Superhero Name:
BatmanCivilian Identity: Bruce Wayne
Appearance:
"I am vengeance...I am the night...I am BATMAN"
Despite occasional rumors to the contrary, Batman has no superhuman abilities at all. Instead he relies on a lifetime of intense training and discipline to turn his ordinary human abilities into finely honed weapons in his war against evil. He's shaped himself into a paragon of human physical fitness and is capable of pushing the human body to its' limits to accomplish feats no ordinary man could. With training in if not outright mastery of over one hundred fighting styles,Batman is one of the top martial artists on Earth in both armed and unarmed combat. His stealth and infiltration abilities are likewise impressive due to years of experience and extensive training in ninjutsu, while his skill with marksmanship and ranged weapons, especially his batarangs, is uncannily accurate. While not the greatest gymnast humanity has to offer, Batman still remains agile enough to traverse Gotham's rooftops and dodge even superhuman attacks with a level of acrobatic skill and ease that Olympic gymnasts would envy. He has also mastered a variety of practical and exotic physical skills during his training including escape artistry, tracking, vocal mimicry and ventriloquism, slowing down his bodily functions through the use of ancient meditative techniques, sleight-of-hand and stage magic, traditional healing methods and more.
While Batman's physical capabilities are notable, it is his mind that makes him truly effective. He is a genius with knowledge in a staggering variety of fields ranging from quantum physics, robotics and biology to mythology, cryptozoology and the occult. His skills in crime solving and investigation have earned him the moniker of "World's Greatest Detective", and his understanding of psychology and the criminal mind is often combined with stealth and theatrics to spread fear and intimidate his enemies. In a world of beings with power a human like him shouldn't be able to match, Batman relies on knowledge, cunning and inventiveness to give himself an edge. If Batman has any 'superhuman' power, it is his driving and indomitable iron will.
Naturally as Bruce Wayne, he's CEO and majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises, possessed of considerable financial and social resources. As Batman, he uses these resources and his own intellect to supplement his war on crime with various gadgets and other hi-tech equipment. WayneTech R&D and his own considerable wealth give Batman access to some of the more advanced technology humanity possesses, and Wayne Enterprises is even partially responsible for the construction of the League's Watchtower. Batman carries many of his inventions in his iconic utility belt, though Bruce is known to change its load-out depending on the situation. The belt itself is bio-metrically locked to Bruce Wayne's touch and is extremely difficult to force open with countermeasures including an electric shock if anyone tries for too long. Batman's iconic suit and cowl are similarly locked in the event that he's knocked unconscious, with the addition of tear and knockout-gas sprays. The Batsuit is also surprisingly high-tech for its' appearance, composed of a light and flexible but strong weave of various aramids and para-aramids for fire and heat-resistance, insulation from electricity and protection from conventional harm. To further protect him during combat and make him more effective in a fight, the gloves and boots are reinforced with armor for punching and kicking and the scalloped wrist gauntlets are capable of blocking blades like jitte. The suit's cape provides further protection and is weighted at the end for stunning blows, though all of that is meant as a last line of defense as Bruce generally tries not to get hit since he's still a human being as mortal and vulnerable as any other underneath.
Bruce Wayne is the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne, famed philanthropists who used their vast family fortune and company to improve the notoriously corrupt and suffering-filled Gotham City. Bruce's life was as happy as it could possibly be in a place like Gotham City, until one cold, fateful winter night when his parents took him to see a Zorro film. On the way home the Waynes were attacked by a mugger, and in the ensuing struggle Bruce's parents were shot dead in front of him when he was just . Traumatized by the random petty act of violence that took his parents from him, Bruce swore he would dedicate his whole life to personally wiping out the evils that destroyed his family. while being raised by his butler Alfred Pennyworth and physician and social worker Leslie Thompkins, young Bruce pushed himself to become the most capable person possible and at 14 he was already traveling the globe in order to study at different universities and train in a variety of disciplines. After many years he returned to Gotham and began his one man war against the forces corrupting the city.
Bruce lacked the fear-and-myth inspiring elements necessary to be truly effective at first, but after a particularly unsuccessful and near-lethal night of crime-fighting, just as he was giving into despair and asked his father what he should do and whether he should continue on his path, a bat crashed through his window. This brought to mind a frightening childhood incident where young Bruce fell into a hidden system of caves underneath the stately family manor and taking it as a sign, Bruce resolved that he would "Become a bat" in order to strike fear into the superstitious and cowardly hearts of criminals. As the Batman, Bruce moved his headquarters into the very same system of caves and established himself as the infamous terror of Gotham's criminal underworld.
Nowadays Batman is well-known even outside of Gotham City and has an unofficial alliance with police commissioner Jim Gordon and the non-corrupt elements of the Gotham City Police Department as well as working as part of the Justice League. While not quite the myth-shrouded figure of vengeance in the night he started out as anymore, years of experience means he's still just as if not more effective at striking fear into the criminal element, whether they have superpowers or not.
Captain Uni
