How did Bruce Wayne become Batman?

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Batman Heath Ledger (seated) as the Joker and Christian Bale as Batman in *The Dark Knight* (2008).

Bruce Wayne became Batman following the tragic murder of his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. While the family was leaving a movie theater in Gotham City, a gunman robbed and killed them as a young Bruce watched.

Deeply affected by this trauma, Bruce dedicated his life to avenging their deaths by warring on all criminals. He spent years training his mind and body to perfection, utilizing his inherited wealth to develop his crime-fighting persona. After contemplating a disguise that would strike fear into lawbreakers, he chose the image of a bat—inspired by one flying through an open window—to become the Batman.1