Warning! Spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman!

DC Comics is throwing an all-time great curve at Batman with a major character resurrection. Think for a moment about the handful of comic book characters who are more famous dead than they are alive. That includes two of the most important characters in Batman lore: Bruce Wayne’s parents.

Now, DC has officially brought Thomas Wayne back, a huge twist that instantly changes everything his son, Bruce, is fighting for. Batman has always been a hero on a mission, but now it just became a rescue mission. Because his father is alive, but currently in the clutches of a major Batman foe.

This huge reveal comes in Absolute Batman #22, written by Scott Snyder, with art by Werther Dell’Edera. The ongoing project of Absolute Batman has been to deconstruct the Dark Knight’s mythos and rebuild it from the ground up. But now the series just went ahead and started digging at the foundation of Batman canon itself.

Thomas Wayne Is Alive In DC’s Absolute Batman Canon

The conflict between Absolute Scarecrow and Batman escalates in the most unexpected way at the end of Absolute Batman #22. It’s a chilling sequence of panels. “I’ve got someone here who’s been waiting to speak with you for a long, long time, Bruce,” Scarecrow says on a video call with the young hero. Then the image on the camera changes. It’s an old man. Naked, bearded. In chains. Thomas Wayne.

“Don’t let him see me like this, please!” Thomas shouts. “Let him think I’m dead! You promised!” Like Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back, Absolute Bruce Wayne’s first reaction is denial. “It’s not true,” he cries. The issue ends as he’s grappling with this traumatic possibility. And it leaves readers doing the same as they wait for next month’s Absolute Batman #23, which should be expected to elaborate more on this huge cliffhanger.

So, what should Batman fans make of this development? There is, of course, the chance it’s a trick. A psychological shot at Batman from the Scarecrow. That would totally make sense. Still, it’s just as likely that this is legitimate. That Absolute Batman just took its next huge big swing, and that the Absolute timeline moving forward is going to have to face the fallout from this terrible truth.

Absolute Batman’s Thomas Wayne Reveal Is A Major Twist That Could Pay Off With Years Worth Of Drama

Absolute Batman already made a huge departure from Bruce Wayne’s origin story from the jump, by keeping Martha Wayne alive. In Absolute Bruce’s origin story, it was only Thomas Wayne, supposedly, who was killed in front of the young, future hero. With Absolute Batman #22, the series completely pulls the rug out from under its protagonist. Now he potentially has two living parents.

At least, if he can free Thomas from Scarecrow’s captivity. That’s a big “if,” and not necessarily a plot resolution Absolute Batman is going to rush to. And even then, Thomas has spent years in captivity. He’s not the same dad that Bruce remembers from his childhood. That’s a rich vein of drama that Batman lore has never been able to tap into, until now, and DC Comics seems poised to take that opportunity and run with it.

Absolute Batman #22 is available now from DC Comics.

Sound off, Batman fans. What do you think of Absolute Batman’s big Thomas Wayne reveal? What do you think happens next?

Created By

Bob Kane, Bill Finger

Alias

Bruce Wayne

Alliance

Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race

Human

Franchise

D.C.