
Killer Croc
Batman started investigating Harvey Bullock's past after Spider Conway and Joey Martin were kidnapped and Bullock became the first suspect. However, Batman soon found the responsible, a man called Killer Croc. Croc was a criminal who had been previously arrested by Bullock and was trying to frame him. Batman struggled to capture Croc because of his physical superiority, but the caped crusader managed to defeat Croc and cleared Bullock's name.[44]
Mad Hatter
Jervis Tetch was a scientist that worked at Wayne Enterprises. When strange things started happening to the people around him, Batman investigated his profile and discovered that Tetch was using his inventions to mind-control people for his own personal gain. Batman also learned that Tetch was delusional, as he believed to be The Mad Hatter from the children's book, "Alice in Wonderland".
Batman stopped Tetch from using people from the company and he rescued a young girl called Alice, who had been abducted by Tetch.[45]
The Mad Hatter eventually lured Batman into a trap and used a machine to force Batman into a coma while his mind lived in a 'dream world' where Bruce's parents were never murdered, and he was engaged to Selina Kyle. Eventually, Bruce managed to discover the true nature and escaped from the dream-reality. The Mad Hatter, was then captured once again.[46] Eventually, Hatter escaped and started a big scheme to steal millions of dollars from the wealthy of Gotham, including Bruce Wayne. This caused his downfall, as Batman once again confronted the Mad Hatter, retrieved the stolen money and captured the criminal.[47]
Riddler
Edward Nygma was The Riddler, the genius level mastermind who turned to crime in order to finish his vendetta against his former employee Daniel Mockridge. Batman saved Mockridge by thwarting Riddler's scheme, but he couldn't capture the criminal genius.[48] Months later, Riddler returned to Gotham to eliminate every trace from his past. Using a virtual reality machine, he trapped Commissioner Gordon and lured Batman into a trap. However, Batman outsmarted the Riddler and caused his mind to be trapped inside the virtual reality world.[49]
Batman was once again challenged by the Riddler when the criminal was released from Arkham on parole and apparently had reformed. However, Nygma's obsession with outsmarting Batman was too strong and after solving a deadly conundrum, Batman captured Nygma and sent him back to Arkham, without revealing how he solved his ultimate puzzle.[50]
Ra's al Ghul
Batman first came across the lovely Talia, daughter of Ra's al Ghul when they worked together to stop the evil Count Vertigo from stealing technology from Wayne Enterprises. However, Batman was double-crossed by Talia when she stole the equipment for her father. Although Batman managed to thwart their plans by tampering with the machine, he made a powerful enemy in Ra's al Ghul.[51]
Certain day, Bruce learned of Robin's disappearance and at the same time, he met Ra's al Ghul, who was not only aware of Batman's secret identity, but he actually managed to break into the Batcave. Ra's explained that Robin had been kidnapped along with his daughter, Talia and he required Batman's assistance in finding them. Batman agreed and they went on a journey around the world. In the journey, they encountered dangers, but in the end, Batman deduced that everything was simply a setup by Ra's. Amazed by his deducting abilities, fighting skills and general prowess, Ra's revealed that indeed it was all a test to see if Batman was a worthy successor, as he wanted the Dark Knight to take over his empire and marry Talia, who had fallen in love with him.[52]
However, Bruce refused as he believed that Ra's mission, although well-intentioned, was misguided. This caused Ra's wrath and he tried to kill Batman. Batman and Robin escaped from Ra's death trap and after doing research on Ra's plans, they found his secret hideout in the desert. Batman traveled there in order to stop Ra's, but he was outnumbered by Ra's men. When he was brought to Ra's, the Demon allowed Batman to remain alive and witness his ultimate victory. Thanks to Talia's assistance, Batman was able to escape and thwarted Ra's plans. The Demon, frustrated challenged Batman to a sword duel, in which Batman got the upper hand. Although Ra's was seemingly killed by his own hand, Batman didn't took Talia captive, as he also shared her feelings.[53]
Sometime later, Batman learned that Ra's didn't die in their encounter when Ra's stole a valuable item from the Gotham Museum. Batman then joined forces with Talia in order to stop Ra's new plans. Their quest took them to Egypt, where Batman not only confronted Ra's, but also encountered the evil being known as Thoth Khepera. Although Batman stopped the threat of Thoth Khepera, he was unable to capture Ra's, as Talia turned on him, leaving his conflict with Ra's unresolved once again.[54]
Phantasm
Ten years later after their last meeting, Bruce would be reunited with the woman who almost prevented Batman becoming reality. Batman learned of Andrea Beaumont's return around the same time as a masked assassin known as The Phantasm started killing members of the Valestra mob. Batman was framed for the murders and in order to clear his name, he investigated the criminals killed and discovered a connection to Carl Beaumont. At first, Batman assumed that the old businessman was getting revenge on the mob for years of blackmail, but he eventually learned that The Phantasm was in fact Andrea Beaumont getting revenge against the people who murdered her father.
Batman confronted her while she was in a heated battle with The Joker and asked her to leave the place, hoping to restore whatever relation they had in the past. However, Andrea remained in order to get the Joker, who was directly responsible for her father's murder and told Batman that vengeance was all she had left. She was last seen with a detained Joker as an abandoned theme park exploded in their wake.
Other Villains
Batman encountered several low-profile criminals during his crime-fighting career. Batman confronted The Sewer King, who was a criminal that kidnapped street urchins and took them to the sewers to serve him and used them to steal the people on the surface. Batman found his secret lair and after fighting his pet alligators, Batman captured The Sewer King and rescued the kidnapped children.[55]
On another occasion, a man only known as The Boss started a crime spree in Gotham. After a police raid went wrong because of Detective Bullock's recklessness, Batman saved the officers and allowed the criminals to kidnap him, in order to learn the location of their hideout. Renée Montoya discovered the location and she teamed up with Batman. Together, they apprehended the entire gang including The Boss himself.[56] Batman then learned about the disappearance of several homeless people and while investigating the case, he is kidnapped by Boss Biggis's slavery band. Under a fake alias, Batman worked for Biggis until he recovered his memory and with Alfred's help, Batman took down the band and Biggis as well.[57]
After learning about a gang war between Arnold Stromwell and Rupert Thorne, Batman talked to Stromwell's brother Michael Stromwell to get Arnold out of his life of crime and helped him surrender evidence to the authorities.[58] Batman also stopped a criminal who could turn himself invisible with some special equipment. Lloyd Ventrix started a crime spree and then kidnapped his own daughter, before Batman could stop him for good.[59]
When Gotham was attacked by The Mad Bomber, Batman teamed up with his childhood hero, The Gray Ghost and captured the criminal.[1] Shortly after this, Batman stopped Nostromos, a con artist that tried to steal a large amount of money from the wealthy citizens of Gotham.[60] The Clock King was a villain obsessed with time, who held a grudge against Mayor Hill for the loss of his company years before Hill was mayor. Temple Fugate adopted the identity of the Clock King to get revenge on Hill during his re-election campaign, going as far as trying to attempt to kill the Mayor. Batman foiled the King's plans, but Fugate managed to escape during the final confrontation.[61]
Batman eventually captured a wanted crook called "The Interrogator", by luring him into a trap to retrieve his cape and cowl.[62] After this, he tracked down Tony Zucco, the killer of Dick Grayson's parents, but it was Robin who nabbed the crook.[63] Later, Batman stopped Roland Daggett and Achilles Milo from spreading a deadly virus through animals, with Catwoman's help.[64] Later he stopped Hugo Strange's extortion racket, even after the criminal had discovered Batman's secret identity.[65] He also confronted H.A.R.D.A.C. and its robot duplicants with some unwanted help from Barbara Gordon.[66][67]
Afterwards, Batman saved Selina Kyle from the mad scientist Emile Dorian, who experimented on her and transformed her into a monster. Batman turned Dorian's own creation, Tygrus and he stopped his mad experiments before returning him to Gotham and reverting Selina's transformation.[68] After this, Batman was once again challenged by Achilles Milo and Anthony Romulus, who Milo had transformed into a werewolf. Batman managed to defeat Romulus, who escaped and allowed the police to capture Milo.[69] Eventually, Batman was challenged by a past enemy, Kyodai Ken, who was easily defeated by Bruce[4] and struck a second time, forcing Batman to travel to Japan and defeat him once and for all.[70]
After years of a constant struggle, Batman became weary and filled with self-doubt. Things worsened when Commissioner Gordon was shot and seriously injured as a result of Batman showing up late for a raid. For a moment, Bruce decided to abandon his crusade and let Batman die, but when the Jazzman, the criminal responsible for shooting Gordon, escaped prison, he returned to the role and captured the criminal for good. Once Gordon recovered and Batman was shown the worth of his work, his self-confidence returned and he resumed his old attitude.[71] Later, Batman faked his own death at the hands of Sidney Debris in order to get to Rupert Thorne.[72] The next time Thorne struck, Batman had to deal with his brother, Matt Thorne, the Crime Doctor, who turned out to be a good person in a bad situation.[73] Afterwards, Batman stopped the last of H.A.R.D.A.C.'s duplicants, a robot of himself and ended the threat of the machines[74] and ended the threat of the madman known as Maxie Zeus.[75]
A last wave of criminals appeared in the city and Batman was able to stop them all. The strangest of these new enemies were The Ventriloquist and Scarface, who ran a successful criminal gang. Although they could've eliminated Batman, the Dark Knight used The Ventriloquist psychological issues to gain advantage and stop his gang.[76] Not long after this, Batman was kidnapped and taken to Arkham Asylum, where the Joker and the rest of the inmates carried a trial with him. Ultimately, Batman managed to overcome the villains and defeated them.[77]
When the Clock King returned with a time-stopping machine, Batman and Robin stopped him and saved the Mayor's life once again.[78] Shortly after this, Batman confronted the hired assassin known as Bane, who Rupert Thorne had contracted to kill Batman. Although Bane proved to be a tough adversary, Batman defeated him and ended his criminal career.[79] Afterwards, Batman stopped the criminal spree of the misunderstood actress best known as Baby Doll.[80] Red Claw eventually resurfaced and kidnapped Alfred as part of her plan to destroy London. Batman travelled to the UK, where he confronted Red Claw and foiled her plans once again, although he didn't capture her.[81] When Harley Quinn was released from Arkham, she got into trouble and Batman stopped her and returned her to Arkham, although he understood that everything was unintentional.[82]
When the security chief at Arkham known as Lyle Bolton was exposed as mentally unfit for the job thanks to Bruce Wayne, he went on and became Lock-Up; a vigilante whose purpose was to incarcerate the people he thought were guilty for the city's chaos. Batman confronted Lock-Up in his secret base of operations inside a ship and eventually stopped the madman.[83]
Powers and Abilities
As a result of his years of intensive physical training, Batman represents the peak of human physical conditioning. Batman is at the highest human levels of strength, stamina, agility, coordination, reflexes, speed, and durability. Even with advances in his age, Bruce still demonstrated that he could manhandle other much younger men with ease. Batman's martial arts discipline was never mentioned, in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Bruce mentions Ju Jitsu.
Batman was also a master of stealth and infiltration (all the more remarkable given that he stands 6'2" and weighs 215 lbs), 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 annoys the likes of Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock. With his martial arts prowess, occasionally augmented by technology, Batman was usually more than a match for any foe he encountered, human or otherwise.
Equipment
As the head of Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne has access to cutting edge technology and Batman makes good use of it in his usual field equipment.
- Batsuit - standard as well as heat-resistant, cold-resistant, and underwater versions.
- Batarangs - of differing size and effect. These ranged from standard, to explosive, electric, remote, etc.
- Grapple Gun - This item assisted Batman in scaling the various buildings of Gotham City.
- Utility Belt - Batman's Utility Belt has 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, flashbangs, remote controls for his vehicles, acid/base compounds, anti-toxins, mini-computer, and smoke pellets.
Vehicles
Batman has used several vehicles in the course of his crimefighting career, including:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Beware the Gray Ghost
- ↑ Appointment in Crime Alley
- ↑ Zatanna
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Night of the Ninja
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
- ↑ Robin's Reckoning Part I
- ↑ Shadow of the Bat Part I
- ↑ On Leather Wings
- ↑ Terror in the Sky
- ↑ Christmas With the Joker
- ↑ The Last Laugh
- ↑ Be a Clown
- ↑ Joker's Favor
- ↑ The Laughing Fish
- ↑ Joker's Wild
- ↑ Almost Got 'Im
- ↑ Harlequinade
- ↑ Make 'Em Laugh
- ↑ Nothing to Fear
- ↑ Fear of Victory
- ↑ Dreams in Darkness
- ↑ Pretty Poison
- ↑ Eternal Youth
- ↑ Harley and Ivy
- ↑ House & Garden
- ↑ Two-Face Part I
- ↑ Two-Face Part II
- ↑ Shadow of the Bat Part I
- ↑ Shadow of the Bat Part II
- ↑ Second Chance
- ↑ I've Got Batman in My Basement
- ↑ Birds of a Feather
- ↑ The Mechanic
- ↑ Blind as a Bat
- ↑ Heart of Ice
- ↑ Deep Freeze
- ↑ Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
- ↑ The Cat and the Claw Part I
- ↑ The Cat and the Claw Part II
- ↑ Catwalk
- ↑ Feat of Clay Part I
- ↑ Feat of Clay Part II
- ↑ Mudslide
- ↑ Vendetta
- ↑ Mad As A Hatter
- ↑ Perchance to Dream
- ↑ The Worry Men
- ↑ If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?
- ↑ What is Reality?
- ↑ Riddler's Reform
- ↑ Off Balance
- ↑ The Demon's Quest Part I
- ↑ The Demon's Quest Part II
- ↑ Avatar
- ↑ The Underdwellers
- ↑ P.O.V.
- ↑ The Forgotten
- ↑ It's Never Too Late
- ↑ See No Evil
- ↑ Prophecy of Doom
- ↑ The Clock King (episode)
- ↑ The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy
- ↑ Robin's Reckoning Part II
- ↑ Cat Scratch Fever
- ↑ The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne
- ↑ Heart of Steel Part I
- ↑ Heart of Steel Part II
- ↑ Tyger, Tyger
- ↑ Moon of the Wolf
- ↑ Day of the Samurai
- ↑ I Am the Night
- ↑ The Man Who Killed Batman
- ↑ Paging the Crime Doctor
- ↑ His Silicon Soul
- ↑ Fire from Olympus
- ↑ Read My Lips
- ↑ Trial
- ↑ Time Out of Joint
- ↑ Bane (episode)
- ↑ Baby-Doll
- ↑ The Lion and the Unicorn
- ↑ Harley's Holiday
- ↑ Lock-Up (episode)
External Links
- Batman at the DC Cinematic Universe Wiki.