   #copyright

Batman

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Cartoons

   Batman

   Second printing cover to Batman #608 (Oct. 2002).
   Art by Jim Lee (pencils) and Scott Williams (inks).

   Publisher        DC Comics
   First appearance Historical:
                    Detective Comics # 27
                    (May 1939)
                    Modern:
                    Batman # 404 -
                    " Batman: Year One", part 1
                    (Feb. 1987)
   Created by       Bob Kane
                    Bill Finger

   Characteristics
   Alter ego Bruce Wayne
   Affiliations Batman Family
   Justice League
   Wayne Enterprises
   Outsiders
   Notable aliases Matches Malone
   Abilities Genius-level intelligence, master detective, peak human
   physical condition, martial arts master, escapologist, access to high
   tech equipment.

   Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still sometimes as
   the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in
   Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. He has since become, along with
   Superman and Spider-Man, one of the world's most recognized
   superheroes. Batman was co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill
   Finger, although only Kane receives official credit for the character.
   Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a billionaire industrialist,
   playboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a
   child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and
   intellectual perfection, don a costume, and fight crime. Unlike most
   superheroes, he does not possess any superhuman powers or abilities; he
   makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology,
   wealth, physical prowess, and intimidation in his war on crime.

Publication history

Creation

   In early 1939, the success of Superman in Action Comics prompted
   editors at the comic book division of National Publications (later DC
   Comics; D.C. is short for Detective Comics, now a subsidiary of Time
   Warner) to request more superheroes for their titles. In response, Bob
   Kane created a character called "the Bat-Man". His collaborator Bill
   Finger offered such suggestions as giving the character a cowl instead
   of a simple domino mask, wearing a cape instead of wings, wearing
   gloves, and removing the red sections from the original costume. Finger
   came up with the name "Bruce Wayne" for the character's secret
   identity. In Jim Steranko's History of the Comics, vol. 1, Bill Finger
   reveals, "Bruce Wayne's first name came from Robert Bruce, the Scottish
   patriot. Wayne, being a playboy, was a man of gentry. I searched for a
   name that would suggest colonialism. I tried Adams, Hancock...then I
   thought of Mad Anthony Wayne." Inspirations for Batman's personality,
   character history, visual design and equipment include movies such as
   Douglas Fairbanks' The Mark of Zorro, The Bat, and Dracula; characters
   such as The Shadow, The Phantom, Sherlock Holmes, Dick Tracy, Jimmie
   Dale, The Green Hornet, Spring Heeled Jack; and Leonardo Da Vinci's
   drawings of a flying machine.

   Kane signed away any ownership that he might have in the character in
   exchange for, among other compensation, a mandatory byline on all
   Batman comics. This by-line did not, originally, say "Batman created by
   Bob Kane"; his name was simply written on the title page of each story.
   The name disappeared from the comic book in the mid-1960s, replaced by
   credits for the artists and writers who actually worked on the stories.
   In the late 1970s, at the same time as Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
   began receiving a "created by" credit on the Superman titles, Batman
   stories began saying "created by Bob Kane" in addition to the other
   credits. Finger did not receive the same recognition. Although Finger
   did receive credit for other work done for the same publisher in the
   1940s, he began to receive limited acknowledgement for his work on
   Batman in the pages of the comic book only in the 1960s, as a
   script-writer (for example, "Letters to the Batcave", Batman no. 169,
   Feb. 1965, where editor Julius Schwartz names him as the creator of The
   Riddler, one of Batman's recurring villains). However, his contract, in
   contrast to Kane's, left him only with his page rate for the stories he
   wrote and no by-line even on most of the Batman stories he had written.
   Finger, like Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel, and some other creators during
   and after the Golden Age of Comic Books, would resent National's
   denying him the money and credit that, he felt, he was owed for his
   creations. At the time of Finger's death, in 1974, he had not been
   officially credited as a co-creator of the character. Kane himself,
   however, in later years willingly acknowledged Finger's contributions
   to the character while also insisting on his own role.

Early years (1939-1949)

   The first Batman story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," appeared
   in Detective Comics #27, cover-dated May 1939. Finger wrote the first
   Batman strip and Kane provided the art. Finger said, "Batman was
   originally written in the style of the pulps" and this influence was
   evident with Batman showing little remorse over killing or maiming
   criminals. The Bat-Man was a breakout hit, with sales on Detective
   Comics soaring to the point that the character was given his own title
   in 1940. By that time National was the top-selling and most influential
   publisher in the industry, and Batman and National's other major hero
   Superman were the cornerstones of the company's success. The two
   characters were featured side-by-side as the stars of World's Finest
   Comics, which was originally titled World's Best Comics when it debuted
   in fall 1940. Creators including Jerry Robinson and Dick Sprang also
   worked on the strips during this period.

   Over the course of the first few Batman strips elements were added to
   the character and Kane's artistic depiction of Batman evolved. Kane
   noted within six issues he drew the character's jaw more pronounced and
   lengthened the ears on the costume; "About a year later he was almost
   the full figure, my mature Batman," Kane said. Batman's characteristic
   utility belt was introduced in Detective Comics #29, followed by the
   batarang and the first bat-themed vehicle in issue 31, and the
   character's origin was revealed in issue 33. The early pulp-influenced
   portrayal of Batman started to soften in Detective Comics #38 in 1940
   with the introduction of Robin, Batman's kid sidekick. Robin, based on
   Robin Hood, was introduced based on Finger's suggestion to Kane that
   Batman needed a " Watson" that would give Batman someone to talk to.
   The first issue of Batman was notable not only for introducing two of
   Batman's most persistent antagonists, the Joker and Catwoman, but for
   one of the stories in the issue where Batman shoots some monstrous
   giants to death, which prompted editor Whitney Ellsworth's decree that
   the character could no longer kill or use a gun. Batman's tone
   continued to stay light for the next several decades.

The fifties and early sixties (1950-1963)

   In Superman #76 (1952), Batman first teams up with Superman and learns
   his secret identity; following the success of this story, the separate
   Batman and Superman features that had been running in World's Finest
   Comics instead featured both together; this series of stories ran until
   the book's cancellation in 1986. The stories feature the two as close
   friends and allies, tackling threats that require both of their
   talents.

   Batman was one of the few superhero characters to be continuously
   published as interest in the genre waned during the 1950s. Starting in
   the mid-1950s, Batman's stories gradually become more science
   fiction-oriented, an attempt at mimicking the success of the
   top-selling Superman comics of the time. New characters such as
   Batwoman, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite (the latter two paralleling
   Krypto the Superdog and Mr. Mxyzptlk of the Superman titles) were
   introduced. Batman has adventures involving either odd transformations
   or dealing with bizarre space aliens. Batman is a highly public figure
   during the stories of the 1950s, regularly appearing at events such as
   charity functions and frequently appearing in broad daylight. In 1960,
   Batman becomes a member of the Justice League of America, which debuts
   in The Brave and the Bold #28.

"New Look" Batman and camp (1964-1969)

   By 1964 sales on Batman titles had fallen drastically; Bob Kane noted
   that as a result "[DC] were planning to kill Batman off altogether."
   Editor Julius Schwartz was soon assigned to the Batman titles and
   presided over drastic changes. Beginning with 1964's Detective Comics
   #327 (billed on its cover as the "New Look"), Schwartz introduced
   changes designed to make Batman more contemporary and return him to
   more detective stories, including a redesign of Batman's equipment, the
   Batmobile, and his costume (introducing the yellow ellipse behind the
   costume's bat-insignia), and brought in artist Carmine Infantino to
   help in this makeover. The space aliens and characters of the 1950s
   such as Batwoman, Ace, and Bat-Mite were retired. Batman's erstwhile
   butler Alfred Pennyworth was even killed off and replaced with Aunt
   Harriet, who came to live with Bruce and Dick.

   The debut of the Batman TV series in 1966 had a profound influence on
   the character. In addition to initiating the return of Alfred and the
   introduction of Batgirl, the show's campy nature found its way into the
   comics. Although both the comics and TV show were successful for a
   time, the camp approach eventually wore thin and the show was cancelled
   in 1968. In the aftermath the Batman comics themselves lost popularity
   once again. As Julius Schwartz noted, "When the television show was a
   success, I was asked to be campy, and of course when the show faded, so
   did the comic books."

O'Neil and Adams (1970-1985)

   Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams made a deliberate effort to
   distance Batman from the campy portrayal of the 1960s TV series and to
   return the character to his roots as a "grim avenger of the night." The
   O'Neil/Adams era began in earnest starting with Detective Comics #395's
   "The Secret of the Waiting Graves" (1970). Dick Grayson had been sent
   off to college in a story written by Frank Robbins, making Batman a
   loner once again. O'Neil's tone influenced Batman comics through the
   rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s; 1977 and 1978's stories in
   Detective Comics written by Steve Englehart (with art by Marshall
   Rogers) are held by many as a high point of this era.

The Dark Knight Returns and modern Batman (1986-present)

   Frank Miller's 1986 limited series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,
   which tells the story of a 50-year-old Batman coming out of retirement
   in a possible future, returned the character to his dark roots. The
   Dark Knight Returns was a financial success and has since become one of
   the seminal works in comic book history. The series also sparked a
   major resurgence in the character's popularity. That year Dennis O'Neil
   took over as editor of the Batman titles and set the template for the
   portrayal of Batman following DC's status quo-altering miniseries
   Crisis on Infinite Earths. O'Neil operated under the assumption that he
   was hired to revamp the character and as a result tried to instill a
   different tone in the books than had gone before. One outcome of this
   new approach was the " Year One" storyline in Batman #404-407, where
   Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli redefined the character's
   origins. Alan Moore and Brian Bolland continued this dark trend with
   1988's Batman: The Killing Joke, in which the Joker, attempting to
   drive Commissioner Gordon insane, cripples his daughter Barbara Gordon,
   kidnaps him, and tortures him physically and mentally. These stories
   and others like them helped to raise the image of comic books beyond
   mere children's entertainment. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and
   stories following it (such as John Byrne's Superman revamp) also
   severed the close friendship of Batman and Superman, replacing it with
   a more antagonistic relationship.

   Since the publication of "Year One," many creators have set their
   stories in Batman's formative years, and the Batman title Legends of
   the Dark Knight in particular often features stories that take place in
   Batman's early days. Many of the stylistic notes of Year One,
   specifically text captions designed to look handwritten on note paper,
   have also been used quite successfully by other authors. In addition,
   the general concept of a Year One book, taking a fresh look at the
   origins of an older character, as well as showing their learning
   process, has been embraced by the comics industry as a whole. Other
   comics which have since gotten a "Year One" treatment include
   Spider-Man and the Justice League.

   The Batman comics garnered major attention in 1988 when DC Comics
   created a 900 number for readers to call to vote on whether Jason Todd,
   the second Robin, lived or died. Voters decided in favour of Jason's
   death by a narrow margin of 28 votes. 1993's " Knightfall" series
   introduces a new villain named Bane, who critically injures Batman.
   Jean-Paul Valley, known as Azrael, is called upon to wear the Batsuit
   during Bruce's convalescence. Writers Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, and
   Alan Grant worked on the Batman titles during "Knightfall" and would
   also contribute to other Batman crossovers throughout the 1990s. 1998's
   " Cataclysm" storyline served as the precursor to 1999's "No Man's
   Land," a year-long storyline that ran through all the Batman-related
   titles dealing with the effects of an earthquake-ravaged Gotham City.
   At the conclusion of "No Man's Land" O'Neil stepped down as editor and
   was replaced by Bob Schreck. In 2003, writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim
   Lee began a 12-issue run on Batman. Lee's first regular comic book work
   in nearly a decade, the series became #1 on the Diamond Comic
   Distributors sales chart for the first time since Batman #500 (1993).
   Lee is currently teamed with Frank Miller on All-Star Batman and Robin,
   which debuted with the best-selling issue in 2005, as well as the
   highest sales in the industry since 2003. After featuring Batman in
   major roles in DC's 2005 crossover event Identity Crisis and 2006's
   Infinite Crisis, DC has used the " One Year Later" event to
   reinvigorate the main Batman titles by assigning top comics talent to
   them. As of 2006 the regular writers on Batman and Detective Comics are
   Grant Morrison and Paul Dini, respectively, the former trying to
   restore Batman to his less rough 1970s character.

Fictional character history

   Over the years, Batman's origin story, history and tone have undergone
   various revisions, both minor and major. Some elements have changed
   drastically; others, like the death of his parents and his pursuit of
   justice, have remained constant.

   Consistent across all versions of the Batman mythos, Batman is the
   alter-ego of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy playboy, industrialist and
   philanthropist who is driven to fight crime in Gotham City after his
   parents, the physician Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha Wayne, are
   murdered by a mugger. Bob Kane said he and Bill Finger has discussed
   the character's background and decided that "there's nothing more
   traumatic than having your parents murdered before your eyes."

Golden Age

   In Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics #27, he is already
   operating as a crime fighter. Batman's origin is first presented in
   Detective Comics #33 in November 1939, and is later fleshed out in
   Batman #47. As these comics state, Bruce Wayne is born to Dr. Thomas
   Wayne and his wife Martha, two very wealthy and charitable Gotham City
   socialites. Bruce is brought up in Wayne Manor and its wealthy splendor
   and leads a happy and privileged existence until the age of eight, when
   his parents are killed by a small-time criminal named Joe Chill on
   their way home from the movie theatre.

   Bruce Wayne swears an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken
   his parents' lives. He engages in intense intellectual and physical
   training and studies a variety of areas which would aid him in his
   endeavors, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts,
   and gymnastics, as well as theatrical skills like disguise, escapology,
   and ventriloquism. He realizes, however, that these skills alone would
   not be enough.

   "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot", Bruce Wayne remarks
   in Detective Comics #33, "so my disguise must be able to strike terror
   into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black,
   terrible..." As if responding to his desires, a bat suddenly flies
   through the window, inspiring Bruce to assume the persona of Batman.
   His career as a vigilante in early Batman strips initially earns him
   the ire of the police. During this period Bruce Wayne has a fiancee
   named Julie Madison, who first appears in Detective Comics #31.

   In Detective Comics #38 (1940), Bruce takes in the orphaned circus
   acrobat Dick Grayson, who becomes his sidekick, Robin. Batman also
   becomes a founding member of the Justice Society of America (DC Special
   #29), although according to the team's first appearance in All Star
   Comics #3 he, like Superman, is an honorary member and thus only
   participates in a few Justice Society stories during the Golden Age.
   Batman's relations with the law thaw in stories in the early 1940s,
   notably in Batman #7 (1941) where he is made an honorary member of
   Gotham City's police department. Other elements of Batman's milieu are
   introduced during this era: in addition to Batman's first encounters
   with some of his most enduring adversaries, butler Alfred arrives at
   Wayne Manor in Batman #16 (1943) and after deducing the Dynamic Duo's
   secret identities joins their service. By the 1950s, many of the
   familiar elements of the Batman mythos had been introduced.

Silver Age

   The Silver Age of comic books in DC Comics is sometimes held to have
   begun in 1956 when the publisher introduced Barry Allen as a new,
   updated version of The Flash. Batman is not significantly changed by
   the late 1950s for the continuity which would be later referred to as
   Earth-One. The lighter tone Batman had taken in the period between the
   Golden and Silver Ages led to the stories of the late 1950s and early
   1960s that often feature a large number of science-fiction elements,
   and Batman is not significantly updated in the manner of other
   characters until 1964's Detective Comics #327, in which Batman reverts
   to his detective roots, with all science-fiction elements jettisoned
   from the series.

   After the introduction of DC Comics' multiverse in the 1960s, it is
   retroactively established that stories from the Golden Age star the
   Batman of Earth-Two, a character from a parallel world. This version of
   Batman partners with and marries the reformed Earth-Two Catwoman,
   Selina Kyle (as shown in Superman Family #211) and fathers Helena
   Wayne, who, as the Huntress, becomes (along with the Earth-Two Robin)
   Gotham's protector once Wayne retires from the position to become
   police commissioner, a position he occupies until he is killed during
   one final adventure as Batman. Batman titles however often ignored that
   a distinction had been made between the pre-revamp and post-revamp
   Batmen (since unlike Flash or Green Lantern, Batman comics had been
   published without interruption through the 1950s) and would on occasion
   make reference to stories from the Golden Age (such as the
   Englehart/Rogers run of the late 1970s, which has editorial notes
   directing readers to issues such as Batman #1). Nevertheless, details
   of Batman's history were altered or expanded upon through the decades.
   Additions include meetings with a future Superman during his youth, his
   upbringing by his uncle Philip Wayne (introduced in Batman #208,
   Jan./Feb. 1969) after his parents death, and appearances of his father
   and himself as prototypical versions of Batman and Robin, respectively.
   In 1980 then-editor Paul Levitz commissioned the Untold Legend of the
   Batman limited series to thoroughly chronicle Batman's origin and
   history.

   Batman meets and regularly works with other heroes during the Silver
   Age, most notably Superman, whom he began regularly working alongside
   in a series of team-ups in World's Finest Comics, starting in 1954 and
   continuing through the series' cancellation in 1986. Batman and
   Superman are usually depicted as close friends. Batman becomes a
   founding member of the Justice League of America, appearing in its
   first story in 1960's Brave and the Bold #28. In the 1970s and 1980s,
   Brave and the Bold became a Batman title, in which Batman teams up with
   a different DC Universe superhero each month.

   In 1969, Robin attends college as part of DC Comics' effort to revise
   the Batman comics. Additionally, Batman also moves from Wayne Manor
   into a penthouse apartment atop the Wayne Foundation building in
   downtown Gotham City, in order to be closer to Gotham City's crime.
   Batman spends the 1970s and early 1980s mainly working solo, with
   occasional team-ups with Robin and/or Batgirl. Batman's adventures also
   become somewhat darker and more grim during this period, depicting
   increasingly violent crimes, including the first appearance (since the
   early Golden Age) of an insane, murderous Joker, and the arrival of
   Ra's Al Ghul. In the 80s, Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing.

   In the final issue of Brave and the Bold in 1983, Batman quits the
   Justice League and forms a new group called the Outsiders. He serves as
   the team's leader until Batman and the Outsiders #32 (1986) and the
   comic subsequenlty changed its title.

Modern Batman

   After the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC Comics
   rebooted the histories of some major characters in an attempt at
   updating them for contemporary audiences. Frank Miller retold Batman's
   origin in the storyline "Year One" from Batman #404-407, which
   emphasizes a grittier tone in the character. Though the Earth-Two
   Batman is erased from history, many stories of Batman's Silver
   Age/Earth-One career (along with an amount of Golden Age ones) remain
   canonical in the post-Crisis universe, with his origins remaining the
   same in essence, despite alteration. For example, Gotham's police are
   mostly corrupt, setting up further need for Batman's existence. While
   Dick Grayson's past remains much the same, the history of Jason Todd,
   the second Robin, is altered, turning the boy into the orphan son of a
   petty crook, who tries to boost the tires from the Batmobile. Also
   removed is the guardian Phillip Wayne, leaving young Bruce to be raised
   by Alfred. Additionally, Batman is no longer a founding member of the
   Justice League of America, although he becomes leader for a short time
   of a new incarnation of the team launched in 1987. To help fill in the
   revised backstory for Batman following Crisis, DC launched a new Batman
   title called Legends of the Dark Knight in 1989 and has published
   various miniseries and one-shot stories since then that largely take
   place during the "Year One" period.

   In 1988's " Batman: A Death in the Family" storyline from Batman
   #426-429 Jason Todd, the second Robin, is killed by the Joker.
   Subsequently Batman takes an even darker, often excessive approach to
   his crimefighting. Batman works solo until 1989's " A Lonely Place of
   Dying", in which Tim Drake becomes the new Robin. In the tale Batman:
   Son of the Demon, Batman marries Talia Al Ghul. This story was deemed
   non- canonical shortly after its publication, though its concept would
   be revisited in a 2006 storyline.

   Many of the major Batman storylines since the 1990s have been
   inter-title crossovers that run for a number of issues. In 1993, the
   same year that DC published the " Death of Superman" storyline, the
   publisher released the " Knightfall" storyline. In the storyline's
   first phase, new villain Bane paralyzes Batman, leading Wayne to ask
   Azrael to take on the role. After the end of "Knightfall", the
   storylines split in two directions, following both the Azrael-Batman's
   adventures, and Bruce Wayne's quest to become Batman once more. The
   story arcs realign in "KnightsEnd", as Azrael becomes increasingly
   violent and is defeated by a healed Bruce Wayne, who reclaims the
   mantle of Batman. Wayne has Nightwing stand in as Batman for a brief
   time before returning to the role once more.

   1994's company-wide crossover Zero Hour changes aspects of DC
   continuity again, including those of Batman. Noteworthy among these
   changes is that the general populace and the criminal element now
   considers Batman an urban legend rather than a known force. Similarly,
   the Waynes' killer is never caught or identified, effectively removing
   Joe Chill from the new continuity, rendering stories such as "Year Two"
   non-canon.

   Batman once again becomes a member of the Justice League during Grant
   Morrison's 1996 relaunch of the series, titled JLA. While Batman during
   Morrison's JLA run is depicted as "the most dangerous man alive" and
   contributes greatly to many of the team's successes, the Justice League
   is largely uninvolved as Batman and Gotham City face catastrophe in the
   decade's closing crossover arc. In 1998's " Cataclysm" storyline,
   Gotham City is devastated by an earthquake. Deprived of many of his
   technological resources, Batman fights to reclaim the city from legions
   of gangs during 1999's " No Man's Land." While Lex Luthor rebuilds
   Gotham at the end of the "No Man's Land" storyline, Bruce Wayne is
   later framed by Luthor for murder in the " Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" and
   " Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" story arcs; Wayne is eventually acquitted.

   The " Batman: Hush" storyline introduces Tommy Elliot, a childhood
   friend of Bruce Wayne's, who had significant influence on him during
   his youth. As Hush, Elliot attacks Batman by coordinating many of the
   hero's enemies. During the story, Catwoman and Batman become
   romantically involved for a brief time, but Batman's growing sense of
   distrust in her ends their relationship. One of Hush's tactics is to
   trick Batman into believing that Jason has returned from the dead.
   Although the Jason Todd whom Batman fights in the "Hush" storyline is
   revealed to be Clayface, Todd does turn up alive later in the guise of
   the Red Hood.

   DC's 2005 limited series Identity Crisis, reveals that JLA member
   Zatanna had edited Batman's memories, leading to his deep loss of trust
   in the rest of the superhero community. Batman later creates the
   Brother I satellite surveillance system to watch over the other heroes.
   Its eventual co-opting by Maxwell Lord, Black King of the government
   organization known as Checkmate, is one of the main events that leads
   to the Infinite Crisis miniseries, which again restructures DC
   continuity. In Infinite Crisis #7, Alexander Luthor, Jr. mentions that
   in the newly-rewritten history of the "New Earth", created in the
   previous issue, the murderer of Martha and Thomas Wayne is captured,
   thus undoing the retcon created after Zero Hour. Batman and a team of
   superheroes, including the new Blue Beetle, destroy Brother Eye and the
   OMACs.

   Following Infinite Crisis, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake
   retrace the steps Bruce had taken when he originally left Gotham City,
   to "rebuild Batman". In the " Face the Face" storyline, Batman and
   Robin return to Gotham City after their year-long absence.
   Additionally, Bruce adopts Tim as his son. The follow-up story arc in
   Batman, " Batman & Son", features Talia al Ghul and a boy who believes
   Batman to be his father and brings elements of Son of the Demon into
   continuity. Batman also helps create Wonder Woman's new identity, Diana
   Prince, and has begun screening other heroes for candidacy in the new
   Justice League of America.

Personas

   Like his close friend Superman, the prominent persona of Bruce Wayne's
   dual identities varies with time. Modern-age comics have tended to
   portray "Bruce Wayne" as the facade, with "Batman" as the truer
   representation of his personality (in counterpoint to the post-Crisis
   Superman, whose "Clark Kent" persona is the 'real' personality, and
   "Superman" is the act). Since Infinite Crisis and the portrayal in
   Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne has been shown as somewhat of an amalgam
   between the two.

   Wayne guards his secret identity well, as only a handful of individuals
   know of his superhero alter-ego. Several villains have also discovered
   his true identity over the years, most notably eco-terrorist Ra's al
   Ghul, as well as Catwoman, Hugo Strange, the Riddler, Bane, and Hush.

Bruce Wayne

   To the world at large, Bruce Wayne is seen as an irresponsible,
   superficial playboy who lives off his family's personal fortune
   (amassed when Bruce's family invested in Gotham real estate before the
   city was a bustling metropolis) and the profits of Wayne Enterprises, a
   major private technology firm that he inherits. Forbes Magazine
   estimated Bruce Wayne to be the 7th-richest fictional character with
   his $6.8 billion fortune. However, Wayne is also known for his
   contributions to charity, notably through the Wayne Foundation, a
   charity devoted to helping the victims of crime and preventing people
   from becoming criminals. Bruce creates the playboy public persona to
   aid in throwing off suspicion of his secret identity, often acting
   dim-witted and self-absorbed to further the act. Batman makes it clear
   that he considers keeping his secret identity a top priority; on
   various occasions, he often risks death rather than exposing his skills
   in public as Bruce Wayne.

The Dark Knight

   Bruce Wayne creates Batman to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham's
   underworld. The costume — and the way he acts while wearing it — are
   meant to be as imposing and intimidating as possible. While Bruce Wayne
   is lighthearted and irresponsible, Batman is stoic and driven. In
   addition to the change in costume and personality, Bruce Wayne also
   changes his voice significantly to become Batman. The Dark Knight's
   voice is low and raspy, for both disguise and intimidation.

   In keeping with the "dark" theme of the comics and the nature of bats,
   Batman is usually presented as operating primarily at night. After Zero
   Hour, DC Comics introduced the idea of Batman as an urban legend;
   however, Batman is "outed" in the " War Games" crossover, when his live
   image is broadcast over the news during a brief daytime appearance in
   front of a high school under siege in Gotham. In The Long Halloween,
   Batman himself regards "his appearance to be more effective during the
   night".

Matches Malone

   Batman also occasionally goes undercover to infiltrate Gotham's
   criminal element. Matches Malone is a small-time thug who serves as
   Batman's snitch; when Matches is killed, Batman assumes his identity.

Supporting characters

   Despite his reputation as a loner, Batman works with many people in his
   fight against crime. For much of Batman's history, a teenager serves as
   the youthful sidekick Robin. The first Robin, Dick Grayson, eventually
   leaves his mentor and becomes the hero Nightwing. The second Robin,
   Jason Todd, is beaten to death by the Joker but later returns as an
   adversary. Tim Drake, the third Robin, first appears in 1989 and
   aspires to be as good a detective as Batman. Alfred Pennyworth is Bruce
   Wayne's loyal butler and father figure, and also aids Batman by
   maintaining the Batcave while Lucius Fox sees to his business and
   charitable interests. Police Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon works
   closely with Batman despite their differences on how to best enforce
   the law.

   While primarily operating either alone or with Robin, Batman is at
   times a member of superhero teams such as the Justice League of America
   and the Outsiders. Batman has often been paired in adventure with his
   Justice League teammate Superman, notably as the co-stars of World's
   Finest and the current Superman/Batman series. In pre-Crisis
   continuity, the two are depicted as close friends; however, in current
   continuity, they have a mutually respectful but uneasy relationship,
   with an emphasis on their differing views on crimefighting and justice.
   In recent years, Batman's relationship with Superman warms, making
   Superman his closest ally in the Justice League. Batman keeps a
   Kryptonite ring, given to him by Superman, in case the world's most
   powerful being is ever manipulated or goes rogue.

   Batman is involved romantically with many women throughout his various
   incarnations. These include villainesses such as Catwoman and Talia al
   Ghul; reporters Vicki Vale and Vesper Fairchild; superheroines Wonder
   Woman and Zatanna; former sidekick Sasha Bordeaux; and others,
   including Silver St. Cloud, Julie Madison, physician Shondra
   Kinsolving, nurse Linda Page and even Lois Lane. While these
   relationships tend to be short, Batman's attraction to Catwoman is
   present in nearly every version and medium in which the characters
   appear. Authors have gone back and forth over the years as to how
   Batman manages the 'playboy' aspect of Bruce Wayne's personality; at
   different times he embraces or flees from the women interested in
   attracting "Gotham's most eligible bachelor".

   Other characters in Batman's world include former Batgirl Barbara
   Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's daughter who, now confined to a
   wheelchair due to a gunshot wound inflicted by the Joker, serves the
   superhero community at large as the computer hacker Oracle; Azrael, a
   would-be assassin who replace Bruce Wayne as Batman for a time;
   Batwoman, a young socialite who operates in Gotham City during Batman's
   absence following Infinite Crisis; Ace the Bat-Hound, Batman's pet dog;
   and Batmite, an extra-dimensional imp who adores Batman.

Batman villains

   Batman's foes form one of the most distinctive rogues galleries in
   comics. The most familiar Batman villains were created in the 1930s and
   1940s: the Joker, Catwoman, the Penguin, Two-Face, the Riddler, Mad
   Hatter, Scarecrow, and Clayface. Other well known villains emerge in
   the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s including Mister Freeze, Killer Moth,
   Poison Ivy, and Ra's Al Ghul. Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Black Mask, and the
   Ventriloquist first appear in the 1980s, and Bane and Harley Quinn in
   the 1990s. Enemies introduced since 2000 include Hush, David Cain, and
   Jason Todd.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
