were can i start i loved the show when i was little i got some comics but i dont think i got the right ones its all about bruce wayne i wanna learn who he is why everyone says he is a play boy is he crazy does he use women to cover that he is batman does bruce pay women to be with him is he gay what is bruces personality is alferd the only person bruce opens up too i wanna all i can about bruce.

I would check out the following books:

• The Essential Batman Encyclopedia
• Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight
• Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul
• Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight

haha i know he is batman i mean who is he as a person does he use women to hide his idenity as batman you get me like who is he in the inside like his personality.

Well, I'll answer a couple things from your OP off the top of my head... no, Bruce is not gay. A lot of people have speculated on it, but there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that. And I don't think he pays women to be with him... being against corruption and such, I doubt he'd be okay with prostitution (although it could be argued he probably isn't having sex with most of the women, but the basic idea still applies). Women tend to cling to Bruce Wayne because he is rich, all he has to do to get them to stick around is be mildly charming/amusing... and yes, for the most part it is just part of his cover as Bruce Wayne, adding to the illusion that he's nothing more than a playboy. He has had serious relationships though, a lot of them in fact. They just don't usually end well.

Alfred is pretty much the only person he opens up to... on rare occasions he's opened up to others, but Alfred is really his biggest confident.

@moneyshotz said:

were can i start i loved the show when i was little i got some comics but i dont think i got the right ones its all about bruce wayne i wanna learn who he is why everyone says he is a play boy is he crazy does he use women to cover that he is batman does bruce pay women to be with him is he gay what is bruces personality is alferd the only person bruce opens up too i wanna all i can about bruce.

Playboy means that he is good looking, wealthy, and generally has a woman around him in public.

Yes Bruce uses women as a cover in so much as it bolsters the image of someone that probably doesn't have the time or intelligence to be Batman

Bruce does not pay women to be with him, though he has paid women to act/put on a show drunk or whatever in his manor when he is investigated, but other than that no.

No Bruce is not gay.

Bruce's personality sensitive and caring, but willing to do what is necessary to protect those around him. He is often awkward around people when he is in his own personality and not acting a role such as the public Playboy Persona, or the Batman persona. Bruce has thought many things through and because of this his actions seem cold when he does what needs to be done seemingly without any thought to the feelings of others. He is awkward due to simply not living a normal life in anyway and as such can't easily relate with others.

No Alfred is not the only one he opens up to. Who he does open up to is different based on what cannon you're looking at. Barbara Gordon, Jame Gordon at times, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Zatanna, Superman, Wonder Woman, Selina Kyle, Talie Al Ghul. There are also a few women out there that he has opened up to.

It also the case that he genuinely cares and has a non-hero/villain relationship with I think all his prominent female villains. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

If you want to know where to learn about Bruce read the comics and don't read what the schmuck hacks that are only out for a buck write

now those are some answers good points so we all agree bruce wayne fakes being a womanizer and is really a insane person dressing up as a bat to revenge his parents. dont get me wrong i love batman just stating in are reality what he is. but how is bruce akward or antisocial if he partys all the time and hits on random girls see my opinnion on bruce as a kid and in the comics are two differnt bruce waynes in the comics he becomes dark after he couldnt save jason todd and barb gets her self parylized and to top it off he gets his back broke by bane. is joker anymore nuts then bruce.

how is bruce awkward i just wanted to understand how he fakes being a playboy.

@The Stegman said:

@moneyshotz: Who is he? are you sure you want to know? The story of his life is not for the feint of heart. If someone told you he was just the average billionaire playboy philanthropist without a care in the world, someone lied....

Not sure if I should groan for the spider-man ref or lol...

@moneyshotz said:

how is bruce awkward i just wanted to understand how he fakes being a playboy.

In the rare moments where he has free time, he makes public appearences as Bruce Wayne with various attractive women in toe. Had it been the real world, it'd be safe to assume that he's a lady's man. He also pretends to consume copious amounts of alcohol in public, although in actuality Batman doesn't drink (Nightwing #143?), Bruce Wayne occassionaly appears intoxicated (Catwoman issue 2). Him being percieved as an airhead is mostly false, however. Bruce takes an active stance in philantropy and benefiting the branches of Gotham that Batman can't reach.

Honestly, the best thing I can recommend for you is to pick up and read. You can hear people talk about someone as much as you like, and get an idea of who they are, but you never really know someone until you actually meet them, right? The same principal applies here.

Now, the problem with comics is that for every great, well thought out and well written comic out there, there are two half-assed ones written by a burnt out writer just looking to make a buck. That's where research comes in. You need to find out which stories are worth reading, and which aren't. And when you actually see Bruce in action, you'll be able to understand him in a way you aren't going to get from just asking us to describe him. People on this site would be happy to recommend which comics to read... hell, there are probably a dozen threads on it already.

As stated above, Batman is really one of the most complex and interesting characters ever created. Not just in comics, but in anything. There have been entire books written about his personality! I'm not kidding when I say I'm planning to write a term paper on him. He's fascinating.

@The Stegman said:

@moneyshotz: Who is he? are you sure you want to know? The story of his life is not for the feint of heart. If someone told you he was just the average billionaire playboy philanthropist without a care in the world, someone lied....

lols

@moneyshotz said:

now those are some answers good points so we all agree bruce wayne fakes being a womanizer and is really a insane person dressing up as a bat to revenge his parents. dont get me wrong i love batman just stating in are reality what he is. but how is bruce akward or antisocial if he partys all the time and hits on random girls see my opinnion on bruce as a kid and in the comics are two differnt bruce waynes in the comics he becomes dark after he couldnt save jason todd and barb gets her self parylized and to top it off he gets his back broke by bane. is joker anymore nuts then bruce.

He is not a Womanizer. That is something different. A womanizer is more a guy who sleeps with a lot of women, but he degrades them. Playboys are charmers and aren't chauvinistic.

Bruce is not insane. No more so that anyone who sets a goal and sets about trying to achieve it with full focus. Everyone has some sort of pathology or an inkling of one or multiple pathologies. I would argue that to be an artist you have to have a small bit of OCD for example, but just because you have a bit of a pathology does not make you insane. To be considered insane you have to have to meet a certain number of criteria which Bruce might meet if you only consider what he does from the perspective of whether you should do it. The best answer to why he isn't insane is the reason why he gives a number of places as to why he doesn't like vigilantes, heroes, or whatever else you want to call them. Others don't have the training or the ability to do what he does and they are putting themselves and others in danger when they attempt to do things which can screw up those who are trained as well.

Bruce's motivation has never been to avenge or get revenge for his parents. That is another myth that people who don't read the comics hold. His motivation for doing what he does is to try to make it so noone has to go through what he had to go through. His parents' murder was the trigger, but is not the motivation.

What a lot of people don't get is, like I've stated previously elsewhere on this forum, the idea that Bruce or Batman is a mask is wrong. They are both personas that are put forth by Bruce to serve his purpose. Neither are "Bruce Wayne." The best way to explain how Bruce is awkward, not anti-social, while not seemingly awkward is basically that he is playing a role and there are many people that can bury themselves in a role, letting the role completely change who they are. Bruce the playboy persona isn't awkward, but Bruce the person is. The hard part of explanation is that you have to be able to put yourself in a different mind frame to see it because you can only get this Bruce hen he is deal with the Batfamily and that is always extreme circumstances. If you can take those extreme events and put them in the context of normal life Bruce is almost always in the place of having to explain why he did something which seems perfectly normal and logical for him, even to people who know and understand him to a degree. There is an excellent story that shows this awkwardness if you can see it in Gotham Central (i think) where an officer pointed a gun at Bruce, who instantly took her gun away. Only after talking to Robin and having him speak to Bruce was the gun returned, but not face to face. He left the gun so she'd find it. This seems all typical Batman, but he usually like to confront and tell the officers directly. If you put into play other actors you'd get a scene where Batman want's to apologize, and talk to her, but doesn't know how or what he should do because of his disposition and his persona. Robin however was perfectly comfortable in the situation. Maybe it is just how I read it, but even if you consider that there just isn't any way that someone like Bruce wouldn't feel awkward.

Batman has had a consistent evolution for the last 20 some years after Crisis on Infinite Earths in '86 I believe? There is a continuation of who he was at that point up until Flashpoint and to understand who he is you really do need to read through a good amount of the Batman universe of titles. For a time he did get incredibly dark, like one would expect having gone through some dark times, but he comes out of it for equally natural and logical reasons. The reason you might not see the continuation is due to your exposure to a source that is removed from and is very much only a surface interpretations of Batman and lack of exposure to the primary source. It also doesn't help that a lot of people have a misunderstanding of what happened in some books and are bad readers and then there are just bad writer and bad editors. One example of this is just how "bad ass" Bane is and that he "Beat the Bat." For anyone that reads the comics they will have noted that Bruce was exhausted and sick for a long time before Bane ever entered the scene. He was pushing people away further and further and pushing himself hard and harder, even having to see a doctor several times about it, at the time which lead to him pushing far too hard during those events which ultimately lead to his body failing him. Bane's plan had happened before so he wasn't particularly clever, especially since he did it anyways when he would have known it wouldn't have born fruit. What Bane did is essentially claim that he was the greatest because he took down someone that anyone could have taken down at the time. Most people will tell you Bane is this bad ass intelligent character when he really isn't if you were paying attention to the comics.

Joker has been argued to be "super-sane" and in that context one could argue that his perceived insanity is null due to that, but let's not go there. Joker fits the criteria for being insane. His pathology has tipped over the edge and has made him become a detriment to himself and others, though some can argue, not so much considering he lives better now than he did before he was joker so it could be argued that since it works he's not so much insane, but has a different philosophical point of view. These points are somewhat true but the fact is, regardless of those arguments, he does have a Compulsion disorder that makes him act as an anti-Batman. The stated philosophies of Joker in the Nolan movies are accurate to the Joker character, but that isn't all he is. In The Killing Joke we're given an insight into Joker's mind. He recognizes he has a problem. He is sad that he can't be part of the real world, and while he does want help, he has been betrayed by the world once too many times and is afraid that if he does take that step, gives over that trust, it won't matter and the world will turn off the Flashlight on him and that he simply does not want to go through.

If you really want to know everything about Bruce Wayne then read the stories. That is how you learn what Bruce does and, more importantly, why he does it. Otherwise you will only get the opinions of others who have read them. One of the greatest parts of Batman/Bruce is that the reader could have the same opinion of him that Joker has, or he can be as respected by the reader as Robin respects him. It's all up to you. So go out and by the books

Bruce is everything you want to be done better

@moneyshotz: Please respond on the board instead of posting on my wall and PMing me when it should go here. I will respond so you don't need to get my attention in other ways and if I simply respond via that way you won't get as good as information because other people can't chime in.

The problem with asking what are some the good spots to find out about Bruce Wayne is that there aren't any books that focus on Bruce as Bruce. You have to read into his actions and be able to distinguish between when he is putting on a Persona, playing a role, and you are seeing the person, which really, is what you have to do with all super-heroes and to some degree all people. It bothers me that this fundamental thing seems to be so overlooked so much by people and it makes me wonder if there is any hope for people when this lack of ability to read into a person's character is so lacking or ignored because it means that many people are unable to see others as anything more than 1 dimensional characters that are simply good or evil or right or wrong rather than being in some ways right and in other way wrong.

If you want to see a scene where Bruce can be clearly seen rather than Batman or Playboy, pick up the last arc of Detective Comics and find the scenes where Bruce talks to the victim girl of Scarecrows tortures as Batman. That is Bruce there, not Batman and not Playboy. In Officer Down when Batman speaks to Gordon who is unconscious is another scene. In HUSH where Batman nearly kills Joker and is stopped by Gordon. In The Killing Joke where Batman laughs with the Joker at the end. In Road to No Man's Land before Bruce returns to Gotham and after he's been told no by the government. There are plenty more obviously but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

@moneyshotz: im sorry i wanted to pm ot but on this laptop the pm systme isnt working yeah i have the killing joke thats the thing i got comic books about 20 or 30 and i have the killing joke i just dont understand bruce wayne when i was little i idolized him looked up to him always wanted to be like him i was young so i saw it a differnt way i thought he was a good guy happy with his life living in a hell hole town saving people i always loved on the animated series how he would always be confident in everything he did like he was cocky but in a im a genious way what i never understood was the voice of batman should say he was bruce wayne lol.it wasnt til rip i considered batman to be loony or crazy but alot lead up to that in year one is why i asked does bruce use girls to be around him or to get him out of trouble i think its cool how when i was little and now i see two differnt bruce's the one i see now is depressed sad no social life he fakes being happy he is sad the only family he has is alferd and he strives to protect gotham but i also see him as crazy ever since i read r.i.p.

you replied to me in PM again v.v so I'm posting it here. I know you don't mean to do this or misunderstood what I said so no harm. I have nothing better to do anyways right now.

I understand the point of view you are talking about, but I have always stood by this, "I have no heroes, only people that I wish to be better than." I understand where you are coming from too. I probably knew a lot less than most people here 2 years ago, but then I sat down, collected all the Batman titles I could get my hands on (which happens to be all of them thanks to piracy) and read them all. When I was young didn't have anywhere near the insight into Bruce Wayne and I had no idea who many of the characters I love now were, and some who have now been left in limbo thanks to stupid editors.

Your perception of Batman is not altogether wrong, but shallow. This is not altogether bad, considering many people are shallow and never realize it, and you were a kid after all ^.^ Some things to understand about Batman...

Batman is a Skeptic. This means he doubts everything. Rethinks every last decision he made over and over before he acts and after he acts he questions whether what he did was right. And if he finds himself to be in error he corrects himself and moves on, but there is always a chance of being wrong. Every true skeptic accept this fact and as such we find ourselves either having to wallow in fear of being wrong or simply moving on and trying to be better. Bruce takes the latter mentality recognizing that he could not have made a better decision given all of his information. That's looking back and moving forward, but there is a middle piece

Bruce trusts his training. This is core in ever discipline on earth. We spend thousands of hours doing training and preparing and doing things. At some point there is too little time to think and thus you must react. It is here where the training kicks in, and is why Dick Grayson operates the way he does as well. You have to stop thinking and simply let your training take over believe what you prepared for is good enough to handle the situation. If you don't do this your reaction will be slower and your movement less precise. This is true of EVERY skill. It gives an air of confidence, not because they are confident, but because the best bet in doing your best in anything is to just trust what you've learned even if you have doubts.

You are also confusing "Happy" and "Content." If Bruce was unhappy with his life, the life he constructed, the life he can give up at any time, the life that he fought for, the life that he built and methodically created from a very young age, he would simply stop. He is however not content with the way the world is. Again, if he was content, as if when anyone is content, they would stop doing things to improve it.

You are mistaking Cocky and Arrogance with knowledge, bemusement, and confidence. I don't know how many people have ever had this feeling. There are a few people I know have, but when Bruce cracks a smile and chuckles at villains, it is not him being cocky it is this inexplicable reaction to knowing and understanding things to such an extent that certain other things seem silly. A number of atheists have this reaction when they suddenly stop believing in a god because it is a model who's final piece has suddenly been placed and has come to the surface opening your eyes to many things that before you just would have ignored or that you felt was normal. This new perception fills one with awe, makes things seem silly, and at the same time makes one feel sad. This the type of laugh that Batman is having when he laughs at a criminal. It is a laugh of bemusement but also of deep sadness.

Batman RIP... what you have to realize is that he was on drugs and fighting back psychologically. The psycho-batman that appeared was a protective secondary psyche that wasn't him being "insane" but a program designed to confuse others and help him fight back. In other words it was designed to look crazy while all the while being completely logical and following a set of parameters that only someone who knew the keys or could figure them out could break through.

Bruce has a social life, even more of one now with Batman Inc. I think the regression with flashpoint did hurt him, but you are thinking that Bruce only has Alfred. That is far from the truth. Granted he can only be truly social with only a small group of people, but let's be honest, most of us put on more personas than Bruce does and have fewer close friends. Most people will never know a love like Bruce has for Selina, a father like Alfred or Gordon, a best friend like Tim, Superman, or Barbara Gordon, sons like Dick, Jason, or Damian. These are all people that love each other truely. They chose each other as family. It wasn't thrust upon them. They trust each, respect, and love each other more than most peoples' blood family or the people they call family. Even the villains of Batman's can be said to have better relationships with Bruce than many family and friends. The truth is if you are looking at "social life" Bruce has it better than most of us and most invented characters. He's not "lonely" as many seem to think. He's the least "lonely" and most caring of any of the heroes in DC. The fact that he cares so much is the reason he pushes others away at time which gives people that impression.

If you are looking for Bruce Wayne or Batman, the made up personas to have friends...why? They aren't real. They are masks for a purpose and any relationship he has as them alone is a false one.

Bruce Wayne is my god, period.