What would have happened to Bruce Wayne if his family had been poor?

[Basement Cat]

I've thought about this a few times and I figure that without major Plot Armor a young Bruce Wayne would never approach true Batman status without being filthy rich from the get go.

The classic story is that his (wealthy) parents were murdered in front of him after watching the movie "Mark of Zorro". He vows revenge against all criminals and grows up (under the care of his indulgent butler Alfred) using his inherited wealth to travel the world and learn multiple martial arts from Masters (including Tibetan monks who teach him all kinds of borderline mystical ninja-like skills) before returning to Gotham where he has Wayne Enterprises build him a few billion dollars worth of gadgets and tools.

He then proceeds to kick criminal butts all over Gotham, join the Justice League etc, etc...

But what would have happened if the same thing occurred only he'd been dirt poor to begin with?

No Alfred to rear him. He didn't even have any close relatives so he probably would have been reared in an orphanage (babies have far higher adoption rates than older children).

No massive fortune to travel the world and learn from the best of the best. No arsenal of tools and vehicles, etc.

I don't see him degenerating into a sociopathic Watchmen-type Rorschach or anything but without ridiculous levels of "IT WAS HIS DESTINY TO BECOME BATMAN" Plot Armour I don't see him becoming more than a well motivated wannabe who might become quite skilled at fighting, tactics, etc but NOWHERE near true Batman status.

So what do you think?

 

[Frezzato]

Wow that's a pretty awesome question! Unfortunately I think a poor Bruce Wayne would just turn into Kick-Ass, the movie version[footnote] I mean the version where Dave gets stabbed, hit by a car, and then stripped naked by EMTs[/footnote], not the comic book version.

 

[Dalek Caan]

This is what Batman would be like without a budget, and without Alfred and the rest of the Bat-Clan his levels of paranoia would probably go through the roof.

 

[Zhukov]

Assuming he still decided to go all vigilante he would have ended up getting shot, stabbed or bludgeoned to death without sufficient training or equipment. That or permanently incapacitated by severe injury.

Actually, come to think of it, that would have happened to regular rich Batman too except, y'know... comic book logic.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Not sure.

I know that in the Flashpoint alter reality, Bruce was the one who got shot instead of his parent. His father Thomas became Batman and he didn't had the tech resource like Bruce. He did however own a casino so he did has some money I guess but his Batcave was so empty looking!

I'm not saying it would be the same result with Bruce with little money as Thomas was far more agressive, alcoholic and use guns as Batman!

 

[secretkeeper12]

Wasn't the whole reason Bruce's parents were killed in the first place because of the fancy (and expensive) accessories they were wearing? The Wayne family would've probably just lived a relatively normal life in the lower-class if that was the case.

 

[HardkorSB]

Wasn't the whole reason Bruce's parents were killed in the first place because of the fancy (and expensive) accessories they were wearing? The Wayne family would've probably just lived a relatively normal life in the lower-class if that was the case.

I can already imagine it:

The Waynes are going home one night, a robber comes up to them and points the gun at them.

Robber: "Give me all your money."
Bruce's father: "We don't have any money."
Robber: "...erm...well...fuck."

THE END

I can see a franchise potential in that

 

[purf]

Spoiler: Something like this would have happened

 

[scorptatious]

Not sure.

I know that in the Flashpoint alter reality, Bruce was the one who got shot instead of his parent. His father Thomas became Batman and he didn't had the tech resource like Bruce. He did however own a casino so he did has some money I guess but his Batcave was so empty looking!

I'm not saying it would be the same result with Bruce with little money as Thomas was far more agressive, alcoholic and use guns as Batman!

Wow really? I need to check that out sometime.

Wasn't the whole reason Bruce's parents were killed in the first place because of the fancy (and expensive) accessories they were wearing? The Wayne family would've probably just lived a relatively normal life in the lower-class if that was the case.

Perhaps. Although they could also die by being caught in the middle of a shoot out or something like that. A case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

OT: But yeah, that is a pretty interesting question. I'd imagine Bruce would be adopted, raised by a loving family, accept that his parents are dead and grow up living a normal life. That is assuming he would be adopted that is.

If he didn't, well, I don't know. As you said, he would probably still be a vigilante who isn't nearly as skilled as the Batman we know.

 

[Ampersand]

I got the impression that when he went to travel the world practicing martial arts he didn't actually bring his massive wealth with him.
He employs a lot of high tech gadgets and stuff when he feels their necessary but most of the time he seems very comfortable fighting crime with bits of sharpened metal, a rope and his brain.

I think there would have been a bat man no matter what his circumstances were.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

IF the Waynes were dirt poor - and assuming they managed to have such a family night where all of them were in one place (rather than working multiple jobs) - Bruce ends up in an orphanage with a sub-standard education that does not provide the skills or know-how to become Batman - also, as mentioned, no training. IF he then still wants to fight crime... I guess his best option is becoming a cop, because he sure can't afford to not have a day job and his day job is probably going to be manual labor without a decent education. That's disregarding whatever potential abuse and/or neglect issues he might acquire in the Gotham Orphanage - which I have to assume is corrupt as the rest of the city.

He does not, then, I think, stand much of a chance of becoming anything like the Batman we consider to be Batman.

 

[Nokturos]

He'd probably be a homeless crack addict, and might end up as a goon for one of Gotham's villains.

 

[TheDarkestDerp]

Assuming you're asking "what would have happened to Bruce Wayne if his parents were poor AND murdered before his very eyes etc. etc. rather than the standard canon, that's easy. The same thing which happens to everyone else in the same circumstances. Absolutely nothing. Maybe he'd have been a night clerk at the grocers. Maybe he'd have been adopted by a caring uncle. He'd probably have nightmares haunt him off and on most of his life but other than that, he'd deal with his trauma and go on to lead a likely mediocre life...

Man, not good copy for comic title, eh wot?

 

[Kolby Jack]

Street (or hobo) Batman. Epic street fighting skills, junkyard gadgets, and a Brooklyn accent for no reason.

 

[EeveeElectro]

He'd probably look like this

Spoiler

He'd have absolutely dick all to help him and I echo it would be a lot like Kick-Ass or powerless Spiderman.
They should consider writing something like that actually, would be an interesting read.

 

[momijirabbit]

Assuming he goes to a Orphanage he would be adopted by somebody who is rich.

Okay, he probably become some sort of Kick Ass type of person with a bat fetish.

 

[MSTJedi]

Assuming he goes to a Orphanage he would be adopted by somebody who is rich.

Okay, he probably become some sort of Kick Ass type of person with a bat fetish.

He wouldn't even have the bat thing, either, since he got that from a cave on Wayne Manor property.

 

[Kged]

Having no resources to fund a lone vigilante campaign, I conjecture he'd end up leader of a movement. His passion and commitment, wedded to his enormous personal charisma, would attract those like him who had been hurt by modern life in urban America. One or two guys at first - strong, hard men, fired by revenge like him. And as word spread, more would gravitate towards him. It would end up like a crime-fighting Project Mayhem.

 

[RJ 17]

Well for starters he wouldn't have become Batman. For that matter, I doubt his parents probably wouldn't have taken him out to the movies if the money was so tight. If they did, they wouldn't have had a butler waiting for them with a car around the block that enabled them to take a shortcut through Crime-frickin'-Alley to get mugged and shot. They would have walked down to the corner and gotten on a bus or something.

Assuming the story is the same and Bruce watches his parents get murdered and swears revenge, he'd probably just seek revenge against the specific person who killed his parents rather than waging a war on crime. The only reason Bruce decided to become Batman is because he had the means to make himself into a ninja with all sorts of gadgets and because he felt something had to be done. Knowing that there was absolutely nothing he could really do about it, a poor Bruce would likely just try to murder his parents' murderer or - and this is what would most likely happen - he'd get sent off to live in a foster home.