One of the saddest, most defining moments in Bruce Wayne’s life was the death of his parents when he was just a kid. The tragic moment helped shape him into Batman. His origin just received a twist which somehow makes the death of Bruce’s parents even more heartbreaking.
Bruce’s parents were famously killed in an ally by a mugger after his family went to the theater to see a movie. Thomas and Martha Wayne’s death has been reinterpreted in comics, and on the small and big screen over recent years. A key detail of their death that was later retconned was the film Bruce and his parents saw being Zorro. In previews for Batman: Curse of the White Knight #7 by Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth, the reason they saw The Mask of Zorro plays a tragic new part in Batman’s story.
Murphy hasn’t been afraid to significantly play with Batman’s origin in his story’s own continuity. The last issue of Batman: Curse of the White Knight ended with the massive reveal that Bruce Wayne’s entire family lineage was built on a lie and that he wasn’t truly a Wayne. Instead, Azrael was a true descendant of the Wayne bloodline. Issue #7 is taking another big swing at Batman’s origins, as preview pages reveal the true reason they went to see Zorro. In a flashback, ahead of his parent’s funeral, Bruce is seeing staring at a pair of swords mounted to the wall. He tearfully tells Alfred that he wanted to go see Zorro because his father said he couldn’t play with swords and he wanted to learn how to use them. Bruce blames himself for his parent’s deaths.
Alfred tells Bruce that if he is ready to go to his parent’s funeral, he’ll allow him to hold the rapier. He says he will teach him to use the sword and show him how to fight so that he knows what to do next time he’s in danger. “Like Zorro?” Bruce asks. “Like Zorro,” Alfred responds as he hugs Bruce. It’s a truly touching moment.
While Murphy’s Batman tales may take place outside of main DC continuity, this new wrinkle to Bruce’s origin works on every level and would also work as a permanent detail to his backstory. Bruce’s parents not wanting him to play with swords and instead taking him to see Zorro is completely believable. Unfortunately, it led to their deaths. Bruce understandably blames himself for the incident, even if it wasn’t his fault. Somehow, Batman’s origin just got even more tragic. Batman: Curse of the White Knight is available in stores on February 26th, 2020.
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