Batcave

The Batcave is the secret headquarters of Batman, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath the residence of his secret identity, Bruce Wayne.

History
Discovered and used long before by Bruce Wayne's ancestors as a storehouse as well as a means of transporting escaped slaves during the Civil War era, Wayne himself rediscovered them when he fell through a dilapidated well on his estate. Much like Superman's Fortress of Solitude, the Batcave serves as a place of privacy and tranquility where Batman can be himself.

Upon his initial foray into crime-fighting, Wayne used the caves as a sanctum and to store his then-minimal equipment. As time went on, Wayne found the place ideal to create a stronghold for his war against crime, and has incorporated a plethora of equipment as well as expanding the cave for specific uses.

The cave is accessible in several ways. It can be reached through a secret door in Wayne Manor itself, which is located in the main study, behind a grandfather clock. The panel unlocks when the hands of the clock are set to the time that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered: 10:47. Alternately, the study entrance has been shown to be behind a bookcase which slides to the side when a secret button is pushed, revealing the "Bat-Poles", which allow Bruce Wayne and his ward to change into their Batman and Robin costumes en route as they slide down to the cave. There is also an entrance under Bruce Wayne's chair in his office in Wayne Enterprises, as shown in Batman Forever. In Batman Begins the cave is accessible through a secret door disguised as part of a large display case and unlocked by pressing a sequence of keys on the nearby piano.

Another secret entrance, covered by a hologram or a camouflaged door, allows access to a service road for the Batmobile. Another alternate entrance is a dry well, highlighted especially during the Knightfall storyline. At one point, Tim Drake and Dick Grayson use the dry well to get into the cave, which they had been locked out of by Jean-Paul Valley during his time as Batman.

Characteristics
The Batcave serves as Batman's command center, where he monitors all crisis points in Gotham and the world.

The cave's centerpiece is a supercomputer whose specs are on par with any of those used by leading national security agencies; it permits global surveillance and also connects to a massive information network as well as storing vast amounts of information, both on Batman's foes and his allies. A series of satellite link-ups allows easy access to Batman's information network anywhere in the globe. The systems are protected against unauthorized access, and any attempt to breach this security immediately sends an alert to Batman or Oracle. Despite the power of Batman's computers, the JLA Watchtower is known to have more powerful computers (composed of Kryptonian, Thanagarian and Martian technology), and Batman does occasionally use them if he feels his computers are not up to the task; on occasion he also consults Oracle for assistance.

The Bat Computer is powerful beyond the realm of realistic computer systems, as Alfred Pennyworth is able to program a replication (his "brain algorithms") of himself that can be conversed with.

The Batcave also has a collection of ancient armor due to Batman's study of military history. It includes outfits worn by European Knights, Desert nomads, and Samurai warriors throughout the centuries.

Additionally, the cave contains state of the art facilities such as: crime lab, various specialized laboratories, mechanized workshops, personal gymnasium, a vast library, parking, docking and hangar space (as appropriate) for his various vehicles as well as separate exits for the various types, trophies of past cases, a large bat colony, and a Justice League teleporter. It also has medical facilities as well as various areas used in training exercises for Batman and his allies.

The cave houses Batman's vast array of specialized vehicles, foremost being the famous Batmobile in all its incarnations (mostly for nostalgia as well as for contingencies, as all are serviceable and in excellent working condition). Batman keeps a fleet of regular cars of various models and utility vehicles such as an ambulance as well when the Batmobile would be too conspicuous for a mission. Other vehicles within the complex include various motorcycles, and various air and watercraft such as The Batplane, a single occupant supersonic jet. Another vehicle found in the Batcave is the subway rocket, first used during the time when Jean Paul Valley was substituting for Bruce Wayne after Bane had broken his back. It let Batman get into Gotham City very fast, and could electronically clear a path via the Gotham Rail system. The cave is sometimes powered by a nuclear reactor, but most often by a hydro-electric generator made possible by an underground river.

Batman later incorporated safeguards against earthquakes and even a potential nuclear catastrophe, outfitting the cave as a virtual bomb shelter or an enhanced panic room.

Rumor has it, that the world's last Lazarus Pit was constructed inside the Batcave, although the validity of this claim is suspect.

Miscellaneous
Memorabilia: Three memorabilia items often seen in the cave are a defunct full-size mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, an equally large U.S. penny and a Joker playing card. The T. rex comes from an adventure on "Dinosaur Island"; the penny was originally a trophy from Batman's encounter with a penny-obsessed villain named the Penny Plunderer. Other "keepsakes" in the cave include Two-Face's original coin, Deathstroke's sword, the shroud of the Mad Monk, a collection of the Penguin's deadly umbrellas, a Joker laughing fish, one of Harley Quinn's popguns, a Scarface dummy, Bane's mask and Venom tank, Mad Hatter's top hat, the Red Hood's domed helmet and original costume, Maxie Zeus's lightning weapon, and an over-sized collection of bowling ten-pins.

There is also a glass case display of Jason Todd's Robin costume as a memorial to him, with the epitaph "A Good Soldier". Barbara Gordon's Batgirl costume also remains on display.

Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City
See: Batcave (Batman: Arkham Asylum) and Batcave (Batman: Arkham City)

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman arranged for another Batcave to be installed underneath Arkham Asylum in case a situation happened where Batman ended up trapped on the island.

Six months later, after the events at Arkham Asylum, Batman (as Bruce Wayne) was incarcerated in Arkham City. Hugo Strange's TYGER gaurds attempted to take over Wayne Manor along with The Penguins henchmen to take advantage of Wayne being incarcerated in Arkham City. Luckily, Nightwing stepped in to defend the manor, taking out all of the intruders and managing to keep Wayne Manor (and potentially The Batcave) safe. Sometime after the events in Arkham City, Batman runs a simulation in The Batcave to test its self defense systems and his own moves in case his home was ever ambushed. This was NOT a real break in by TYGER gaurds, but just a simulation as the Batcomputer informs the player.

Burton/Schumacher Films
See: Batcave (Burton Films) and Batcave (Schumacher Films)

Nolan Films
See: Batcave (Nolan Films)