The fact that Batman In fact, Bruce Wayne may be one of the worst kept secrets in comic book movies, with many characters discovering their secret identities in clever ways. Almost every live-action Batman film features some scene of another character discovering Bruce Wayne's secret identity as Batman, with Matt Reeves Batman recently being the first to buck this trend since Adam West's 1966 feature film. Films often find creative and impactful ways to reveal The Dark Knight's disguise.
Supporting characters can discover Batman's identity in several ways. Most of the time, people only know that Bruce Wayne is Batman when he wants to, gently letting the secret slip through some clever wordplay or subtle statement. More rarely, other characters such as villains are able to discern Batman's identity against his will, presenting Bruce Wayne as the only logical answer to the question of who is behind the mask.
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Batman reveals his secret identity to Flash with a perfectly timed Batarang
Justice League
Batman isn't the only DC hero concerned about protecting his secret identity. In fact, as the billionaire CEO of Playboy, the more prosaic secret identities of other heroes are a much bigger weak point than Batman himself, with fewer resources to protect them and more loved ones for the villains to attack. It's a good thing Batman is on the right side of justice, as his sleuthing skills make it very easy to uncover other heroes' secret identities.
Batman proves this in Justice League when he goes to recruit Barry Allen, aka The Flash. Understandably, Barry is quick to deny Bruce Wayne's claims when he seeks him out as a civilian. Only when Batman suddenly throws a Batarang at the Flash, knowing he will be able to use the Speed Force to avoid it, does Barry let his guard down. In a smart move, Batman forces Barry's hand, making him use his powers to avoid harm, and proves himself a reliable ally by exposing himself with one of his signature throwing weapons.
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Batman reveals his secret identity to Rachel in his own words
Batman begins
Batman begins is an underrated film when compared to its more famous Christopher Nolan siblings The Dark Knight trilogy thanks to moments like Batman's admission of his identity. A character created by Nolan exclusively for the films, Rachel Dawes serves as Bruce Wayne's childhood friend and love interest, who becomes an important player in Gotham's legal community. Just before being attacked by crazed serial killer Victor Zsaz after Scarecrow's riot, Rachel and a random boy are saved by Batman.
Curious to know who to thank, Rachel asks Batman who he is, and Batman can't help but subtly reveal himself to her in his own words – “It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me“. This brilliantly calls back to an earlier scene with Rachel and Bruce after some of their playboy antics. Stunned by the revelation, Rachel then blurts out “Bruce?“, possibly revealing the identity to the child next to her as well.
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Batman reveals his secret identity to Lucius Fox
Batman begins
Another big change that Nolan's films made to the typical Batman canon was the change in Lucius Fox's involvement in Batman's war on crime. In the comics, Lucius Fox knows Bruce Wayne's identity and helps him save his reputation as his business representative at Wayne Enterprises. However, Nolan decided to involve Lucius more as an in-house engineer and supplier of Batman's hardware, with Bruce asking him for increasingly specific and obvious Batman equipment over the course of Batman begins.
As Bruce's demands get stranger, he can't help but make sure Lucius Fox is comfortable with the knowledge of what he's doing. In response, Fox tells him that the less he knows the better, but not to take him for an idiot. This “don't ask, don't tell” relationship between Batman and Lucius Fox as warrior and armorer is a fun twist on the typical secret identity conscience, with Lucius having enough plausible deniability in his involvement with Batman to remain safe while contributing to the worthy cause.
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Batman and Catwoman reveal their identities to each other
Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer is by far considered the best live-action Catwoman by many, thanks in large part to her romantic chemistry with Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne. This strong bond is highlighted during the party scene in which the two irrevocably reveal their attraction to each other, dressed up and dressed up, at a bizarre masquerade ball.
In a sensual dance of equal parts danger and flirtation, Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne essentially confess to each other as Catwoman and Batman, mentioning that they are tired of “wearing masks“. Their kiss soon turns to heartbreak when Selina reveals that she only came to the party to kill Max Shreck, forcing Bruce Wayne into action. The fact that Bruce is so eagerly willing to reveal his secret identity to Selina really sells his tragic romance.
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Batman tells Commissioner Gordon that heroes can be anyone
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises can be seen as the most cumbersome and flawed of the Christopher Nolan Batman films, but it still managed to maintain the strange gem of a scene. One of the film's best nuggets of goodness arrives at the end, as Batman prepares to transport Bane's nuclear bomb out of Gotham and into the safety of the bay in his flying vehicle, The Bat. Watching him prepare, Gordon admits his long-time appreciation for Batman, asking who he is so that Gotham can truly know who their hero was.
Batman's response is perfect, saying “A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and comforting as putting a coat on a boy's shoulders to let him know the world hadn't ended.” In one fell swoop, Bruce Wayne reveals his identity, recalls his relationship with Gordon out of costume when he comforted him the night his parents died, and declares his own admiration for him. This might be the most perfect Batman line ever subtly revealed your identity to someone in a movie.
Batman Forever
If The Dark Knight Rises is not much considered in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman Forever is equally maligned among Batman films as a whole. That said, Val Kilmer's Batman is notable for having to undergo one of the most dangerous non-consensual secret identity reveals ever featured in a Batman film. In other words, the fact that the supervillain The Riddler manages to discover that Bruce Wayne is the Caped Crusader gives a dangerous touch to the rest of the film.
With his incredibly advanced technology, the Riddler is able to realize that Bruce Wayne is Batman thanks to a device that maps a subject's psyche with visual computer graphics. Creating a flying bat for Bruce Wayne, The Riddler and Two-Face share a well-deserved evil laugh as they realize what the image means. As much as Tommy Lee Jones hated Jim Carrey in Batman ForeverOn set, their chemistry as the two villains is absolutely adorable.
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Coleman Reese tries to blackmail Batman
The Dark Knight
Not every antagonist who discovers Batman's secret identity is as successful as the Riddler. Despite already having many villains like the Joker, Two-Face and even a small appearance by the Scarecrow, The Dark Knight takes time to pepper another minor antagonist, Coleman Reese. A Wayne Enterprises employee who realizes what Lucius Fox is up to, Reese goes to Fox demanding monetary compensation for his silence.
Calm and collected as ever, Lucius Fox simply sits back and smiles, exposing the danger of Reese's plan to him. After realizing that Batman, a vigilante who “spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands“, supposedly the target of his blackmail campaign, Reese quickly rethinks his strategy. The best part of this scene is that Lucius doesn't even fire Coleman; he simply sends him back to work.
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Blake reveals he knows who Bruce Wayne really is
The Dark Knight Rises
Coleman Reese may have discovered the secret identity of Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne by gaining access to confidential information from Wayne Enterprises, but rookie cop John Blake is able to discover him with just a glance. Blake approaches Bruce Wayne at his mansion, telling him a story very similar to Bruce's. As a child, Blake's father was the victim of senseless gun violence, leaving young John an orphaned boy filled with rage.
Blake recalls how he finally managed to hide his anger behind a “mask” of sorts, but he could recognize the same look of pain in Bruce Wayne's eyes when he briefly visited his orphanage. While others only saw a flashy billionaire, Blake noticed a deep anger behind Bruce's eyes, leading him to form a connection with Batman. Cunningly discovering Batman's identity through intuition alone, it's no wonder Blake was groomed to become Robin and follow in the Dark Knight's footsteps.
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Superman and Wonder Woman discover Bruce Wayne on the same night
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Of all the Batman films, Ben Affleck's version may have had the hardest time keeping his identity a secret. During a charity fundraiser for Lexcorp, Bruce Wayne uses his public-facing persona to gain access to the event and, by extension, Luthor's confidential servers full of data. Wayne manages to sneak into Luthor's server room to extract valuable information from his local machines, but not without attracting unwanted attention.
Superhearing is often one of Superman's least utilized powers, but Clark Kent makes the most of it when he encounters his nemesis in civilian clothes, catching Alfred talking in Bruce's ear about uploading data via a hidden radio. As if that weren't enough, Diana Prince also catches Bruce leaving a room he shouldn't be in, causing two future members of the Justice League to discover Batman's secret identity against his will. The tension of this scene and Clark's subtle realization of what his powers are telling him make this scene emotional.
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Michael Keaton returns to the bat suit
The Flash
Of all the special appearances in Flash, the return of Michael Keaton's Batman is by far the most rewarding and exciting. At first, the alternate universe Barry Allen quickly believes his other self that the eccentric old hermit before them is a great hero after a sloppy fight in the Wayne Manor kitchen. Only when the pair venture alone into the Batcave does Barry's other self begin to see full vision.
Like Danny Elfman's iconic original score for 1989 Batman escalates, Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne joins the two costumed heroes, returning to his initial hesitation to help them find Superman and defeat General Zod. It's almost thrilling to see Michael Keaton back in full force as his most iconic character, with Barry's other self finally understanding why his doppelgänger held the aging billionaire in such high regard. Simply admitting”Yes I am Batman“, Keaton's return has the weight it deserves.
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