Bruce Wayne (ME-Prime)

"Your symbol, is a symbol of fear to cowardly, and a symbol of hope to oppressed. You are the hero they need, but they will never deserve you."

The Only One Left of the Wayne Family
"I'm probably one of the few people who new Bruce before Batman, but it doesn't matter; he was always a good and brave person; his parents death just gave him the cause he needed to fight for."

Bruce Solomon Wayne was born to Doctor Thomas Wayne, and Martha (nee Kane). He was raised on the Wayne Manor estate, which had been apart of the Wayne family since they immigrated in the 17th Century with help from the wise and loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce had very few friends during his childhood, but he had all the friends he needed in family friend, Zatanna Zatara. Bruce was a big fan of the Beware The Grey Ghost franchise.

A Child No More
'"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulder to let him know that the world hadn't ended." - Bruce recalling the kindness Officer Gordon gave him'



At the age of eight, Bruce watched his parents murdered before his eyes,as they were walking home from the Monarch Theater one night with their him, when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger, named Joe Chill, who demanded the pearl necklace that Martha was wearing. When Dr. Wayne refused to surrender it, both he and Martha were shot dead in the streets. Luckily, good cop James Gordon arrived at the scene, and wrapped the poor boy in his father's overcoat, and assured him that they would catch the killer when Bruce asked. Bruce would forever blame himself for his parent's deaths, because he begged them to take him to the movie premiere of the new Grey Ghost movie.

The Anger Never Goes Away
"I always hated it when people overlooked his achievments because he was rich; Bruce overcame such...cruelty; his love for the same people who overlooked him when he lost his parents astounds me. Batman would be just as threatening without the billions."

Bruce was offered nearly no sympathy; almost no child, and even some adults simply saw him as a billionaire kid, and negleted the fact that he was just a boy who lost the two people who were to love and teach him. He always had a thick skin, but he would immediatly lash out at anyone who dared mock his parents; he proved to be a strong fighter from a very early age. Bruce was wise enough to channel his rage into productive pursuits, such as wrestling and weightlifting in high school, as well dual enrolling in college; he would graduate high school with an AA.

Good Memories Can Save Your Life
Towards the end of his High School education, senior prom was rolling around; Bruce unsurprsingly had no intention of going and dedicated himself to his studies and exercise, but Alfred and Zatanna had other plans. Zatanna understood why he wouldn't go to prom, but she wanted to give him a kind of prom he could remember fondly, so she convinced Alfred help her prepare a special meal and dance in Wayne Manor. Bruce enjoyed the more intimate setting with Zatanna, and he admitted that he had feelings for her, and had for some time, but he couldn't let go of the hurt. She responded that his parents wouldn't want the memory of their deaths to ruin his chances of a good and happy life; they would want him to make new and good memories. They shared a kiss and made love; it was their first time, and Bruce would always recall that day with a smile.

Denied Justice
A few years later, Bruce returns to Gotham City from Princeton University, intent on killing Chill, whose prison sentence is being suspended in exchange for his testimony against mobster Carmine "The Roman" Falcone. Before he can act, a sniper kills Chill for Falcone. Bruce tells Zatanna about his plan, and she expresses disgust for his disregard for justice. Bruce confronts Falcone, who tells him that he is ignorant of the nature of crime; Bruce grudging agrees, and leaves Gotham for seven years to learn, with the goal to eventually cure his city of the crime that took his, and so many other childrens' parents away from them.

England
Bruce first traveled to England, to learn boxing from master and undefeated boxer, Theodore "Wildcat" Grant. Grant had a modified boxing form that mixed traditional English boxing, with Muay Thai; he also learned many exercise techniques to maintain his skills.

France
Bruce then traveled to France, to learn the from international bounty hunter and former detective Henri Ducard. Henri had also been a victim of crime; his wife and child were robbed and killed one day when they were out around town. He also learned parkour in his time in France.

Russia
Bruce went to Russia to learn the Russian martial art, Sambo. In Russia he also got his first taste of how crime worked, under the alias Bogatyr Faustin; he successfully infiltrated the Falcone's Russian branch; he became a trusted enforcer; he would recall the pain he felt as he broke people's arms and legs at the command of his superiors.

Japan
Ducard recommended a Japanese man named Kirigi; years ago, Kirigi taught Ducard ninjutsu, as well as other forms of martial arts. Kirigi was initially apprehensive to teaching the young Wayne, because he saw great anger in his heart, but he came to understand the young man as he shadowed him through Japan after he left, and realized his anger was directed at a broken system, and that his driving force was still a deep rooted love of humanity. Bruce proved to be a quick learner under Kirigi's guidance, to the point that Kirigi began to view him as a surrogate son, a sentiment that wasn't one-sided.

Masyaf
League of Shadows member, David Cain, had been watching young Bruce since he came into contact with Ducard; Cain was acting on behalf of the League's illusive and illustrious  Rā's al Ghūl. Bruce was sold on the idea of a remarkable group of people who sought to conquer the injustice of the world. Bruce quickly ascended the ranks and became  Rā's al Ghūl protege (and the heir to the League), but Bruce defected from the League of Shadows after he realized that they intended to destroy Gotham, and every corrupt city, rather than save it; in the ensuing chaos,  Rā's compound was destroyed, killing most of the occupants, but Bruce was able to save  Rā's; he left him with someone who could give him medical attention, and left for Gotham., as he finally had the skills and proper outlook to pursue his goal.

Return to Darkness
Bruce returned to Gotham after seven years, bent on proving  the Gotham could be saved. His first target was the Falcone crime family, but in his absence, it had been taken over by Roman "Black Mask" Sionis. Sionis' theatrical use of masks, and sadistic pension for torture, and a difficult first night out led Bruce to realize he needed to assume a totem; Bruce quickly decided to become a Bat, as to use his childhood fear on the criminals that took his childhood away from him. The first year as Batman was beyond successful, but within two years Sionis was catching on to this "Bat man" that his lowly enforcers were claiming was the source of their broken bones.

Merry Christmas to All
Black Mask himself was not a formidable fighter, but he was a very rich man, and chose to outsource his problems on the world's greatest assassins: super soldier Slade Wilson, a woman only known as Lady Shiva, Master Marksman Floyd Lawton, Pyromaniac Garfield Lynns, the genetic spliced Copperhead, and an enimagtic called Bane.

Clash of Titans
Bruce left Gotham for a special trip to Metropolis; he agreed to have his first interview since returning with Lois Lane.

Watchtower of Babel
"My peers always seem to see more of villains than what they are; ultimately; all villains are just bullies."

The Hiketeia Icident
"I don't care what Oath you claim; she mercilessly killed three men, and nearly a fourth, on a hunch: She's going to rot in Prison: where she belongs."

Batman was tracking down Danielle Wellys; he found her as she was about to kill a man she claimed was guilty of sex trafficking her own sister, but she ran away on a motorcycle; she found Wonder Woman, and immediately invoked the Hiketeia, honor-binding Diana into protecting her. Batman tracked her down again, and the two heroes were forced to fight; at first it was going Diana's way, but eventually Batman flipped her over and chocked her into unconsciousness; he tied her with her own lasso, and took Wellys in. Later, Diana and Bruce argued about the incident; she was furious at him for disregarding her tradition, and he criticized her inability to see through the killer's manipulation, adding that she thought she could take the law into her own hands, brutally murder a man she (falsely) thought was guilty of kidnapping her own sister; she fired back that he was being hypocritical by reminding him that he was a vigilante too in direct defiance of the law, only he refused to kill; Bruce angrily retorted that he is at least sure the people he hunted were guilty, and yes, he refused, partly because of possibilities like this where the person was innocent. As the fight came to a halt, Diana decided to end the relation ship after the final words were said:

"I told you to stop"

"I know...I just don't care."

Bruce left without a word, and resigned from the Justice League the following day; he did continue to fund them, and always came back to help when they said they needed him to, much to his chagrin.

Mystery of the Batwoman
After returning to Gotham, Bruce learned that his image was being used by a woman with a value for human life rivaling his estranged son, Jason. He noticed that she was specifically targeting the Penquin, and avoiding the other villains like the plaque.

Time is On No One's Side
Time eventually caught up with Bruce, as he decided to truly retire in 2023 at the age of 51. He took up archery, exercise, and even some video games as hobbies in his old age. Bruce hated the fact that he still called himself Batman, and couldn't help but miss the vigilante life. He could no longer bring himself to watch the news, as the crime rate was beginning to rise steadily.

Clash of the Titans
"You're beginning to get the idea, Clark. We could have changed the world…now…look at us…I've become a 'liability'…and…you…you're a joke; hell you've always been a joke. I want you to remember…in all the years to come…in your most private moments…I want you to remember…my hand…at your throat…I want…you to remember…the one man who beat you."

Bruce's one man crusade to find Zatanna and rescure her from Bane was causing quite a stir, so much so that Amanda Waller decided to use her pull on Superman to blackmail him into ending Batman's crusade...permanently.

Indomitable Willpower
Although he has no superhuman powers, Batman's unstoppable determination and strength of will combined with his genius intelligence make him an extremely formidable opponent. This makes him able to function while tolerating massive amounts of physical (overcoming the pain of Bane breaking his body) and emotional pain (dealing with the knowledge that he fights an endless war that he can't win, and that the only people who knew him died when he was 8), and even also allows him to resist telepathy or mind control. His willpower is strong enough to operate a Green Lantern Ring when necessary.

Peak Human Physical Conditioning
Through intense training, specialized diet, and biofeedback treatments, Batman represents the pinnacle of human physical prowess. His physical attributes exceeded that of any Olympic level athlete that has ever completed; his strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes and coordination are at peak human perfection. Batman began his physical and mental conditioning when he was 10 and then intense physical training at 12, and weight lifting at age 16. He has mastered full body control by the time he was 18. Batman has performed amazing physical feats due to his superior physique. He engaged in an intensive regular regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peak condition, and has often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers greatly exceeded his own. He has spent his entire life in pursuit of physical perfection and has attained it through constant intensive training and determination.

Bruce Wayne
"I can honestly say that there are two people who will ever fully know me, and that's enough for me."

The Bruce Wayne that the world knows, is a construct of the stereotypical self-absorbed billionaire, inept playboy, but despite this he does participate in frequent philanthropic work, as he cannot separate that aspect of himself. He is the C.E.O. of his company, but he hides this fact to further portray himself as untalented.

Batman
Batman, in most of his incarnations (and this one), is a dark and brooding hero with a personal vendetta against crime and injustice. Psychologically traumatized by the death of his parents, Batman has sworn to rid Gotham from the criminal elements that took his parents away from him. He is extremely pessimistic and suspicious of humanity, which often makes it difficult for him to trust people other than Alfred, the Robins or the Batgirls; despite this, Batman has proved to have a great love for humanity (often recoognised as greater and deeper than Clark Kents or Diana's, as he truly sees humanity for what it is), which was instilled by his parents; His father was a doctor, and philanthropist, while his mother was a crusader against child abuse, and legal equality for gays and lesbians, and both were advocates for science. Indeed, Batman's oath of personal vengeance is tempered with the greater ideal of justice, fairness, and ultimatly...hope. He refrains from killing, as he feels this would not make him any better than the criminals he fights, but has recognized their are moments when he must make the choice to sacrifice his own morality in order to do what is truly right. He is also a founder of the Justice League. Batman is recognized as “The Most Dangerous Person in the Known Universe.” He clearly demonstrates the ability to subdue every member of the Justice League, which includes Superman, and Wonder Woman with nothing more than his scientific knowledge, detective skills, combat knowledge, and physical prowess. He has dedicated his life to training his body to virtually metahuman status, through intense training, specialized diet, and biofeedback treatments; His physical attributes exceeded that of any Olympic level athlete that has ever competed. His strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes and coordination are at peak human perfection, and often enter superhuman levels when running on adrenaline.

Voice
I would like to begin with the statement that I liked Christian Bale's Bat Growl, and I do intend to have a similar growl planned for Jason's Bat Growl, but I wanted Bruce's to sound more like a detective, because, in my mind; Bruce is the World's Greatest Detective, Jason is the Darkest Knight, and Terry is the Crusader. I drew inspiration from the Justice League New Frontier movie (linked below), and the calm, collective, yet intimidating and commanding voice that Jeremy Sisto portrayed. Dare I say it, but I like it better than even Kevin Conroy's Bat Voice.

Trivia

 * His middle name is a reference to his ancestor, Judge Solomon Wayne.
 * He was born on June 7th, 1972.
 * He and his parents were atheists, but the Wayne family has historically been Anglican.
 * He would be played by Karl Urban...No exceptions.

Author's Note
"People think it's an obsession. A compulsion. As if there were an irresistible impulse to act. It's never been like that. I chose this life. I know what I'm doing, and on any given day, I could stop doing it; today, however, isn't that day. And tomorrow won't be either, but someday, I will quit."

"Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice."

I always looked up to Batman over all other heroes. I looked up to him because (despite many people claiming otherwise) he is the most relatable hero there is; he chose to face humanity's ugliest faces on a nightly basis, in service of a beauty that often despises him. They call him a vigilante, a criminal, a rich kid with issues, but he's more than just a man with gadgets; Unlike other heroes who operate on some ultimately selfish or narrow ideal, Batman embodies a person who was born of tragedy, and forged by willpower, to be a force against anyone who would make a poor eight year old an orphan ever again; who would rob woman of her pearls; of people who think they can buy justice itself and deny it to the poor; he stands as the agent of justice that cannot be bought, bullied, or killed; he is a person who accepts the world for the overall crappy place that it is and chose to defend it anyway.

Links

 * Character Gallery
 * Quotations
 * Earth-15 Bat voice inspiration