Stop me if you’ve heard this before. A husband and wife and their son leave a movie and walk down something called Crime Alley (not smart). While there, a thug tries to rob them. In the process, the criminal shoots the parents and leaves the child alive. Later, the son takes a vow, learns everything he needs to know to avenge his parents, and becomes Batman.
It's easy to guess that most people reading this know this tale. It’s one of the most recognized origin stories in comics repeatedly told in various Batman movies and TV shows. So much so that people are tired of seeing Martha Wayne’s pearls fall in Crime Alley. Thankfully, James Gunn is tired of seeing it as well. He simply said, "I'm not telling Batman and Superman's origin stories again because everyone knows them."
Everyone knows how and why Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. If they don’t. It’s easy to look up. There are tons of articles explaining it. There are also multiple videos showing how it happened. So we don’t need to see it in a movie. Marvel Studios knows this. That's why they did something similar to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man origin.
Instead of Uncle Ben dying and giving the “With great power must also come great responsibility” speech, Aunt May gave it before she died. This altered things enough to make things fresh, but enough to keep the diehard fans happy.
The one thing this writer hopes for is that origin stories aren’t removed altogether. Looking up a comic book character’s beginning is easy to do. You don’t need a Marvel Unlimited or DC Infinite account to know what happens. It’s as easy as going to your favorite search engine and typing your question. However, when it comes to characters like Swamp Thing, Sgt. Rock, or Guy Gardner, finding out how they became heroes would be a smart move.
Live-action and animated projects offer the opportunity to see comic book moments come to life. As someone who enjoys the source material, it’s always a treat to see how a creative team interprets things. For example, Wade Wilson becoming Deadpool in his first movie was like the comics but altered for the new platform.
As a huge fan of the Merc with a Mouth, it was great seeing something I love done well without things changing too much. Since Wade Wilson’s story isn’t as popular as Superman's or Batman’s, it makes sense that the writers of Deadpool would add it.
This news is another reason why DC movies and shows are in good hands with James Gunn. But, there's more to be excited about. If Gunn knows that we aren’t going to see Martha and Thomas Wayne get shot, that means he’s already working on Batman’s entrance into his DCU. This means more news about the DCU's Dark Knight should be coming soon. Stay tuned to Caped Crusades to see what that is.
What did you think of this news? Do we need to see Batman’s origin story again? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Blue Sky, Instagram, and Twitter.