Thomas Wayne
| Thomas Wayne | |
|---|---|
| File:Thomas wayne LH.jpg Thomas Wayne in the Long Halloween. Art by Tim Sale. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #33 (November 1939) |
| Created by | Bob Kane Jerry Robinson |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Thomas Wayne |
| Supporting character of | Batman |
Thomas Wayne is a fictional character of the Batman series of comic books. Dr. Thomas Wayne was the father of Bruce Wayne, and husband of Martha Wayne, as well as a gifted surgeon, philanthropist and was the inheritor of the Wayne family fortune which was built through industry and real estate by previous generations.
Background
Thomas Wayne is seldom shown outside of Bruce Wayne's and Alfred Pennyworth's memories of him, and often through Bruce's dreams and nightmares.
A notable occurrence was when Bruce fell through a fissure on the Wayne property, into what would one day become the Batcave. Thomas Wayne eventually rescued his terrified son from the cave.
Wayne was also The First Batman according to a Silver Age tale of that name where he attacked and defeated hoodlums while dressed like a "Bat-Man" for masquerade ball with flying creatures as a theme. This was recognized as one of the inspirations for Bruce donning the Batman costume. According to the story, Thomas Wayne's actions resulted in Lew Moxon being imprisoned and ordering the murder of Thomas Wayne ten years later. Though this would make Bruce 12-15, the Silver Age Batman tales were known for their inaccuracies. When Batman realizes Moxon ordered his parents killed, he confronts Moxon, who can't remember what he did due to amnesia. When Batman's costume is torn, he wears Thomas Wayne's, which looks very much like the original Bat-costume from 1939. Moxon remembers his crime, believes that he is being attacked by Thomas Wayne's ghost and flees into the streets where he is killed by a truck.
Bruce seems to have been closer to Thomas Wayne than Martha Wayne, and shares many common attributes with him, including brooding over his failures to save people's lives.
Thomas Wayne was once thought to be the father of Bane, a man who would one day break his son; however, DNA testing proved this to be false, and Bane's real father was recently revealed to be King Snake. It has also been hinted that Thomas is the Phantom Stranger.
Murder
When exiting a theatre, Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered during a mugging that occurred in front of a young Bruce Wayne. This tragic event shocked Gotham, led to Park Row (the street where it occurred,) being labelled Crime Alley, and most importantly, was the motivation for Bruce one day becoming the Batman.
Due to the many writers who have written Batman stories, and constant references due to the central importance of the murder to the Batman mythos, many of the factors concerning the event have varied.
- Bruce's age has varied, usually between six and ten years old. However, all writers and artists have accepted that he was eight at the time. The film Batman Begins confirms this plothole in terms of continuity.
- The murderer's is consistently identified as Joe Chill, though the mythos alternates between versions where Batman finds out and where Batman never finds out. Chill has also alternated between being a mere mugger who randomly selected the wealthy Waynes, and a hitman who murdered them intentionally.
- The reason given for Chill leaving Bruce alive has varied. Sometimes it was because Chill couldn't kill a child, sometimes because Chill heard a policeman's whistle, police siren, or a rapidly approaching policeman. For alternate versions, see Other Media.
- The movie that the Waynes went to see has fluctuated between the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro starring Douglas Fairbanks and the 1920 version starring Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone. A fictional third version has starred "Tyrone Fairbanks."
Consistent elements have included Thomas Wayne being murdered by a pistol, and Martha Wayne's pearl necklace being torn, with the pearls falling into the gutter.
Thomas and Martha Wayne are notable as two comic book characters who have remained dead; another example is Spider-Man's Uncle Ben, although an alternate version of this character recently appeared.
In other media
Batman
In Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman David Baxt portrayed Thomas Wayne in his lone scene. The Waynes were murdered by Jack Napier, the future Joker, rather than Joe Chill. Napier then pointed the gun at Bruce and asked "Ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight?" Napier abandoned the crime scene when his more apprehensive partner heard the police coming. Martha's pearls falling into the gutter was prominently featured in slow motion. Batman learned the killer's identity when the Joker said the same thing to Bruce Wayne when he was about to shoot him in Vicky Vale's apartment.
Batman Begins
In the 2005 Christopher Nolan film Batman Begins, Dr. Wayne was played by Linus Roache and received more screen time than Baxt did in the Burton film. Wayne was a surgeon at the Gotham City hospital, and of the fifth generation of the Wayne family to live in the Wayne Manor. He was the chairman of Wayne Enterprises until his death. Bruce falling into the cave is included in this film. Being one of the most prominent citizens in Gotham, he was trying to change the city into a better place, up until the end of his life.
In this version, he and Martha were murdered at gunpoint by a petty criminal named Joe Chill at 10:47 p.m., after attending a performance of Mefistofele, rather than a movie, and they left the opera early when Bruce was scared by the bat-like demons that appeared. Later, it was revealed that Ra's Al Ghul had a hand in their deaths, because Gotham had become so immersed in crime, it must be destroyed, person by person, so it cannot spread. Martha's pearls are heard falling, but aren't shown. It was shown that he was killed because he was trying to protect his wife, after Chill tried to rip off her necklace.
Dr. Wayne's last words were "Bruce...don't be afraid."