Batman is one of the most well-known heroes in the DC Universe. It’s hard to go anywhere in Gotham City without hearing his name, which is why it’s so surprising that this isn’t the first superhero identity Bruce Wayne has taken on for himself. Long ago, during his years of training, Bruce Wayne was known as something very different.
Bruce Wayne’s first secret identity was revealed during a flashback in Batman Confidential #54 by Marc Guggenheim and Jerry Bingham. This story revolves around the first superhero team that Batman joined, far away before being Batman. They were known as The Zhuguan, which roughly translates to “The League”, and Bruce Wayne was convinced to join them in their war against a brutal warlord.
While Bruce Wayne was certainly a skilled fighter, he was far from his prime and was not able to match this warlord’s strength. This led to Batman taking a special serum that granted him superpowers, and with those powers came an entirely new identity. It was here that Bruce Wayne took his first steps as Hei An Wushuh, also known as Dark Night.
The dark night had powers of invisibility at night
Batman Confidential #54 by Marc Guggenheim, Jerry Bingham, David Baron, Jerry Bingham and Ken Lopez.
Bruce Wayne traveled the world for several years to learn the skills necessary to become Batman, but the real idea from Batman himself wasn’t something Bruce had exactly thought about yet. For a long time, Bruce just presented himself as a random nobody, he didn’t bother wearing a mask or anything. He simply showed up to get the training he needed and then disappeared. The Zhuguan were the first team Bruce joined and really tried to be a part of. This included taking on a new identity to match the other members, but after falling out with the team, he abandoned that identity.
Every criminal he faced could tell he was just a guy.
Fans often don’t remember exactly how much work went into creating Batman’s identity. When Bruce returned to Gotham City, he still hadn’t thought about Batman’s identity and simply tried to fight crime as an unknown vigilante. He wore minimal disguise and just did his best to fight criminals. But the problem was that no one was afraid of him. Every criminal he faced could tell he was just a guy. It wasn’t until one fateful night, when a bat crashed into Wayne Manor, that Bruce finally got the idea of ​​the secret identity that would stay with him for life.
It took Bruce years to discover Batman’s identity
While the Hei An Wushuh identity was good practice for Bruce, it was never one he would stick with for long. The superpowers he was granted came from a serum that was addictive in its essence. This meant that Bruce would never be able to operate in Gotham City as he would be dependent on the Zhuguan. While it’s certainly interesting to look back at Bruce’s history and see that the different identities he once had were just a stepping stone to becoming Batman.