Lucius Fox

For the British heavy metal drummer, see Lucas Fox.

Lucius Fox
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Batman #307 (January 1979)
Created by	Len Wein John Calnan
In-story information
Full name	Lucius Fox
Team affiliations	Wayne Enterprises
Supporting character of	Bruce Wayne

Lucius Fox is a fictional character appearing in Batman comic books by DC Comics. He was created by Len Wein and John Calnan, and first appeared in Batman #307 (January 1979). As a supporting character, he acts as Bruce Wayne's business manager who supposedly unknowingly runs the business interests that supply Batman's equipment needs as well as financing his operations. Lucius Fox is played by Morgan Freeman in the Christopher Nolan Batman films.

Fictional character biography

CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Fox has the "Midas Touch", an ability to turn failing businesses into successful conglomerates. Fox is called in to the failing Wayne Enterprises and brings a balance to both Wayne's private and business finances. In Batman Confidential, he is shown heading the project that produced the prototype that would become the Batwing. He also manages the particulars of the Wayne Foundation while Wayne dictates the organization's general policies. Since then, Fox has been approached time and time again by other companies seeking his expertise. After overcoming the original challenge of returning Wayne Enterprises to its glory, Fox has elected to stay, having been given an unparalleled freedom in the company.

In Batman: Haunted Knight, it is explained that Lucius Fox is rescued from muggers by a young Bruce Wayne in Paris. Later, Fox asks him if he wants to start a foundation for charity, to which Bruce agrees many years later, deciding that not all of his money has to go to crime fighting.

Many stories allude to Fox knowing the secret activities of his employer, and yet keeping it to himself, most notably in the recent feature film Batman Begins; at the very least, he is aware that his employer is not the shallow playboy he pretends to be. In the 2008 film The Dark Knight Fox is shown to be fully aware of Bruce Wayne's activities as Batman (though he plays along with Wayne's cover stories), supplying him with the needed gear for his crusade, but also along with Alfred Pennyworth, acts as a voice of reason and conscience to Bruce. Fox has become a valuable ally for Batman, not just by helping to finance the vigilante's activities but by handling most of Wayne Enterprises' day-to-day business, leaving Wayne to prowl the rooftops. He is also a valued friend to Bruce Wayne, though the fact that Wayne cannot be totally honest with him occasionally hampers their friendship.

Bruce Wayne, as Batman, originally forms the Outsiders in order to rescue Fox from Baron Bedlam. When Fox later suffers a stroke, Wayne makes sure that Fox gets the best care possible and supports him and his family.

Making her debut in the issues of Red Robin was Fox's daughter Tam. Her father sent her to personally locate Tim Drake, only to discover his secret identity as Red Robin and get unwittingly involved in his conflicts with the League of Assassins. It is believed that learning Drake's secrets has led Tam Fox to realize that Bruce Wayne is Batman. However, she apparently did not report her findings to her father.

After Bruce Wayne announces his public support for Batman Inc., Fox becomes actively supplying the Waynes with the company's resources and research prototypes thus bringing him closer to his portrayal in the Christopher Nolan Batman films.

Other versions

Anti-Matter Universe

An alternate version of Fox is shown in the Antimatter universe (which resides with the Crime Syndicate). Fox is a white ruthless gang boss who has the backing of the CSA, in return for spreading fear in Gotham and snitching for Owlman.

In other media

Television

• A character resembling Fox is seen at Batman's funeral in the season three episode Superfriends: Rest in Peace. A photograph of a man that appears to be him is also seen in Wayne Manor in the final season episode The Fear.

• Lucius Fox was voiced by the late Brock Peters in Batman: The Animated Series and then by Mel Winkler in The New Batman Adventures. His appearances are consistent with Fox as Wayne's friend and business manager. Fox appears clueless about Wayne's alter-ego throughout the series. His largest role is seen in the two-part episode "Feat of Clay," where Matt Hagen attempts to kill Fox under the guise of Bruce Wayne and under orders of Roland Daggett. Fox, who survives with severe injuries, implicates Wayne in the attempt, and Wayne is brought in to be interrogated. By the end of the episode, Wayne's name is cleared, and Fox claims to be delighted with the knowledge that Wayne was not his attacker. Fox also served as Wayne's best man during his ill-fated wedding in "Chemistry." In the episode "Old Wounds," he is seen with Alfred and Barbara Gordon attending Dick Grayson's college graduation, along with Fox's own son, Joseph Fox.

• In "Black Out", an early episode of Batman Beyond a company by the name of Foxteca is the target of corporate sabotage. In a conversation between Bruce Wayne and the villainous Derek Powers, it is revealed that when Powers took over Wayne Enterprises, he fired the company's vice president, Lucius Fox Jr., who went on to found his own technology company, Foxteca. Wayne remains supportive of the Foxes and has Terry make sure to protect it from Inque, who is hired to cripple the company.

Lucius Fox, as he appears in The Batman.

• Lucius Fox appeared in The Batman in both parts of the season four finale The Joining where he is voiced by Louis Gossett Jr.. This version is based on the Batman Begins version, made to look somewhat similar to Morgan Freeman and including his background as a friend of Thomas Wayne. He knows Bruce Wayne's secret identity as Batman (though this version's knowledge is stated outright, not merely implied as in Begins), and helps design most of his arsenal along with the construction of the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor. He, along with Robin, Batgirl, and J'onn J'onzz, played a part in helping Batman defeat the alien robots known as the Joining. Lucius returns in "The Batman/Superman Story," where he gives Batman a new version of the Bat-bot, which he later uses against a brainwashed Superman, and provides Robin with a jetpack.

Film

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox from Batman Begins.

• Lucius is played by Morgan Freeman in the 2005 film Batman Begins and its 2008 sequel, The Dark Knight. Both films were directed by Christopher Nolan. Freeman will reprise his role as Fox in the third and final Nolan-directed Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

In the first film, Fox is a research head and friend of Bruce Wayne's late father Thomas Wayne who is demoted by Wayne Enterprises CEO William Earle to the Applied Sciences division, which involves overseeing the supplies of Wayne Enterprises' aborted research projects and prototypes. Upon returning to the business, Bruce Wayne strikes up a fast friendship which allows him to all but recruit Fox as his armorer for his Batman activities. Fox proves valuable in this role, even when he is fired by Earle. Regarding Bruce's identity as Batman, he tells Wayne, "[If] you don't want to tell me exactly what you're doing— when I'm asked, I don't have to lie. But don't think of me as an idiot." At the end of the film, Bruce, having gained majority control of Wayne Enterprises' shares (through various charitable foundations and trusts and so forth) fires Earle and makes Fox the company's CEO. When firing Earle, Fox relishly asks him, "Didn't you get the memo?" - a nod to what Earle said when he fired Fox from Applied Sciences.

In The Dark Knight, Freeman reprises his role as Fox. Now he knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman and actively participates in a support capacity as Wayne's armorer, designing a new Batsuit designed for more efficient mobility and which can withstand against dogs (and cats), though also makes Bruce vulnerable to knives and gunfire. When Wayne Enterprises negotiates a deal with Lau, a mob accountant, both Bruce and Fox agree that Lau's business is illegal based on their profits. With Harvey Dent and Lt. James Gordon needing Lau in order to find where he has hidden the mob's money, Bruce makes a trip to Hong Kong and Fox accompanies him to make it look like they've only gone there to cancel the negotiations with Lau's investment company. When Batman uses his cell phone sonar technology to create a computer system that can spy on the whole city in order to find the Joker, Fox says that he will help just this once, but will resign due to the ethical issues of using a system that spies on 30 million people (which he swears was not part of his job description) if it stays at Wayne Enterprises. After the police arrest the Joker, Fox types his name into the system as instructed by Batman and the computer self-destructs. Fox walks away smiling. He evidently withdrew his threat to resign.

Freeman is listed in the cast of the sequel, The Dark Knight Rises, as Fox once again.

Lucius Fox as he appears in Field Test.

• Kevin Michael Richardson voices Lucius Fox in Batman: Gotham Knight, within the segment "Field Test." As a possible extension of the Nolan film universe, the segment confirms that Lucius knows Batman's secret identity.

Video games

• Morgan Freeman reprised his role as Lucius Fox in the Batman Begins video game.
• Lucius Fox is a playable character in the Nintendo DS version of Lego Batman and his pieces can be found in the character creation feature in the others consoles version of the game.
• Lucius Fox is referenced in Batman: Arkham Asylum, as the respected inventor of the donated Wayne Tech security gates located around Arkham Island.
• Fox is again referenced in Batman: Arkham City by Alfred Pennyworth. He claims Fox has manufactured a cure for the Titan illness, but this was revealed as a hallucination created by the Mad Hatter. Also, it is mentioned that he knows about the prototype grapnel boost, as he claims that it is not ready yet.
• Lucius Fox appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Leif Anders.