Bruce Wayne
From Smallville Wiki
| |
| Bruce Wayne | |
|---|---|
| Family | Thomas Wayne (father, deceased), Martha Wayne (mother, deceased), Alfred Pennyworth (butler, legal guardian) |
| Occupation | Owner/Chairman of Wayne Enterprises |
| Played By | None in Smallville, Christian Bale in current film series |
| Status | Alive |
Bruce Wayne is the Chairman of Wayne Enterprises. In the future, he becomes the protector of Gotham City under the guise of the Batman, around the same time Clark Kent becomes Superman. In the future, he becomes a constant ally and friend to Superman, although the two have drastically different views of justice and crime fighting.
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[edit] Brief History and Origin
Bruce Wayne was born in Gotham City to Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne. One night, after seeing a rousing adventure film, the Wayne family headed through a shortcut alleyway and was confronted by a street mugger. When Thomas tried to stop the mugger from stealing his wife's pearl necklace, the mugger shot both Thomas and his wife right in front of an 8-year old Bruce's eyes. Running away in fear of what he had done, the mugger was never brought to justice.
That very night, on the street stained with his parents' blood, young Bruce made a vow to rid Gotham of the evil that had taken his parent's lives. He swore that what happened to him would never happen to anyone else again. Using his family's extensive wealth, he spent the next 10-12 years traveling the world, seeking out the best minds in martial arts, criminology, escapology, disguise, and the craft of detecting. He toned his body and mind to the peak of human perfection. He learned a wide variety of foreign languages. Upon his return to Gotham, after an unsuccessful first night as a crime fighter, he sat in his father's study as a bat burst through the window.
From his teachings, he remembered that criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. Adopting the frightening image of that creature that had come to him, he would strike terror into the hearts of those who committed evil in his domain. It was this symbol that brought about the birth of the Batman.
On a trip to Gotham City during his first year of superheroics, Superman met Batman and tried to apprehend him. The Man of Steel viewed Batman as nothing more than a vigilante, operating outside the law and taking it into his own hands. Superman would never succeed in capturing Batman, however, because of the Dark Knight's matchless knowledge of Gotham City and his ability to make himself invisible through the use of his patience and agility. At the conclusion of a case that the heroes worked on together, Superman conceded that Batman was a necessary element in the corruption, graft, and chaos of Gotham City. The two would later discover each other's secret identities and, whenever working together, be dubbed the "World's Finest" heroes. They would also be two of the three pivotal factors (along with Wonder Woman) in the formation of the Justice League of America.
Like Oliver Queen, Bruce has no true super-powers. However, he does have genius-level intelligence and is in peak human physical condition. He is a master detective, martial arts master, escapologist, and has access to high tech equipment.
[edit] Why he hasn't appeared on Smallville
Due to Batman's restarted film franchise, Bruce Wayne has not appeared on Smallville because the film division of Warner Bros. (DC's parent company) is working with the character. When planning for a hopeful appearance in the early seasons, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar saw Bruce as a rival for Lana's affections, but when they were disallowed the use of the character, Bruce was replaced with Adam Knight. The creators of Smallville were actually thinking of making a Bruce Wayne TV series before the idea of a Superman-oriented show ever came about, but it was never realized. Alfred Gough recently said that an appearance of Bruce Wayne on the show is unlikely.
- Appearing at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention at the Shrine Auditorium on Sunday [February 10, 2007] afternoon, the show's creators said they have tried several times to get Bruce Wayne, but they've moved on from that pursuit.
- "Sadly, no," Gough said with a smile after the first of several Batman/Bruce Wayne questions during the panel. "It's not our fault. We've tried and tried, but because of the feature-film franchise, they've made that kind of off limits. Unfortunately."
- "It's a very clear statement: You can't use Bruce Wayne," Millar said. "We've got over it and we're moving on. There are plenty of other characters we can exploit." [1]
[edit] Batman Allusions
Bruce Wayne/Batman has yet to appear on Smallville, however the writers of the show have made many allusions to the Dark Knight on the show. These include:
- Gotham City- Batman's hometown.
- Blüdhaven- Sister city to Gotham, and future home to Batman's first protégé, Nightwing.
- Justice League of America- Also known as the "JLA." The team that Batman, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, would help form.
- Oliver Queen- Similar to Batman in the sense that he has no powers, future JLA member alongside the World's Finest as the Green Arrow.
- Maggie Sawyer- A future Metropolis/Gotham City police officer.
- Lazarus Serum- May be connected with future bat villain Ra's Al Ghul's Lazarus Pits.
- Linda Lake- She says that she can see Gotham City from her office, establishing that it's in the same world as the show.
[edit] In the Comics
In the DC Universe, Batman is essentially the most elite human being alive. With a genius intellect, intimate knowledge of most martial arts, near-unlimited resources, and deft skill, many believe that he is very close to unstoppable.
Batman's role in the world of Superman is rarely merely as a supporting character. As founders of the Justice League of America and as friends, they oftentimes rely on each other. Superman once said of the Dark Knight, "I place myself in situations that would kill a human being because it's very difficult to hurt me. Bruce places himself in those same situations knowing full well he could be killed instantly. For that, I will always admire him."
Although some view Batman as paranoid and methodical, his care for humanity runs very deep. He attributes this to his father, who was a doctor and mother, who was a crusader against child abuse. He prefers that Batman be known as an urban legend instead of actually existing.
[edit] Trivia
- Batman was the first comic book hero to be considered a "superhero" without actually having superhuman characteristics. The only Smallville superhero to not have metahuman powers (or cybernetic implants) is Green Arrow
- Batman was the first hero to have a "sidekick" crime-fighter in Robin, the Boy Wonder. After Robin, many other heroes started getting sidekicks. No heroes or villains on Smallville so far have fought alongside a sidekick.
- Smallville's Angel of Vengeance has some characteristics similar to Batman.
- Bruce Wayne and Clark's mothers have the same first name: Martha.
- Like Clark Kent and Oliver Queen, Bruce Wayne lost his parents at a young age. Also like Clark, he was raised by an "adoptive parent"--Alfred Pennyworth.
- Both Superman and Batman are the primary protectors of a fictional DC Comics city. Superman protects Metropolis, while Batman protects Gotham City.
- In many stories, Lex Luthor has been a enemy of Batman as well as Superman.
- Batman and Superman have been compared to ancient Greek heroes Odysseus and Hercules.
