Thomas Wayne

May 20th, 2006

Filed under: Comics

Let’s look at what we know about Thomas Wayne:

  • Wealthy 1
  • Physician 2
  • Philanthropist
  • Husband of Martha
  • Father of Bruce
  • Frequent player in Batman storylines

It’s the last item that I’d like to discuss. Thomas Wayne is used in too many storylines; he’s become a crutch of the bat-writers . I suspect they think it makes them clever — and once that might have been true — but now it just makes them cliché.

Their approaches to Thomas Wayne are contradictory too. In the previous Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight storyline, a reporter published a book on the Gotham City Ripper and claimed that it has been Thomas Wayne. Bruce had no doubt that his father was innocent and set out to find the real killer. However, in the current Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight storyline, a hidden room is discovered at Wayne Manor. Bruce’s first thought: “My father was a junkie.”

Make up your mind DC: did Bruce believe in his father or not (I vote yes). Pick one and stick with it.

I’d like to suggest a moratorium on all stories concerning Thomas Wayne. At least until 2010. Let the poor man rest in peace.

(And what about Martha? You never see her except in visions/dreams/nightmares Bruce has of both his parents. The only time she’s played any sort of role in a story was the Batman Family mini-series from three years ago).

1Most of the wealth he inherited, though Thomas is also shown as an extremely succesful doctor, so he undoubtedly made some good money himself.

2Exactly what sort of doctor was Thomas Wayne? It’s frequently suggested that he was a surgeon, though he’s usually shown acting more as a primary care physician.

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6 Responses to “ Thomas Wayne ”

  1. Caia
    May 21st, 2006 at 11:25 pm

    You have some very good points!

    But all I can see is a version of the cover of Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85 ( http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=37137612952%2085 ) with Batman saying, “My father was a JUNKIE!”

  2. Tom
    May 22nd, 2006 at 5:27 am

    Martha was in Greg Ruckas Death and the Maidens miniseries too. Chris Sims did a mothers day post about it here:

    http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2006/05/mothers-day-with-martha-wayne.html

  3. Jer
    May 22nd, 2006 at 8:56 am

    Wasn’t a vision of Martha Wayne a big motivator for Bruce in the “Death and the Maidens” series a few years back? I remember reading it and thinking that they don’t usually use his Mom for stuff like that.

    And Thomas Wayne is a comic book doctor - this is apparently much like being a comic book scientist in that it’s a placeholder for any kind of “doctor” the story needs. It’s like how Hank Pym - apparently some kind of theoretical physicist, was also an expert on insects AND had enough knowledge about computer AI to build the worlds most advanced self-learning killing computer system. Same thing for doctors, usually.

  4. Dwight Williams
    May 22nd, 2006 at 10:53 am

    Yep, multi-disciplinarians have been a staple of the super-hero genre since forever.

    Although, to be fair, Dr. Wayne being both a GP and surgery-qualified isn’t entirely outside the bounds of medical credibility…

  5. Dorian
    May 22nd, 2006 at 12:20 pm

    It may not be in continuity, but Batman: The Ultimate Evil established that Martha Wayne was a social activist with a particular interest in fighting child abuse and exploitation. Outside of that, she’s usually been portrayed as a cipher, as most comic writers would rather deal with absent or dead fathers rather than mothers.

  6. Jeff R.
    May 22nd, 2006 at 1:40 pm

    Let’s not forget the recurring “was Thomas Wayne a Mob Doctor?” subthread that pops up every now and then…

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