Could Bruce Wayne Be a Better Hero Than Batman?

Who would you reach out to if your city were crumbling; a very rich, very well-connected businessman with foundations and dozens of branches of business dedicated to servicing people and projects and entire cities, or an angry kid who grew up to be an angry, caped and cowled street fighter? -Okay, so they both actually sound pretty equipped to help to some degree, but in the broader sense, our beloved Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, could very well be the hero Gotham deserves. Mr. Wayne just may not think he is needed in this manner.

Don't get me wrong, I would lit'rally BECOME Batman myself if I felt that I could, but with his vast resources

and superior intelligence no further away than his Bat-phone, Bruce Wayne (along with his checkbook) is probably the better match to face a decaying city and a corrupt system. Bruce's wealth alone could very well help to bolster the City's law enforcement, allowing them to patrol for any super-villains and cut their organizations off at the head. An economical boost could provide a far smaller need for factories needlessly housing vats filled with dangerous chemicals, properly compensate authorities willing to defect to even crazier-disguised mad men, and oh yeah, finally provide an insane asylum that doesn't employ maniacs and release powerful villains at a jarringly frequent rate. As everyone's favorite Nighthawk (of BAT Co. fame) pointed out in an efficient review of the game Batman: Arkham Origins, (which you can find on our website,) bad stuff happens inside the Arkham walls. Like a lot.

A super-prison is constructed in Gotham that is meant to replace both the Asylum and Blackgate Prison.

I hope you're not surprised to learn that much bat-crap hits the fans in a hurry. Check out the review when you're done here, but basically, the prisoners overtake the place. Even Batman is twisted up and seemingly fighting against his own cause, and the surrounding facility has the unfortunate task of keeping the Bat's nastiest baddies locked up. For argument's sake, let's use the worst-case scenario; dozens of mass murderers and powerhouses escape from their cells and enter the city, in a world where Batman is arguably the go-to guy to send them in in the first place.

However, in a world where The Wayne Foundation fights Batman's fights, let's just say that no expenses are spared. The facility would be well-equipped to answer potential up-rises with force and ferocity. Prisoners would have nary an opportunity to revolt, much less gain the ultimate upper-hand. After all, while exceptional, Bruce Wayne was actually taught and trained before becoming Batman. So, theoretically, the same lessons could be applied at the same time to a whole group of soldiers, ready to learn during their first day at the Wayne Crimefighting Academy.

So if Bruce Wayne could in fact make Arkham more secure, why stop there? If any fans of the CW's Arrow are reading, you may know of (SEASON 3 SPOILERS!!!!!) Oliver Queen, a.k.a The Green Arrow, deciding his city will be safer if he is officially leading it, so he runs for mayor. Take that same principle of an intelligent, wealthy, well-to-do philanthropist throwing a hat or arrow or bat-a-rang into the city's mayoral race and apply it to the world's greatest detective and your neighborhood has almost overnight been made more safe. As mayor, Bruce Wayne could hand-pick Gotham's police commissioner, (although keeping Jim Gordon in office seems like the right call,) thus practically ensuring the police go and do what is most needed, keeping an evenly-balanced force on the streets and inside one's evil lair.

Let's treat this theory less like an alternate timeline and more like a scenario where Batman retires and leaves his goals of justice to his alter ego. So, suppose that he has convinced his sidekick, yes, the Boy Wonder himself, Robin, to do the same! As partners in office, ...well just about the same amount of success would find Bruce with Robin as without. But hey, they're a team. So let's call Robin the Deputy Mayor, being the mayor's eyes and ears and legs in cases where Bruce couldn't make it. Robin faced many villains alongside Batman for a long time, so I think he would be able to prioritize the handling of the city's problems. So, working together, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor could apply years' worth of good ol' Bat-can-do to the security, growth, stability and profitability of the entire city of Gotham.

Now, before we start to think that this whole different scenario might be a bit too dull for someone who

"spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands" (-The Dark Knight), let's remind ourselves of the original question; could Bruce Wayne be a better hero to his city than Batman? We're not really here to determine whether Bruce Wayne has fewer adventures or is even better bat-suited to be the Caped Crusader, we're going for the needs-of-the-many here. And as far as power and influence goes, Mayor Wayne posing for pictures and giving speeches in fashionable, tailored suits and signing paperwork in a well-decorated corner office (likely riddled with hidden weapons) would undoubtedly inspire far fewer future vigilantes. Not to mention that Batman isn't exactly known for giving public speeches, so having Bruce Wayne

apply his knowledge to these and many more problems while being the face of positive change in a poisoned world would result in much more inspiring types of copycats. Sure, Bruce's nights might be filled with more droll cocktail humor than villainous threats and riddles, but he has always been a smart man. He would know how to transition his life once he is ready to let his father's son be the next step in the evolution of Batman's heroism.