Post by Bruce Wayne - The Batman on Jul 25, 2012 20:50:20 GMT -10
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
- Real Name: Bruce Wayne
- Alias: Batman / The Dark Knight / "The Bat" / Caped Crusader
- P.O.B: Wayne Manor.
- Occupation: Watchful Protector of Gotham / Billionaire-Playboy-Philanthropist.
- Marital Status: Single
- Face Claim: Christian Bale
SOCIAL INFORMATION:
- Current Social Status: Hero
-- How Much Experience as Answered Above: Roughly 2-3 years.
- Current/Known Associates: No known associates to The Batman. Associates to Bruce Wayne - Alfred Pennyworth and Lucious Fox.
- Current/Known Adversaries: The Joker and the League of Shadows. Other "unknown" adversaries: Harvey "Two-Face" and Ra's Al Ghul.
ABILITIES:
Being a successful billionaire has its perks as Bruce has access to his company's applied sciences division. With the help of Lucious Fox, this is how and where Batman receives most of the gadgets you all know and love. His resources are almost limitless, giving him access to an array of gadgets, most of them being prototypes not developed for public access. These gadgets range from his trademark grappling hook to the polymer-reactive cape to the Tumbler/Batpod. Other tools, such as his batarangs, Bruce crafts himself. Bruce is also quite skilled in martial arts, having been trained by the League of Shadows. His skills in hand to hand combat are extraordinary. The same can be said about his art of deception. Utilizing his gadgets and the teachings of the League, Batman is extremely cunning and deceptive, especially under the guise of darkness and shadow- disappearing and reappearing seemingly at will. Coupling this with his adequate skills in CQC and wide array of gadgets and tools, Batman can be quite the formidable foe to any enemy of Gotham.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:
Without a doubt, Bruce's greatest strength and greatest weakness is his parent's death. It's the source of his hatred for crime, the driving force behind the mask. Witnessing his parent's death as a child, at the hands of Joe Chill, was a traumatizing experience for someone so young and pure. This also serves as his greatest weakness as Bruce blames himself for his parent's death, for forcing them to leave the Opera early, exiting into Crime Alley and into the encounter with Joe Chill that costs them their lives. Bruce blames himself for failing to act in the face of injustice. Another strength, and also weakness, of the Batman comes from the people of Gotham itself. Nothing hit home harder than when Rachel Dawes, Bruce's longtime childhood friend and potential love, was killed at the hands of the sadistic games of The Joker. With even his loved ones at risk, Bruce knows, amid all this corruption, that only he can stand up to the face of Gotham's injustice. He knows that while he can't be Gotham's true hero; as said hero needs a face, one not hidden by a cowl- he can still be the hero Gotham deserves. Gotham's silent guardian- its Watchful Protector: The Dark Knight.
BACKGROUND:
Bruce Wayne's origins are a story that many people have come to know and learn, but as to the Batman- his origins are still shrouded in mystery. As we all know- Bruce was born into a life of riches and luxury. His father, Thomas Wayne, being the wealthiest man in Gotham- Bruce's childhood was one that every child could dream about. That is- until one dreadful night after the events of the Mefistofele play at Gotham's opera house. After having the encounter with bats and the well he fell down at Wayne Manor, Bruce was feeling uneasy watching the popular play, Mefistofele- which features acrobats in bat-like costumes. He requested to his parents that they leave the show early because of his fear and uneasy feeling the costumes were causing him. Without delay, Thomas and Martha honored their only child's wishes and exited the play through an emergency side exit. This exited into an alleyway on the side of the Opera House- an alleyway that would forever be known as 'Crime Alley' after tonight. Bruce and his parents were intercepted by a small-time criminal by the name of Joe Chill, carrying nothing but desperation and a loaded handgun. Chill demanded their wallets and jewelry. Thomas Wayne was being ever compliant with Chill, but in a turn of unfortunate events, was slain along with his wife, Martha, for a simple misunderstanding at gun-point.
Bruce was left in the cold and rain that night, with his parents slain in the street. The GCPD arrived and took Bruce in, taking care of the situation at hand. Bruce was distraught, confused, and scared- until a certain uniformed officer placed his jacket around Bruce's shoulders, assuring him that 'it would be okay.' That officer was none other than James Gordon, an officer in the GCPD at the time. Bruce confided in Gordon, he saw something in him- he trusted him. Little did Gordon know, that caring act would spark something between those two that would rattle the foundation of Gotham.
Gordon returned Bruce to Wayne Manor and to the care of Alfred Pennyworth, the only family Bruce would have left. Years passed as Bruce aged under the care of Alfred in Wayne Manor- it wasn't until he was an young adult that he left the comfort of his lavish home and ventured out into the world. This wasn't until after the hearing of Joe Chill, where Bruce had ultimately schemed his plan for revenge. Bringing with him to the court a .38 caliber handgun, Bruce was determined to avenge his parents. It wasn't meant to be, however, as a hired gun of Carmine Falcone beat him to the punch. With Chill now dead, Bruce could no longer get the revenge he longed to deliver. Sharing this revelation, and the gun to which he planned to exact revenge, to his childhood friend and potential lover, Rachel Dawes, Bruce was hit with a reality check- slapped in the face by one of the few people he still cared for. "Your father would be ashamed," Rachel declared to him. Frustrated, aggravated, confused, and saddened- all these feelings clouded Bruce's mind. He needed a serious change in his life, so he left Gotham behind, escaping the corruption- the same corruption that filled him with the hate to kill Joe Chill.
Bruce traveled the globe, learning many things, including the mind of a criminal- having to steal food in order to survive. Bruce sympathized with criminals for the first time in his life- but decided this wasn't the life he wanted for himself or for others. Bruce wanted more than ever to stand up to the face of true injustice- and when approached by a man named 'Henry Ducard' whilst imprisoned in an East Asian prison, he was offered a chance to do just that. Ducard proposed that he come and seek the teachings of Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Shadows. Only there would be learn the tools and skills necessary to fight injustice.
Blinded by Ducard's guise of heroism, Bruce embarked in a journey to join the League of Shadows. He journeyed in order to find a specific flower, a symbol to the League of Shadows as not only a rite of passage, but rite of acceptance as well. With this blue thorned flower, Bruce was initiated into the training of the League. Under Ducard's guidance, Bruce developed his extraordinary skills in CQC (close quarters combat) and deception. For weeks, Bruce trained his body and his mind, becoming a weapon against injustice. Wayne had excelled during this time, becoming Ducard's greatest student. Bruce learned not only to deal with the demons of his past but also his fear of bats. Almost a full-fledged member of the League, Bruce was tasked with one last final test- deliver justice upon a criminal in the form of an execution. Should Bruce pass this test, he would not only be inducted as full-fledged member of the League of Shadows, but would also lead the army that Ra's Al Ghul has molded himself. But the justice to which the League of Shadows speaks of- isn't the same justice that Bruce stood for, in fact it was the opposite. It was injustice being served as justice for the unjust. Bruce didn't want to demonstrate his commitment to their form of 'justice.' Because of this, Bruce learned another revelation- the army that he would be leading would be lead straight into Gotham to "strike at the heart of criminality," as quoted by Ra's Al Ghul. "Gotham's time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it, the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the League of Shadows. It is one we've performed for centuries. Gotham.. must be destroyed." A chilling revelation from the would-be glorified leader of the League, to which Bruce replied, "I will go back to Gotham and I will fight men like this, but I will not become an executioner."
It was then Bruce made his daring escape from the League's fortress. The building was destroyed in the process of his escape, but Bruce found it within himself to save Henry Ducard, the only man that had shown him any type of respect and trust. Bruce saved Ducard not only from the explosion, but from a fall to his death. Bruce snatched him by his arm before he plummeted off the snowy cliff from which the League's fortress stood. Bruce clinged himself to the cliff edge with the help of his gauntlet's jagged spurs. Almost snapping his left arm in the process, Bruce pulled Ducard from the cliff edge on his own will alone. Saving his life, Bruce carried him to a nearby village where he left Ducard in the care of the villagers. The man told Bruce that he would let Ducard know he saved his life.
After that eventful day, Bruce left and returned back to familiar soil and to the same city that corrupted him before- Gotham. Only this time- Bruce had plans. He had a vision of an non-corrupt Gotham.. brought to justice by a symbol. The same symbol that had once plagued his own mind with fear.. The Bat.
Mr. Wayne was welcomed back to Gotham by one of the only few people that knew he was actually alive. It had about 5 years since Bruce had left Gotham on his journey. Alfred welcomed him home with open arms. Every other citizen of Gotham had assumed he was dead- to protect not only himself but his company as well. It was left in the hands of a friend, one acquainted with Thomas Wayne. Bruce returned to Gotham not only to strike at the heart of corruption, but to also return his name from the darkness- to resurrect the Wayne legacy. It was then Bruce not only retook control his company, but also began building a foothold on the symbol that would change Gotham's future forever. With the help of Alfred, Bruce discovered and built what would become the Batcave. Bruce then began ordering all sorts of tools and gadgets- parts and components. Piecing everything together to build not only the legendary Batsuit but all of his renown gadgets- Bruce had constructed his symbol. But first- he had to establish it.
It was then that the Batman legend began to be molded. In disguise, Bruce would convene with Jim Gordon in secret, retrieving what information he could about Gotham's underground and Falcone's operations. Bruce tracked Falcone's operations down to the Gotham Docks one dark evening. That was the first official sighting of The Batman. He disrupted Falcone's operations and even captured the man himself, leaving him for the GCPD to find: strung to a flood light, tapered and sprawled out in the shape of the Bat. Bruce soon found that Falcone was working for a higher power, helping to usher in chemicals to Gotham. Bruce investigated further into these chemicals under the guise of the Batman. It was then that he first encountered the man who would call himself, Scarecrow. That man was Dr. Johnathan Crane, a lawyer to the Falcone crime family. Not only was he assisting in Falcone's thugs getting a pass from jail, but he was experimenting on them at Arkham, using the same chemicals that were being importing by the same thugs. Batman would later find out that those chemicals were being dispersed into Gotham's water supply- information acquired by an interrogation of Dr. Crane. Another revelation from Crane was that his employers, the ones responsible for the chemicals, would be coming to Gotham.
It wasn't until the night at Wayne Manor, the party for Bruce's birthday, that Bruce would find out exactly what he was dealing with. After returning from an eventful rescue of Rachel and escape from the GCPD, Bruce was greeted by a man claming to be Ra's Al Ghul. This baffled Bruce as he watched the man die before his own eyes back at the League of Shadows HQ. "You're not Ra's al Ghul. I watched him die," uttered Bruce to the man whom he didn't recognize. "But is Ra's al Ghul immortal? Are his methods supernatural?" Hearing those words spoken behind him, Bruce turned to find someone he didn't expect- Henry Ducard. "Or cheap parlor tricks to conceal your true identity, 'Ra's'," Bruce remarked. It was then Bruce realized his true foe, the real Ra's al Ghul, the same man who trained him. Ra's al Ghul revealed his true plan for the League of Shadows- dispersing the chemicals that were poured into Gotham's water supply. Those chemicals would be dispersed into the air using a microwave emitter acquired through the ransacking of Wayne Enterprises cargo. Once dispersed into the air, the chemicals would act as a fear-inducing agent similar to what Scarecrow weaponized for personal use- ultimately leaving Gotham in a helpless panic.
Ra's al Ghul defeated Bruce, burned Wayne Manor, and left Bruce for dead- a fitting vengeance according to Ra's. Bruce escaped the engulfed Wayne Manor with Alfred's help. With Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows about to unleash terror upon Gotham, Bruce dawned the cowl once more to meet them head on. With Gotham's water system being vaporized into a fear toxin, the battle for the city's future culminated in a one-on-one fight aboard the railway train that carried the emitter. Ra's al Ghul. Batman. Mentor. Student. A battle that ended in Ra's al Ghul's apparent demise, and the survival of Gotham. It was then the Batman legend was born, as he soared past the train wreckage and over the Gotham streets, disappearing into Gotham's night sky.
With peace restored to Gotham, Bruce restored his title as shareholder of his company, Wayne Enterprises, and gave the title of CEO to Lucious Fox. Also during this time, Jim Gordon was promoted to Lieutenant in the GCPD with the help of the Batman's efforts. The League of Shadows had been defeated and Gotham had been saved, but the war was far from over. There was still a lot of work to be done, corruption left to be filtered out. The Batman would be needed once again.
A year had passed since the League had tried to 'cleanse' Gotham. Things had appeared to be looking on the bright side. Rachel Dawes was doing some street cleaning of her own as assistant DA, and with her, the new DA, Harvey Dent. The two of them were handling the criminality in Gotham- putting thugs in their rightful place. Bruce felt the Batman was no longer needed. To Bruce, Gotham needs a true hero, one with a face its citizens can look up to. Batman may be the hero Gotham deserves, but he's not the one it needs. Bruce knew this- he knew a guy like Harvey Dent could be Gotham's white knight. Bruce began funding Dent, supporting his efforts as DA. All the while knowing that the woman he loved, Rachel, began a relationship with Dent, Bruce still showed his support, vocally and financially. Bruce began to think that may be with the streets clean, he could retire the Batman for good, and possibly cling to the chance of a life with Rachel. That was until a certain criminal had other 'plans.'
That certain criminal would leave his mark on Gotham for quite some time. It started rather small- petty criminal jobs. Then it began to escalate to more severe crimes. Cops were being murdered in the streets. The district judges and attorneys were being targeted. And it was all the doing of a criminal that would be known simply as- The Joker. Not much was known about the Joker other than the crimes he had committed. Bruce had been debating whether or not to get the Batman involved. He figured it would be better off that the police handle it. But the cop killings, the targetting of the district officials- it was all too much to ignore. And then the Joker changed the game.
"See! This is how CRAZY Batman's made Gotham!" The image of the Joker burned on the televisions all over Gotham, looking ever-so menacing as he spoke. "If you want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word," uttered the Joker, laughing as he finished. It was very clear to Bruce then, The Batman had to be uncovered for the sake of the people of Gotham. Under the dark of night and glow of the Bat symbol, Batman, Lt. Gordon, and Harvey Dent convened atop the GCPD, in secret. They devised a ruse to capture the Joker.
The following morning, the Batman was taken into custody by the GCPD- only Harvey Dent had declared himself to be the Dark Knight, not Bruce. The Joker took notice of this, as the arrest was made public to the people of Gotham. Joker staged an attack on a transport convoy that was carrying Dent across Gotham. Assuming that Dent was Batman, Joker assaulted the convoy by surprise in the Narrows. Had it not been for the appearance of the real Batman, the Joker might have delivered an RPG round to the truck transporting Dent. Batman intercepted the round with the Tumbler, mid-air, saving Dent's life. Joker continued to pursue Dent, in an effort to afflict chaos. Batman intercepted him once more, only this time with the Batpod. The Tumbler sustained too much damage from the RPG round it was impacted with. Batman was forced to deploy an emergency fail-safe and eject a portion of the Tumbler. That portion of the Tumbler resembles a motorcycle, thus the Batpod was born. With the Batpod, Batman intercepted Joker once more admist downtown Gotham in an epic event resulting in the vertical flipping of the semi-truck the Joker was driving. Having been jarred and shaken, Joker rolled out of the cab and onto the street. This would culminate in another dramatic event in the middle of the street. Armed with a sub-machine gun, the Joker blasted away the oncoming traffic, clearing a path for The Batman. Batman charged forward on the Batpod, straight toward the Joker. Bruce knew within himself, he couldn't hit the Joker. It was what the Joker wanted, he himself knew Batman's inner-struggle. Bruce was no executioner- he didn't kill, but he knew the chaos that the Joker put Rachel and the people of Gotham threw. Joker nearly killed Rachel in an attempt to find Dent previously, Batman had to leap from his apartment loft window to save Rachel from a plummet to her death, thrown by the Joker. Bruce already had a hate building for this man. This inner-struggle brewed inside him as he dashed toward the Joker on the Batpod at a high-rate of speed. "C'mon.. I want ya to do it.. I want ya to do it.. C'MON! HIT ME!" yelled the Joker at Batman. Conflicted, Bruce roared at the top of his lungs, as he pulled the Batpod to its side, crashing and sliding down the street, avoiding a collision and murder of the Joker. Unconcious as Batman laid on the street, Joker took his knife and was about to confront Batman. That was before Gordon appeared with a gun drawn, arresting the Joker. All this time, Gordon had been considered dead- shot by the same man he just arrested. But it was all a ruse, a plan to thwart the Joker's efforts and bring him to justice. The Joker was captured; it all appeared to be over. That was until Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes went missing the night of the Joker's capture.
Gordon was promoted to Commissioner for his efforts in apprehending the Joker, but with Dent and Dawes now missing, that seemed little of importance. Batman confronted the Joker whilst in custody at the GCPD, hoping to learn the whereabouts of Rachel and Harvey. After a physical interrogation, Batman was able to uncover the whereabouts of the two missing DAs. However, it wasn't until it was too late that Batman discovered Joker had given him the opposite locations. Joker knew Bruce would go after Rachel, so he gave him Dent's location. Gordon and the GCPD were sent to Rachel's location, but it was too late. The two timebombs the Joker wired to each hostage, detonated simultaneously. Batman had gotten Harvey out just in time, as the Joker expected, but as for Rachel, she wasn't as fortunate. Harvey would also be scarred in the process, having fell in the gas and caught by the flames of the explosion.
Bruce was distraught after that night. The childhood friend and love of his life dead at the hands of a madman; Gotham's white knight heavily scarred in the process. And worst of all, the Joker had escaped the GCPD during the rescue of Dent and Rachel. With Gotham General Hospital now being threatened by the Joker, Gotham seemed to be in utter turmoil. One patient of Gotham General at this time, was Harvey Dent. Bed-ridden after sustaining those severe burns courtesy of the Joker's trap, Dent was helpless to the Joker's persuasion. Joker sent Dent off the deep end, telling him to "unleash a little anarchy." Joker had twisted his mind; Dent was no longer the man Gotham once knew him to be- he was different. Dent was changed, shaped into an agent of chaos by the Joker; Dent was now Two-Face.
With the hospital destroyed, Gotham was now in a downward spiral of chaos, as it was being toyed with by the Joker. Gotham was now the Joker's sick playground. And there was only one person that could put an end to the whole thing- The Batman. In an epic battle atop a partially-constructed building, Batman defeated The Joker, capturing him and sparring two cruise ships full of Gotham's citizens and inmates in the process. Batman had put an end to the Joker's reign of terror in Gotham, but Joker would, as always, have the last laugh. "This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good," exclaimed Batman to the Joker. To which the Joker replied, "Until their spirit breaks completely. Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and all the heroic things he's done. You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fistfight with you? No.. You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey." "What did you do?" demanded Batman. The Joker replied, "I took Gotham's white knight.. and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little PUSH!" The Joker laughed hysterically as Batman darted off, leaving the GCPD to take him into custody.
Dent had taken Gordon and his family prisoner in the meantime. Held hostage at gunpoint, Dent had gone off the deep end. Using the now scarred double-sided coin of his father's, Dent was going to let chance decide Gordon and his family's fate. Taking Gordon's son by the hand, he pulled him aside and pointed a loaded .38 towards his head. Taking the double-sided coin, Harvey intended to use it to determine whether to let Gordon's son live or shoot him right there. Dent had lost it, having been pushed to insanity- courtesy of Joker's twisted ideals and the loss of his love, Rachel. He intended to serve his twisted justice on Gordon's son, as penance for Gordon destroying his life. "Harvey!! I'm sorry!!! For everything!" exclaimed Gordon, pleading for his son's life. Dent shot Gordon a twisted smile before tossing the two-sided coin into the air, ultimately deciding Gordon's son's fate, as Gordon's wife screamed in despair. Before the coin could return to Dent's hand, he was intercepted in a flash of black. Batman had found their location, and just in time to spare Gordon's son. Tackling Dent head on, Batman fell from the edge of the parking structure from which they stood. Dent fell to the concrete below, and ultimately to his death. Batman clinged to the edge of the building with one hand. He held on for as long as he could, until he too fell from the parking structure to the concrete below. Thanks to his armored suit, Bruce survived the fall, unlike Dent who wore only his half-torched business suit. Batman slowly stood to his feet above Dent's half-scarred body. Gordon followed down to check on Batman. It was then that a revelation had to be made, based on the events that have transpired- for the betterment of Gotham.
TBC in future RP.
- Real Name: Bruce Wayne
- Alias: Batman / The Dark Knight / "The Bat" / Caped Crusader
- P.O.B: Wayne Manor.
- Occupation: Watchful Protector of Gotham / Billionaire-Playboy-Philanthropist.
- Marital Status: Single
- Face Claim: Christian Bale
SOCIAL INFORMATION:
- Current Social Status: Hero
-- How Much Experience as Answered Above: Roughly 2-3 years.
- Current/Known Associates: No known associates to The Batman. Associates to Bruce Wayne - Alfred Pennyworth and Lucious Fox.
- Current/Known Adversaries: The Joker and the League of Shadows. Other "unknown" adversaries: Harvey "Two-Face" and Ra's Al Ghul.
ABILITIES:
Being a successful billionaire has its perks as Bruce has access to his company's applied sciences division. With the help of Lucious Fox, this is how and where Batman receives most of the gadgets you all know and love. His resources are almost limitless, giving him access to an array of gadgets, most of them being prototypes not developed for public access. These gadgets range from his trademark grappling hook to the polymer-reactive cape to the Tumbler/Batpod. Other tools, such as his batarangs, Bruce crafts himself. Bruce is also quite skilled in martial arts, having been trained by the League of Shadows. His skills in hand to hand combat are extraordinary. The same can be said about his art of deception. Utilizing his gadgets and the teachings of the League, Batman is extremely cunning and deceptive, especially under the guise of darkness and shadow- disappearing and reappearing seemingly at will. Coupling this with his adequate skills in CQC and wide array of gadgets and tools, Batman can be quite the formidable foe to any enemy of Gotham.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:
Without a doubt, Bruce's greatest strength and greatest weakness is his parent's death. It's the source of his hatred for crime, the driving force behind the mask. Witnessing his parent's death as a child, at the hands of Joe Chill, was a traumatizing experience for someone so young and pure. This also serves as his greatest weakness as Bruce blames himself for his parent's death, for forcing them to leave the Opera early, exiting into Crime Alley and into the encounter with Joe Chill that costs them their lives. Bruce blames himself for failing to act in the face of injustice. Another strength, and also weakness, of the Batman comes from the people of Gotham itself. Nothing hit home harder than when Rachel Dawes, Bruce's longtime childhood friend and potential love, was killed at the hands of the sadistic games of The Joker. With even his loved ones at risk, Bruce knows, amid all this corruption, that only he can stand up to the face of Gotham's injustice. He knows that while he can't be Gotham's true hero; as said hero needs a face, one not hidden by a cowl- he can still be the hero Gotham deserves. Gotham's silent guardian- its Watchful Protector: The Dark Knight.
BACKGROUND:
Bruce Wayne's origins are a story that many people have come to know and learn, but as to the Batman- his origins are still shrouded in mystery. As we all know- Bruce was born into a life of riches and luxury. His father, Thomas Wayne, being the wealthiest man in Gotham- Bruce's childhood was one that every child could dream about. That is- until one dreadful night after the events of the Mefistofele play at Gotham's opera house. After having the encounter with bats and the well he fell down at Wayne Manor, Bruce was feeling uneasy watching the popular play, Mefistofele- which features acrobats in bat-like costumes. He requested to his parents that they leave the show early because of his fear and uneasy feeling the costumes were causing him. Without delay, Thomas and Martha honored their only child's wishes and exited the play through an emergency side exit. This exited into an alleyway on the side of the Opera House- an alleyway that would forever be known as 'Crime Alley' after tonight. Bruce and his parents were intercepted by a small-time criminal by the name of Joe Chill, carrying nothing but desperation and a loaded handgun. Chill demanded their wallets and jewelry. Thomas Wayne was being ever compliant with Chill, but in a turn of unfortunate events, was slain along with his wife, Martha, for a simple misunderstanding at gun-point.
Bruce was left in the cold and rain that night, with his parents slain in the street. The GCPD arrived and took Bruce in, taking care of the situation at hand. Bruce was distraught, confused, and scared- until a certain uniformed officer placed his jacket around Bruce's shoulders, assuring him that 'it would be okay.' That officer was none other than James Gordon, an officer in the GCPD at the time. Bruce confided in Gordon, he saw something in him- he trusted him. Little did Gordon know, that caring act would spark something between those two that would rattle the foundation of Gotham.
Gordon returned Bruce to Wayne Manor and to the care of Alfred Pennyworth, the only family Bruce would have left. Years passed as Bruce aged under the care of Alfred in Wayne Manor- it wasn't until he was an young adult that he left the comfort of his lavish home and ventured out into the world. This wasn't until after the hearing of Joe Chill, where Bruce had ultimately schemed his plan for revenge. Bringing with him to the court a .38 caliber handgun, Bruce was determined to avenge his parents. It wasn't meant to be, however, as a hired gun of Carmine Falcone beat him to the punch. With Chill now dead, Bruce could no longer get the revenge he longed to deliver. Sharing this revelation, and the gun to which he planned to exact revenge, to his childhood friend and potential lover, Rachel Dawes, Bruce was hit with a reality check- slapped in the face by one of the few people he still cared for. "Your father would be ashamed," Rachel declared to him. Frustrated, aggravated, confused, and saddened- all these feelings clouded Bruce's mind. He needed a serious change in his life, so he left Gotham behind, escaping the corruption- the same corruption that filled him with the hate to kill Joe Chill.
Bruce traveled the globe, learning many things, including the mind of a criminal- having to steal food in order to survive. Bruce sympathized with criminals for the first time in his life- but decided this wasn't the life he wanted for himself or for others. Bruce wanted more than ever to stand up to the face of true injustice- and when approached by a man named 'Henry Ducard' whilst imprisoned in an East Asian prison, he was offered a chance to do just that. Ducard proposed that he come and seek the teachings of Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Shadows. Only there would be learn the tools and skills necessary to fight injustice.
Blinded by Ducard's guise of heroism, Bruce embarked in a journey to join the League of Shadows. He journeyed in order to find a specific flower, a symbol to the League of Shadows as not only a rite of passage, but rite of acceptance as well. With this blue thorned flower, Bruce was initiated into the training of the League. Under Ducard's guidance, Bruce developed his extraordinary skills in CQC (close quarters combat) and deception. For weeks, Bruce trained his body and his mind, becoming a weapon against injustice. Wayne had excelled during this time, becoming Ducard's greatest student. Bruce learned not only to deal with the demons of his past but also his fear of bats. Almost a full-fledged member of the League, Bruce was tasked with one last final test- deliver justice upon a criminal in the form of an execution. Should Bruce pass this test, he would not only be inducted as full-fledged member of the League of Shadows, but would also lead the army that Ra's Al Ghul has molded himself. But the justice to which the League of Shadows speaks of- isn't the same justice that Bruce stood for, in fact it was the opposite. It was injustice being served as justice for the unjust. Bruce didn't want to demonstrate his commitment to their form of 'justice.' Because of this, Bruce learned another revelation- the army that he would be leading would be lead straight into Gotham to "strike at the heart of criminality," as quoted by Ra's Al Ghul. "Gotham's time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it, the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the League of Shadows. It is one we've performed for centuries. Gotham.. must be destroyed." A chilling revelation from the would-be glorified leader of the League, to which Bruce replied, "I will go back to Gotham and I will fight men like this, but I will not become an executioner."
It was then Bruce made his daring escape from the League's fortress. The building was destroyed in the process of his escape, but Bruce found it within himself to save Henry Ducard, the only man that had shown him any type of respect and trust. Bruce saved Ducard not only from the explosion, but from a fall to his death. Bruce snatched him by his arm before he plummeted off the snowy cliff from which the League's fortress stood. Bruce clinged himself to the cliff edge with the help of his gauntlet's jagged spurs. Almost snapping his left arm in the process, Bruce pulled Ducard from the cliff edge on his own will alone. Saving his life, Bruce carried him to a nearby village where he left Ducard in the care of the villagers. The man told Bruce that he would let Ducard know he saved his life.
After that eventful day, Bruce left and returned back to familiar soil and to the same city that corrupted him before- Gotham. Only this time- Bruce had plans. He had a vision of an non-corrupt Gotham.. brought to justice by a symbol. The same symbol that had once plagued his own mind with fear.. The Bat.
Mr. Wayne was welcomed back to Gotham by one of the only few people that knew he was actually alive. It had about 5 years since Bruce had left Gotham on his journey. Alfred welcomed him home with open arms. Every other citizen of Gotham had assumed he was dead- to protect not only himself but his company as well. It was left in the hands of a friend, one acquainted with Thomas Wayne. Bruce returned to Gotham not only to strike at the heart of corruption, but to also return his name from the darkness- to resurrect the Wayne legacy. It was then Bruce not only retook control his company, but also began building a foothold on the symbol that would change Gotham's future forever. With the help of Alfred, Bruce discovered and built what would become the Batcave. Bruce then began ordering all sorts of tools and gadgets- parts and components. Piecing everything together to build not only the legendary Batsuit but all of his renown gadgets- Bruce had constructed his symbol. But first- he had to establish it.
It was then that the Batman legend began to be molded. In disguise, Bruce would convene with Jim Gordon in secret, retrieving what information he could about Gotham's underground and Falcone's operations. Bruce tracked Falcone's operations down to the Gotham Docks one dark evening. That was the first official sighting of The Batman. He disrupted Falcone's operations and even captured the man himself, leaving him for the GCPD to find: strung to a flood light, tapered and sprawled out in the shape of the Bat. Bruce soon found that Falcone was working for a higher power, helping to usher in chemicals to Gotham. Bruce investigated further into these chemicals under the guise of the Batman. It was then that he first encountered the man who would call himself, Scarecrow. That man was Dr. Johnathan Crane, a lawyer to the Falcone crime family. Not only was he assisting in Falcone's thugs getting a pass from jail, but he was experimenting on them at Arkham, using the same chemicals that were being importing by the same thugs. Batman would later find out that those chemicals were being dispersed into Gotham's water supply- information acquired by an interrogation of Dr. Crane. Another revelation from Crane was that his employers, the ones responsible for the chemicals, would be coming to Gotham.
It wasn't until the night at Wayne Manor, the party for Bruce's birthday, that Bruce would find out exactly what he was dealing with. After returning from an eventful rescue of Rachel and escape from the GCPD, Bruce was greeted by a man claming to be Ra's Al Ghul. This baffled Bruce as he watched the man die before his own eyes back at the League of Shadows HQ. "You're not Ra's al Ghul. I watched him die," uttered Bruce to the man whom he didn't recognize. "But is Ra's al Ghul immortal? Are his methods supernatural?" Hearing those words spoken behind him, Bruce turned to find someone he didn't expect- Henry Ducard. "Or cheap parlor tricks to conceal your true identity, 'Ra's'," Bruce remarked. It was then Bruce realized his true foe, the real Ra's al Ghul, the same man who trained him. Ra's al Ghul revealed his true plan for the League of Shadows- dispersing the chemicals that were poured into Gotham's water supply. Those chemicals would be dispersed into the air using a microwave emitter acquired through the ransacking of Wayne Enterprises cargo. Once dispersed into the air, the chemicals would act as a fear-inducing agent similar to what Scarecrow weaponized for personal use- ultimately leaving Gotham in a helpless panic.
Ra's al Ghul defeated Bruce, burned Wayne Manor, and left Bruce for dead- a fitting vengeance according to Ra's. Bruce escaped the engulfed Wayne Manor with Alfred's help. With Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows about to unleash terror upon Gotham, Bruce dawned the cowl once more to meet them head on. With Gotham's water system being vaporized into a fear toxin, the battle for the city's future culminated in a one-on-one fight aboard the railway train that carried the emitter. Ra's al Ghul. Batman. Mentor. Student. A battle that ended in Ra's al Ghul's apparent demise, and the survival of Gotham. It was then the Batman legend was born, as he soared past the train wreckage and over the Gotham streets, disappearing into Gotham's night sky.
With peace restored to Gotham, Bruce restored his title as shareholder of his company, Wayne Enterprises, and gave the title of CEO to Lucious Fox. Also during this time, Jim Gordon was promoted to Lieutenant in the GCPD with the help of the Batman's efforts. The League of Shadows had been defeated and Gotham had been saved, but the war was far from over. There was still a lot of work to be done, corruption left to be filtered out. The Batman would be needed once again.
A year had passed since the League had tried to 'cleanse' Gotham. Things had appeared to be looking on the bright side. Rachel Dawes was doing some street cleaning of her own as assistant DA, and with her, the new DA, Harvey Dent. The two of them were handling the criminality in Gotham- putting thugs in their rightful place. Bruce felt the Batman was no longer needed. To Bruce, Gotham needs a true hero, one with a face its citizens can look up to. Batman may be the hero Gotham deserves, but he's not the one it needs. Bruce knew this- he knew a guy like Harvey Dent could be Gotham's white knight. Bruce began funding Dent, supporting his efforts as DA. All the while knowing that the woman he loved, Rachel, began a relationship with Dent, Bruce still showed his support, vocally and financially. Bruce began to think that may be with the streets clean, he could retire the Batman for good, and possibly cling to the chance of a life with Rachel. That was until a certain criminal had other 'plans.'
That certain criminal would leave his mark on Gotham for quite some time. It started rather small- petty criminal jobs. Then it began to escalate to more severe crimes. Cops were being murdered in the streets. The district judges and attorneys were being targeted. And it was all the doing of a criminal that would be known simply as- The Joker. Not much was known about the Joker other than the crimes he had committed. Bruce had been debating whether or not to get the Batman involved. He figured it would be better off that the police handle it. But the cop killings, the targetting of the district officials- it was all too much to ignore. And then the Joker changed the game.
"See! This is how CRAZY Batman's made Gotham!" The image of the Joker burned on the televisions all over Gotham, looking ever-so menacing as he spoke. "If you want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word," uttered the Joker, laughing as he finished. It was very clear to Bruce then, The Batman had to be uncovered for the sake of the people of Gotham. Under the dark of night and glow of the Bat symbol, Batman, Lt. Gordon, and Harvey Dent convened atop the GCPD, in secret. They devised a ruse to capture the Joker.
The following morning, the Batman was taken into custody by the GCPD- only Harvey Dent had declared himself to be the Dark Knight, not Bruce. The Joker took notice of this, as the arrest was made public to the people of Gotham. Joker staged an attack on a transport convoy that was carrying Dent across Gotham. Assuming that Dent was Batman, Joker assaulted the convoy by surprise in the Narrows. Had it not been for the appearance of the real Batman, the Joker might have delivered an RPG round to the truck transporting Dent. Batman intercepted the round with the Tumbler, mid-air, saving Dent's life. Joker continued to pursue Dent, in an effort to afflict chaos. Batman intercepted him once more, only this time with the Batpod. The Tumbler sustained too much damage from the RPG round it was impacted with. Batman was forced to deploy an emergency fail-safe and eject a portion of the Tumbler. That portion of the Tumbler resembles a motorcycle, thus the Batpod was born. With the Batpod, Batman intercepted Joker once more admist downtown Gotham in an epic event resulting in the vertical flipping of the semi-truck the Joker was driving. Having been jarred and shaken, Joker rolled out of the cab and onto the street. This would culminate in another dramatic event in the middle of the street. Armed with a sub-machine gun, the Joker blasted away the oncoming traffic, clearing a path for The Batman. Batman charged forward on the Batpod, straight toward the Joker. Bruce knew within himself, he couldn't hit the Joker. It was what the Joker wanted, he himself knew Batman's inner-struggle. Bruce was no executioner- he didn't kill, but he knew the chaos that the Joker put Rachel and the people of Gotham threw. Joker nearly killed Rachel in an attempt to find Dent previously, Batman had to leap from his apartment loft window to save Rachel from a plummet to her death, thrown by the Joker. Bruce already had a hate building for this man. This inner-struggle brewed inside him as he dashed toward the Joker on the Batpod at a high-rate of speed. "C'mon.. I want ya to do it.. I want ya to do it.. C'MON! HIT ME!" yelled the Joker at Batman. Conflicted, Bruce roared at the top of his lungs, as he pulled the Batpod to its side, crashing and sliding down the street, avoiding a collision and murder of the Joker. Unconcious as Batman laid on the street, Joker took his knife and was about to confront Batman. That was before Gordon appeared with a gun drawn, arresting the Joker. All this time, Gordon had been considered dead- shot by the same man he just arrested. But it was all a ruse, a plan to thwart the Joker's efforts and bring him to justice. The Joker was captured; it all appeared to be over. That was until Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes went missing the night of the Joker's capture.
Gordon was promoted to Commissioner for his efforts in apprehending the Joker, but with Dent and Dawes now missing, that seemed little of importance. Batman confronted the Joker whilst in custody at the GCPD, hoping to learn the whereabouts of Rachel and Harvey. After a physical interrogation, Batman was able to uncover the whereabouts of the two missing DAs. However, it wasn't until it was too late that Batman discovered Joker had given him the opposite locations. Joker knew Bruce would go after Rachel, so he gave him Dent's location. Gordon and the GCPD were sent to Rachel's location, but it was too late. The two timebombs the Joker wired to each hostage, detonated simultaneously. Batman had gotten Harvey out just in time, as the Joker expected, but as for Rachel, she wasn't as fortunate. Harvey would also be scarred in the process, having fell in the gas and caught by the flames of the explosion.
Bruce was distraught after that night. The childhood friend and love of his life dead at the hands of a madman; Gotham's white knight heavily scarred in the process. And worst of all, the Joker had escaped the GCPD during the rescue of Dent and Rachel. With Gotham General Hospital now being threatened by the Joker, Gotham seemed to be in utter turmoil. One patient of Gotham General at this time, was Harvey Dent. Bed-ridden after sustaining those severe burns courtesy of the Joker's trap, Dent was helpless to the Joker's persuasion. Joker sent Dent off the deep end, telling him to "unleash a little anarchy." Joker had twisted his mind; Dent was no longer the man Gotham once knew him to be- he was different. Dent was changed, shaped into an agent of chaos by the Joker; Dent was now Two-Face.
With the hospital destroyed, Gotham was now in a downward spiral of chaos, as it was being toyed with by the Joker. Gotham was now the Joker's sick playground. And there was only one person that could put an end to the whole thing- The Batman. In an epic battle atop a partially-constructed building, Batman defeated The Joker, capturing him and sparring two cruise ships full of Gotham's citizens and inmates in the process. Batman had put an end to the Joker's reign of terror in Gotham, but Joker would, as always, have the last laugh. "This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good," exclaimed Batman to the Joker. To which the Joker replied, "Until their spirit breaks completely. Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and all the heroic things he's done. You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fistfight with you? No.. You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey." "What did you do?" demanded Batman. The Joker replied, "I took Gotham's white knight.. and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little PUSH!" The Joker laughed hysterically as Batman darted off, leaving the GCPD to take him into custody.
Dent had taken Gordon and his family prisoner in the meantime. Held hostage at gunpoint, Dent had gone off the deep end. Using the now scarred double-sided coin of his father's, Dent was going to let chance decide Gordon and his family's fate. Taking Gordon's son by the hand, he pulled him aside and pointed a loaded .38 towards his head. Taking the double-sided coin, Harvey intended to use it to determine whether to let Gordon's son live or shoot him right there. Dent had lost it, having been pushed to insanity- courtesy of Joker's twisted ideals and the loss of his love, Rachel. He intended to serve his twisted justice on Gordon's son, as penance for Gordon destroying his life. "Harvey!! I'm sorry!!! For everything!" exclaimed Gordon, pleading for his son's life. Dent shot Gordon a twisted smile before tossing the two-sided coin into the air, ultimately deciding Gordon's son's fate, as Gordon's wife screamed in despair. Before the coin could return to Dent's hand, he was intercepted in a flash of black. Batman had found their location, and just in time to spare Gordon's son. Tackling Dent head on, Batman fell from the edge of the parking structure from which they stood. Dent fell to the concrete below, and ultimately to his death. Batman clinged to the edge of the building with one hand. He held on for as long as he could, until he too fell from the parking structure to the concrete below. Thanks to his armored suit, Bruce survived the fall, unlike Dent who wore only his half-torched business suit. Batman slowly stood to his feet above Dent's half-scarred body. Gordon followed down to check on Batman. It was then that a revelation had to be made, based on the events that have transpired- for the betterment of Gotham.
TBC in future RP.
