Wayne Enterprises, also known as Wayne Corporation, Waynecorp, Wayne Industries, Wayne Technologies and Waynetech, is a 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 Wayne and Martha Kane. Wayne Enterprises is headquartered in Wayne Tower, Gotham City.

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 Wayne Enterprises and steals the whole of the Wayne fortune, which he then uses to wreak havoc in Gotham. Bruce Wayne eventually regains control of Wayne Enterprises and has the Joker removed from the company for good.

Company history

thumb|120px|Wayne Tower in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight#27 (February 1992). Art by Chris Sprouse.

Founded by merchant ancestors of the Wayne family in the 17th century as a merchant house. The company began as a dozen businesses started by the Wayne brothers, Judge Solomon Wayne and Joshua Wayne, and with the revenue generated by the company, Solomon essentially built Gotham City by hiring Cyrus Pinkney.

Solomon's son and heir, Alan Wayne officially made it a corporate company in the 19th century. Alan, who was Bruce Wayne's great-great-grandfather, erected Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemical and Wayne Manufacturing. All these companies were energized by the 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.

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

Following the end of "The Joker War" storyline, Lucius Fox regains control of the Wayne fortune from the Joker. He warns Bruce that even if he did return his wealth to him, he would no longer be able to use the companies to fund his heroics, as the board of directors would be monitoring his money. This reduced Bruce's personal wealth status from a billionaire to a millionaire. Some time later, Bruce regains control of his fortune and returns as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, replacing Lucius.

Wayne Tower

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. Built as a symbol to welcome all of those who enter the city, Wayne Tower has 13 gargoyles, one for each of the 13 entry points into the city. At the top of the tower is an observation deck which Alan Wayne asserted be open to the public for free on weekends. The windows are made of glass that was designed to be weatherproof and unbreakable.

Film

  • Wayne Enterprises appears in Batman (1966).
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in media set in the DC Extended Universe.
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in Joker (2019).
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in The Batman (2022).

Video games

  • Wayne Enterprises appears in DC Universe Online.
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in the Batman: Arkham series.
  • Wayne Enterprises appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.

References

  • BruceWayneX.com - Wayne Enterprises products