Wayne Enterprises

Wayne Enterprises is a company that features in DC Comics.

History

Pre-Crisis

Wayne Enterprises.

Afterwards, Bruce Wayne came to call a meeting with the heads of the company. With the board gathered, he revealed that he planned to step down as leader of Wayne Enterprises. He decided to leave the role of chief executive and pass i to his personal assistant and financial advisor Lucius Fox. (Detective Comics v1 #511)

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Wayne Enterprises was a business that was established by the Wayne family that was based in Gotham City. The roots of the business was first established by Charles Arwin Wayne who built the family's modest fortune into a thriving enterprise by buying land in Gotham prior to the American Civil War. Following his death, his children Solomon Wayne and Joshua Thomas Wayne continued the family business. It was Alan Wayne who developed Gotham Railworks that was used to establish Wayne Enterprises prior to his death. His son Kenneth Wayne developed Wayne Chemical but died at a young age though his fortune passed to his wife Laura Eizabeth Wayne who was a shrewd businesswoman. Her son Patrick Morgan Wayne inherited the family business after his mothers death and saw the Wayne legacy continue through two world wars. He was responsible for building WayneCorp and WayneTech out of the Great Depression. Wayne Enterprises involvement in the wartime effort under Patrick Wayne led to the company becoming a household name across America. After Patrick Wayne's death, the legacy of the family and the business passed on to his son Thomas Wayne. (Batman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)

Under Thomas's leadership, the company never embraced the corruption that had fuelled Gotham City with it suffering financially as a result and being on the verge of collapse. This was until Thomas encountered an alien probe where he studied its advanced technology and used aspects of its science to save Wayne Enterprises. This allowed the company to grow and flourish with it becoming an economic force in Gotham City. (Superman/Batman v1 #50)

At Leslie Thompkins Clinic for orphans, a newly created plague was created secretly by Dr. Karl Hellfern with the aim of killing everyone at the facility. Thomas Wayne who was working there caught site of the disease and called in personnel from his company at Wayne Medical who worked quickly to neutralise it saving everyone's life. (Batman: Streets of Gotham v1 #20)

After the seeming death of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne created a memorial to him and named a charitable organization called the Alfred Foundation that aimed for the betterment of mankind. (Detective Comics v1 #328) When Pennyworth returned alive, it was renamed as the Wayne Foundation that aimed for scientific achievements. (Detective Comics v1 #356) In time, it became a far flung business empire under the control of Bruce Wayne who managed Wayne Enterprises. (Brave and the Bold v1 #113)

Waynetech was responsible for the technology contract to help construct the Secret Sanctuary in a set up that was worth half a billion dollars. (Batman Confidential v1 #52)

A scandal affected Wayne Technologies when the company's CEO and founder Bruce Wayne was accused of funding mind control experiments over a cortical implant that could make a person into a remote controlled spy. There were concerns from the intelligence community when accusations came of ties that linked Wayne to hostile foreign powers. As a result, a subpoena was issued to look into the WayneTech financial records. (Detective Comics v1 #599)

Lucius Fox's daughter Tiffany Fox was placed in charge of the company's ghetto drug-rehabilitation program. (Batman v1 #308)

At Fawcett City, Sinclair Batson sought to modernise the city by helping in opening a new Wayne-Tech facility. (Power of Shazam v1 #1)

The Board of Directors made a decision for a bodyguard being assigned to watch over the security for the company's head Bruce Wayne with Lucius Fox hiring Sasha Bordeaux for the job. (Detective Comics v1 #751)

Wayne Enterprises partnered with S.T.A.R. Labs on a joint project to build the Orbiter whose purpose was to harness dark matter particles as a source of clean renewable energy for mankind. The experiment required immense data flow with Superman providing a Kryptonian processor for the experiment but the project failed due to the actions of Doctor Light. (Superman/Batman v1 #43) The company later assisted in the rebuilding of Smallville when the All-American Boy fought against Superman in the town which badly damaged it. (Superman/Batman v1 #50) A S.T.A.R. Labs relief operation worked alongside with Waynetech in the devastated remains of Bialya but all the relief workers were slain by outside forces. (52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen v1 #1)

Following the return of Bruce Wayne, WayneTech in the Spring was going to announce the unveiling of Internet 3.0. At the same time, Wayne met with Lucius Fox and was authorising a massive cash injection for the investment in bleeding edge technology along with working prototypes to be used to aid Batman in his war on crime. He also wanted the building of a thousand machines from the G.I. Robot program that had been recalled after going rogue. (Batman: The Return v1 #1)

From China came the Tang Lo Foundation that wished to engage in a business deal with Wayne Enterprises in the hopes of revitalising parts of Gotham. (Batman v1 #704)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different timeline of events.

After Bruce Wayne departed Gotham, Phillip Kane managed the company following the merger between Kane Chemicals and Wayne Enterprises. The merger allowed for Kane Chemicals to continue research into tissue growth, sonic deterrents, and became the world leader in protective technology. (Batman v2 #21) Philip Kane set up a bio-initiative that sought to create a powerful restorative with this consisting of three scientists named Dr. Karl Helfern, Dr. Paul Dekker and Dr. Hugo Strange. Each were working on different aspects of this project that included bone, soft tissue and regenerating neural tissue respectively with the trio being called the Doctors Three. (Batman v2 #38)

As a result, the company became defunct and became an acquisition of Powers International that sought to expand its interests into rebuilding Gotham following the Joker unleashing his Endgame virus. (Divergence v1 #1) Lucius Fox later worked to restore the company and make Bruce Wayne in charge of it again. (Batman: Rebirth v1 #1)

After Hugo Strange's Monster attack, Wayne Enterprises decided to use its resources for the reconstruction of the city and had cleared it with the state. (Detective Comics v1 #943)

An elaborate plan by the Joker later led to the theft of the Wayne fortune and evidence to show that Bruce Wayne had embezzled millions with Wayne Enterprises equipment being given to the Batman. This led to a public investigation that saw Bruce Wayne's fortune stripped from him with Lucius Fox returning to Wayne Enterprises to mitigate the damage. Whilst there, he was attacked by the Joker's minions led by Punchline who proceeded to take whatever equipment present for her boss. (Batman v3 #95)

In the aftermath, the Board of Directors believed that Bruce Wayne was a liability for the company with some of its members advocating giving him a generous severance in order to cut ties with him. This was despite the Wayne name being cleared in the aftermath of the Joker War yet regardless the corporation believed that it was best that their illustrious head should disappear into the public life of high society. Furthermore, they looked to rebrand the company though Lucius Fox opposed these efforts but privately had a talk with Bruce Wayne about changing his tactics as Batman as he would no longer have the full financial support of Wayne Enterprises for his war on crime. In addition, he intended to integrate his own company Foxtech into Wayne Enterprises where he was bringing his son and daughter to help in this action. (Batman v3 #101)

Overview

The company had numerous branches and subsidiaries that included:

• Wayne Technologies :
• Wayne Biotech :
• Wayne Aerospace :
• Wayne Chemicals :
• Wayne Shipping :
• Wayne Steel : (World's Finest v1 #73)

The company's anti-kidnapping protocols required all senior members be implanted with a tracker. (Batwing v1 #22)

Initiatives created by the company included:

• Victims, Inc. Program (VIP) : a Wayne Foundation initiative dedicated to helping victims of the underworld. (Batman v1 #217)
• Ghetto Drug Rehabilitation Program : a Wayne Foundation initiative looking to help people in the ghettos with drug problems that was headed by Tiffany Fox. (Batman v1 #308)

Among the products of the company included:

• O.G.R.E. : a disaster rescue piloted mechanical armor system developed by Waynetech that was part of a test demonstration against Lex Luthor's stealth interceptor robot but the O.G.R.E. went out of control and targeted Luthor until he managed to escape. It was later discovered that the pilot inside was dead and his mind trapped within the armor. (Batman Confidential v1 #1)
• Zero Degree Cryonic Stasis Engine : a WayneTech device able to generate intense cold that was nicknamed "Mister Zero". (World's Finest v4 #2)
• Sonic Rifles : Waynetech weapons designed to be non-lethal but could be modified to liquefy a targets insides. (Batman v2 #22)
• Jet-Suits : body armor that increased human strength and endurance along with short range flight capabilities but was considered too costly and risky for operational use. (Batman: The Return v1 #1)
• Internet 3.0 : a enhanced version of the world wide web with virtual reality capabilities. (Batman: The Return v1 #1)

Wayne family business interests were responsible for employing 46% of Gotham City. (Batman Confidential v1 #52)

Facilities operated by the company included:

• Hibernaculum : a secret location within corporate headquarters that was used to make Batman's equipment, gear and vehicles. (Batman v3 #95)

There were six micro-waves hidden within the building with these being used as secret safe spots for Batman. (Batman v3 #95)

At the top Wayne Tower, there was an observation deck which Alan Wayne asserted be open to the public for free every weekend. It had double bonded laminated float glass for windows that are crystal-quality, weatherproof, and unbreakable. (Batman v2 #2)

Members

• Bruce Wayne :
• Lucius Fox :
• Nightwolf : a blonde haired man that was hired by Monica Zehringer for an archaeological expedition where he encountered a Native American shaman after finding a mystical belt that gave him the power to manipulate darkness, transport across dimensions and control phantom wolves to target foes with him attempting to bring chaos to the world until he was defeated by Batman. (World's Finest v1 #323)

Notes

• Wayne Enterprises was created by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo where it made its first appearance in The Brave and the Bold v1 #113 (July, 1974).
• The company Len Wein and John Calnan where it made its first appearance in Batman v1 #307 (January, 1979).

Alternate Versions

• In Earth-2: Society v1 (2015), in the alternate version of Earth-2 the company was named as Wayne Corp.
• In Batman Beyond v6 #5 (2017), an alternate future connected to Future's End but set in the Batman Beyond setting had Wayne-Powers existing on this Earth. Among its pursuits was providing network and data services for he entire world. Bruce Wayne secretly constructed a program called Keystone that utilised this connection to provide an open highway to every computer in the world. It was built to be the ultimate intelligence gathering device.

In other media

Television

• In the DC Animated Universe, Wayne Enterprises made a number of appearances in the various animated cartoon series.
  • In Batman: The Animated Series, Wayne Enterprises was first introduced into the DC Animated Universe. In the episode "Blind as a Bat", despite the misgivings of its CEO Bruce Wayne they were involved in the creation of a prototype military helicopter known as the Raven X1-11. It was advertised as being designed for reconnaissance with it being made for silent running where it made no sound from its rotors and had a cloaking device making it undetectable by electronic means. In addition, a revolutionary new feature was the Zero Visibility Flight (ZVF) capability that used sonar and radar to generate three-dimensional computer images of targets in areas of low visibility. The helicopter was armed with side mounted chain guns and a rotor mounted laser cannon.
  • In Justice League, Wayne Enterprises made a number of appearances in the animated series. Following the Imperium's invasion, te Justice League formed with them creating an orbital station to serve as their headquarters. The Watchtower was created through the aid of Bruce Wayne's company that funded it through the corporation's aerospace research and development budget.
  • In Batman Beyond, Wayne Enterprises resisted numerous attempts at merging with Powers Corporation until Bruce Wayne stops being Batman. However, he relented leading to the company being Wayne-Powers Corporation with Derek Powers serving as Chairman whilst Bruce Wayne served on the board.
• In The Batman, Wayne Enterprises made regular appearance throughout the series. Wayne had his company launch Project: Safety Net to shutdown Kosmo Krank and his company KrankCo for making unsafe toys for children causing the inventor to seek revenge against Bruce Wayne. In "The Joining", Wayne Industries was used by the synthetic aliens known as the Joining to secretly construct more of their kind to conquer Earth. In "Vertigo", WayneLabs was secretly co-opted by Count Vertigo for use in building his vertigo machine. In the episode "The Metal Face Of Comedy", WayneTech had constructed revolutionary experimental nanotechnology but these microscopic machines were taken over by a digital copy of the Joker known as Joker 2.0 who gained a physical body because of them until he was downloaded into a videogame by Robin causing the nanobots to deactivate.
• In Gotham, an episode that focused heavily on Wayne Enterprises was "Viper" where it was shown to had owned a pharmaceutical subsidiary named WellZyn Laboratories. After Thomas and Martha Wayne's death, their son Bruce began investigating records about the company and indicated that their were people there corrupt who had allowed the Maroni and Falcone crime families to hold a part in the Arkham project. One of its middle management people was Molly Mathis who met the orphaned Bruce Wayne at a charity luncheon and informed him that the board never attended these events. At the time, disgruntled former WellZyn employee Stan Potolsky was spreading the drug Viper in order to highlight how Wayne Enterprises were using it as a weapon. Before his death, Potolsky stated that supplies of the drug were at Warehouse 39 but when Detectives Gordon and Bullock arrived at the site it was empty though in a nearby car Mathis witnessed the scene. In "Mr. Freeze", it was said to had operated a cryogenics program and maintained a supply of liquid helium but Thomas Wayne terminated the project. It was revealed in "Pinewood" that years ago, it had created a bio-engineering project called Pinewood Farms that was headed by Dr. Hugo Strange. The project was intended to be beneficial for mankind but Strange had conducted cruel tests in secrets such as grafting animal limbs onto test subjects with many dying from the black ops program. It was eventually shutdown by Thomas Wayne after he learnt of its true nature but Dr. Strange later restarted it in secret.
• In Powerless, Wayne Security was shown as a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises in the live-action comedy television series with it a research and development company headed by Van Wayne.
• In Batwoman, Wayne Enterprises appeared in the setting of the live-action television series.

Films

• In Batman & Robin, Wayne Enterprises appeared in the 1997 live-action film. The company was said to had been responsible for funding Dr. Jason Woodrue who had developed the Venom drug that was injected into a diminutive convict turning him into Bane.
• In Batman Forever, Wayne Enterprises appeared in 1995 live-action film. Edward Nygma was shown as being a researcher in the company where he was developing a device that beamed television directly into a person's brain.
• In The Dark Knight Trilogy, Wayne Enterprises made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
  • In Batman Begins, it was established by the Wayne family until their death whereupon Bruce Wayne departed the city and the company fell under the control of boardsman Mr. William Earle. Earle declared Bruce Wayne to be legally dead after he went missing for many years and focused on weapon's development. One branch of the company was its Applied Sciences Division that was responsible for making a number of prototype military equipment with this being headed by Lucius Fox. He would keep it off the books and many of the equipment was kept away in storage until the return of Bruce Wayne to Gotham City. When he returned, Fox showed him the Applied Sciences Division including the military bridging vehicle known as the Tumbler. The Tumbler was late repurposed by Bruce Wayne when he became the Batman with it becoming the Batmobile. Bruce Wayne regained his family's company after becoming a major shareholder and made Lucius Fox the CEO.
  • In The Dark Knight Rises, Wayne Enterprises was shown to had been developing a fusion reactor project. However, Bruce Wayne shut down the project when he learnt that the core could be weaponized leading to the company losing profits after it was discontinued.
• In Batman: Gotham Knight, Wayne Enterprises made an appearance in one of the animated short films named "Field Test (Bee Train)". Its WayneCom branch created a new satellite with a gyroscopic electromagnetic guidance system but an accident damaged it. However, this gave Lucius Fox the idea to create a device with the satellite's gyro with an advanced sound sensor that could deflect small-arms fire electromagnetically. In the "Deadshot (Madhouse)" short film, Alfrd Pennyworth used the new WayneCom satellites to track Gordon's motorcade.
• In The Batman vs. Dracula movie, Wayne Industries was mentioned in the animated film set in the same universe as The Batman cartoon series. One of their products was the SL-5 that was the most efficient technology for the collection of solar energy and storing it as true sunlight.
• In Batman: Year One, Wayne Electronics was mentioned in the animated film adaptation with it developing a prototype ultrasonic device that on a right frequence was used by Batman to summon a large colony of bats.
• In Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem, Wayne Industries had constructed power suit military tech with this being stolen by the Joker after his Digital Laughter discovered it.
• In Batman: Bad Blood, Wayne Enterprises made a return appearance where its chief executive was shown to be Lucius Fox. After Batman's apparent death, Alfred Pennyworth used a virtual copy of Bruce Wayne to maintain the image that he had gone on an expedition abroad.
• In the DC Extended Universe, Wayne Enterprises made a number of appearances in the shared continuity.
  • In Man of Steel, a satellite knocked out in orbit was shown to belong to Wayne Enterprises.
  • In Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wayne Enterprises featured as a setting in the live-action movie. Its CEO was Bruce Wayne who had lost a number of employees at their Metropolis branch during Superman's battle against General Zod's forces. As a result, Batman vowed to take revenge and kill Superman for being a danger to the world.
  • In Suicide Squad, Wayne Corp was referenced in the live-action film with Van Criss Laboratories being a subsidiary that developed the nanite bombs used by Task Force X.
  • In Wonder Woman, Wayne Enterprises was referenced in the live-action film when representatives were sent by Bruce Wayne to deliver a photograph from World War I to Diana Prince at her workplace at the museum in Paris.
• In Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants, Wayne Enterprises made an appearance in the direct to video animated film. A technology showcase was being held at the company's Wayne Tower where Dr. Kirk Langstrom presented a mechanical exosuit developed by the corporation.
• In Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wayne Enterprises appeared in the setting of the 2019 animated film adaptation of the comic crossover. The Foot Clan as part of their alliance with Ra's al Ghul began targeting a number of companies for high-tech equipment designed to mix Mutagen and Joker Venom into a formula that could then be dispersed across Gotham City. After acquiring the other components, the only remaining part was a cloudseeder at Wayne Enterprises but the Batman was prepared and had the facility evacuated with the device kept at the pier outside Gotham. The League of Assassins then hired the Penguin to acquire the remaining component whereupon the assembled the device at ACE Chemicals.

Video games

• In DC Universe Online, Wayne Enterprises was one of the supporting factions for the hero side. By completing missions, player heroes could earn the trust of Wayne Enterprise's subsidiary division WayneTech that allowed access to rarer and more powerful equipment. A Collection quest revealed that the company produced the Wayntech Faeri Smartphone.
• In Young Justice: Legacy, WayneTech Enhancements were available to the player characters in the video game.
• In the Batman: Arkham series, Wayne Enterprises made a number of appearances throughout the video game series.
  • In Batman Arkham Asylum, Wayne Enterprises was seen from across the distance from Arkham Asylum. When scanned, it served as the answer to one of the Riddler's Riddles.
  • In Batman: Arkham City, Wayne Enterprises could be seen at the distance and the building was situated near Gotham City Hall.
  • In Batman: Arkham Origins, the Wayne Enterprises was shown as a background building.
• In Batman: The Telltale Series, Wayne Enterprises featured in the 2016 video game series. The Codex mentions it being a multinational corporation founded by the Wayne family's ancestors who established it in 1870. It covered all sorts of manufacturing and finance. Bruce Wayne inherited a majority stake from his father but was not involved in its day-to-day operations but did use its R&D resources for his private interests. Regina Zellerbach operated as chairman on the Board of Directors in the company. Wayne Enterprises was considered a telecommunications giant with WayneTech holding a sway over communication technology. Lucius Fox used WayneTech to make a backdoor to communications around Gotham to allow for Batman to be up to date on developments across the city. After Thomas Wayne's corruption scandal, the Board of Directors was considering to oust Bruce Wayne in order to preserve their reputation. The Children of Arkham had discovered the backdoor to WayneTech and hacked communications of the GPCD to outmanoeuvre them.

Other

• In Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the viral website linked to the movie had Wayne Industries mentioned. It was among the key players in the 2015 defense budgets where it made $97 million. The company's CEO Bruce Wayne was said to be notorious for his refusal in accepting military contracts.

Appearances

• The Brave and the Bold v1: (1974)
• Batman v1: (1979)
• Detective Comics v1:
• Superman/Batman v1:
• Batman v2:
• Detective Comics v2:
• Batman v3:

External Link

• DC Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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