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Wayne Enterprises

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Not to be confused with Wayne Green Enterprises.
Wayne Enterprises, Inc.
Wayne Enterprise Logo
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceBatman #307 (January 1979)
In-story information
Type of businessConglomerate
Base(s)Gotham City
Owner(s)Thomas Wayne
Bruce Wayne
Joker

Wayne Enterprises, Inc., also known as WayneCorp and Wayne Industries, is a wealthy fictional company appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Wayne Enterprises is a large, growing multinational company.

The American diversified multinational conglomerate is owned and chaired by Bruce Wayne, the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Wayne Enterprises is based out of Gotham City and headquartered in Wayne Tower.[1][better source needed]

Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne Foundation are largely run by Bruce’s business manager, Lucius Fox. Fox makes most company decisions on Bruce’s behalf, since Bruce’s time is largely occupied by his duties as the vigilante, Batman.

In the 2020 storyline The Joker War, the Joker seizes control of the company and steals much of Batman's money.

Company history

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Wayne Tower in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight#27 (February 1992). Art by Chris Sprouse.

Founded by merchant ancestors of the dead Wayne family in the 17th century as a merchant house, it is among the oldest companies in the DC Universe. The company began as a dozen businesses started by brothers Judge Solomon Wayne and Joshua Wayne. With the revenue generated Judge Wayne essentially built Gotham City by hiring Cyrus Pinkney.[2]

Judge Wayne's son and heir, Alan Wayne, officially made it a corporate company in the 19th century. Alan Wayne, who was Bruce Wayne's great-great-grandfather, erected Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemical, and Wayne Manufacturing. All these companies were energized by the world's Industrial Revolution; more branches were created and diversified while others dwindled and subsequently dissolved. Along the years, it has developed from a merchant house to a large multinational conglomerate company in the DC Universe; exceeding LexCorp, Stagg Enterprises, and Ferris Aircraft.

Under the control of Patrick and Laura Wayne, Wayne Enterprises became a "green company" and environmentally conscious from that time forward.

When Bruce Wayne returned from the past, after a final battle with Darkseid, he revealed that he had been publicly funding Batman for years and founded Batman Inc. to publicly fund Batman's allies throughout the world.

Following the end of the Joker War, Wayne Enterprises officially shut down Batman Inc. as a result of Bruce Wayne's choice to publicly fund Batman. Lucius Fox officially regained control of the Wayne fortune but warned Bruce that even if he did return his wealth to him, he would no longer be able to use the companies to fund his crusade as Batman as the board of directors would be monitoring the money. The board also set about attempting to remove Bruce Wayne from active participation within the company and simply pay him a large amount to fund his playboy lifestyle. Lucius Fox is attempting to fight the situation on Wayne's behalf and return his fortune to him with no legal ramifications. This has reduced Bruce's personal wealth status from a billionaire to a millionaire.

Wayne Tower

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Within the DC Universe, Wayne Tower is the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises. Also called "Old Wayne Tower" and "Wayne Industries Headquarters"; it was built in 1888 by Alan Wayne. After its construction, the tower was the tallest building in Gotham City. Built as a symbol to welcome all of those who enter the city, Wayne Tower has 13 gargoyles or "guardians", which Alan Wayne insisted they be called, welcome visitors for each of the 13 entry points into the city. The five guardians on the first tier watch the original five gateways into Gotham, the three bridges and two tunnels. Higher up, the seven guardians watch the seven train lines that converge at Union Station below the tower's base. A 13th guardian was added in 1930 and sits in the middle of the tower. This last one, added by Henry Wayne, watches the airport and cannot be seen by elevator or from the deck.[3][4]

At the top of the tower is an observation deck which Alan Wayne asserted be open to the public for free every weekend. It has double bonded laminated float glass for windows that are crystal-quality, weatherproof, and unbreakable.[3]

Wayne Foundation

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The Wayne Foundation Building as it appears in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe#25 (March 1987). Art by Terry Austin.

The Wayne Foundation is the holding company for the Thomas Wayne Foundation and the Martha Wayne Foundation; it is the largest transparently operated private foundation within the DC Universe. The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, the arts and humanities: to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology, and to fund scientific research and help altruistic people with research by providing facilities and training.

The foundation has its own building, called the Wayne Foundation Building, which includes a penthouse where Bruce Wayne lived for a period of time. It also has a secret elevator that leads to a matching Batcave in a secret sub-basement under the building.

Through the Wayne Foundation and the affiliated organizations underneath, Bruce Wayne addresses social-economic problems encouraging crime, assists victims of crimes, and maintains connections to the streets through the soup kitchens and social services groups; all of which augments his crime fighting efforts in a way that his Batman persona cannot. This arrangement also provides a large network of connections in the world of charities. He finds out about the newest trends, sciences and the arts.

Thomas Wayne Foundation

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The Thomas Wayne Foundation is a foundation for medicine and medical help. This foundation gives annual awards for medical breakthroughs and lifelong commitment, similar to the Nobel Foundation. The Thomas Wayne Foundation is also responsible for funding the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic in Park Row, Gotham's infamous Crime Alley. The foundation funds and runs dozens of clinics in Gotham. Bruce Wayne's surrogate mother, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, runs the Memorial Clinic in Crime Alley and governed the other clinics until she left Gotham.

Martha Wayne Foundation

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The Martha Wayne Foundation is a patron and supporter of arts, families, education, and tolerance. The foundation supports and helps to run a number of orphanages and free schools, and provides teachers for those who have learning difficulties. Artists can apply for grants from the foundation to help support them in furthering the arts. The foundation sponsors companies like Family Finders. Family Finders is an organization directed at finding lost people and uniting families. The Martha Wayne Foundation also sponsors and runs dozens of soup kitchens within the city.

Bat Bunker

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Under the Wayne Foundation building, there is a secret bunker, which is similar to the secret bunker of New Babylon in The Hague. As of Batman #687, Dick Grayson has taken to using this as his "Batcave," stating that he wishes to embody the role of Batman in a way that is specific to him as well as getting closer to the action in the city. The bunker is as well-equipped as the original Batcave, including the Subway Rocket vehicle stationed beneath the bunker.

In other media

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Television

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Film

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  • Wayne Enterprises appears in Batman (1966).

Video games

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References

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  1. ^ "Wayne Enterprises – A Modern Company with Traditional Roots". 19th Century. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
  2. ^ Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #27 February 1992. DC Comics.
  3. ^ a b Batman (vol. 2) #2 December 2011. DC Comics.
  4. ^ Batman (vol. 2) #3 January 2012. DC Comics.
  5. ^ Begley, Chris (December 10, 2016). "NBC's DC Comics comedy 'Powerless' now takes place at a Wayne Enterprises company". Batman News.
  6. ^ Noer, Michael; Ewalt, David M. (December 10, 2007). "The 25 Largest Fictional Companies". Forbes. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  7. ^ Johnson, Scott. "Major 'Man of Steel' Easter Egg".
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