Editing Batman (section)

== Characterization ==

=== Bruce Wayne ===
{{redirect|Bruce Wayne}}
[[File:Bruce Wayne Concept Art.png|thumb|upright=1.35|DC Comics concept art of Bruce Wayne by Mikel Janín]]
Batman's [[secret identity]] is Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American industrialist. As a child, Bruce witnessed the murder of his parents, [[Thomas Wayne|Dr. Thomas Wayne]] and [[Martha Wayne]], which ultimately led him to craft the Batman persona and seek justice against criminals. He resides on the outskirts of Gotham City in his personal residence, [[Wayne Manor]]. Wayne averts suspicion by acting the part of a superficial playboy idly living off his family's fortune and the profits of [[Wayne Enterprises]], his inherited conglomerate.<ref>[[Dennis O'Neil]], ''Batman: Knightfall''. 1994, [[Bantam Books]]. {{ISBN|978-0-553-09673-6}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1999}}{{Page needed|date=July 2016}}</ref> He supports philanthropic causes through his nonprofit Wayne Foundation, which in part addresses social issues encouraging crime as well as assisting victims of it, but is more widely known as a celebrity socialite.<ref>{{harvp|Pearson|Uricchio|1991|p=202}}</ref> In public, he frequently appears in the company of high-status women, which encourages tabloid gossip while feigning near-drunkenness with consuming large quantities of disguised [[ginger ale]] since Wayne is actually a strict [[teetotaler]] to maintain his physical and mental prowess.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Andrew |title=Batman: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Bruce Wayne |url=https://screenrant.com/bruce-wayne-batman-trivia-facts/ |website=ScreenRant |date=January 3, 2017 |access-date=2 December 2021 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513132756/https://screenrant.com/bruce-wayne-batman-trivia-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although Bruce Wayne leads an active romantic life, his vigilante activities as Batman account for most of his time.<ref name="Inc0">{{cite comic|writer = [[Grant Morrison|Morrison, Grant]]|title = [[Batman Incorporated]]|volume = 2|issue = 0|date = September 2012|publisher = DC Comics}}</ref> While Bruce Wayne is never depicted as being especially religious, he is ethnically [[List of Jewish comic book characters|Jewish]] on his mother's side;<ref name="Bruce Wayne religion"/><ref>''The Penguin'' #7 (2024)</ref> his maternal cousin [[Batwoman (Kate Kane)]] is practising. His father, [[Thomas Wayne|Thomas]], raised Bruce as a Christian, but as an adult he doesn't follow any religion.<ref name="Bruce Wayne religion">{{cite web |date=February 28, 2024 |title=DC Remembers Batman Is Jewish, Best-Selling Comic Of 2023 Revealed, Matt Bors Relaunches The Toxic Avenger |url=https://comicbookclublive.com/2024/02/28/dc-remembers-batman-is-jewish-best-selling-comic-of-2023-revealed-matt-bors-relaunches-the-toxic-avenger-comic-book-club-news-for-february-28-2024/ |accessdate=3 March 2025 |work=Comic Book Club News date}}</ref><ref>''Batman'' #53 (2018)</ref>

Various modern stories have portrayed the extravagant, playboy image of Bruce Wayne as a facade.{{sfnp|Beatty|2005|p=51}} This is in contrast to the Post-''Crisis'' Superman, whose [[Clark Kent]] persona is the true identity, while the Superman persona is the facade.<ref>Aichele, G. (1997). "Rewriting Superman" in G. Aichele & T. Pippin (eds.), ''The Monstrous and the Unspeakable: The Bible as Fantastic Literature'', pp. 75–101. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.</ref><ref>''Superman'' vol. 2 #53</ref> In ''Batman Unmasked'', a television documentary about the psychology of the character, behavioral scientist [[Benjamin Karney]] notes that Batman's personality is driven by Bruce Wayne's inherent humanity; that "Batman, for all its benefits and for all of the time Bruce Wayne devotes to it, is ultimately a tool for Bruce Wayne's efforts to make the world better". Bruce Wayne's principles include the desire to prevent future harm and a vow not to kill. Bruce Wayne believes that our actions define us, we fail for a reason, and anything is possible.<ref>{{cite web |title=Holy Wisdom, Batman!: 24 Most Famous Batman Quotes |url=https://brightdrops.com/batman-quotes |website=brightdrops.com |date=August 25, 2017 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513135913/https://brightdrops.com/batman-quotes}}</ref>

Writers of Batman and Superman stories have often compared and contrasted the two. Interpretations vary depending on the writer, the story, and the timing. Grant Morrison<ref>{{cite news|last=Boucher|first=Geoff|title=Batman versus Superman as class warfare? Grant Morrison: 'Bruce has a butler, Clark has a boss'|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/08/13/batman-versus-superman-as-class-warfare-bruce-has-a-butler-clark-has-a-boss/|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015182152/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/08/13/batman-versus-superman-as-class-warfare-bruce-has-a-butler-clark-has-a-boss/ |archive-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref> notes that both heroes "believe in the same kind of things" despite the day/night contrast their heroic roles display. Morrison notes an equally stark contrast in their real identities. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent belong to different social classes: "Bruce has a butler, Clark has a boss." T. James Musler's book ''Unleashing the Superhero in Us All'' explores the extent to which Bruce Wayne's vast personal wealth is important in his life story, and the crucial role it plays in his efforts as Batman.<ref>T. James Musler. 2006. ''Unleashing the Superhero in Us All''.</ref>

Will Brooker notes in his book ''Batman Unmasked'' that "the confirmation of the Batman's identity lies with the young audience&nbsp;...he doesn't have to be Bruce Wayne; he just needs the suit and gadgets, the abilities, and most importantly the morality, the humanity. There's just a sense about him: 'they trust him&nbsp;...and they're never wrong."<ref>{{cite book |title=Batman Unmasked |last=Brooker |first=Will |year=2001 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |location=NY/London |isbn=978-0-8264-1343-7 |page=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GNRreYO91ogC&q=Unmasking+Batman&pg=PA137 |access-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-date=July 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730122644/https://books.google.com/books?id=GNRreYO91ogC&q=Unmasking+Batman&pg=PA137 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Personality ====
Batman's primary character traits can be summarized as ''"wealth; physical prowess; deductive abilities and obsession"''.<ref name="pearson pg 186" /> The details and tone of Batman comic books have varied over the years with different creative teams. Dennis O'Neil noted that character consistency was not a major concern during early editorial regimes: "[[Julius Schwartz|Julie Schwartz]] did a Batman in ''Batman'' and ''Detective'' and [[Murray Boltinoff]] did a Batman in the ''Brave and the Bold'' and apart from the costume they bore very little resemblance to each other. Julie and Murray did not want to coordinate their efforts, nor were they asked to do so. Continuity was not important in those days."<ref>Pearson; Uricchio. "Notes from the Batcave: An Interview with Dennis O'Neil" p. 23.</ref>

The driving force behind Bruce Wayne's character is his parents' murder and their absence. Bob Kane and Bill Finger discussed Batman's background and decided that "there's nothing more traumatic than having your parents murdered before your eyes".<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1999|p=31}}</ref> Despite his trauma, he sets his mind on studying to become a scientist<ref name="ReferenceA">''Detective Comics'' #33 (November 1939), Bill Finger, Bob Kane</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), Bill Finger, Bob Kane</ref> and to train his body into physical perfection<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="ReferenceB" /> to fight crime in [[Gotham City]] as Batman, an inspired idea from Wayne's insight into the criminal mind.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name="ReferenceB" /> He also speaks over 40 languages.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Andrew |title=Batman: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Bruce Wayne |url=https://screenrant.com/bruce-wayne-batman-trivia-facts/ |website=ScreenRant |date=January 3, 2017 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513132756/https://screenrant.com/bruce-wayne-batman-trivia-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Another of Batman's characterizations is that of a vigilante; in order to stop evil that started with the death of his parents, he must sometimes break the law himself. Although manifested differently by being re-told by different artists, it is nevertheless that the details and the prime components of Batman's origin have never varied at all in the comic books, the "reiteration of the basic origin events holds together otherwise divergent expressions".<ref>{{harvp|Pearson|Uricchio|1991|p=194}}</ref> The origin is the source of the character's traits and attributes, which play out in many of the character's adventures.<ref name="pearson pg 186" />

Batman is often treated as a vigilante by other characters in his stories. Frank Miller views the character as "a [[Dionysus|dionysian]] figure, a force for [[anarchy]] that imposes an individual order".<ref>Sharrett, Christopher. "Batman and the Twilight of the Idols: An Interview with Frank Miller". ''The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media''. Routledge: London, 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-85170-276-6}}, p. 44.</ref> Dressed as a bat, Batman deliberately cultivates a frightening persona in order to aid him in crime-fighting,<ref>Pearson, p. 208.</ref> a fear that originates from the criminals' own guilty [[conscience]].<ref>Dennis O'Neil, Wizard Batman Special 1998</ref> Miller is often credited with reintroducing anti-heroic traits into Batman's characterization,<ref name="Terrence R. Wandtke 91">{{cite book|title=The Amazing Transforming Superhero!: Essays on the Revision of Characters on the Revision of Characters in Comic Books, Film and Television|author=Terrence R. Wandtke|page=91}}</ref> such as his brooding personality, willingness to use violence and torture, and increasingly alienated behavior. Batman, shortly a year after his debut and the introduction of Robin, was changed in 1940 after DC editor Whitney Ellsworth felt the character would be tainted by his lethal methods and DC established their own ethical code, subsequently he was retconned to have a stringent moral code,<ref name="dan42">{{harvp|Daniels|1999|p=42}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Batman & Me: An Autobiography|last=Kane|first=Bob|date=1989|publisher=Eclipse Books|others=Andrae, Tom.|isbn=1-56060-017-9|location=Forestville, CA|page=45|oclc=21114759}}</ref> which has stayed with the character of Batman ever since. Miller's Batman was closer to the original pre-Robin version, who was willing to kill criminals if necessary.<ref>{{cite book|title=Enter the Superheroes: American Values, Culture, and the Canon of Superhero Literature|author1=Alex S. Romagnoli |author2=Gian S. Pagnucci |page=27}}</ref>

=== Others ===
On several occasions former Robin [[Dick Grayson]] has served as Batman; most notably in 2009 while Wayne was believed dead, and served as a second Batman even after Wayne returned in 2010.<ref name="visual">{{cite book |title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9 |chapter=2000s}}</ref> As part of DC's [[The New 52|2011 continuity relaunch]], Grayson returned to being Nightwing following the ''Flashpoint'' crossover event.

In an interview with [[IGN]], Morrison detailed that having Dick Grayson as Batman and [[Damian Wayne]] as Robin represented a "reverse" of the normal dynamic between Batman and Robin, with, "a more light-hearted and spontaneous Batman and a scowling, badass Robin". Morrison explained their intentions for the new characterization of Batman: "Dick Grayson is kind of this consummate superhero. The guy has been Batman's partner since he was a kid, he's led the [[Teen Titans]], and he's trained with everybody in the DC Universe. So he's a very different kind of Batman. He's a lot easier; {{sic|hide=y|He's}} a lot looser and more relaxed."<ref name="comics.ign.com">{{cite web |last=Phillips |first=Dan |title=Grant Morrison's New Batman and Robin |url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/986/986031p1.html |date=August 8, 2009 |website=IGN |access-date=August 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609172555/http://comics.ign.com/articles/986/986031p1.html |archive-date=June 9, 2012 }}</ref>

Over the years, there have been numerous others to assume the name of Batman, or to officially take over for Bruce during his leaves of absence. Jean-Paul Valley, also known as [[Azrael (DC Comics)|Azrael]], assumed the cowl after the events of the ''[[Batman: Knightfall|Knightfall]]'' saga.<ref name="visual" /> [[James Gordon (character)|Jim Gordon]] donned a mecha-suit after the events of ''[[Batman: Endgame]]'', and served as Batman in 2015 and 2016. In 2021, as part of the ''[[Fear State]]'' crossover event, [[Lucius Fox]]'s son [[Batman (Jace Fox)|Jace Fox]] succeeds Bruce as Batman in a 2021 storyline, depicted in the series ''I Am Batman'', after Batman was declared dead.

Additionally, members of the group [[Batman Incorporated]], Bruce Wayne's experiment at franchising his brand of vigilantism, have at times stood in as the official Batman in cities around the world.<ref name="visual" /> Various others have also taken up the role of Batman in stories set in alternative universes and possible futures, including, among them, various former proteges of Bruce Wayne.