Wikipedia

Wayne Manor

This article is about the fictional home of Batman. For the student organization, see Wayne Manor (Duke University).

Wayne Manor is a fictional mansion appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the home of Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises, who is also the superhero Batman.

Wayne Manor Estate
Batman location
Wayne Manor in Batman vol. 3 #16 (April 2017)
Art by David Finch
First appearanceDetective Comics #28
June 1939
Created byBob Kane
Bill Finger
GenreSuperhero comics
In-universe information
TypeMansion
LocationsGotham City
CharactersBruce Wayne
Thomas Wayne
Martha Wayne
Alfred Pennyworth
Dick Grayson
Lance Bruner
Barbara Gordon
Jason Todd
Tim Drake
Stephanie Brown
Damian Wayne
Duke Thomas
Cassandra Cain
Claire Clover
Julia Pennyworth
PublisherDC Comics

The house is depicted as a large mansion on the outskirts of Gotham City and is maintained by the Wayne family's butler, Alfred Pennyworth. While the earliest stories showed Bruce Wayne buying the house himself, by the 1950s at the latest, retroactive continuity established that the manor had belonged to the Wayne family for several generations. Along with serving as a personal residence, the mansion sits above the Batcave, which Batman uses as his secret headquarters. The vast majority of DC Comics references place Wayne Manor just outside of Gotham City in the state of New Jersey.[1][2][3][4]

The manor, indicative of Wayne's ancestral wealth, is designed in a Gothic Revival architectural style, matching the Gothic architecture present in Gotham. For live-action films, English country house locations in Nottinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, as well as Stevenson Taylor Hall in New York, have been used to depict Wayne Manor.

Wayne Manor appears in the 1960s Batman television series and in films Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), in the DC Extended Universe (2016–2023) and The Batman (2022).

Depiction

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Mansion grounds

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Wayne Manor with Gotham City in the distance from Detective Comics #967 (December 2017). Art by Álvaro Martínez and Raúl Fernández.

Wayne Manor is depicted in earlier comics as being on the outskirts of Gotham City in the state of New Jersey.[1][2][3][4] Comic book portrayals place the mansion within driving distance of Gotham City, close enough that the Bat-Signal can be seen from Wayne Manor alerting Batman of distress in the city.

Wayne Manor's grounds include a surrounding gate around the perimeter with a larger front gate at the main entrance. Batman's subterranean headquarters, the Batcave, is located beneath the mansion.[5]

The grounds also includes a large hill that was partially hollowed out for Batman's aerial vehicles, with the most prominent being the batcave, and there is also an underground river system that is large enough to accommodate docking space for the Batboat and has a large opening for said vehicle.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

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In Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, it is revealed that Wayne Manor was designed by Nathan Van Derm for Darius Wayne, forming a stylized "W", although the additional gardens that existed at the time the manor was built add on to this symbol to create the image of a bat.

Following the events of Cataclysm

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During the events of Batman: Cataclysm a massive earthquake struck Gotham City, the epicenter of which was less than a mile from Wayne Manor. The mansion was seriously damaged, as was the cave network beneath. The ground beneath the mansion shifted significantly, and actually revealed the Batcave below, although the Bat-family were able to relocate all of Batman's equipment before official rescue came to the manor so that nobody would learn Bruce Wayne's secrets. The original Manor was damaged beyond repair, forcing Bruce Wayne to redesign the Manor along with the Batcave. The new Manor is a veritable fortress, a pastiche of Gothic architecture combined with features of castellated architecture. Solar panels are installed in the new Manor, providing sustainable and environmentally-friendly electricity generation for the complex.[6] It also includes a heliport for commercial helicopters.[7]

Batman Eternal/Arkham Manor

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During Batman Eternal, Hush's machinations result in Wayne Enterprises being ruined and Bruce Wayne essentially bankrupt after the villain detonates various weapons caches Batman had concealed around Gotham.[8] As part of this bankruptcy, Wayne Manor is repossessed by the city and turned into the new Arkham Asylum following the destruction of the original,[9] but Bruce decides to accept this new status quo, reasoning that he can at least make sure that his enemies remain contained in the new manor given his intimate knowledge of its entrances and exits.[10]

The manor is eventually reclaimed by Bruce's lawyers, but it is temporarily left empty due to Bruce's death and amnesic resurrection as Alfred wanted to give Bruce a chance to have a life without Batman. However, Bruce returns to the manor when he realizes who he used to be.

Gotham War

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In Gotham War, Batman loses most of his money to the Joker. Afterward, Vandal Savage buys Wayne Manor and the Batcave.[11][12]

Access to the Batcave

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Wayne Manor with its surrounding gate in Batman vol. 3, #42 (May 2017). Art by Mikel Janín.

The manor grounds include the Batcave, an extensive cave system that Bruce Wayne discovered as a boy and uses as his base of operations. Its method of access has varied, though it is typically accessible from a hidden door behind a grandfather clock.

The Wayne Foundation Penthouse

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Main article: Wayne Enterprises § Wayne Foundation

While these grounds are the regular home of Bruce Wayne, he temporarily vacated it in the stories from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, preferring to live in a penthouse apartment on top of the Wayne Foundation building in the city, which also included a secret sub-basement acting as a Batcave.

Wayne came to this decision when Dick Grayson went off to college, which led him to decide that the mansion was now impractical with only one resident and one servant. Furthermore, Wayne decided he wanted to be closer to his main field of operations in Gotham City than a home situated outside the main urban area would allow. However, by the early 1980s, Wayne came to reconsider that purpose and decided that being less accessible to the public was more advantageous for his Batman activities and returned to Wayne Manor.

Other versions

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Wayne Manor in Batman and the Outsiders vol. 2, #13 (Jan. 2009). Art by Fernando Dagnino.

Vampire Batman

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In Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, Wayne Manor is destroyed as part of a plan to destroy Dracula's vampire family, bombs exposing the interior of the Batcave to sunlight after Batman lured the vampires into the cave following a chase through Gotham's sewers that ended in the Batcave just as the sun rose. Although the manor collapses into the cavern system after a second series of bombs are set off, thus concealing Bruce Wayne's secret, Batman and Alfred relocate to a brownstone in the center of town, Batman residing in a mausoleum in the basement while Alfred prepares his equipment in the main house. Although Alfred and Gordon stake Batman at the conclusion of Batman: Bloodstorm after he succumbs to his vampire instincts and drinks the Joker's blood, he is restored to life after Alfred removes the stake in Crimson Mist, subsequently relocating to the catacombs underneath the remains of Wayne Manor. The manor's remains are finally destroyed for good when Gordon, Alfred, Two-Face, Killer Croc, and Two-Face's gang plant bombs on the cave roof, exposing the interior to sunlight and ending Batman's reign of terror once and for all.

Kingdom Come

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In Kingdom Come, the Manor was mostly destroyed by Two-Face and Bane after Batman's true identity was exposed; the Batcave, however, remained relatively untouched. By the end of the graphic novel, the Manor has been rebuilt as a hospital/hospice for Gulag battle victims.

Milltown Road

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Outside of the bustling metropolis of New York City, and on the outskirts of the sleepy town of Brewster, NY, boasts an active ‘Wayne Manor’ on a private residence. Known for elaborately themed parties and functions, W.M. northeast includes custom stonework, multiple fireplaces, a standing tiki bar and the occasional overhead fireworks display. While private, all guests are welcome.

In other media

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Television

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Live-action television series

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Animated television series

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Film

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Live-action films

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Stevenson Taylor Hall, Webb Institute in Glen Cove, New York, was used as Wayne Manor in Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Joker 2019 film and TV series Gotham and Pennyworth.
 
Mentmore Towers was used for exterior shots in Batman Begins.
 
Wollaton Hall was used as Wayne Manor in The Dark Knight Rises.

Animated films

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Video games

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Miscellaneous

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The lyrics to the song "She Looks Like Fun" on the album Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys mention Wayne Manor.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b Amazing World of DC Comics #14, March 1974. DC Comics.
  2. ^ a b World's Finest Comics #259, October–November 1979. DC Comics.
  3. ^ a b Detective Comics #503 June 1983. DC Comics.
  4. ^ a b Atlas of the DC Universe, 1990. DC Comics.
  5. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 373. ISBN 9780345501066.
  6. ^ Batman: The Ultimate Guide to The Dark Knight
  7. ^ Batman: Gotham Knights #1
  8. ^ Batman Eternal #37
  9. ^ Arkham Manor #1
  10. ^ Arkham Manor #6
  11. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (September 5, 2023). "DC Reveals That Batman's Wayne Manor Has A Shocking New Owner". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Epps, Justin (September 20, 2023). "Batman's Batcave Has Officially Been Lost to One Shocking DC Villain". ScreenRant. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Bing Maps". Maps.live.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  14. ^ "Historic homes". Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Webb Institute: Lenfest Gallery Upgrade". Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  16. ^ "The Dark Knight Rises finds new home for Batman in Nottingham". Metro.co.uk. Associated Newspapers Limited. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  17. ^ Heath, Neil (16 June 2011). "Batman boost as The Dark Knight Rises at Wollaton Hall". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  18. ^ "City was paid for Batman filming". This is Nottingham. Northcliffe Media. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  19. ^ "Justice League Reshoots Set Photos Highlight Wayne Manor Location". 27 July 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  20. ^ @paginanerdicaof (30 April 2021). "Primeiras imagens do set de The Flash em Lincolnshire, Onde podemos ver a Mansão Wayne do Batman do Michael Keaton" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Nash, Anthony (May 1, 2021). "The Flash Set Photos Show Batman 1989's Wayne Manor". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  22. ^ Hood, Cooper (May 1, 2021). "The Flash Movie Set Photos Reveal Michael Keaton Batman's Wayne Manor". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  23. ^ Leishman, Fiona (May 1, 2021). "Batman: Warner Bros spotted filming at Burghley House". Cambridge News. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  24. ^ Romano, Sal (April 30, 2021). "Hollywood swoops into town as Batman goes to Burghley". Peterborough Today. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  25. ^ Mer Eclarinal, Aeron (April 30, 2021). "The Flash Movie: New Set Photos Reveal Wayne Manor For Michael Keaton's Batman". The Direct. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "Arctic Monkeys Lyrics - She Looks Like Fun". www.azlyrics.com. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
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