This question blew my mind....

If Bruce Wayne was the true personality then he would have stopped fighting crime after being stabbed on the street in Year One. Without the obsessive nature of being Batman, it would be too tempting to go live that perfect care free lifestyle that Bruce has the ability to lead.

He may continue to do charity work through the Wayne Foundation, and who knows, he may even adopt a young orphaned trapeze artist. As for the cape and cowl, it would become a distant memory.

@r3d_rob1n said:

If Bruce Wayne was the true personality then he would have stopped fighting crime after being stabbed on the street in Year One. Without the obsessive nature of being Batman, it would be too tempting to go live that perfect care free lifestyle that Bruce has the ability to lead.

He may continue to do charity work through the Wayne Foundation, and who knows, he may even adopt a young orphaned trapeze artist. As for the cape and cowl, it would become a distant memory.

That'd just be hilarious.

It's like, "OK! I just spent my entire childhood obessively training all around the world. Through my own sweat, tears, and more blood then I care to remember, I have reached the pinnacle of physical and mental human ability. It's taken 13 long, grueling years, but now, I am finally ready, to become THE BATMA- MEEP I'VE BEEN STABBED!

F*ck this sh*t I'm done."

lol

Bruce Wayne doesn't have the mental fortitude nor strength of will to continue he would have had a nervous breakdown, heart attack, and fit of insanity all at the same time years ago

@nickzambuto: If i had billions of dollars and hot ladies around the world loved me I'd hang up that cape and hit the beach. Though my love of Batman would probably make me continue fighting crime

That being said he may become a Nightwing like character, much more lighthearted and bantery

@r3d_rob1n said:

@nickzambuto: If i had billions of dollars and hot ladies around the world loved me I'd hang up that cape and hit the beach. Though my love of Batman would probably make me continue fighting crime

If I was Batman I'd still fight crime too.

With the Insider suit of course.

@nickzambuto said:

With the Insider suit of course.

Nothing would be more frightening than a grown man running at you wearing this

@r3d_rob1n said:

@nickzambuto said:

With the Insider suit of course.

Nothing would be more frightening than a grown man running at you wearing this

Where's the bat-nipples?

@nickzambuto: his arms are crossed because he is self-conscious of his bat nips

@cattlebattle said:

This question blew my mind....

Literally, figuratively, or sarcastically? ^_^

id like to think that Batman is Bruce Wayne's truce self manifested. it is like all superheroes. they show a fake version of themselves in public, but when masks come on, they become the best version of themselves. Batman is just Bruce Wayne's best parts manifested, Bruce Wayne isn't a mask in anyway, just a tool for Batman to come out

I don't think we'll ever know. Bruce Wayne never grew up. He died on those streets of Crime Alley the same night his parents did...

Don't be ridiculous. Clark Kent is Batman.

Bruce Wayne wouldnt be able to handle the joker

@nickzambuto said:

@r3d_rob1n said:

If Bruce Wayne was the true personality then he would have stopped fighting crime after being stabbed on the street in Year One. Without the obsessive nature of being Batman, it would be too tempting to go live that perfect care free lifestyle that Bruce has the ability to lead.

He may continue to do charity work through the Wayne Foundation, and who knows, he may even adopt a young orphaned trapeze artist. As for the cape and cowl, it would become a distant memory.

That'd just be hilarious.

It's like, "OK! I just spent my entire childhood obessively training all around the world. Through my own sweat, tears, and more blood then I care to remember, I have reached the pinnacle of physical and mental human ability. It's taken 13 long, grueling years, but now, I am finally ready, to become THE BATMA- MEEP I'VE BEEN STABBED!

F*ck this sh*t I'm done."

lol

i loled

Wait I swear I have seen this before...... oh yes in an episode of The Batman (S3E3) cartoon, when he gets hit on the head and forget he's Batman, so you see the otherwise: A Batman all scared

@sinestro_GL said:

I don't think we'll ever know. Bruce Wayne never grew up. He died on those streets of Crime Alley the same night his parents did...

D': Sound so SAD but truth

@sinestro_GL said:

I don't think we'll ever know. Bruce Wayne never grew up. He died on those streets of Crime Alley the same night his parents did...

this

@Joygirl said:

So, my question is this -- what if the roles were reversed? What if, instead of Batman wearing the mask of Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne wore the cape and cowl and fought crime as the Batman? Would he be a better or worse crimefighter? His intellect would be the same, but would he have the same motivation, the same training? How would his moral code work? Would he kill, lacking the bloodthirst of the Bat that requires him to rein himself in?

Gotham is a dark, very dark, place even for superheroes (or crime-fighters). Gotham is a battleground of keeping your sanity. So I'm just guessing, but I think a millionaire playboy trolling the streets as a caped crusader wouldn't last long. Batman fights criminals because it gives meaning to his life. Heck, it is his life. Without it, he is nobody. But Bruce Wayne, he can live without the persona of Batman prowling in the dark. In my opinion, either of the two will happen:

1. Bruce Wayne moonlighting as Batman will eventually quit because he cannot handle the psychological battle of fighting Gotham's criminals.

2. He'd turn into a nut. He'll be so affected and then he will become Batman and Bruce Wayne will once again become the mask. (did that make sense)

Whoa, nice question there! Made me think.

Spidey out!

he would be able to make if batman were bruce wayne. he never avenge his parents or keep doing his best to maintain order in a chaos society.

man.. threadstarter must be so lonely in real life

bet she has 40 cats

Must... resist... feeding... troll... *bites leather strap*

I've thought about this before.

In theory, Superman is real and Clark Kent is made up. Right? Superman, the little superbaby that showed up, he existed and then his Earth parents found him and gave him a normal life. Superman is real and pretending to be the human Clark Kent is the disguise.

So then it would follow that Bruce Wayne is real and Batman is made up. Bruce Wayne existed, then his parents were killed, then years later, he became Batman. Batman is a disguise used by Bruce Wayne.

The thing is, when you take personalities into account, things do seem to be flipped. Clark Kent and Batman are the dominant personalities. The alien gets to be human because he had a positive up-bringing. The human gets to be.....take your pick of words to describe Batman........because of what happened to him as a child.

There's probably a lot of philosophical and sociological jargon I could have used but I don't know anything about either of those fields.

I think Bruce would switch his crime-fighting operandi. Something safer...like making suits out of titanium alloys, and letting the suit do all the dirty work.

Gordon is Batman, i and a hobo seee him gettin out of the Batmobile.

Still don't really understand the question.

I guess then Bruce could give up Being Batman where as Batman at the moment is addicted to being Batman.

wow... just wow...

best answer i can think of... he'd upgrade his suit into a mecha... he doesn't need to be in the suit. and yes... he'll do it for chicks and the fame... he'lll reveal he's iron ma... what? tony stark is a a carbon copy of bruce wayne?

If he was "Bruce Wayne" then he would stand a chance of having a normal life, Kinda.

I read about half of the OP and stopped, because it is the same old misunderstanding.

Batman and Bruce Wayne as portrayed to Gotham are both masks. Just like Superman and Clark Kent are both Masks to Metropolis. People to subscribe to the idea that Batman is who Bruce is really are completely missing the point of Batman. Batman is a mask that is worn who has a particular character set designed to make people afraid and such. Bruce Wayne, the mask, is a particular character set designed to make people think he's a playboy. The man is neither of these things. Bruce Wayne, the actual person, is seen mostly when he isn't "being" Batman or Bruce, when he doesn't have to pretend to be something to further his goals. The person he is is the person he is when he is with the family, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Selina Kyle, Clark Kent, Alfred Pennyworth, Jean-Paul Valley, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Sometimes James Gordon, and often enough when he is interacting with kids as Batman.

You could pull a few lines from places that somewhat contradict this, but really those are either just misunderstanding his psychology or bad writing. For example, one time you might have heard, "I knew it wasn't me, because that is not what I call myself" implying that what he calls himself is Batman, rather than Bruce Wayne. You can look at this 2 ways. The reason he might call himself Batman more (which he doesn't) is because he is closer to being Batman and when he is himself he is often doing "Batman things" so that is why he might do that if he did, but the reality is this is just a misunderstanding on the writers part to tell a good story with an easy out. Bruce would never call himself something other than Bruce Wayne because he cares too much about the Wayne legacy and all that, and while he is willing to give it all up if worse came to worse, he would never do so unless his hand was forced to a major extreme, but also Batman is not his name in general. It is one of the things people call him. I may be mistaken but I don't think he uses it even as a Code name on his com-channels with the others. And I don't recall he, himself, ever calling himself Batman, or The Bat, in any comic. The name comes from newspapers and others calling him that and so he just accepts that that is what people call him. He very well could be called The Bat, The Batman, Batman, Bats, or any other name that has come up, but Batman has stuck and it the name that agencies use as his Code name.

He'd either give up and just be Bruce Wayne, or he'd turn into Iron Man.

He'd be this guy 
 

@The Stegman said:

He'd be this guy

The next you are going to tell me is that Superman is Clark Kent and Peter Parker is Spiderman!!!

@DeathpooltheT1000 said:

The next you are going to tell me is that Superman is Clark Kent and Peter Parker is Spiderman!!!

Hopefully people are joking with this whole "Bruce is Batman". It just sounds ridiculous to be honest.

It seems like a desperate attempt for fans to say that their favorite character sacrifices more than others.

Sorry but people like Peter Parker and Superman give up just as much of their lives as Batman does. And they are actually active during the day.

Yes yes. I know Bruce "plans" (sometimes, read the book he has a life during the day). I can guarantee you Bruce in the new 52 (from what we have read) has slept with more women that many users here (not trying to put people down).

It's easier not to love (romantically) than love and then lose someone you care about.

@Durakken said:

I read about half of the OP and stopped, because it is the same old misunderstanding.

Batman and Bruce Wayne as portrayed to Gotham are both masks. Just like Superman and Clark Kent are both Masks to Metropolis. People to subscribe to the idea that Batman is who Bruce is really are completely missing the point of Batman. Batman is a mask that is worn who has a particular character set designed to make people afraid and such. Bruce Wayne, the mask, is a particular character set designed to make people think he's a playboy. The man is neither of these things. Bruce Wayne, the actual person, is seen mostly when he isn't "being" Batman or Bruce, when he doesn't have to pretend to be something to further his goals. The person he is is the person he is when he is with the family, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Selina Kyle, Clark Kent, Alfred Pennyworth, Jean-Paul Valley, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Sometimes James Gordon, and often enough when he is interacting with kids as Batman.

You could pull a few lines from places that somewhat contradict this, but really those are either just misunderstanding his psychology or bad writing. For example, one time you might have heard, "I knew it wasn't me, because that is not what I call myself" implying that what he calls himself is Batman, rather than Bruce Wayne. You can look at this 2 ways. The reason he might call himself Batman more (which he doesn't) is because he is closer to being Batman and when he is himself he is often doing "Batman things" so that is why he might do that if he did, but the reality is this is just a misunderstanding on the writers part to tell a good story with an easy out. Bruce would never call himself something other than Bruce Wayne because he cares too much about the Wayne legacy and all that, and while he is willing to give it all up if worse came to worse, he would never do so unless his hand was forced to a major extreme, but also Batman is not his name in general. It is one of the things people call him. I may be mistaken but I don't think he uses it even as a Code name on his com-channels with the others. And I don't recall he, himself, ever calling himself Batman, or The Bat, in any comic. The name comes from newspapers and others calling him that and so he just accepts that that is what people call him. He very well could be called The Bat, The Batman, Batman, Bats, or any other name that has come up, but Batman has stuck and it the name that agencies use as his Code name.

Well said.

@Kallarkz: Batman has slept with more women that all comicvine users.

That is a fact my dear sir!!!!