Batman (Superman/Batman)

Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, is one of the two main protagonists of DC's Superman/Batman comic book series, created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.

In the two animated film adaptations of the Public Enemies and Apocalypse story arcs, he was voiced by the late Kevin Conroy, reprising his iconic role from the DC Animated Universe.

Biography

Early life

Presumedly, Batman lived a much similar life to that of the New Earth incarnation of his comic book counterpart.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Superman and Batman develop their distrust toward Luthor after he has been elected President of United States during a severe nation-wide economic depression.

While breaking into S.T.A.R. Labs seeking information on the meteor, Batman and Superman find Metallo's remains and realize that intense radiation has killed him. An army of villains looking to collect on the bounty then attacks them. The army includes: Silver Banshee, Captain Cold, Icicle, Killer Frost, Mr. Freeze, Gorilla Grodd, Bane, Black Manta, Black Spider, Brimstone, Catman, Cheetah, Copperhead, Deadshot, Eclipso, Kestrel, King Shark, Brutale, Despero, Giganta, Girder, Lady Shiva, Mongul, Captain Boomerang II, Nightshade, Parasite, Solomon Grundy, and Shrike. After some effort, most of the villains are defeated. Captain Atom, who has arrived with Luthor's superhero team to arrest Superman, defeats the remaining villains. All but Power Girl, whose loyalties are divided, attempt to capture the heroic duo. Superman creates a twister using his superspeed, and the two heroes escape with Power Girl.

In Metropolis, Power Girl admits that she feels unnerved by Luthor and does not believe Superman killed Metallo. Luthor's superheroes catch up and the fight begins anew, this time with Power Girl aiding Superman and Batman. The Dark Knight realizes that Major Force killed Metallo under Luthor's orders and goads him into admitting it in front of everyone. In anger, Power Girl punches him in the stomach with so much force that it ruptures his containment suit. Captain Atom, ashamed at his complicity in Luthor's misdeeds, absorbs the energy, disintegrating Major Force and injuring himself in the process.

Meanwhile, Luthor's missiles fail to stop the meteor when the sheer amount of radiation being emitted by it detonates them before impact. Amanda Waller later discovers that Luthor has secretly been taking a serum composed of liquid kryptonite and super steroid Venom since the last days of the presidential election campaign, making him lose whatever rationality he had left. Feeling disillusioned by his failure in destroying the meteor with his missiles, Luthor decides to let the meteor hit the Earth so that he may rule over what remains of society. Batman and Superman attempt to break into Luthor's base of operations to retrieve data on the meteor's radiation. They end up in battle with Captain Marvel and Hawkman, eventually emerging victorious with Power Girl's (off-screen) aid. However, Luthor refuses to relinquish the data, going so far as to erase it from the lab computers. Waller gives them a copy, being disgusted with Luthor's plans. Batman and Superman fly off to Tokyo to deliver the data on the meteor to the Japanese Toyman, who has already built a giant rocket-propelled spacecraft, intending to use it as a large missile to stop the meteor. Waller and the military then attempt to arrest Luthor, but he injects himself with more kryptonite steroid and dons a power suit. After escaping Waller and the military, Luthor follows Superman and Batman overseas.

After Batman and Superman arrive at Toyman's base, he shows them the spacecraft, which resembles a giant, robotic composite version of Superman and Batman. With the data, Toyman is able to calculate the necessary reinforcements needed for his own rocket so it will not explode before impact. Unfortunately, the arriving Luthor neutralizes Power Girl, Superman and Batman, and then disables the rocket's remote guidance systems so that it will not take off by itself. Having no other choice, Batman decides to fly the rocket himself, despite Superman's protests. Though initially faring poorly against Luthor and his kryptonite power suit, the rage over losing his best friend allows Superman to gain the upper hand, and after an aerial chase leading them all the way back to Metropolis, he defeats him in the streets there. Batman succeeds in destroying the meteor, and Superman finds him alive and well in an escape pod.

With the truth of Metallo's death now public knowledge, Superman is cleared of the murder charge and Luthor is arrested and taken away to face trial and impeachment for his crimes. Batman then returns to Gotham while the Daily Planet's star journalist, Lois Lane, arrives and happily embraces the Man of Steel.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Weeks after the events that led to Lex Luthor's arrest, the impeachment of his presidency, and Superman and Batman's success in saving the world from a kryptonite meteor, a spaceship crash-lands in Gotham City Harbor. While Batman investigates the sunken craft, a young girl emerges from the water and accidentally wrecks Batman's boat. She is naked and has no knowledge of Earth languages or customs. On the shore, she encounters three longshoremen, one of whom tries to advance on her. She attacks two of them out of self-defense, while the third one gives her his coat to cover herself. As the girl progresses into the city, she inadvertently wreaks havoc with her strong Kryptonian powers (with Batman in pursuit) until Superman arrives to correct the damage, allowing Batman to eventually expose her to a piece of Kryptonite which weakens and injures her mentally.

With Superman's help, they discover the girl is his cousin Kara Zor-El. She has been in suspended animation for decades due to her rocket crashing off course. This results in Kara being physically younger than her younger cousin. While Superman welcomes Kara, teaches her English, and helps her adjust to Earth's society, Batman remains suspicious even considering the possibility of Kara being an enemy. Kara states that she would never hurt her baby cousin. After which she tells Batman that he doesn't have a heart. Tipped off by Batman, Wonder Woman and Harbinger ambush Kara and Clark Kent in a park and suggest they train Kara at Themyscira, the only place where she can learn how to control her powers. Superman reluctantly agrees to let them train Kara, but still prefers to watch over her himself; however, Batman and Wonder Woman inform Superman to steer clear of Kara, criticizing him of his care for her.

While Kara and Lyla later sneak away for a swim, a horde of Doomsday clones arrives from Apokolips. Superman, Wonder Woman and the Amazonian army fight them until Superman vaporizes them all with his heat vision. Batman, however, guesses the reason for the clones' attack and discovers Kara missing and Lyla dead; a last manifestation of her precognition reveals that the culprit is none other than Darkseid, who ordered a diversion to keep them busy allowing time for Granny to kidnap Kara. After being brought to Apokolips, Darkseid brainwashes her into serving him and she wears a seductive outfit and a sharp hairstyle.

To save Kara, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman recruit Big Barda to help them find their way on Apokolips. There, Superman infiltrates Darkseid's palace while Wonder Woman and Barda go through the sewers directly into the fighting arena, where Granny Goodness and the Female Furies ambush them. After a hard fight, Granny and the Furies are subdued. Separating himself from the others, Batman finds Darkseid's supply of Hell Spores, the source of the fire pits on Apokolips. Superman encounters Darkseid, demanding that Kara is to go back with him. Darkseid says that Kara may leave, if she wants to, but sets Kara on Superman. Kara fights a reluctant Superman while Darkseid watches, until Batman confronts Darkseid and informs him that he has activated the Hell Spores, which will destroy Apokolips. He issues Darkseid an ultimatum: free Kara and promise to leave her alone, and Batman will deactivate the Spores. After managing to subdue Supergirl herself with Kryptonite, Batman goes behind Clark's back to bring Wonder Woman into the fold, encouraging Kara to train on Paradise Island instead.

When Darkseid attacks, Batman realizes only a moment too late that the attack was a diversion, realizing that Darkseid wants Kara for his own army. When the trio make their way to Apokolips to bring her back, Batman confronts Darkseid himself head-on, revealing that he has armed the hellspores in his armory and that he will detonate all of them, destroying Apokolips in the process, if he doesn't promise to never attack Supergirl again. Shocked at his pragmatism, Darkseid agrees, and the trio return to Earth successful.

Having saved her cousin's life and found her place on Earth, Kara decides to use her powers to fight for altruism under the alias of Supergirl, and she is met with applause by Wonder Woman, the Amazons, and finally Batman. Superman and Supergirl fly to Metropolis together.