When his wife Selina was died, he blamed himself...but mostly, he blamed the costume.    That night he destroyed it, and walked away from his lifetime career, as the Dark Knight of Gotham.  Bruce Wayne then pursued other avenues of meting out justice, using his skills in criminology to fight crime in another way.   And the first criminal that he tracked down as a plain clothed detective was Bill Jensen, a business man who had murdered his partner.  This case helped him achieve his next goal, to become Gotham City's Police Commissioner, a career which he worked as diligently at as he had as Batman.  Then one day, it all changed forever.

Bill Jensen woke up one morning, discovering he now had mysterious powers from a hidden benefactor.  Neither knowing nor caring where these came from, Jensen was consumed by one thought...revenge against the man who locked him away...Bruce Wayne!  Breaking out of prison and arriving at the top of one of Gotham's Twin Towers, he used his tremendous powers to rock the foundations of the adjacent building, proclaiming to the world that he wanted Wayne delivered to him immediately.  Wayne, never one to fear the unknown, arrived with his police force...as well as the Justice Society of America.  Though fighting valiantly, the JSA were quickly subdued by the madmen, but then he realized that Wayne had escaped the rooftop.  In fact, Wayne had climbed down to a lower ledge, and entered a room filled with museum pieces from Gotham's past, including his former costume.  Though still carrying the guilt of his wife's death, he knew he had a responsibility to his city and his people, so for one last time...the Batman arrived.

After saving a plummeting Flash, Batman swung up to the rooftop to confront Jensen.  Jensen demanded that Batman bring Wayne to him, not appreciating the bitter irony of the situation until it was to late.  Despite searing pain from Jensen's blasts, Batman continued forward toward Jensen until he grabbed him.  At this instant (as displayed above), Jensen discovered that Wayne and Batman were one in the same, and both men passed away in the end.  Batman's legacy continues with Robin, Batwoman, Huntress, and Blackwing protecting the city he so dearly loved.