There is a new Batman film in theaters next week, but it doesn't show the death of his parents. For the first time in a while, we don't actually see Bruce Wayne's parents being killed in cold blood. It was a conscious decision by director Matt Reeves to not dramatize the violent act in Batman, which is why he did it. It has happened many times before. Most people assume the scenes are the same. Each of the directors of the Wayne murders made very different decisions when you break them down. Since you won't get a Wayne murder on screen this year, we decided to rank. The task is a bit more difficult than we expected. Batman's full cinematic story can be told without The Lego Batman Movie or Batman: The Movie. The Lego Batman Movie only has a brief scene about his parents, and the 1966 film doesn't deal with it at all. Without a full dramatization, they aren't included. The death of Thomas and Martha Wayne was witnessed by their son Bruce in the movie. The fact that it doesn't take place in a Batman movie puts it at the bottom of the list.
4. Joker
The scene takes place at the end of the film. Thomas, Martha, and Bruce are leaving the movies because a man in a mask sees them. The film focuses on Thomas Wayne's importance and Arthur's link to him. There is a direct intent that is not in the other versions of this scene. The fact that this man killed the Waynes because they were Waynes, and not just random people leaving a theater, undermines its importance to Bruce. At least for now.
That could change. We're likely to get a sequel to the Joker at some point, so whether or not Bruce Wayne will be in it, and what Arthur's role in Bruce's parents will be.
Christopher Nolan made the boldest decision when he killed the Wayne family. Bruce and his parents go to the city for an opera in the first ten minutes of Batman Begins. An opera that scares Bruce so much that he wants to leave. Nolan's scene is different because it lays the blame for his parents' murder on Bruce. Bruce put the Wayne family in his crosshairs, even though Joe Chill pulled the gun. They wouldn't have left the theater if he hadn't been scared. It is a dark thought, but a welcome one, and the beginning of something larger.
Begins is almost entirely about Batman's origin. This scene is complex as it may be in comparison, so it becomes the first step in a longer process. One that we don't see in the other films makes this rank a tad lower than its competition.
It was difficult to choose between this murder and Batman Begins. I give Tim Burton a slight edge because he is the one who does the killing. Bruce and Martha's murderer is usually meaningless or anonymous. In this scene, Burton uses the origin as a second-act reveal to show that Jack Napier was the one who killed Bruce Wayne's parents. It gives the whole event a much deeper link to the overall story, and almost makes it a Joker origin too.
Oh, and the other thing? The parents of Bruce are played by Liza Ross and Garrick Hagon, who are married in real life. That's cool, right? Hagon just appeared in a film called Star Wars: A New Hope as a character. Yes. It's true. Batman's dad isluke's best friend There is a crime alley.
While the look on young Bruce's face as he gleefully eats away at popcorn is a little annoying, this scene is a deep connection to the film as a whole.
It is close, but we think the way the Waynes were killed is the best we have seen. It opens the movie. It's good. It hits you over the head. It's terrible to start a two-plus hour mega-blockbuster by murdering some parents. The decision to put it front and center gives it a weight that the other films don't have.
Like the other movies, the Waynes are seen leaving a theater, but here, we think, they are seeing the cool movie/show of the bunch in Excalibur. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan are the best-known actors to play the roles of Thomas and Martha. Another bonus. Thomas was killed when he tried to stop the murderer from robbing them. Martha was shot after attacking the killer. If neither had been so protective, they may have lived. The strongest Bruce and Martha to date are this pair.
But that isn't all. The scene plays out almost entirely in slow motion with their funeral, where a young Bruce falls into a cave and is lifted in the air by bats. This is the most elaborate Wayne murder and despite a few minor gripes, it is the best.
Batman Begins and Batman v Superman are both on the same show. Batman is on a streaming service. The Batman will be in theaters on March 4.
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