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File:Batman - Silver Age.JPG

The Silver Age Batman; illustration by Dick Giordano

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"Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot -- so I have to wear a disguise that will strike terror into their hearts! I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible, like a...a...a bat!"
--Batman


Real Name: Bruce Wayne
Nicknames: Bats; The Caped Crusader; The Cowled Crusader; The Dark Knight; The Dark Knight Detective; The Gotham Gangbuster; The Knock-Out King; The Masked Manhunter
Former Aliases: Bat-Hulk; Robin
Other Current Aliases: Bat-Man; Matches Malone


Status

Occupation: Crime fighter; Owner and CEO of Wayne Enterprises
Legal Status: Bruce Wayne is a citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Identity: Secret
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: Former partner of Robin; founding and former member of the Justice League of America; founding and former member of the Outsiders; unofficial founding member of the Batman Family
Base of Operations: Gotham City

Origin

Many years ago, famed Gotham City physician Thomas Wayne, and his wife Martha gave birth to their only son, Bruce. When Bruce was a young child, his family attended a costume fundraiser. The theme of the party was creatures of the night. Thomas Wayne decided to masquerade as a bat, and wore a costume consisting of a pointed mask, and large, dark blue scalloped wings. The impressionable Bruce admired his father's outfit and openly asked if one day he might be able to wear such a fearsome costume. Thomas had no idea how prophetic the innocent question truly was.

During the party, several gangsters raided the mansion and recognized that Wayne was a physician. Kidnapping him, they brought him to an old warehouse where he was to perform emergency surgery on mob boss named Lew Moxon who had been suffering from a serious gunshot wound.

Wayne knew that once he removed the bullet from Moxon's body, the gangster would likely kill him. Instead of performing the surgery, Thomas dove into the gangsters and managed to apprehend every one of them. He called the police and handed the thugs over to a young police lieutenant named James Gordon. The courts sentenced Moxon to ten years in prison.

Moxon only served a few years in jail and upon release, he decided to pay a visit to Thomas Wayne. With a menacing sneer, he glibly told Wayne that he would find a way to get even with him – even if he had to use somebody else to do his dirty work.

A few weeks later, Thomas, Martha and young Bruce were walking home from a night out at the movies. A mugger named Joe Chill leapt from the shadows of Park Row and assaulted them, demanding money. Thomas tried to fight back, but Joe shot him directly in the chest, killing him. He then turned his gun on Martha and viciously ended her life as well. Bruce Wayne stared on in horror, as his parents lied murdered beside him. Chill turned on his heel and ran from the alleyway. Bruce made a graveside promise that he would bring the lowly killer to justice and avenge their deaths. Years would pass before Bruce would learn the truth behind Joe Chill's actions.

Shortly after the funeral, Social Services handed Bruce over to the care of his uncle – Philip Wayne. He stayed at Philip's estate and became close friends with the housekeeper, Mrs. Chilton. Although he never knew it, Mrs. Chilton was also the mother of Joe Chill – the man who murdered his parents.

As Bruce became a teenager, he dedicated himself towards learning everything he could about police procedure. He decided to track down the city’s most famous private detective, Harvey Harris. Donning a bright red and green costume to conceal his identity, Bruce tracked Harris down, only to find a criminal waiting to ambush him. Bruce used a large advertising display piece to waylay the thug, saving Harvey's life. Harvey was so impressed with the teen's verve that he agreed to take him under his wing. He even provided Bruce with a codename – Robin. [1]

As Robin, Bruce spent several weeks training under Harvey's tutelage. Harris instructed him on the finer points of criminal detection, and trained him in gymnastics, and hand-to-hand combat. Working together, the two became inseparable and in the span of just a few years, they managed to deal a marked blow against the criminal underworld.

When it was time for Bruce to enter college, he parted company with Harvey and threw himself into his studies. He specialized not only in criminology, but in the sciences as well. After four intense years, he was nearly ready to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a law-enforcement agent.

Upon graduation however, Bruce began to re-evaluate his future. He recognized the fact that law enforcement agencies were often the victims of an endless bureaucracy that hampered them from meting out true justice. He could not in good conscious follow such an ineffective path.

Bruce returned to his family’s original estate, Wayne Manor, where he reunited with his father's old butler, Alfred Pennyworth. He was now old enough to assume control of his father’s business interests at Wayne Enterprises, but there was still the unsettled matter of his graveside vow.

One evening, Bruce sat in his study pondering his dilemma when a bat flew into the room from an open window. Immediately, his mind harkened back to the image of his father, Thomas, dressed up as a bat-man at the costume party. It was an omen. He decided that he would become a living symbol to strike terror into the hearts of all criminals. He became...the Batman.

Place of Birth: Gotham City
Known Relatives: Thomas Wayne (father, deceased); Martha Wayne (mother, deceased); Philip Wayne (uncle, deceased); Elwood Wayne (uncle, deceased); Harriet Wayne (aunt)
First Appearance: (Historical) Detective Comics #27; (Silver Age) Superman (Volume 1) 76 (see notes); (Bronze Age) Detective Comics #327
Final Appearance: Crisis on Infinite Earths #10

History

Coming soon

Characteristics

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210 lbs (95.254 kg)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Unusual Features: No unusual features

Powers

Known Powers: The Batman is a normal human, and as such does not possess any extraordinary powers.
Known Abilities: No known abilities.
Strength Level: Batman possesses the strength level of a man who engages in intensive regular exercise.

Miscellaneous

Equipment: The Batcave is equipped with a state-of-the-art computer network system, as well as the most advanced criminal analysis detection equipment available. When he is out fighting crime, Batman's greatest asset is his utility belt, which houses a wide variety of useful tools and gadgets.

Transportation: Batman utilizes a custom-made urban assault vehicle commonly referred to as the Batmobile. Over the years, he has used many different batmobiles, all of which are equipped with different modifications to suit his present needs.

Weapons: Batman believes that the mind is a combatant's single greatest weapon, but he also bolsters his offensive capabilities with a supply of razor-edged, collapsible Batarangs.

Notes

  • DC Comics has never made a clear distinction between when the Golden Age Batman stories end, and the Silver Age Batman stories begin. As such, there is also room for interpretation in determining which Bronze Age Batman stories carry over into the modern Post-Crisis environment and which ones should be considered apocryphal. Mike's Amazing World of DC indicates Superman (Volume 1) #76 as the first appearance of the Earth-One Batman. This information is predicated upon the idea that Batman and Superman are meeting each other, seemingly, for the very first time. As the Golden Age Batman and Superman have met each other on several occasions, it is believed by some, that this issue represents the earliest possible appearance of the Earth-One Batman.

Trivia

  • Prior to becoming the Batman, Bruce Wayne fought crime as a teenager as Earth-One's first Robin.

Recommended Readings

  • Batman
  • Batman Family (Volume 1)
  • Detective Comics
  • Untold Legend of the Batman
  • World's Finest (Volume 1)

Related Articles

External Links

References

  1. Batman, The Untold Legend of #1
  • Batman, The Untold Legend of #1
  • Batman, The Untold Legend of #2
  • Batman, The Untold Legend of #3
  • Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #2 (image source)

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