5 Villains Who Figured Out Batman’s True Identity (& How)
Batman’s true identity isn’t among one of the most kept secrets in the DC comic universe. If we think there was hardly anyone who knows the identity of Batman, then we are wrong. Despite his best efforts to mask his identity, Batman isn’t very successful. Not only just those who are close to him and his love interests, but there also exist a few villains who know that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same. So here is the list of the antagonists who fall under this category.
Ra’s Al Ghul
The first one in the list and probably the obvious one to make it. Ra’s Al Ghul found out about Batman’s identity as Bruce Wayne by backtracking the wealth. Ra’s Al Ghul is brilliant and knew that Batman has to be rich to afford all his tools. He used the same logical abilities that Batman is famous for to figure him out.
Bane
This is definitely out of the blue. Guess how Bane found out that Bruce’s the Batman? By studying his body language! In an event, Poison Ivy has taken control of most attendants’ minds of a socializing event that Bruce Wayne and Bane were at. At that time, Bane, standing with Bird, sees Bruce Wayne socializing and says “It’s HIM” to Bird. He then says that he knows him intimately and he’s sure that Bruce Wayne is the Batman. Call it Bat-swagger or a lucky guess; Bane correctly guesses Wayne’s alter ego in just a few short panels.
Amanda Waller
The head of ARGUS, Task Force X leader, and Lex Luthor’s Chief of Staff knows who Batman is. As her government security clearance is high, Waller has access to private and classified information. Her detective IQ is extreme, and if she didn’t know Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same, she wouldn’t be fit to lead Task Force X. In the animated Justice League series, she even referred to the Dark Knight as “rich boy.” This could be enough to know that Amanda knows more about Batsy than he might think.
Owlman
This one’s interesting. Owlman, aka Thomas Wayne, a supervillain living in Earth-3, found out about Batman’s identity when he visits Earth-2. Owlman, a resident of the Antimatter Universe and a member of the Crime Syndicate of America, visited Bruce’s parents’ graves soon after entering Earth -2. As he is a Wayne from other earth, he likely concluded that because Bruce Wayne is the sole survivor of the Wayne family, he had to be Batman.
Despero
Despero, unlike any others on the list, had a unique way of finding the Bat’s true identity. Despero, when resurrected memories of each villain in the Secret Society of Super-Villains, including The Wizard and Chronos, finds the knowledge of Batman’s true identity. Despite his hardship in unveiling the identity, his work didn’t turn out to be fruitful for him as Zatanna eventually contained him.
