Bruce Wayne (The Dark Knight Returns)

Bruce Wayne


Alias(es)	Batman The Dark Knight The Caped Crusader
Appeared in	The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 The Dark Knight Returns Part 2
Status	Alive
Actor	Peter Weller

Bruce Wayne retired from his life as Batman after the murder of his sidekick, Robin. He was forced to come out of retirement to fight a street gang called the Mutants.

Biography[]

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1[]

After the second Robin, Jason Todd was murdered, Bruce Wayne retired from being Batman and chose to live a regular life.

Ten years later, a 55 year old Bruce Wayne tried to get his thrills in other ways such as Formula racing, driving a black car. He took the lead with ease but pushed the car too far and wound up flipping, escaping with a few minor burns.

Bruce met up with Jim Gordon on the ten year anniversary of the last sighting of Batman and refused to toast him over the fact that the 70 year old was soon to join him in retirement. Bruce drinks to help him cope with staying in retirement and Gordon told him that it was for the best because the government and people wouldn't put up with what he did anymore.

Bruce left the bar and walked the streets of Gotham, he was triggered by a newspaper article that reminded him of the death of his parents. He was approached by Aces and Billy, two members of the Mutants street gang. Bruce was ready to fight and even pushed them to try and attack him but Billy was put off, claiming it wasn't fun if the victim was into it.

That night, Bruce had a nightmare, remembering when he fell into the Batcave as a child. He went down to the Batcave where everything was covered up and pulled back the sheet covering Jason Todd's Robin suit. Alfred told him that he had set off the alarm and Bruce told him he was just reminding himself of a promise he made, to never do it again.

After Harvey Dent went missing, Bruce watched the news about his rehabilitation and subsequent disappearance, reports stated that Bruce declined to comment on the disappearance after days earlier telling Gotham they needed to give Harvey a chance. He heard the report that the Mutants had killed a young child and, angered, changed the channel. The Mask of Zorro was on the channel and triggered Bruce into remembering his childhood trauma - the death of his mother and father.

His PTSD made Bruce take up the mantle of Batman so he could deal with the excessive amounts of crime in Gotham. He took to the streets as Batman and stopped robbers and muggers with brute force. He chased after and incapacitated a group of robbers who robbed a bank, a rookie police officer tried to apprehend him but Batman saved him as Femur shot at him instead. He attacked Femur with excessive force and searched his pockets finding a coin that had been scratched on both sides, he told the police that he needed to speak to Gordon.

Alfred gave Bruce physio to help with the pain from throwing himself back into being Batman. The phone rang and Commissioner Gordon told Bruce that Femur had been released. Alfred handed Bruce the batsuit so that he could go interrogate Femur about who hired him and where he got the scratched coin from. After Femur spilt all he knew, Batman followed the batsignal and met with Jim Gordon. They discussed what they had learnt and deduced that Two-Face was planning on blowing up the Gotham Life Building.

Batman apprehended Two-Face and his men, easily dispatching the gang and then discovering that the timer on the bomb was already active meaning that Two-Face was hoping to die in the explosion. Batman rescued Two-Face by pulling him from the helicopter moments before it exploded and then catching him as he plummeted to his death. Batman and Harvey talked about how he believed his facial was all some big joke to humiliate him and claimed he couldn't be fixed, no one could change who he was, a sentiment that Bruce agreed with.

After Kevin Ridley was kidnapped by some Mutants, Batman rescued him, brutally dispatching the Mutant gang members who had kidnapped him. He suspended lead kidnapper by his ankles from the top of a skyscraper and demanded to know where he got his arsenal of weapons. He paid General Briggs a visit and then took the war to the Mutants.

Batman interrupted the Mutant Gangs' meeting with the Batmobile where he incapacitated the Mutant Gang with rubber bullets. The Mutant Leader taunted him and, despite Alfred's warnings, Batman got out to fight the Mutant Leader in one-on-one hand-to-hand combat. The fight was brutal and aggressive. Batman took a bad beating, the Mutant Leader got the upper hand and started beating Batman with a crow bar until Carrie Kelley intervened giving Batman enough time to throw a sticky substance in the Mutant Leader's face, cutting off the air so he passed out. Batman himself then collapsed from the beating.

Carrie helped Batman back to the Batmobile and it drove them back to the Batcave where Bruce and Alfred treated his injuries whilst Carrie had a look around. Alfred tried to talk Bruce out of continuing his fight with the Mutants and especially taking on another Robin after what happened with Jason. Bruce refused to listen and gave Carrie a job to do. He escorted her, dressed as a Mutant, to the Arcade.

After luring all the Mutants to the pipe, Batman sent Robin home and let the Mutant Leader escape from custody. He fought the Mutant Leader in the mud, using it to slow his opponent down. He eventually got the upperhand and defeated the leader in front of the Mutants. Demoralised the remaining Mutants were either arrested or split off into smaller gangs.

Bruce was happy with the outcome and told Jim Gordon that he would deal with the Mutant splinter gangs to which Gordon replied he'd have to do it alone.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2[]

After The Joker's scheduled appearance on the David Endochrine Show, Batman disguised himself as an old lady and interrupted a liquor store robbery by the gang known as the Brunos. He took out the two henchmen and then pursued their leader, Bruno, who had fled. Following her to an abandoned house, where she had been lured by Robin, Batman and Bruno fought until Superman intervened and secured Bruno to the wall with some bent metal pipes. Batman knocked Bruno unconscious and told Superman to meet at his place in the morning.

Clark Kent met Bruce and they spoke, Clark tried to convince Bruce to step down before someone gave him the order to shut down his operation. Bruce remained stubborn, stuck his ground and refused.

On the night of the Joker's interview on The David Endochrine Show, Batman didn't trust Joker and flew the Batcopter to the building, the GCPD were already waiting. Batman glided down to the roof and stopped them from interfering by fighting his way through the officers. He used smoke bombs to cloak himself but Yindel called in a chopper to clear the smoke. The police began to shoot at him but he avoided their fire.

Batman and the police continued to fight whilst the Joker killed everyone in the studio. Robin decloaked the Batcopter and Batman jumped on board. Robin told him what the Joker had done and they returned to the Batcave.

Bruce watched on the news as Congressman Hector Noches demanded a nuclear strike upon the Corto Maltese. He suited up as Batman and went with Robin to the Gotham Vista Hotel where he disguised himself as Lt. O'Halloran from the 6th precinct and got information from Yindel. He then fled and drove with Robin to Kyle Escorts. He found Selina Kyle dressed as Wonder Woman and tied up on a bed. He quickly freed her and she warned him that the Joker was worse than ever. Robin found a clue which lead Batman to surmise that the Joker was planning something at the funfair. The police arrived so Batman and Robin fled. Robin nearly fell but grabbed a hold of Batman's cape who then hauled her up and held her tight.

Batman and Robin arrived at the funfair where they spotted Joker handing out free cotton candy. Joker sent Bobby to blow up the glider and then Batman and Joker squared off. Joker took Michelle hostage but Batman threw three batarangs at him and she ran free. Joker fled to a house of mirrors and took another hostage. Batman followed Joker into the house of mirrors and rescued the hostage before engaging in a brutal fight with Joker in which Batman got shot.

Despite the bullet wound, Batman continued to follow the Joker who killed a security guard and took his gun. He went on a rampage killing everyone he happened across in the Tunnel of Love. Batman followed him and fought, Joker managed to stab Batman a few times and Batman was growing weaker. He snapped Joker's neck, enough to paralyze but not kill. Joker then finished himself off, twisting his head and killing himself. Batman sat down next to Joker and blacked out.

When he came to, the police, lead by Yindel, were closing in on him. He used explosives to fight his way out of the tunnel of love but was badly injured. He was rescued by Robin in the Batcopter who lassoed him and flew him away from the funfair and back to the Batcave. Alfred tended his wounds.

Bruce was hooked up to life support in Wayne Manor when the entire city blacked out from the EMP caused by the nuclear explosion including the life support machine and Robin's watch. Bruce woke up and suited up as Batman. He and Robin rode horses into the city.

Once they reached the city, Batman interrupted the Sons of the Batman who had been planning to rule the city and instead rallied them to protect it. They stopped the fighting between civilians and the escaped Mutants.

Oliver Queen visited Bruce at Wayne Manor and arranged to be a part of whatever was about to go down between Bruce and Superman. Bruce trained Carrie to ride a horse when heat vision scorched "Where?" in the ground beside him. Bruce chose Crime Alley and then began to prepare for the fight, getting suited up in some strength enhancing armor.

Batman had the entire encounter planned, missiles hit Superman first and then Robin shot him with the Batmobile. Batman engaged Superman in combat and the pair fought intensely. Bruce gave Oliver the order and Oliver shot an arrow at Superman, the head sprayed Kryptonite into Superman's face and weakened him so that Batman could overpower him. Bruce's heart failed and he collapsed and was supposedly buried.

In reality, Bruce was still alive and training former Mutants and the Sons of the Batman in his ways in a new base that they built under Gotham.