The Batman

|That's.. Not Bruce anymore.

Takes place in Gotham City's alleyway.

Bruce views himself as Gotham City's "judge," "jury," and "executioner," harboring a deep-seated hatred towards those he perceives as criminals. Although he claims to seek "justice" for Gotham, Bruce is hypocritical and delusional, often showing a sadistic nature towards his victims. His sense of superiority over others is evident in his actions and demeanor.

However, Bruce is still portrayed as a tragic figure, never fully recovering from the deaths of his parents and Alfred. This trauma is likely the main catalyst for his descent into madness and his transformation into a feared serial killer in Gotham City. His extremism is driven by a desire to punish those who commit crimes, while he feels a twisted sympathy for the victims of these criminals.

Before the fire incident Before his transformation, Bruce Wayne was a physically average man with black hair who dressed in regular clothes. He led a seemingly normal life, well before the drastic changes that would later define his existence.

Afterwards of the incident Following the catastrophic fire incident, Bruce Wayne's physical appearance changed dramatically. He became progressively skinnier and more malnourished due to years of isolation after his disappearance. His skin turned a ghostly pale, marred by scars, and his eyes became eerily blank and white. He donned his infamous bat suit, complete with cowl, cape, boots, and presumably, bulky armor. According to a recorded tape by James Worthington "Jim" Gordon, Bruce managed to acquire and use a mysterious type of drug, heavily implied to be a modified version of Venom, which enhanced his physical attributes during his years of seclusion. This drug, coupled with his isolation, contributed to his increasingly inhuman appearance, as evidenced by The Joker's drawings.

Backstory: When Bruce Wayne was a child in 1939, his parents were killed in cold blood in front of him by an unknown man. As an adult, Bruce presumably led an average life before the tragic death of his parents, a loss from which he supposedly never fully recovered for year. Before their deaths, it is mentioned that Ted Kord and Jim Gordon were good friends with Bruce and sympathized deeply with his loss. However, it is possible that "Bruce" never reciprocated these feelings and may have even harbored some resentment towards them.

The Bat Incident (1959) During this period, Bruce was not yet known as "the Bat," and it is implied that this marked the first year of his reign of terror. The beginning of the tape describes a man seen on the roof of the Arkham Asylum building, triggering a full lockdown and security breach. Various staff members and inmates reported sightings of a man dressed as a bat, appearing malnourished and muttering about "justice" as he wandered around the facility.

Further reports detailed how this "Bat-Man" was seen crouching in corners before heading to the special containment areas, where four high-profile criminals were held due to their threat levels. Loud screams were heard from these areas, and the mysterious "bat man" was never seen again.

Following this incident, Arkham staff called the police, leading to an investigation. Authorities made a horrifying discovery: three inmates in the special containment area were brutally murdered and mutilated in graphic ways. Patient 0, John Doe, was left untouched but in a worsened mental state. The other victims, Kirk Langstrom, Pamela Isley and Waylon Jones were found in grotesque conditions. Langstrom's arms were amputated, his body impaled by a sharp bat-shaped object, and he appeared to have been beaten to death. Isley had her skin and fiery red hair removed, while Jones was found with his eyes and teeth extracted. Their bodies were aligned together to form the shape of a bat.

John Doe, also known as Patient 0, was left psychologically shattered, continuously muttering about the "bat man" and anxiously drawing pictures of him. Doctors noted that one of the sentences John frequently muttered was how he was ready for when The Batman returns, indicating Bruce's intention to return for him.

John's drawings of The Batman, shown to the police and authorities, were described as hauntingly disturbing. According to reports, the mysterious "bat man" vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there. This incident provided further insight into Bruce's psychotic behavior and sadistic intentions, revealing how he had purposely and viciously traumatized John Doe, leaving him forever scarred and fearful.

Police Tape (1960) In a log by Gotham police chief Jim Gordon, he mentions that, alongside "The Batman", there are other "people in capes and masks", mentioning "The Blue Boy Scout in Metropolis" and "The Fast Guy in Central City" (Jim seeming to be alluding to Superman and the Flash. He also mentions how the attack on Arkham Asylum happened the same day as the Waynes' deaths 21 years ago.

Before Bruce went missing, he was having trouble getting over the loss of his parents, spending a considerable amount of time not eating nor drinking, and having what is described as "crazy ideas of restoring order to Gotham". After that information was released to Gordon, Ted Kord's business headquarters burned down with everyone inside.

Gordon mentions that some people believe Bruce died, or traveled around the world, however, says that he thinks "Bruce" never left to begin with. To top it all off, he says he believes "Bruce" is The Batman. The log is interrupted after saying that, with images of Batman flashing in and out incredibly fast, with the words: "Citizens of Gotham, vengeance is coming." Being uttered by what we can only assume is Batman himself.

GCPD Instructional Presentation 1 (1962) There isn't much to talk about in this entry. In a presentation made by the Gotham City Police Department, they tell citizens what to do if a loved one is missing. At first, the presentation is seemingly normal, giving off basic instructions, such as keeping an eye on them at all times, and locking all doors and windows.

The presentation then takes a turn at the third step, when it says: "Don't let them make contact with The Bat, under any circumstance. It will harm you."

The presentation proceeds to glitch out, along with a loud static noise accompanying it. Afterwards, it comes to a black screen, in which The Bat states: "There is no redemption for the wicked, death is the only way out."

The Truth (1962) The tape starts with an unknown individual revealing that the Batman is or was Bruce Wayne and how he's not supposed to talk about this and has tried to get this everything they can to get this out without getting caught. He states that it's as if the "Bruce" side of him is gone and only the bat remains and describes how despite being skinnier he maintains his strength and agility likely due to some sort of drug.

He then explains that sightings of him have only risen in the last two years with the last incident being a little boy who spotted him in an alley while he was walking home with his friends and took a picture of him. The only upside of to this is that crime rates have dropped.

The unknown individual then shows the proof that Bruce is the Batman including the fact that ever since the 1959 incident at Arkham he has not been seen and an audio recording which is confirmed to be real.

The log then says to not show the recording so it doesn't get found by law enforcement before flashing saying "You shouldn't have found this". The audio recording then states "My name is Bruce Wayne. My father is Thomas Wayne. My mother is Martha Wayne. They were both murdered when I was a child. I am here to confess. If you're listening, my plan has worked. People of Gotham will submit, cause I'm being Gotham's jury, judge and executioner. I am the night. I'm fear."