Maroni or Falcone—who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne in The Batman?

Thomas and Martha Wayne’s death is one of the most popular parts of Batman history explored in multiple films and renditions of the comic book.

While The Batman doesn’t depict this visually, it is discussed by prominent characters such as Alfred and Falcone in the movie.

We’ve previously seen the deaths in films such as Batman Begins and Joker, The Batman offered an interesting take. In fact, it even left us wondering about the actual reason behind their deaths.

When The Riddler leaks the secrets of Thomas Wayne and Carmine Falcone to the public, Bruce reaches out to Falcone, who confirms the secrets but also mentions how it was Maroni who might’ve gotten his parents killed.

On the other hand, Alfred tells Bruce how Thomas was a good man, and when he came to know what Falcone did, he was ready to confess everything. After that, he and Martha died after being shot in an alley. He implies how there’s a chance Falcone could’ve gotten the two killed.

So who exactly killed Thomas and Martha Wayne? Maroni or Carmine Falcone?

It is not explicitly revealed, but Thomas and Martha Wayne could’ve been by either Falcone, Maroni, or just a random mugger who panicked and pulled the trigger.

In the movie, there are two main versions of the story. Falcone’s and Alfred’s, and in the comics, there’s only one version. Let me take you through each of them.

Falcone’s Story about Thomas and Martha’s Death

The Riddler had exposed Thomas Wayne for trying to prevent a journalist from telling the story of Martha and her time in the Arkham asylum. This happened during Thomas’ election campaign, and he didn’t want his campaign to be smeared.

The reporter couldn’t be silenced by money, so he turned to Carmine Falcone, who did the deed. Falcone also goes on to mention how Maroni was jealous of this alliance and envied the fact that he couldn’t get into the good books of Thomas.

This could’ve been the reason behind him killing off Thomas and Martha Wayne. He says it like it’s a high possibility but doesn’t know for sure.

Alfred’s Story about Thomas and Martha’s Death

Alfred’s story isn’t far from Falcone’s, but the minor changes make all the difference. Alfred stressed the fact that Thomas was a good man.

He didn’t care about his mayoral campaign or public opinion. He just cared for Martha and didn’t want her to relive her dark past.

In a moment of weakness, he was desperate and turned to Carmine. However, even in such hard times, he didn’t want the reporter to be killed and didn’t know that Carmine would do it.

When he came to know, he decided to confess everything to the police and even told Carmine about it.

After he did, when Thomas, Martha, and Bruce were returning home, the two got killed in an alley. Alfred says there was no proof that Carmine Falcone killed the two and wished he knew for sure.

While this was Alfred’s story, he fleetingly mentions how it could’ve just been a random mugger. Now that you know these two versions let’s look at the comic book history, which includes the story about the mugger.

Thomas and Martha’s Death in the Comics

In the comics, there have been multiple timelines and universes in which Thomas and Martha Wayne have been killed. While the stories and arcs have changed, their deaths have always been the same.

Joe Chill, a low-level mugger or hit-man across timelines, was the one who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. He either killed them for their money/jewelry or killed them out of hate for the privileged people.

This is the version that Alfred mentions as a random possibility. In The Batman, it is never explicitly mentioned who was behind the killings of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and it will likely be kept anonymous even if there’s a sequel in the future.

About The Batman

The Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Directed by Matt Reeves and written by Peter Craig, the film will feature Twilight star Robert Pattinson in the titular role.

Other cast members include Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.

The brand-new Batman solo will see Bruce Wayne/ Batman in his second year of fighting crime as he explores the corruption that plagues Gotham City and how it may tie to his own family, in addition to coming into conflict with a serial killer known as the Riddler. Set in the parallel universe Earth-2, the movie will be separate from the rest of the DCEU canon.