“Mr. Wayne, it’s nice to hear you.”

On the second floor is the room Stephen uses to change into his suit and transform his voice, imitating Kevin Conroy from the 1993 Batman animated series.

He even has a Linkedin account with his real name and duel identity.

“Being Brampton’s Batman has grown into something that Brampton has accepted and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it,” says Lawrence in his robotic Batman voice.

But let’s go back in time to explain how a mere mortal transformed himself into a comic book character with the belief that he really is Batman, not just some costume-wearing adult. He is not the first person to dress as Batman and own and drive a Batmobile. He’s just the first and only one in Brampton. Some people have called him Black Batman, but he does not want to be identified by the colour of his skin.”

At the age of 14 while attending catholic school in Markham, Stephen wore his father’s overcoat one day over his uniform to strike his own identity. Friends called him Batman. That was in 1990, the day he believes he officially became the Dark Knight.

Stephen, who is the nephew of former Canadian Football League wide receiver/kick returner Dwight Edwards, participated in hockey, football, soccer, ballet and gymnastics growing up. He had aspirations to be a martial artist because he trained in Ninjutsu – the traditional Japanese art of stealth, camouflage and sabotage.

At the age of 15, he started to dress like Batman, albeit in hiding like a Ninja. He wore a cowl, black pants and a Batman sweater.

His life changed dramatically at the age of 17 because of two isolated incidents. In April, 1993, his father, Simeion Cornelius Lawrence, died at the hands of one of his sons from another relationship.

Stephen was living with his father, but not at home at the time of the attack. It reinforced the parallels that he shared with Bruce Wayne, whose parents were murdered according to the Batman story.

In July, 1993, Stephen became a real-life super hero. He ran after an individual who had just robbed a store in the Markville Mall and headed outside into nearby water. Stephen jumped in and tackled him and kept him under control until mall security and police arrived. The thief had been on Canada-wide warrant for credit card fraud. Stephen received a civilian citation for his brave act.

A story in the Toronto Star on July 8, 1993 indicates, “Stephen Lawrence was checking out the girls in Markville Mall when he heard a cry for help.”

“Synchronicity has revealed the consistency between me becoming a Ninja before my father's death and now dawning a cape and cowl,” he says. “Learning about Bruce Wayne’s life and seeing that it mirrored your own a little bit too closely, there’s a comfort that comes with that.”

He entered the Bachelor of Technology program at Sir Sandford Fleming and shortly after graduation moved to Brampton and began working at the Coca-Cola plant in quality control, production and warehousing. He then switched into becoming a driver.

In 2013, he decided to dress up as Batman again, something he hadn’t done since his teens, this time in Brampton.

“The impression I got from people before they realized I was Brampton’s Batman was fear,” he says. “You also had people that were curious. This wasn’t my plan at all. There’s nothing about being Brampton’s Batman that I could plan for, but there were a few brave souls that asked me for a photograph that was actually the beginning of what you see today.”

It was the purchase of the Batmobile in 2014 that allowed him to really come out into the open. Through some friends, he heard about a Batmobile owned by Orangeville resident Glenn McCullagh, who built the car using a Chevrolet Caprice and modeled it after the one used in the 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton. McCullagh dressed as Batman and posed with his car at various events.

“It doesn’t mean this wouldn’t have happened without the Batmobile. It would have,” Stephen insists. “However, I wanted to be very careful with how I would be received in the beginning. It’s not that I was illegitimate before, but (the car) definitely carries a lot of weight to explain who you are when you have that. Without the Batmobile, I’m still Batman. Without the Bat suit, I still am Batman. Since there was no plan in place, the idea was that as the suits evolved, this helped me to be more comfortable in my own skin, as it were. Then when I got the chance to get the Batmobile, it was just simply a dream come true.”

The price of making his dream come true has never been publicized – “the best way I can say it is a magician never reveals his secrets” – but McCullagh has been quoted as saying the car was appraised at a value of $45,000 in 2011.

“Something like this will not lessen in value is because it is what it is,” he says. “I’m proud of what I’ve been allowed to accomplish ever since having it.”

The irony of all this is that McCullagh has been quite critical of Lawrence and his handling of the Batmobile. Another individual whom Stephen hired to do repairs on the car launched a lawsuit against Stephen.

“I’d like to have as few enemies as possible,” Stephen says. “This is something that is unwanted. I didn’t expect it. You end up learning you can’t save everyone. Not everyone is interested in the truth or an explanation that makes sense. You just have to take it as it is.”

Stephen does not perceive Brampton Batman as a de facto crime stopper, but he did help to stop a driver operating a car that had one wheel missing and was creating sparks and noise with the uncovered rim. It turned out the driver was drunk.

“In the very beginning what I considered to be a successful patrol was to be able to be out there, seen by the police and not have a negative experience from that,” he says. “I called that a successful patrol. Today a successful patrol is at least making one person happy to see you. There are other things that you can and can’t get away with when it comes to the law.

“With fantasy, there is license for you to be a little bit more exaggerative or exploratory. It’s fun and romantic on screen, but to bring a lot of things to reality you have to be very careful or use your common sense or not do them at all. If someone is going to believe something negative about me, I can’t change it. If somebody is willing to allow the freedom of just a little bit of fun, something that is normally what you’re not going to see in a day-to-day life, then, yes, you can actually enjoy the story that’s being told in front of you.”

He has tried to keep his day job separate from his night one, even though Coca-Cola did an interview on his dual identity for its company publication.

“I was completely honoured and filled with gratitude and thanks,” he says. “When the company you are putting something into every day notices you and wants to invest back into you, that’s where I say thank you very much for that time and attention.”

The community has certainly embraced Batman.

“I think it’s good. I think it’s a positive thing,” says Adam Valenti, who is a part-owner of the new Wendel Clark restaurant franchise, where Batman has been known to frequent, and Pawn Kings across the street. “He’s kind of cool that he’s ours,” says resident Amanda Kerman.

The only thing Brampton Batman is missing is a true love. He has no soul mate – to date.

“I am very interested in finding the right lady and continuing the rest of other parts of life,” he says. “It doesn’t mean this one stops; it just means it becomes enhanced with a little help.”