The Batcave is indeed an amazing place. What is more amazing is the fact that Batman has been able to keep its location a secret for all these years. We know that the cave has always been there geographically but Batman had to bring in all his equipment and set everything up to meet all of his needs. We have to have some suspension of disbelief when it comes to characters having superpowers. Are we also supposed to have that same train of thought when it comes to creating and keeping the Batcave a secret?
== TEASER ==
Vision
When Bruce decided to become a crimefighter, he most likely recalled the time of his youth when he first discovered the caves beneath the Manor. Did Bruce have any assistance, besides Alfred, in setting everything up? You have to give him credit for having such a grand sense of vision to see his future high tech base in the dank and dark caves.Power
Most likely the first thing he would have to do is set up some form of power. I would assume he uses several generators rather than hook up to the same power grid that Wayne Manor is using. Running all the lights and Bat-computers would use a lot of electricity and it would even be hard for an eccentric billionaire to explain the power usage to the electric company. With several generators, he would then have to ensure the entire cave had proper wiring. The last thing he would want to do is have to search for an outlet or extension cord when trying to hook up another crime solving gadget.
Moving Day
What about the actual equipment in the cave? How did he bring in everything? There was a depiction of Bruce and Dick moving the giant penny in the back of a truck. With the Batmobile having access to a nearby road, we know he as to be able to use that same exit/entrance to bring in any equipment or computers he incorporates into the set up.Equipment
Where does he actually get all of his equipment and supplies? Bruce couldn't simply go to an Apple store to buy the latest computer to convert into the Bat-computer. Did he go to Radio Shack and buy out the store's inventory? Did he design everything himself? Batman is a highly intelligent man. Yes he spent the years after his parents' death training himself in every form but did that include studying every form of technology? He may have had Wayne Enterprises design some of his equipment (as seen in the movies) but that would involve a lot of paperwork and some tricky maneuvering to make sure no one caught on. Even after Cataclysm, Batman had to rebuild portions of the cave. Was this all hidden in the paperwork for repairing any damages to Wayne Manor?
Geological Records
You would think there would be some sort of geological records of the land around Wayne Manor. After all, if frontiersman Jeremy Coe knew about the cave (as shown way back in Detective Comics #205). Are there records of the caves beneath? People would have to know what the geography around Gotham City is like. There has always been suspicion that Batman would have to be a rich man to have all his gadgets. People would have to wonder where he actually kept everything. If people knew that there was a huge system of caves underneath the home of Gotham's richest man, it wouldn't take long to put two and two together. Unless Bruce Wayne manage to buy out any geological records.
Loose Lips Sink Ships
The biggest concern would be entrusting others with the secret. Batman trusts very few individuals. There aren't many people that take the war on crime as serious as he does. He most likely has every form of security and detection available to ensure he is not being followed by individuals or by electronic means. How many times has Spider-Man discovered the villains' hideout by simply planting a Spider-Tracer on them? That wouldn't work with Batman but would someone like...Stephanie Brown be as careful as Batman? He also has to make sure he doesn't piss off anyone that knows the secret. What about the hordes of assassins employed by Ra's al Ghul? Do they all sign a confidentiality agreement when working for the League of Assassins? Has there every been a member that manage to quit? What's to stop them or any other person that knows the location from spreading the word? Besides Ra's ah Ghul, other villains such as Bane and David Cain also know about the cave. Batman is lucky that he has noble enemies that won't spill his secrets or use them against him.Batman is lucky in several ways. He has a super-cool hangout and he is able to prevent the world from discovering it. Batman is a smart guy and the cave has the utmost means of security measures. Perhaps Batman has also made arrangements with someone like Zatanna to set up some magical defenses as well. Let's hope he continues to manage keeping the Batcave a secret from everyone.
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