Bruce Wayne (UE-48)

"I'm starting to see now. I have had an effect here… but not the one I intended. Vengeance won't change the past, mine or anyone else's. I have to become more. People need hope. To know someone's out there for them. The city's angry, scarred, like me. Our scars can destroy us. Even after the physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure… and the strength to fight."

- Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and the vigilante known as Batman.

Early Life
Bruce Wayne was born in Gotham City in 1991 to billionaire philanthropists Thomas and Martha Wayne. The family lived in Wayne Manor and, during his time living there, Bruce once witnessed his father operating on Carmine Falcone from the top of the stairs after he had been shot through the chest. When Bruce was six years old, the family moved to Wayne Tower and the manor was converted into an orphanage.

Thomas Wayne's Mayoral Campaign
In 2001, his family returned to the Gotham City Orphanage, where Thomas Wayne announced his intention to run for mayor. During the announcement, Bruce noticed that one of the children in the choir was staring at him and, feeling sorry for him due to being an orphan, forced himself to smile, though the boy just continued to stare rather than smiling back. Later that year, his parents were murdered in a dark alley by a mugger suspected of being an assassin hired by Carmine Falcone due to Thomas intending to report him to the GCPD for the murder of Edward Elliot. This event drastically changed Bruce's perspective on Gotham City, leading him to work extensively on bettering himself as a coping mechanism. After the murder, Bruce was raised by his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who spent years training him in combat skills, which he dubbed “Brucejitsu”.

Discovering the Wayne Terminus
In 2004, Bruce began to explore the entirety of Wayne Tower, eventually discovering a hidden cave formerly used as a train station for the Wayne family. Over the years, he began to set up equipment used to conduct chemical and forensic experiments on random substances he found on the streets. Prior to his sixteen birthday, Bruce began attending a private boarding school. When he was sixteen, he gained his driver's license and began working on a muscle car in the cave during the summer.

Street Racing
In Summer 2008, Bruce came home to Wayne Tower for the summer and decided to continue his training with Alfred and improving his car in the cave. Later that night, he decided to test drive the car for the first time, but was pulled over by two police officers for speeding. Despite only being let off with a warning, Bruce was annoyed that he hadn't faced the consequences for breaking the law. During this encounter, one of the officers had sarcastically remarked that he should be on a racetrack if he wanted to drive as fast as he was going, and so he visited one the next day, though he was refused entry due to only being seventeen. The next night, as he was driving around the city attempting to race other drivers, he came across a girl named Dex, introducing himself using the alias of “Paul”.

After a brief exchange, she invited him to take part in the Bowery Street Races, but he was not allowed to that night due to the driver's fear that the police would notice if too many people took part. After a few days of improving his car, Bruce finally entered the racing competition, but this was cut short after Edward Nashton sabotaged Dex's car by placing an explosive in the tailpipe. Bruce rescued Dex from the car and collected a sample of the unknown explosive material, returning to the cave to forensically examine it. However, he was interrupted by Alfred upon his return, who revealed that he knew of the existence of the cave and that Bruce was involved in illegal street racing. After Bruce had stated he was finished racing, Alfred stated that he should find “something to run toward” rather than running away from his parent's murder, a phrase which he then wrote in his notebook.

Adulthood
Once the summer had concluded, Bruce returned to boarding school and graduated at the top of his class the following year. Afterward, he attended numerous prestigious colleges around the world, changing his major numerous times from chemistry, to physics, to biology. He also continued to further his training in martial arts, studying under several masters from different countries and borrowing moves and tactics from various disciplines. Despite all this travel, he kept returning home to Gotham City, moving back into Wayne Tower permanently by 2020. At some point, Bruce also became CEO of his family company, Wayne Enterprises.

Explosive Gel Operation
In 2020, Bruce had finally decided that he would help bring justice to the streets of Gotham City, but had not figured out how he was to accomplish this. While walking around the city, Bruce came across an elderly lady who had just had her purse stolen by a thief. Reacting to this, he stuck his foot out to trip up the mugger and returned the purse, hurrying away as people began to realise who he was. One Fall morning, Bruce and Alfred were sat in the kitchen eating breakfast, where they discussed the Maroni drug bust and the inevitable rise of Carmine Falcone as the next kingpin. Going down to the cave, Bruce realised that he needed a protective suit to conceal his identity from his opponents, and so he created one using technology from Wayne Enterprises that was unavailable to commercial manufacturers. During the process of creating this suit, a bat fluttered past the light on his worktable, inspiring him to come up with a new bat-themed design. After finishing with the suit, Bruce finally decided to begin his crusade against crime, writing this intention in his notebook labelled “The Gotham Project”.

Dressing in his drifter outfit with the suit in his backpack, Bruce rode into the city on his motorcycle and soon witnessed a man attempting to rob a small jewellery store using an explosive gel-like substance. After putting on his new suit, Batman confronted and grabbed hold of the man, but was forced to let go after the thief smeared the gel on his glove. As the gel destroyed the gloves, the thief ran off, but Batman managed to plant a tracking chip on him before losing him. Returning to the cave with the remains of his gloves, Bruce examined the gel residue and quickly discovered that the chemicals did not match any commercially used explosive. Asking Alfred to make some discreet enquires at the GCPD, he was given the name of Lieutenant Janice Dure, who he soon sent a chemical analysis of the gel to along with several questions about its origin. After taking the analysis to the bomb squad, Dure sent a reply telling Batman that the gel is experimental and made by the US Military.

Batman then followed the tracking chip he had placed on the jewellery store thief, confronting him and forcing him to set up another purchase with the supplier. As Batman watched from inside the Batmobile, the thief told the supplier that he was there, and they soon drove away. Pursuing the car, Batman forced the driver to stop and pulled off their mask, revealing her to be his old friend Dex. Shocked at this revelation, he loosened his grip, allowing her to get back in the car and drive away. Now back in the cave, Bruce looked through his old notebooks and found that Dex's real name was “Dorothy Alexandra”, searching online records to discover that her surname was “Starling”. Using this information, Batman called Lieutenant Dure and asked her to run the name through GCPD records, revealing that her father, Bennett Starling, was in prison and that she regularly visited him. Travelling to the prison, Bruce posed as a visitor for a man named Smitty to observe her, and he soon learned that she planned to get her father out of prison. He then followed her home and made a note of her address.

That night, Batman confronted Dex is her garage and got her to reveal that she was delivering the gel for a mobster named Reed ‘Piggy’ Porcello who had framed her father and promised to have him released once the gel was distributed. Deciding to work together to destroy the operation, Dex travelled to an abandoned factory to deliver a briefcase full of cash while Batman observed the exchange. Once the criminal was distracted, Batman drove off with the truck which was carrying the explosives, but soon noticed that the driver had pulled out a remote control and was aiming it at the truck. However, Dex kicked the remote from the criminal's hand before he could ignite the explosives, destroying the remote in the process. The thug then attempted to take Dex hostage to recover the money and explosives, but Batman drove the truck between them and knocked him out by hitting him with the door. Batman then delivered the truck, explosives, and the driver to the GCPD Headquarters and sent a letter to Lieutenant Dure describing Porcello's involvement in the scheme and his framing of Bennett Starling. At breakfast the next morning, Alfred revealed that he knew about what Bruce was doing, stating that he did not approve but did understand why he was doing it. A few nights later, Batman met with Dex again, who stated that her father's case was being reopened, that a lawyer from Wayne Enterprises was working on the case for free, and that the Wayne Foundation had sent them a cheque to help them make a fresh start.

Working with the GCPD
During his first year as Batman, Bruce developed a working relationship with the Gotham City Police Department, and in particular Lieutenant Jim Gordon, to the point where they set up a customised search light, known as the Bat-Signal, to contact him when needed. He also encountered a criminal known as the Joker, defeating him and locking him up in Arkham State Hospital.

Abilities

 * Genius-Level Intellect: Bruce is a highly intelligent individual who was able to understand complex subjects such as chemistry at an early age, even setting up a chemistry lab in the Batcave by the time he was sixteen years old. He further developed these skills for around a decade by studying biology, chemistry, and physics at numerous colleges across the world, and became an even more proficient investigator during his time as Batman.
 * Detection: Bruce is an extremely skilled detective, being able to bring the Riddler to justice by following a series of clues left behind at his crime scenes. He has even earned the moniker of the “World's Greatest Detective” by the criminal underworld in Gotham City.
 * Driving: Bruce is a skilled driver, being able to masterfully chase the Penguin on a busy highway, all while avoiding oncoming traffic and an exploding fuel tanker.
 * Engineering: Bruce is a highly skilled engineer, as shown through his creation of most of the gadgets and weaponry he uses as Batman. Even at the age of sixteen, he was able to work on what would eventually become the Batmobile, and these skills only developed further during his adulthood, as shown through his creation of the Batsuit out of highly advanced materials.
 * Intimidation: As Batman, Bruce has developed a highly intimidating persona through weaponising the fear of criminals. This has worked to such an extent that they will flee in terror just from seeing the shadows when the Bat-Signal is turned on.
 * Science: Bruce is a proficient scientist following his years of studying biology, chemistry, and physics at the most prestigious colleges around the world. He uses these skills to investigate mysterious substances found at crime scenes when operating as Batman.
 * Stealth: Over the course of his career as Batman, Bruce has become a master at spying and infiltration, being able to appear and disappear at will without the people around him even noticing that he was there. He also uses his drifter disguise to observe the criminal element of Gotham City without being noticed.
 * Peak of Human Physical Condition: Bruce has spent many years since the murder of his parent's training his body to be at the peak of human physical condition. This eventually became pivotal in his crusade against crime upon adopting the persona of Batman.
 * Hand-to-Hand Combat: Bruce is an extremely skilled combatant due to his years of martial arts training. He first began training as a teenager with Alfred, who taught him a unique fighting style involving karate, judo, and taekwondo, before studying with various masters in different countries during his adulthood.
 * Indomitable Will: Bruce has demonstrated a tremendous amount of willpower through his refusal to give up no matter the circumstances. This was demonstrated while fighting the Riddler's followers when he injected himself with adrenaline rather than giving up.

Current Equipment

 * Bat-Gadgets: Whilst operating as Batman, Bruce utilises a variety of high-tech gadgets and weaponry which give him an advantage over his opponents.
 * Batarangs: Bruce uses a series of bat-shaped shuriken-like objects during combat as Batman.
 * Batcomputer: Bruce has developed a highly advanced computer to conduct research on during the course of criminal investigations.
 * Batcycle: Bruce drives a bat-themed motorcycle whilst out on patrol or when conducting reconnaissance as Batman.
 * Batmobile: Since gaining his driver's license at the age of sixteen, Bruce has been modifying a black muscle car to increase its speed and performance. This was eventually repurposed as his primary form of transportation when he became Batman.
 * Batsuit: Using his extensive resources from Wayne Enterprises, Bruce created a protective bat-themed suit to conceal his identity whilst operating as Batman. This is made from advanced materials unavailable to commercial manufacturers.
 * Tactical Knife: The chest plate on the Batsuit carries a bat-shaped tactical knife which doubles as Batman's insignia.
 * Utility Belt: Originally being developed as a modified tool belt for working on his car, Bruce repurposed his belt to carry a variety of high-tech gadgets whilst operating as Batman.
 * Adrenaline Shot: Bruce carries a shot of adrenaline whilst out on patrol as Batman for situations where he has been significantly injured.
 * Contact Lenses: Bruce uses a set of contact lenses whilst out on patrol as Batman, which are capable of recording everything he sees. This allows him to look back over the footage for anything he missed during a criminal investigation.
 * Grappling Gun: Bruce utilises a lightweight firearm-like device to propel himself across buildings via a rope.
 * Handcuffs: Bruce carries handcuffs to tie-up criminals when leaving them for the GCPD.
 * Sticky Bombs: Bruce carries adhesive explosive devices capable of producing a timed detonation.
 * Tracking Chips: Bruce carries chips capable of tracking individuals for a significant period of time.
 * Ultraviolet Flashlight: Bruce carries an ultraviolet flashlight capable of viewing messages written in fluorescent invisible ink.
 * Chevrolet Corvette: Bruce uses a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette to travel around the city as a civilian.
 * Drifter Motorcycle: Bruce uses a 1960s Café motorcycle when patrolling the city as a drifter.
 * Drifter Outfit: Bruce wears an outfit consisting of a black jacket, red baseball cap, scarf, beige cargo pants, black combat boots, white hand wraps and a backpack when disguising himself as a drifter.
 * The Gotham Project Journals: Bruce owns several journals in which he writes about his activities as a vigilante.