The Batman Continues Joker 2019’s Biggest Wayne Change

Thomas Wayne’s death has always spurred on Bruce Wayne’s metamorphosis into Batman, but in both Joker and The Batman, the elder Wayne is a much less admirable character. Batman’s origin story is of course one of the most well-known in superhero history, perhaps only rivaled by those of Superman and Spider-Man. While details change here and there, the basic idea usually remains the same: Bruce Wayne’s life is shattered as a young boy when a criminal guns down his parents in a dark alley.

Bruce is then raised by Wayne family butler Alfred Pennyworth, who teaches Bruce how to defend himself and tries his best to instill good moral character upon his charge. Inspired by the perceived moral righteousness of his rich but notably philanthropic parents Thomas and Martha, Bruce eventually becomes Batman, Gotham City’s nocturnal protector. Bruce feels his crusade against crime is effectively an extension of his parents’ desire to help people and improve Gotham into a city its residents can be proud of.

This near-saintly portrayal of Thomas and Martha Wayne held true for all Batman or Gotham City-related movies until 2019’s Joker solo movie turned Thomas’ traditional characterization on its head. The ruthlessly ambitious Thomas Wayne found in Joker was far from a benevolent character, seemingly willing to do whatever it took to gain power, even tossing aside his apparent illegitimate son Arthur Fleck. Now, The Batman has also chosen to cast Thomas Wayne in a similar light, making him an associate of mob boss Carmine Falcone, and again someone who values his own ambitions above morality.

While the respective creative teams of The Batman and Joker would of course have their various reasons behind this darker interpretation of Thomas Wayne, one can’t help but look at this development through the lens of current day American politics. After all, Thomas is running for mayor of Gotham City in both films, and not doing it ethically in either. Over the last decade or so, the class divide in America has become more and more apparent, with wages for working-class people largely stagnant, while the earnings of rich corporate executives and others in positions of power continue to rise at a shocking rate. At the same time, political leaders in both major parties often seem to be catering only to their wealthy corporate donors, and not the average voter.

These certainly aren’t entirely new issues, but things like the Coronavirus pandemic and the mass working-class resignations that accompanied it have brought the American class divide to the forefront. With that in mind, it’s harder for many potential viewers to buy a powerful billionaire businessman-turned-politician like Thomas Wayne as some magnanimous, altruistic figure. Those in power, perhaps now more than ever, are generally looked at as potentially suspect, and someone the working person can’t trust. Whether that’s fair or not is a matter of debate, but given those factors, the morphing of Joker and The Batman‘s Thomas Wayne from an almost saintly philanthropist into someone with rougher edges and shadier associates is a perfect reflection of late 2010s-early 2020s America.

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