BvS Who murdered the Waynes (and who's playing the part)?

[Swamp Spectre]

The Martha Wayne speculation thread inspired me to create this one...

In the Comic Con trailer we got some fleeting images of the Wayne family being approached, and shot at, by a leather clad man with facial hair. Do you folks think it will be revealed within the film that this was Joe Chill, either in dialogue/print, or in the end credits of the film itself (a la Ken Braverman, Jax-Ur, etc. in Man of Steel)? Or will it turn out that in the world of the DCEU, the man who killed Bruce's parents was never apprehended and therefore goes unnamed?

Whether the character turns out to be Joe Chill or a random street thug, does anyone know who's playing him based on the full-on look we got in the trailer? I couldn't find a decent screen grab to link to unfortunately.

 

[Eddie Dean]

It was Ernesto Stavro Blofeld.

 

[Swamp Spectre]

Oh no you didn't just kick off my first thread by answering with sarcasm! t:

 

[MrMaooz]

It was me, Bruce. The author of all your pain.

 

[jokesonm3]

We all know that Jason Todd's the real menace behind all this.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

It was Ernesto Stavro Blofeld.

The author of all his pain

 

[nite-owl]

It was me, Bruce. The author of all your pain.

[YT]watch?v=cNgxyL5zEAk[/YT]

 

[I Am The Knight]

It was the author of all his pain.

 

[BH/HHH]

Sheldon Cooper

 

[Rowsdower!]

Lew Moxon

 

[wnjcwjkk]

I like the idea of Batman's parents' killer being some unknown anonymous stranger in the shadows, I feel like that would add more depth to his obsession, more fuel to his fire, like it will forever remain unresolved, "I can't just stay in and watch a movie tonight, cause maybe that guy's out there right now on the streets of Gotham..."

 

[Swamp Spectre]

Part of me really likes that idea; that it's the one mystery that he can't solve and it's his main driving force. Then the other part of me thinks, "well how can he be the world's greatest detective if he can't track down the killer of his own folks?" Although, I guess a significant amount of time does pass between the murder and his taking to the streets of Gotham as Batman.

 

[wnjcwjkk]

Part of me really likes that idea; that it's the one mystery that he can't solve and it's his main driving force. Then the other part of me thinks, "well how can he be the world's greatest detective if he can't track down the killer of his own folks?" Although, I guess a significant amount of time does pass between the murder and his taking to the streets of Gotham as Batman.

But that would make it even better to me. The one case he can't solve, probably just some desperate junkie, but he'll never know. It seems that would take his tortured obsession to a whole new level, giving him even more of a reason why he can never stop being Batman

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

Hopefully it's just some thug or Joe Chill. Don't make it the Joker or some other villain that comes into play sometime in the future. It becomes to contrived. Just like Sandman being the "killer" of Uncle Ben.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

Part of me really likes that idea; that it's the one mystery that he can't solve and it's his main driving force. Then the other part of me thinks, "well how can he be the world's greatest detective if he can't track down the killer of his own folks?" Although, I guess a significant amount of time does pass between the murder and his taking to the streets of Gotham as Batman.

I am kinda on the fence about that too, on one hand it being a unsolved mystery would add to his character in terms of never getting closure on his parents death

but, on the other hand, having it be like mob hit or something, and the killer is known, but is not changed because of a corrupt justice system, would fuel Bruces need to be above the law, and work on his own, not trusting the system

 

[StarLord]

It was Pa Kent.

 

[Alien Anal]

The tornado in the alley with a gun

 

[Swamp Spectre]

Hopefully it's just some thug or Joe Chill. Don't make it the Joker or some other villain that comes into play sometime in the future. It becomes to contrived. Just like Sandman being the "killer" of Uncle Ben.

Based on the fact that the killer is played by an unknown actor (I mean, I don't recognize him anyway) leads me to believe that it's either a random robbery gone wrong or at most it'll be a hit performed by Joe Chill and ordered by somebody like Lew Moxon (as Rowsdower! suggested).

I frankly don't see them getting into a whole backstory about the murder in the time they have to tell Batman's origin in this film, though. So I think a complicated assassination plot is unlikely, much less them trying to say the killer is one of Batman's more famous rogues. If they go that latter route, they'd have to cover it in a later film like Spider-Man 3, and I just can't see that happening in this case.

I honestly think the main reason we're getting another new depiction of the Wayne murders is so this film can draw the line between the DCEU and previous adaptations of the Batman story, and viewers know this isn't a continuation of The Dark Knight Trilogy (if they somehow don't realize it already).

 

[rogbngp]

Based on the fact that the killer is played by an unknown actor (I mean, I don't recognize him anyway) leads me to believe that it's either a random robbery gone wrong or at most it'll be a hit performed by Joe Chill and ordered by somebody like Lew Moxon (as Rowsdower! suggested).

I frankly don't see them getting into a whole backstory about the murder in the time they have to tell Batman's origin in this film, though. So I think a complicated assassination plot is unlikely, much less them trying to say the killer is one of Batman's more famous rogues. If they go that latter route, they'd have to cover it in a later film like Spider-Man 3, and I just can't see that happening in this case.

I honestly think the main reason we're getting another new depiction of the Wayne murders is so this film can draw the line between the DCEU and previous adaptations of the Batman story, and viewers know this isn't a continuation of The Dark Knight Trilogy (if they somehow don't realize it already).

I wonder if they will roughly follow Batman: Earth One for the origin. Not a direct translation of course, but perhaps certain key elements. I say this because to my eye Alfred definitely seems to have a BEO vibe to him. If BEO was followed directly he'd be a generation older. But it doesn't look like Snyder is doing direct translations of any of the source material, and rather coming up with his own homebrew for an original story.

Anyway, placed in a spoiler tag for those who have not read BEO and don't want to be spoiled:

Spoiler

In BEO Thomas Wayne is running what looks to be a very successful reform agenda mayoral campaign against incumbent mayor and crime kingpin Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin). The polls project him to win by a landslide. Cobblepot therefore plans to have the Waynes murdered the night they attend Zorro at the theater. As part of that assassination plan power is cut off to the theater, and the audience is told to leave. Bruce impetuously runs out a side door, and the three Waynes they happen onto a random mugger in the alley. After Bruce wildly runs into the mugger, the mugger realizes it is the Wayne family due to Bruce's remark arrogant remark to him that his parents are the richest folks in Gotham. The mugger then holds Bruce captive in order to mug the couple of their valuables. Martha, presumably acting instinctively to protect Bruce, lunges at the mugger and the mugger fires on the couple killing both as Bruce looks helplessly on.

A backdrop is that Alfred is Thomas' buddy from the military, They both served together in some sort of joint special forces unit. Bruce has just hired Alfred as head of security in anticipation of being elected mayor. Before the Wayne family heads to the movie theater for their regular Wednesday night outing (which Thomas refuses to give up as an important family night routine, particularly because Bruce loves it), Alfred had pleaded with Thomas not to do so due to recent death threats, and specifically a suspicion that Cobblepot will try to assassinate them. But Bruce can't contain his excitement at going out with his parents to enjoy the film, and Thomas clearly doesn't want to disappoint him. Young Bruce undoubtedly feels all kinds of responsible for his parents' death in the particular way that BEO sketches it out.

Anyway, in BEO the killer is just a random, unknown mugger. And at least in BEO v.1. (don't have v.2 yet) there is no indication of his identity being discovered. I will say, though, that he looks a lot like a henchman of Cobblepot's named "Axe," who has scars and a tattoo on his neck. It's conceivable that the scars, tattoo (? the part of his face the tattoo is on is concealed by shadow in the scene in which the mugger murders the Waynes), and status as working for Cobblepot all come after the Wayne random mugging/murder. However Cobblepot does make a remark to the effect that an unknown random mugger upset his plans to assassinate the Waynes that night. And one would think if it had been Axe, who is then working for the mayor, Cobblepot would probably know it was him that killed the Waynes. If it was Axe, maybe he kept mum about it for the last dozen years, for fear of what Cobblepot might do to him for having upset what appears to have been a major scheme that Cobblepot was orchestrating.

 

[Swamp Spectre]

SPOILERS for the Amazon Echo game, The Wayne Investigation:



According to the Echo game, which is officially tied into the film, it was indeed Joe Chill who murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne in a random mugging, after they left a showing of The Mask of Zorro with little Bruce.

Still no word on who the actor playing the part is, even though there was a glimpse of him in the first full trailer.

 

[sharks]

jerry seinfeld

 

[Breogan]

jerry seinfeld

Figures, freakin Superman fan.
Of course the irony suits him.

 

[Guts]

It was the Fonz.

 

[Breogan]

It was the Fonz.

Hmmm, an avowed Lone Ranger fanatic. It probably bugged him they went to see Zorro.

 

[Rowsdower!]

LOL

I think I might be alone in this, but I always liked the idea that the Waynes were killed as part of some conspiracy. I think they did this on Gotham, but I lost interest long before they got too far into it (and I'm sure that they handled it in the worst, stupidest way possible). Equally stupid was the old Batman story where Lew Moxon wants revenge on Thomas Wayne for getting him locked up, and he literally WALKS RIGHT UP TO HIM and tells him he's going to hire someone to kill him.

But I think some sort of conspiracy could be cool, if it's actually handled well. I think the fact that it's been bungled horribly in execution so far is one of the key reasons most people don't like the idea.