Thomas Wayne Sr.

Thomas Wayne, Sr. was one of the wealthiest aristocrats in Gotham. The only son from a relatively small family, Thomas inherited substantial wealth from prudent investments from his forebears. Initially invested in real estate, the Wayne fortune grew as they added railroads, shipping lanes, chemical research, and manufacturing to their portfolio. By 1938, Wayne Enterprises was worth nearly a billion dollars and owned property up and down the eastern seaboard.

At the outbreak of World War II, Thomas Wayne found his docks besieged with German saboteurs and Nazi sympathizers. Once, he'd spent many hours performing careful analysis of criminal activity in order to keep his company profitable. Now he turned that mind towards military saboteurs.

The CEO of Wayne Enterprises happened to have had a quiet but distinguished career as a semipro boxer in his collegiate years, winning several undercard fights against seasoned professionals. Combined with his significant wealth, knowledge of shipping and transportation lines, and a sophisticated network of criminal contacts, Thomas enlisted the aid of the Italian Mafia in keeping Gotham's harbors cleared of sabotage. He adopted the moniker 'Owlman' to fight crime anonymously and outside the law, and allied frequently with the Great Lakes Defenders.

He was so effective that he was recruited by the Strategic Scientific Reserve to help ensure that materials and weapons weren't intercepted in transport to Europe, and even traveled abroad at the height of war to lend his considerable skill at espionage and investigation to the Justice Defenders.

After 1948, he hung up his cloak and mantle and Owlman disappeared from the public eye. The caverns below Wayne Mansion were sealed and locked up. His son Thomas Wayne Jr. would go into medicine, with none of his father's preference for fisticuffs, but it would be his grandson Bruce Wayne who would make next, best use of those facilities.

Thomas Wayne Sr. passed away in 1993.