Thomas Wayne was the father of Bruce Wayne. He was shot to death along with his wife Martha by a mugger, leaving Bruce an orphan and in the care of their faithful butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Contents
Biography
A painting of Thomas Wayne from the 1970s
Mentoring Bruce
Sometime before his death, Thomas sat young Bruce down in Wayne Manor next to where their family crest was engraved, and told him how despite the manor itself being built on railways, real estates and oil, the first generation of Waynes had made their fortune as hunters, trading pelts and skins with the French.[1]
Death
On June 26, 1981, Thomas was having a family night out at the Aragon Theatre in Gotham City with his wife Martha and son, Bruce. After returning from the theatre, the Wayne family was stopped by a mugger, Joe Chill, in an abandoned street. When the mugger drew a gun, Thomas tried to disarm him but was shot. The mugger also shot Martha who had put up a similar resistance, leaving the young Bruce to cry out in shock and horror. His father then called out his mother's name "Martha" with his last dying breath.[1]
Legacy
The death of Thomas and Martha left shockwaves amongst Gotham's communities and its aftereffects would be felt long after their deaths. The biggest effect arguably centered around the Batman, a vigilante spawned as a direct result of the traumatic events of that day. The symbol of justice that their son Bruce took upon in a one-man war of terror upon the criminals of Gotham. For more than two decades, Bruce waged his war in their name. When attempting to kill the alien superhero known as Superman, Bruce mentioned his parents, stating how they had taught him the lesson of dying in the gutter for no reason at all. Just as Bruce was about to strike the killing blow upon Superman, Superman mentioned the name "Martha" in his pleas. The mention thus triggered memories of the fateful night in question, including his father calling out the name with his last dying breath.[1]
Personality
Thomas was known to be a loving father and husband, and, like his son Bruce, was extremely brave and protective of his loved ones, since he notably tried to fight back against Joe Chill when the latter had his family at gunpoint, determined to protect his wife and son. Thomas was apparently proud of his hunter ancestors and Wayne family history, going out of his way to pass on that knowledge to his son. As an adult, Bruce worries about being unable to live up to his father, despite already be older than Thomas had ever been, so he uses this as extra justification for his argument that he needs to bring down and kill Superman.
Relationships
Family
- Alan Wayne † - paternal relative
- Benjamin Wayne † - paternal relative
- Charles Wayne † - paternal relative
- Laura Wayne † - grandmother
- Patrick A. Wayne † - father
- Martha Wayne † - wife
- Bruce Wayne - son
Allies
- Alfred Pennyworth - friend and butler
Enemies
- Joe Chill - killer
Behind the scenes
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan also portrayed Edward Morgan Blake, a vigilante known as the Comedian from another DC live action movie, Watchmen, which was also directed by Zack Snyder.
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan, who plays Martha Wayne, also play main characters on The Walking Dead , portraying Negan and Maggie Greene respectively. Ironically, both of their characters hate each other because Morgan's character (Negan) kills Maggie's husband. A couple of years before, they both starred in TV series Supernatural .
- Thomas Wayne in the DC Extended Universe is the fifth live-action incarnation of the character, following incarnations portrayed by David Baxt, Michael Scranton, Linus Roache and Grayson McCouch.
| Preceded by: Unknown |
CEO of Wayne Enterprises Unknown - 1981 |
Succeeded by: Bruce Wayne |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Goyer, David S., Terrio, Chris (writers) & Snyder, Zack (director) (March 25, 2016). Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
