The Batman Behind the Mask Greetings! Are you here for your meeting with Master Wayne? Unfortunately he is occupied at the moment, so please take a seat and relax. Oh goodness, where are my manners. Would you care for anything to eat or drink? No? Then welcome to the gorgeous Wayne Manor, home of the one and only Bruce Wayne. I am Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth, the valet of Wayne Manor, but you may just call me Alfred (“Alfred Pennyworth”). After a valiant career as an intelligence agent, I was employed at Wayne Manor after poor Thomas and Martha Wayne were brutally murdered, which was seen by young Bruce. “

Thomas and Martha were walking home from the Monarch Theater one night with their son, when they were held at gunpoint by a mugger who demanded the pearl necklace that Martha was wearing. When Dr. Wayne refused to surrender it, both he and Martha were shot dead in the streets” (“Batman – Bruce Wayne”). From here, young Bruce made an oath to protect the city of Gotham, traveling the world to train himself physically and mentally. Now, let me tell you about the “real” Batman; the one behind the mask. After his parents’ death, Bruce began to travel the world at the age of fourteen, not to see the beauty in the world, but to train himself into physical and mental perfection. During this time, Bruce “[learned] and variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, disguise and escape artistry” (“Batman – Bruce Wayne”). Although Bruce had all the tools to fight Gotham, he confided in me that he was still missing something. Bruce finally discovered this one rainy night in this Manor. He recalled his worst fear: bats. He has never told me why exactly, but I have heard rumors that a large bat crashed through his window as a child. “Bats frighten me. It’s time my enemies share my dread,” he informed me after