Batman : a introduction to the Dark Knight

A wealthy philanthropist, Thomas Wayne, his wife Martha and their 8 year-old son, Bruce were coming out of a movie theater. The time was 10:47 p.m. as they stepped onto Park Row (now called Crime Alley) a masked gunman named Joe Chill came out of the shadows. Chill shot and killed in cold blood first Thomas and then Martha who was screaming for help right in front of their young boy. Bruce was traumatized at the sight of his parents' death and his life would never be the same. After his parents' death, Bruce was raised by his wise and loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth and inherited his family's vast fortune as well as his father's company, Wayne Enterprises. Facing his parents' gravestones, Bruce made a solemn oath to avenge his dead parents. He toured the world looking for experts on various fields, training himself mentally and physically.

After his parents' murder, young Bruce was comforted by Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who helped him to mourn his parents and find a purpose in life. At age fourteen, Bruce started a twelve year walkabout around the world to study and learn. For academics he studied at Cambridge in England, the Sorbonne in France, and in other famous European universities. He learned also more practical skills. A Frenchman named Henri Ducard taught him man-hunting, a ninja named Kirigi taught him stealth, an African Bushmen showed him how to hunting, and Nepalese monks the art of healing.

He would return to Gotham City where he decided to become a vigilante but despite all his honed skills, he knew something was missing. Bruce believed criminals to be a "superstitious and cowardly lot", and in order to rid Gotham of evil, he needed to transform himself into a terrifying symbol that would strike fear in the hearts of criminals. While in his father's study, a large bat came crashing in. Bruce saw this as an omen, and recalled his fear of bats as a child and decided to use the bat as his symbol. Using his vast wealth, Bruce designs a costume and state of the art equipment based on bats. From this point on he lived a double life, playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne, and vigilante crime-fighter Batman.