Who is that masked man? He's baaaack! This time it's the backstory; how did rich guy Bruce Wayne decide to put on a rubber suit and clean up Gotham City anyhow?

Christian Bale in Batman Begins Credit: Warner Bros.

We first meet Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) as an 8-year-old who has witnessed his parents' murders. We establish that he's also afraid of bats which seem to hang out in abundance around Wayne Manor. After trying to live a normal life as a college student, young Bruce bolts and we see him as a wrecked human being in a horrible Far Eastern prison where he kicks major butt. We learn that he's traveled the world trying to figure out the criminal mind and has evidently learned to fight in the process.

Liam Neelson Credit: Warner Bros.

Bruce is rescued from the prison by a dark warrior called Ducard (Liam Neeson) who hangs out at a sort of Ninja training school slash monastery. Ducard trains Bruce to take control of his emotions and do some awesome martial arts. The school is the domain of the League of Shadows headed by guru Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) who tries to recruit Bruce to join his undercover vigilante crew battling evil world-wide, as they have for centuries by being a little more evil. This isn't Bruce's cup of tea. He splits and becomes the arch enemy of the Shadow bunch.