For 2 decades, a masked vigilante has been fighting crime in Gotham City. With his incredible gadgets and mastery of hand-to-hand combat, he helps to keep the streets safe. The citizens of Gotham City don't know why the maske man known as Batman has chosen to protect their city. They think that maybe Batman is drawn to Gotham City's higher crime rate. Or perhaps it's easier for him to hide in the shadows of Gotham's darkened streets. Whatever the reason, Batman's crime fighting has earned him the respect of Gotham's citizens and police force alike, and they are happy to have him around.
The truth is, Batman protects Gotham City because it has always been his home. The citizens don't realize that Batman is really Bruce Wayne, billionaire head of Wayne Enterprises. As the rich owner of a big company, Bruce can live anywhere in the world or do any job he wants. But he stays in Gotham City where he was born and raised. In the day he runs his company, and he spends his nights punishing evildoers as Batman!
Bruce Wayne is the only son of Wayne Enterprises head Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne. When the Waynes first came to America, they were hunters and traders. They designed their family crest to show weapons and animals; the Wayne fortune later grew as they expanded their business into real estate, railroads and oil. When Bruce was only a boy of about 10 years old, he and his parents went to watch a movie. After the movie, they were walking down the street on their way home, when a criminal named Joe Chill appeared and demanded their money. As Joe Chill grabbed Martha's pearl necklace, he got spooked and fired his gun, killing both Thomas and Martha in front of Bruce. Joe Chill was caught a few weeks later, and was killed by a vengeful mobster after being released on parole some 14 years later.
After his parents' tragic deaths, Bruce vowed to make the streets safe for everyone when he reached adulthood. He also knew that he needed a disguise to protect his true identity. After his parents' funeral, Bruce ran out of the church and into the Wayne Manor property, where he fell into a dry well. He landed in a large cave underground, and was frightened by a swarm of bats encircling him. But then he was inspired by the bats and the huge cavernous space, and decided that he would use that fear against the criminals in his city.
Using the anger he felt over the death of his parents, Bruce began training himself both mentally and physical for an assault on the criminal underworld of Gotham. After graduating from university with a degree in crimology, he prepared himself to fight people like the man who took away his parents. When he was 25, he created the persona of 'Batman', a masked vigilante in a dark bat inspired suit armed with advanced custom made technology like the Batmobile, a Utility Belt full of gadgets and the Batwing, operating out of the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor, all of which Bruce built with the help of Alfred.
