Bruce Wayne (Burtonverse)

Bruce Wayne


Alias(es)	Batman
Appeared in	Batman Batman Returns Batman Forever Batman & Robin
Status	Alive
Actor	Michael Keaton Val Kilmer George Clooney

"I had to save them both. You see, I'm both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not because I have to be. Now... because I choose to be."

―Batman ^[src]

Bruce Wayne is a billionaire playboy from Gotham City. When eight years old, he saw his parents get murdered infront of him. He spent seven years of his adult life in training in various forms of martial arts, and his detective skills. When he returned, he was inspired by a bat in his ancestral home of Wayne Manor. He became Batman.

Biography

Batman

Bruce urged his parents to take him to the theater, and his father Thomas Wayne gave in.

The family went to the Monarch theater to see Footlight Frenzy. After the movie, the family happily walked down the sidewalk and into an alleyway.

In the alley the Wayne's were confronted by two thugs. One of them goes up to them and tears Martha's pearl necklace off of her neck and Thomas struggles with that thug. The Second Thug pulls out a gun and shoots down Thomas. Martha screams, and she is then shot down by the same thug. The thug that Thomas had struggled with begins to run away as the thug with the gun approaches Bruce saying, "Tell me kid, have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moon light?" The thug with the gun comes out of the shadows wearing a wide, demented grin. The cops can be heard coming and the first thug shouts, "Come on, we have to go Jack!" Jack remarks, "See you around kid," and begins to walk away leaving Bruce alone in the alley.

Shortly after the murder Bruce attended his parents' wake. He saw the coffins of his two parents. The priest's words provided him no comfort.

Thomas would write in a diary every day, it was a red book. Bruce took it and ran out into a powerful storm. He fell in to a centuries old cave. When he got up he looked forward and saw a figure approaching him in the darkness. It was a giant bat. Bruce was at first scared but then decided to take that image and put fear into the hearts of criminals.

Bruce trained for many years and in many fields. He eventually became Batman to protect the citizens of his home Gotham City.

It has been many years since Bruce's parents were murdered.

In an alleyway a family is lost in Gotham City and walks into an alley guided by the father who says, "I know where we are." In the alley They are asked by one thug to give him a dollar, to which they walk right past with the father speeding them up. When they are about to turn around a corner the father is knocked out cold by a second thug with a gun. He tells the wife not to scream as the first thug searches the father's body and steals his wallet. The two thugs then runaway, and the wife screams about what happened. Unknown to the thugs Batman was watching from a building above them, and goes to confront them.

The two thugs sit on a rooftop going through the father's wallet when the first thug starts mention he's scared of being up high and begins to talk about a different man named Johnny Gobbs who was said to have been killed by the mysterious Batman, and said to have been found with no blood left in his body. The second thug dismisses it saying that there is no "Bat" as Batman begins to get behind them. The two thugs turn around and see Batman. As he approaches them the second thug shoots him down with a handgun. The two begin to runaway but realize that Batman is getting up. Batman kicks the first thug down through a board. The second one tries to run but Batman ties his legs with a batarang and pulls him towards him. Batman then picks him up and brings him to the side of the rooftop. The thug pleads with Batman not to kill him. Batman tells him that he won't and that he wants him to, "Tell all your friends about me." When the thug asks who he is Batman says, "I'm Batman," and throws the thug down and jumps off of the rooftop. When the thug looks over the edge of the roof Batman is gone and the thug begins to laugh out of disbelief.

A charity part is held at Wayne Manor by Bruce. Some of the guests includes Commissioner Jim Gordon, the new district attorney Harvey Dent, Mayor Borg, reporter Alexander Knox, and the photographer Vicki Vale.

Bruce is at a table with other men when Vicki approaches him asking, "Do you know which of these guys is Bruce Wayne?" Bruce jokes by saying, "Well I'm not sure." Vicki took the answer seriously and left with Knox to search for Bruce throughout the mansion.

Bruce follows Knox and Vicki into an armory hall and hears their remarks about the armor and him. When Alexander and Vicki wonder about where a set of samurai armor came from Bruce tells them it's Japanese. When asked how he knew it he says, "Because I bought it from Japan." When Knox asks who he is Bruce reveals himself to be Bruce Wayne to which Vicki jokes, "Are you sure." "Yeah this time," Bruce remarks. The trio begins to talk about Batman and Know jokes about Bruce giving him a grant. While talking Alfred comes in telling Bruce that Commissioner Gordon was compelled to leave very unexpectedly. Bruce then says goodbye to Knox and Vicki and gives Alfred some orders including giving Knox a grant.

Bruce goes into the Batcave and looks into the security tapes and sees Gordon talking to a fellow cop revealing that they were given a tip stating that Jack Napier is clearing out Axis Chemicals. Gordon says that if they get Jack Napier they can get boss Carl Grissom. When Gordon asks who's in charge the cop reveals that it is Lieutenant Ekchart.

Upon arriving at Axis Chemicals Jack Napier finds out that the files are already gone and tells his men to be cautious.

As they walk out a group of corrupt cops led by Ekchart shoot at them.

After Gordon arrives Batman arrives and fights Napier's men and eventually grabs Napier, after Napier shoots down Ekchart. Jack's right hand man Bob threatens Gordon, telling Batman to let Jack go. Batman does and Jack jokes saying, "Nice outfit," and picks up his gun. Bob tries to get him to leave but Jack tries to shoot at Batman. He fires a shot at him but it ricochets off of Batman's gauntlet, into a wall, and into Jack's face making him fall of the catwalk. Batman goes to save him, and grabs his hand, but Jack slips from Batman's grip and falls into a vat of chemicals. Gordon then tells his men to grab Batman, but Batman throws down a smoke pellet, and uses his grapple to escape through the ceiling.

Vicki has dinner with Bruce in a very large dining room. After a while of trying to manage the date they decide to eat in the kitchen with Alfred.

Alfred begins to tell stories about Bruce Wayne's childhood including a time he fell off of a horse. Alfred eventually leaves saying that he will take care of the dishes in the morning. Vicki says that Alfred is a nice man, and Bruce reveals that Alfred is the only family he has.

The two then head upstairs and sleep together in Wayne's room.

The next morning Vicki asks Bruce if they could have lunch at her place so she could show him some photos, but Bruce says he can't because he will have to be out for a couple of days. Vicki tells him that they will get together when he gets home.

While walking down a flight of stairs, Vicki learns from Alfred that Bruce is not leaving town. Vicki decides to follow Bruce.

Vicki follows Bruce onto a street where he places Roses on the ground. Vicki approaches the roses and then continues to follow Bruce.

Bruce is in front of city hall when a mobster that worked for Boss Carl Grissom walks out and is asked questions by Knox. The newly created Joker suddenly appears and reveals that he knew Grissom. He then kills the mobster by throwing a pen into his neck, and then proclaimed to the audience, "The pen is truly mightier than the sword," and then walks away as his men dressed as mimes shoot down the other criminals. Bruce's jacket gets shot as Bruce approaches Joker's limousine. He sees Joker's face and Joker waves to him while his limo begins to drive away. Bruce realizes that Jack Napier is still alive as the Joker. Bruce then turns and sees Vicki Vale, and then heads back to Wayne Manor.

Bruce returns home and takes a cup of water from Alfred and drinks it, and takes off is Jacket. Alfred looks at and finds the bullet hole in Bruce's coat. Bruce tells Alfred that Jack Napier is still alive and has taken over Grissom's organization.

While watching the new about two models dying at a beauty salon, and then three new deaths, the female anchor begins to laugh hysterically and fall to the ground dead. Suddenly Joker appears on the screen making a fake commercial for his poison Smilex that he has put into an unknown item, saying that people probably have bought it already. Bruce then turns off the screen and tells Alfred that they are going to go shopping.

At Wayne Manor Alfred hears a message from Vicki about how she will be ten minutes late getting to the museum. Alfred tells this to Bruce who suddenly realizes that he isn't seeing Vicki that day.

Vicki waits for a long time at the Flugleheim Museum, and was confronted by the Joker. While trying to seduce Vicki, Baman bursts through the ceiling window. He grabs Vicki, pulls out a grapple, and gets Vicki out of the museum, and throws a smoke bomb into the museum to hold off the Joker's men.

Bruce and Vicki get into the Batmobile and then drive away. Shortly afterwards Joker's men drive after them in their cars. There is a long chase through Gotham, and Batman eventually takes a sharp turn with a grapple, and Joker's men crash into a truck, and heavy metal pipes fall on top of their cars.

Bruce and Vicki get out of the Batmobile and run into an alleyway. While running Batman initiates the Batmobile's shields to keep it safe.

In the alley Bruce fires a grapple and gives the handle to Vicki. It propels her up onto a catwalk, and she than walks onto a rooftop and looks down. Joker's men arrive and shoot Batman down. Joker's men begin to inspect Batman, when Bob tells them to, "Take off the mask." When one of the thugs is about to Vicki takes a picture and they notice the flash and begin to shoot up at her. Batman then springs up off the ground and begins to take down the Joker's men, and eventually fights a Goon wielding two blades, but dispatches him. When Bob is about to attack him Batman looks towards him, and Bob runs away scared.

Batman and Vicki get back into the Batmobile and drive into a wooded area. They eventually drive through a trap door in a cliff and enter a long tunnel, and then a raised platform in the Batcave. They both exit the car, and Batman turns on the lights, showing Vicki that she almost walked off the side. Vicki notices all of the bats to which Batman responds, "Bats are great survivors." Batman sits at the Batcomputer and Vicki gets next to him. Batman reveals that the Smilex toxin wasn't put into just one product, but many. VIcki replies by saying that if multiple products were contaminated, then everyone would be dead, but Batman tells her that the toxin only works when certain components are mixed, making it untraceable. Batman gives Vicki a file containing the cosmetic products to avoid mixing. He tells her to get it to the press. Batman says that the Joker is psychotic, to which Vicki replies, "Some people say the same thing about you?" Eventually when Vicki asks if there is anything else, Batman tells her that she has something else that he needs, and Batman then grabs Vicki and takes her camera film.

While talking to Alfred, he tells Bruce that he should talk to Vicki, and Bruce then leaves to do so.

Bruce goes to Vicki's apartment with a flower.

Batman Returns

Max Shreck gives a speech at a treelighting ceremony. However, the speech is soon disrupted by a criminal group of clowns known as the "Red Triangle Circus Gang". Although Batman is summoned and is able to restore order, Shreck is kidnapped amidst the chaos and is brought to their leader, a short, deformed man known as "The Penguin". The Penguin informs Shreck of the reason he has taken him: he wishes to return to the society of Gotham, and he wants Shreck to help him achieve this. Shreck is skeptical, but the Penguin blackmails him with incriminating evidence of his more dubious business practices.

Shreck arranges for the Penguin to "rescue" the mayor's infant child from his own gang members. The plan works, and Penguin becomes a hero to all. Even Bruce is convinced. The Penguin asks to be allowed to find his parents, and is given private access to the Gotham's Hall of Records, where he is seen jotting down an apparently unrelated list of names. He discovers his parents were a wealthy aristocratic couple. Adopting his birth name of Oswald Cobblepot, he publicly forgives his now-dead parents, winning more hearts and minds. Shreck decides to use Oswald's fame to his own advantage, persuading him to run for mayor to remove the final obstacle to building a new power plant. Cobblepot reluctantly agrees, noting he still has his own plans to carry out.

During this time, Shreck attempted to murder his timid secretary Selina Kyle when she discovered his "power plant" was in fact a giant capacitor to suck power from the city. She survived her subsequent defenestration at Shreck's hands after her body was circled by a large number of cats, and came back with a more assertive, unstable personality, ostensibly with a cat's nine lives (minus her first "death"). Kyle makes a homemade black vinyl catsuit and becomes a costumed vigilante under the name "Catwoman". During Penguin's efforts to cause chaos through his gang to create dissatisfaction with the current Mayor, Catwoman bombs Shreck's department store. She subsequently fights Batman, who had been neutralizing the Red Triangle Circus earlier, and is apparently killed again in the process when she falls off a roof. While Selina Kyle is pursued in a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne, as Catwoman she allies herself with the Penguin to get back at Batman for his killing her, although the two are still unaware of the other's alter-ego's. When the subsequent plan is put into action, Batman is framed for kidnapping and murder and finds himself trapped in the Batmobile under Penguin's control. He barely survives, but Cobblepot has become more popular than ever. Although their plan was a success, Catwoman and Penguin's alliance falls apart when she rebuffs a sexual advance from him, and Penguin opts to kill Catwoman himself. However, his campaign to recall the current mayor is quickly destroyed when Bruce Wayne plays selected comments he stated while controlling the Batmobile. He was recorded insulting the people of Gotham, and this audio is played over the sound system at a rally. Penguin flees into the sewers, renounces his humanity, and reveals his secret plan: kidnap and kill the firstborn sons of Gotham's most prominent as revenge against what was done to him.

Before this scheme is launched, Bruce Wayne meets Selina Kyle at a dance hosted by Shreck, where she reveals to him her intentions to kill Shreck. The two subsequently discover the other's secret identity, but before they can leave to discuss this development, Penguin storms the hall and tries to take Max's son Chip. Max persuades Penguin to take him instead, and Bruce and Selina depart. Bruce, as Batman, attacks Penguin's Red Triangle Circus goons, and puts a stop to the kidnappings. However, Penguin has a backup plan: an army of rocket-armed penguins dispatched to bomb Gotham. But Batman manages to jam their control signals and turn the birds around so that they attack the base instead, leaving the Penguin critically injured.

Batman glides through a broken window and discovers Catwoman has come to kill Shreck, which he unsuccessfully attempts to talk her out of. During this, Shreck draws a gun he took in the confusion and attempts to kill them both. Batman is shot once while Catwoman is hit four times, apparently leaving her with two "lives". She decides to sacrifice her next-to-last life by putting a taser in her mouth and "kissing" Shreck, while also grabbing hold of a large electric generator and pushing Shreck into it, causing a huge explosion. When the smoke clears, Batman searches the rubble for Selina, but all he finds is Shreck's smoldering corpse. Penguin, barely alive, emerges from the slimy water and grabs for his gun umbrella to kill Batman, but picks up his "cute" one by mistake. He finally falls dead on the floor and is slid gently into the water by the penguins as a final tribute.

Driving through Gotham, Bruce sees Catwoman’s shadow. Investigating, he only finds Selina's pet cat, which he decides to take home. As the bat-signal lights up in the sky, the figure of Catwoman appears looking at the signal from a rooftop.

Batman Forever

Batman arrived at Second Gotham Bank to stop Two-Face who was committing a robbery. Batman foiled the robbery but Two-Face escaped. While at the bank Batman encountered Dr. Chase Meridian and they shared an instant attraction towards one another. Bruce Wayne then pursued the relationship.

At Wayne Industries Edward Nygma developed the box which spiked images directly into the users brain. Bruce stopped the project which pushed Nygma to become The Riddler.

Wayne takes Chase Meridian to the circus where Two-Face arrives threatening to blow up the circus unless Batman reveals the identity. The Flying Graysons get rid of the bomb but Dick Grayson is the only member to survive. Bruce takes Dick home as he sees similarities to himself. Bruce reveals to Chase that he is being haunted by suppressed memories. Bruce then takes Chase to Nygma's the box launch where he tests the box supplying Riddler with the knowledge of Batman's true identity.

Riddler and Two-Face invade Wayne Manor, destroy the Batcave and kidnap Chase. Dick Grayson assumes the identity of Robin and goes with Batman to save Chase. When they get to the island that Riddler and Two-Face have made their base, Two-Face captures Robin and tries to force Batman to make a choice between Chase and Robin. Batman destroys the mind tap sending Riddler insane. Then saves Chase and Robin who Riddler drops to their expected deaths. Two-Face confronts the trio but his weakness of needing confirmation from his coin gave Batman the upper hand. Two-Face flipped his coin and Batman threw a handful of coins at him which made him lose his coin and his balance and he fell to his death.

Batman & Robin

New troubles have arisen in Gotham City. First, there's a new super villain in town: Mr. Freeze, a former doctor whose blood is laced with cryogenic liquid, causing him to be cold in look and feeling who plans to freeze Gotham until he gets the money needed to finish finding the cure for a mysterious disease that has stricken his wife. Second, Poison Ivy, a villainess with luscious lips full of venom, has arrived in Gotham with her hulking servant, Bane, with plans to team up with Freeze and prepare the way for genetically enhanced plants. Third, Ivy has caused a rift between the partnership of the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder. And finally, Alfred, Batman's trusted butler, has developed the same disease that Freeze's wife has. It is in this time of need that a new partner, Batgirl, steps forward to help the two rid the city of evil once more.

Equipment

Relationships

Dick Grayson/Robin - Ally.
Barbara Wilson/Batgirl - Ally.
Jack Napier/Joker - Mortal Enemy.
Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin - Enemy.
Selina Kyle/Catwoman - Enemy and love interest.
Harvey Dent/Two-Face - Friend turned enemy.
Edward Nygma/Riddler - Former employee and enemy.
Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze - Enemy turned Ally.
Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy - Enemy.
Bane - Enemy.
Vicki Vale - Former love interest.
Chase Meridian - Former love interest.
Julie Madison - Fiancée.
Thomas Wayne - Father; deceased.
Martha Wayne - Mother; deceased.
Alfred Pennyworth - Employee, guardian and friend.
James Gordon - Friend and ally.

Appearances/Actors

Burtonverse (4 films)

- Batman (First appearance) - Michael Keaton
- Batman Returns - Michael Keaton
- Batman Forever - Val Kilmer
- Batman & Robin - George Clooney

Trivia

Before Michael Keaton was cast as Batman, Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges, Emilio Estevez, Matthew Broderick, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Michael J. Fox, Harrison Ford, Robert Downey Jr., Kevin Spacey, Patrick Swayze, Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Selleck, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Kevin Kline and Bruce Willis were considered for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Spacey would later be cast as Lex Luthor in Superman Returns and Schwarzenegger would be cast as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin.
Michael Keaton decided not to reprise Batman after turning down $15 million to appear in Batman Forever.
Before Val Kilmer was cast as Batman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ralph Fiennes, William Baldwin and Johnny Depp were all under consideration to replace Michael Keaton. Baldwin would later vocie Batman in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
Val Kilmer was asked if he wanted to play Batman again but by his own admission and due to his commitment with The Saint, was not interested.
Before George Clooney was cast as Batman, David Duchovny was considered to play Batman.
The Batsuit worn by Bruce Thomas in Birds of Prey is a similar suit worn by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever and is actually a modified version of the suit worn by George Clooney in Batman & Robin. Christian Bale also wore the Kilmer batsuit in his Batman Begins audition.

Gallery

See: Bruce Wayne (Burtonverse)/Gallery