Notice! Spoilers for Action Comics #1075 and Batman #154!I really need DC to stop trying to make from Batman family evil, because the Waynes really shouldn’t be villains. One of the strangest recurring points I’ve noticed in DC Comics is that every time Superman comes into contact with his father, it’s almost always a joyous occasion. But Batman has almost the exact opposite problem, as every time Bruce explores his parents’ history, DC seems hell-bent on turning them into terrible people, and I wish that plot would stop repeating itself.
Superman is thrown back in time and ends up on Krypton in Action comics #1075 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Michael Shelfer, Matt Herms and Dave Sharpe. With no hope of returning home, Superman tries to enlist the help of Jor-El, his father. While this could be a tense moment in which Superman discovers unpleasant truths about his father, it seems Their reunion is even more joyful than fans could have expected. Although Superman originally thought his father was responsible for using the hellish Phantom Zone as a prison, he quickly learned that this was not true.
Instead, it was a jealous Kryptonian named Ro-Zan. Furious that Lara chose Jor-El over him, Ro-Zan decides to settle for stealing his inventions, resulting in Ro-Zan taking the Phantom Zone Projector and suggesting using it on prisoners. This moment takes Superman completely by surprise and It only increases his faith in his father even more. – unlike almost every time Batman has encountered his own parents.
DC Comics has always had a strange approach to the Batman family
From Flashpoint to the Main Universe
Although they are not often seen in DC stories, the Wayne family’s legacy is undeniable. The Wayne murders are what created Batman. Without this basic origin story, one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time would not exist. I really think one of the big reasons this story works is its tragedy: Bruce Wayne had a fantasy childhood. He grew up in unimaginable wealth with a family that loved and adored him. It was practically a perfect childhood, which is why it was so tragic that he lost it. So I honestly can’t understand why DC seems so determined to tarnish that legacy.
Many stories came back to the idea that the Wayne family wasn’t as good as Bruce thought.
One of the major plot points that runs through the recent Batman #154 by Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico is the appearance of a new “hero” who is possibly Batman’s long-lost brother. This surprise sibling exists, of course, because Thomas Wayne once cheated on Martha during a bad period in their marriage, resulting in the secret child who is now trying to take half of Bruce Wayne’s company away from him. Many stories returned to the idea that the Wayne family wasn’t as good as Bruce thought, and I really don’t think it’s a plot point that needs to be revisited.
Thomas Wayne has become a villain more times than I can count
Batman #154 by Chip Zdarsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles
There are dozens of examples of DC obscuring Wayne’s legacy in several different stories. Years before Batman #154, in Batman: Damn by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, readers discover that Thomas Wayne cheated on Martha Wayne. In Batman: The Tell-Tale Seriesa 2016 video game, the entire plot occurs because Thomas was a brutal criminal who used Arkham Asylum to incarcerate people who refused to sell their land to him. This new characterization was one of the character’s darkest twists, and I actually think it’s a cheap way to try and cultivate drama for a Batman story.
There is no shortage of examples of stains on Wayne’s legacy. Lincoln March was the Waynes’ abandoned son who was cooped up in a daycare center and hidden from the public after he was involved in a car accident that left him injured. THE Flash point universe offered an interesting take on Thomas Wayne as a brutal Batman, but DC couldn’t leave the twist as a cool what-if. Instead, during Tom King’s run Batman, Thomas was presented as a complete villain who tried to ruin his son’s life by playing a major role in Alfred Pennyworth’s death for reasons no one ever fully understood.
Batman’s best moments don’t work if his family is horrible
I’m begging DC to stop making the Waynes look like bad people
Batman refuses to take a life because he doesn’t want anyone to be deprived of love like he was. Batman lost his parents and lost his perfect childhood. He doesn’t want anyone else to go through this tragedy. But if Batman’s parents were horrible people, then I don’t see why it would make a difference. If Thomas Wayne was a brutal criminal and Martha helped cover for her abandoned son, it’s not as impactful to see them dead, spurring Batman to fight in their memory. Many DC plot points have been recycled over the years, but this Batman twist – making your parents “bad people” – will always be what I hated the most.
Action comics #1075 and Batman #154 are now available from DC Comics!