BIRTH.VIDEO.DEATH.: All The Dead Waynes

“His parents died when he was so young. Shot... killed right in front of him. He was raised alone – a kid in a huge mansion – with his memories of his mother and father. He had love, and they took it from him.

He should be a killer. He should want to tear the world apart for what it did. And yet he took that pain, that shock of death, and he turned it into hope.”

- Superman in Batman #36 (2017)

We know how the story goes.

Theater marquee. Wealthy couple. Bright, happy son. Man with a gun. Chaotic struggle. Gunshots. String of pearls, broken. Innocence lost. Batman born.

There’ve been hundreds of depictions of the event that created the Batman legend, the night Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered on the streets of Gotham City. In honor of the 80th anniversary of the Dark Knight and the 1,000th issue of the title where he was introduced, Detective Comics, we’ve taken the four live-action depictions of that critical evening and cut them together into one narrative.

With scenes drawn from Batman (1989), Batman Begins, the pilot episode of Gotham, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, here’s “All the Dead Waynes.”

No, we didn’t include Batman Forever’s brief flashback – it’s only a couple of shots that more or less mimic Burton’s Batman. We also didn’t include the many animated and video game depictions, but they’re highly recommended. This clip from Then & Now is a nice recap.

Quick sidebar that I’ve gotta share – if you’ve ever wondered who the actor was that looked so much like young Jack Nicholson… well, say hello to Hugo Blick, Peabody and Golden Globe Award-winning writer, director, and producer (The Honourable Woman and Black Earth Rising).

Anyway, happy birthday, Bruce! You’ll outlive us all, even if your parents won’t.