87 Years Later, DC Names the Real Killer of Batman's Parents

DC just majorly revamped Batman’s origin, revealing that an iconic villain is behind his transformation into the Dark Knight. Now, Batman has to cope with the knowledge that his heroic identity is the deliberate creation of a major force of evil.

In mainstream DC lore, Bruce’s parents were shot dead by Joe Chill – a desperate robber who wanted nothing more than money.

Various stories have played with the idea of Chill being directed by some secret motive (including the recent reveal that the Waynes secretly helped his wife and daughter escape his abuse), always pulling back at the last moment. Now, DC is going all in on a horrifying new version of the story…

Absolute Joker and Scarecrow Deliberately Created Batman

absolute scarecrow reveals batman's origin 2 — absolute scarecrow reveals batman’s origin 2

In today’s Absolute Batman #20 – from Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin and Tom Napolitano – Bruce Wayne learns that the death of his father was orchestrated by Jack Grimm (aka Joker) and Scarecrow. The two deliberately steered him towards the ‘Batman’ identity, hoping to use him as a weapon against the Court of Owls.

Recently, Jim Gordon acquired ‘Batman Files’ seemingly pointing to a conspiracy in Bruce’s past. Following his ally’s assassination, Bruce assembles the evidence, learning that Joker and Scarecrow ordered Joe Chill to gun down his father at the Gotham zoo.

When Batman confronts Scarecrow, the villain confirms this version of events, explaining that he and Joker were essentially telling a ‘joke,’ choosing the bat identity because they’re the natural prey of owls. They seemingly hoped to turn Bruce against his mother, Martha Wayne, who was a secret member of the Court.

absolute scarecrow reveals batman's origin — absolute scarecrow reveals batman’s origin

It’s a brutal reveal, suggesting that – like Mister Freeze, Poison Ivy, Bane and more – Bruce is just another experiment created to further Joker’s goals.

Is This New Twist True, Or a Major Mislead?

image from absolute batman 1 showing bruce wayne's origin — image from absolute batman 1 showing bruce wayne’s origin

As fans devour the issue, some are already speculating that these files are a mislead by Joker and Scarecrow, intended to break Bruce’s will. This version of Scarecrow is obsessed with powerlessness and dread – it’s the exact kind of lie he’d enjoy concocting. Likewise, Gordon’s death right as he turned over the files could be read as someone covering their tracks.

Conversely, Scarecrow asks Bruce if he remembers hearing the cawing of crows the day his father died, and looking back at Absolute Batman, the telltale birds do appear to have been present on the day Joe Chill gunned down Thomas Wayne (in the panel above.)

At the same time, Snyder is the creator of the Court of Owls (alongside Greg Capullo), so it wouldn’t be shocking that in a Batman continuity built essentially from scratch, he’d place so much importance on their shadow war against the Joker.

martha kent confronts the court of owls in absolute batman

The Absolute Universe is designed to take major narrative swings that aren’t possible in DC’s mainstream, and Joker and Scarecrow deliberately creating Batman would be exactly that.

However, just because Joker created Batman doesn’t mean the persona isn’t still a weapon that can be turned against him and used to break his hold on Gotham – something that can only happen if Bruce Wayne can get his head back in the game.

Absolute Batman #20 is available now from DC Comics.