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Gotham – The Workings Of Wayne Enterprises

By Steve Lam

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At the end of this week’s Gotham episode, titled Red Hood, audiences got confirmation that the board of Wayne Enterprises were indeed corrupt.  The depths of this corruption will most likely be explored in future episodes.  However, it seems that this conglomerate was large enough and complex enough to hide it from its most recent chairman — Thomas Wayne.  Just how intricate is Wayne Enterprises?  And how much work did young Bruce put into his investigation just to connect the dots?  We’re going to explore the history and workings of one of the largest and most successful fictional companies in the DC universe.

History and Major Divisions

The company was founded in the 17th century.  During the 19th century, Judge Solomon Wayne expanded the company with several separate businesses.  Solomon used the profits from his ventures to build the foundations of Gotham City.  Solomon’s son, Alan, expanded the company with Wayne Chemical, Wayne Manufacturing, and Wayne Shipping.  During this time, Alan also incorporated the company and made it into the entity known as WayneCorp.

Throughout its history, the Wayne family has made sure that the company acted with the highest of ethics — even if it meant foregoing profits, or putting the company at risk of bankruptcy or demise.  In the 1980s, WayneCorp underwent a name change — to better reflect its ubiquity in various verticals — and became known as Wayne Enterprises.  Today, major divisions of Wayne Enterprises are at the forefront of cutting-edge research and technology.  It is also one of the most cash-rich companies and largest employers in the world.

In Fox’s Gotham, it’s no surprise that the young Bruce Wayne needed time to piece together his investigation.  Wayne Enterprises’ major divisions are individual companies in their own right and include the following:

  • Wayne Technologies
  • Wayne Biotech
  • Wayne Aerospace
  • Wayne Chemicals
  • Wayne Shipping
  • Wayne Industries
  • Wayne Medical
  • Wayne Electronics
  • Wayne Entertainment
  • Wayne Steel
  • Wayne Shipbuilding
  • Wayne Foods

In the comics, an adult Bruce Wayne uses the research and knowledge gained from these divisions to piece together his state-of-the-art Batman arsenal and devices.  As a public-facing company, each division has multiple contracts with government, education, healthcare, and transportation entities.

Overseen by Bruce Wayne, who’s the acting CEO and Chairman, Wayne Enterprises only makes deals with third-parties who have an interested in improving lives and operating at a high ethical standard.

Another division, which is also seen as a separate company, is the Wayne Foundation.   Though the Waynes, throughout history, have followed a mantra of public service and charity, Thomas and Martha Wayne made it their sole mission.

The Thomas Wayne Foundation awards medical breakthroughs, and provides fellowships and grants to promising research that will help humanity.  The Martha Wayne Foundation is a social initiative that strives to improve lives through education, arts, family services, and tolerance.

After the tragic deaths of Thomas and Martha, Bruce made sure that this organization was given his full attention so that his parents’ name and legacy would continue to have a positive effect on the citizens of Gotham City.  To this day, the foundation is an active and vital part of Wayne Enterprises.

Allies and Rivals

Wayne Enterprises has invested in and partnered with multiple companies and organizations.  One of its most notable investments is The Daily Planet — the place of Clark Kent’s employ as a reporter.  Partnerships and “friendly” companies have included the following:

  • Kord Industries
  • S.T.A.R. Labs
  • Queen Industries
  • Ferris Aircraft

The biggest and most notable rival to Wayne Enterprises was and is LexCorp — the multinational corporation owned and managed by Lex Luthor.  LexCorp can be seen as the antithesis of Wayne Enterprises.  Always using its research for nefarious means, LexCorp will also use industrial espionage to gain an advantage.

There have been times when Wayne Enterprises was forced to have an uneasy alliance with LexCorp for the purposes of reaching a goal that neither company could achieve on its own.  Bruce Wayne understands who he’s dealing with and has played his cards extremely close to the chest during these partnerships.  Knowing that Lex Luthor does nothing without a self-serving angle, Bruce oversees all operations and also vets the project as Batman in order to gain a true perspective.

Television, Film, and Video Games

In the animated realm, Wayne Enterprises has made appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, The Batman, and Young Justice.  In live-action, other than Gotham, the company has been mentioned on The CW’s The Flash — where a newspaper article from the future shows the merger of Wayne Tech  and Queen Incorporated in 2024.

On film, the Wayne Foundation was mentioned in Batman (1966).  During the Tim Burton / Michael Keaton era of Batman movies — Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) — there is no mention of Wayne Enterprises in any capacity.  The company would finally make its appearance in Batman Forever (1995) directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Val Kilmer.  In Batman & Robin (1997) now starring George Clooney in the lead role, the company would continue to be mentioned.

In Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, starring Christian Bale as the titular hero, Wayne Enterprises plays an integral role in the overall story arc.  Upon the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne in Batman Begins (2005), board member William Earle, played by Rutger Hauer, takes over the company until Bruce is old enough to chair it himself.  However, Bruce is absent for many years — during his training to become Batman — and is declared dead.  Upon his return, he chooses to work at the company instead of wanting to manage it.  In the Applied Sciences division (most likely this universe’s Wayne Technologies) he meets Lucius Fox, played by Morgan Freeman, who equips Bruce with the equipment he needs for crime fighting — most notably the Tumbler (Batmobile), Batsuit, and specialized gliding cape.  At the end of the film, when Wayne Enterprises goes public, Bruce reveals that he’s now the majority stockholder.  He used a variety of shell companies set up by his trust fund to buy up shares.  Firing Earle, Bruce appoints Fox as the company’s new CEO.

In the Dark Knight (2008), Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox continue to use various Wayne Enterprises technologies to aid in the war against crime.  The company also acts as a facade to investigate the dealings of corrupt Chinese businessman Lau.  A Wayne Enterprises employee also tries to use his discovery of Batman’s true identity to blackmail Bruce Wayne.  But he’s quickly defused by Fox, who humorously questions how the employee will attempt to blackmail a billionaire who’s known to brutally assault criminals.

In the Dark Knight Rises (2012), Wayne Enterprises has fallen on hard times after its large investment in fusion technology research.  The company is put into further jeopardy when rival businessman John Daggett hires Bane to make a series of bad investments using Bruce Wayne’s fingerprints, which were stolen by Selina Kyle.  Miranda Tate later steps in to help Bruce by purchasing a controlling interest in the company.  She’s later revealed to be the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul — Talia al Ghul — who’s actually avenging the death of her father by the hands of Bruce when he was Batman.  At the end of the movie, after Bruce fakes his death, Lucius Fox is reinstated as CEO of Wayne Enterprises.  Wayne Manor, financially supported by the Martha and Thomas Wayne Foundation, becomes a home for at-risk and orphaned children.

In the fight between General Zod and Superman in Man of Steel (2013), the Wayne Enterprises logo can be seen on a satellite.  The logo is identical to the one used in the Dark Knight Trilogy.

Wayne Enterprises has also appeared in a series of video games: Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), Batman: Arkham City (2011), Batman: Arkham Origins (2013), Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), DC Universe Online (2011), and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012).

Final Thoughts

With such a complex structure and various divisions, it’s no surprise that greedy individuals from the inside are able to stealthily snake their way into filling up their pockets.  Going from traditional Batman lore, Thomas and Martha Wayne most likely had nothing to do with any of this.  In fact, the two may have stumbled upon this corruption accidentally and wanted to go public with it — resulting in their murder to permanently silence them.  In various media, Thomas Wayne has always been portrayed as a talented and charitable heart surgeon who only dealt with his practice.  He left the management of the company to other people.  The naiveté of him of trusting the board was probably his most fatal step.

In most incarnations, the board of Wayne Enterprises has been shown to be bureaucratic with conservative fat cats always trying to stonewall Bruce Wayne’s more charitable ideas.  Though their concern is mainly the company’s stock, the board members never acted immorally — especially resorting to murder.  This is the first time that the board has been portrayed as an evil entity making deals with the underworld.

After Alfred’s stabbing in Red Hood, the next target seems to be Bruce himself.  We’ll just have to see how far the board will go in securing their control of one of the most lucrative companies in the DC Universe.

Fox’s Gotham airs on Mondays at 8:00PM EST.

Next: Catch up on Gotham with a recap and review of Red Hood

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