Thomas Wayne

Did you know immediately that this was going to be Thomas Wayne? Like, how much did you remember, kind of just in the periphery of your mind, how much of what Flashpoint was?

No, I didn't know that that version of Batman was in Flashpoint.

I... is it possible he's also referenced in other stories is there not a Thomas Wayne Batman in other stories or is this the one

so this is where he like this is like I would say the major one but if you've read Tom King's Batman there's they reference like in the button storyline they mention Tom King sorry not Tom King they mention Thomas Wayne because it's all about kind of that universe so you probably if you've read that version if you've read any of the Tom King stuff he plays with this version of Batman

So, yeah, no, I didn't know.

And we see this exact same structural flaw replicated in the character ranked at number five on the list.

Yes, Thomas Wayne in the DC Extended Universe film Batman v Superman.

Dawn of Justice

We all know the canonical sequence of events here.

The Wayne family exits the Aragon Theater into the dark streets of Gotham City.

They are ambushed in an alleyway by a desperate mugger named Joe Chill.

Thomas Wayne steps in front of his wife, Martha, and both are shot dead, spilling pearls onto the pavement

Leaving young Bruce Wayne an orphan, thereby igniting his lifelong crusade as Batman.

Come on, let's start.

And we want to infer right away this is Thomas Wayne.

And it kind of looks like what we know Thomas Wayne to look like,

right? Yeah, I don't know if I knew this was Thomas Wayne right away, but we learn that soon enough.

I guess he's saying Bruce – it could be a teacher – Like on a field trip.

I mean, it also could be like a young Alfred to me.

That's true.

It's funny right here.

And so, no, no.

So then it was like, okay, let's really make this about, you know, how did he survive? And I hit upon the whole magazine with Thomas Wayne and this kind of like idealized version of, you know, when you're in prison, you're just thinking about the heaven on the other side of the fence, you know? And then when he gets there and he sees it's garbage and he lays blame at Batman, I just thought it was a really strong through line.

I think that the engine of Bane's wearing batman down all that's very very clever and that comes from the books and uh i thought it was a really great idea now so you know people have rightly pointed out it doesn't seem fair that bane you know beats batman and when he's at his lowest point it's like yeah it's not fair it's strategic you know so hopefully that is if i was going to do the next couple that's something you have to hit them you know that's something that you have to shine a light on because this is about The breaking of Batman.

Yeah.

So somehow you did that really well.

I wasn't against him as the kid, but I was as the adult.

Even though some weird thing here as he's walking through Gotham, he's just like, this is not what Thomas Wayne built.

This is not what I was promised.

yeah yeah

it's just one of those things where he's like okay well if the magazine did not have Thomas Wayne on it if Bruce Wayne was not Thomas Wayne's son who happened to be Batman then things start falling apart a little bit

Yeah.

Because

I don't know if they're going to do King Snake as Edmund.

What is his name? But King Snake.

And not Thomas Wayne because in one of the comics where he's like, oh, his dad could have been Thomas Wayne as well.

Yeah, yeah.

Harley responds by ending the Red Hood gang's allegiance with Batman.

Batman then reaches Gotham Cemetery, digs up Thomas Wayne's grave, only to discover the coffin is empty.

Their issue ends as Scarecrow suddenly video calls Batman and reveals a naked... elderly prisoner chained to a wall scarecrow calls the man thomas and tells him his son is watching the prisoner begs scarecrow not to let his son see him like this saying you'd rather have bruce believe he was dead as our issue ends so we got batman number 22 we've had a a bunch of shocks in this series this issue is pretty shocking especially that ending what did you think of this issue

Shocking is putting it mildly.

There must have been something in the file indicating that your dad is not dead, so he has to check the body, and of course the body's not there.

That still doesn't mean that that is his dad and or his dad is alive.

For example, they could have dug up the body, taken it, and then just shown some old decrepit old man in chains and said it was old Thomas Wayne, but we don't know if that's the case or not.

Yeah, to make you think that, you know.