Absolute Batman’s origin is more tragic than Earth Prime Dark Knight

Absolute Batman No. 1 shows some of how Bruce Wayne becomes The Dark Knight. Like his classic story, it starts with his father's death. However, instead of Crime Alley, it happens during a zoo field trip (Thomas Wayne was a teacher) and Martha Wayne wasn't there. Later in the issue, Alfred Pennyworth investigates Bruce’s past and learns how he got access to buildings around Gotham and what he did to gain the knowledge and skills to wage his war. More of Batman's origin is revealed in issue No. 4 of Absolute Batman. Believe it or not, it's more tragic than his Earth Prime counterpart.

Bruce blamed himself for his father’s death. They wouldn’t have been on the field trip if he hadn't won a contest. Sad, but this isn’t the worst of it. While Bruce is on the stand during Joe Chill’s trial for his father’s death, he says something disheartening. Before the shooting at the zoo, Bruce looked back at his dad and saw him smiling with pride for his son. He goes on to say, "This is as happy as it gets. Ever."

"It’s this crazy little creature that shows us we can beat anything holding it down."

Bruce Wayne written by Scott Snyder

Scott Snyder doesn’t just tell the tragedy. That isn’t enough to get people emotionally into the story. He does that by showing how invested Thomas was in Bruce’s growth. He wasn’t just a father who’d pat his son on the back and tell him whatever he wanted to hear. He dared Bruce to do better and explained why. Those challenges lead Bruce to become more than just a terrifying vigilante.

As he’s preparing to become Batman, we see Bruce make mistakes. He tried using facepaint and silicon fangs with a paralytic, but he said it was all theatrics. This brings him back to something Thomas told him while he was building his award-winning project. Thomas tells the story of why he became a teacher instead of a surgeon after his father died.

Thomas wanted to be a surgeon, but Martha got pregnant. While he was looking for jobs he thought he wanted to be more than just a husband and a father. In Bruce's case, Batman needed to become more and to think bigger. It's why he's physically larger than his Prime Earth counterpart and his gadgets are more extravagant.

Scott Snyder said this was like a Batman: Year One story and he was right. It may not have been as long or detailed, but the important parts were mentioned. Readers were given a clearer understanding in a short amount of time. The best part is we haven’t learned everything there is to Bruce becoming Batman. Snyder will have more stories to tell and Caped Crusades will be here to report them.

What do you think of the story of how Thomas Wayne affected Bruce becoming Batman? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.