Why Christian Bale Is Being Called a Real-Life Superhero for Foster Kids

There have been many iterations of Batman, but the story of how the masked superhero came to be never changes. Bruce Wayne was orphaned when his parents were brutally murdered in front of him.

This planted a vigilante seed that grew into the Dark Knight. One might argue that Bruce Wayne could have benefited from some good old-fashioned therapy. Perhaps he could have funneled his time and money into volunteer work.

Actor Christian Bale is taking his fictional role as a superhero into the real world, and he's doing what Bruce Wayne should have done.

Back in February 2024, he was all smiles at the groundbreaking ceremony of a construction project that had been 16 years in the making, per The Hollywood Reporter. The project involved building homes that would help keep siblings in foster care together.

It's actually better than anything Batman could do. Keep reading for more details.

The housing project meant to keep siblings in foster care under one roof is located in Palmdale, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles. Christian did more than write a check or lend his name to this project.

He is the co-founder of Together California, and along with his longtime friend, UCLA’s Dr. Eric Esrailian, the actor aims to ease some of the trauma of foster care by ensuring siblings are never separated.

"With our Together California model, [the village] is something absolutely new, totally transformative and something completely needed," said Christian at the groundbreaking ceremony. "Imagine the absolute pain and the trauma of losing your parents or being torn from your parents, and then losing your brothers and sisters on top of that, that’s no way to treat kids."

He went on to say that he hoped this village was the first of many.

The cost of the project is an estimated $22 million and will hopefully be completed sometime in 2025. There is still much to do, including fundraising and finding the right foster parents, but things are really coming together.

"I think we're at a point in our society where we have to help," Christian told CBS Sunday Morning in May 2025. "And for me, – you know, as exciting as creating the next high-rise, we need to give back to society and community."

This particular project may be nearly two decades in the making, but Christian has been around philanthropy his entire life.

"I grew up with a dad who was always very active and altruistic, and we would be headed to protests and shouting at Maggie Thatcher and stuff," he told THR. "As a kid, I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I loved it, and I just admired the hell out of my dad in that way that he went out of his way to care for other people."

The idea for Together California was born, well, after the birth of Christian's first child in 2005.

"After our daughter had been born, I found myself trying to imagine what it would be like if we weren’t around," said Christian, referring to his wife, Sibi Blažić. "At the same time, I was doing all-night searches for what was going on in L.A. proper and where we could help."

He was horrified to learn that there are more foster children in Los Angeles than in any other place in the country.

It was that moment that Christian and his wife decided they were going to do everything in their power to help. Apart from donating money, Christian did things like visit Palmdale to make sure it was a good place for the project, but also wanted to make sure the community would welcome their idea.

Christian said this will be one of the things he's most proud of when he draws his last breath.