Is the way Thomas Wayne is portrayed in the "Joker (2019)" based on any comic reference?

Is the way Thomas Wayne is portrayed in the "Joker (2019)" based on any comic reference? - Here To Help Lettering Text on Black Background

For this question, let's take the theory aside that …

… the whole story of the movie might only exist in the Joker's mind and doesn't reflect actual events.

In the "Joker (2019)" Thomas Wayne is portrayed as a successful business man, who

  • … does treat people from a different degree badly
  • … think it's the people's own fault if they are poor
  • … seems to run for mayor only to increase his power

And at the end of the movie …

… he gets shot by a masked robber on purpose who says:
"You get what you deserve."(1)

I early DC/ Batman movies Thomas Wayne is portrayed as a successfull businessman as well but also as someone who seems:

  • … friendly to all kinds of poeple
  • … to use his wealth to help to make Gotham better for everybody

And most importantly:

… is shot from a "random" robber, who might not even have known who he was – and not on purpose.

Especially the last point was - at least in my opinion - very important for the transformation of Bruce into Batman.

So how does the the portrait of Thomas Wayne go along with the actual comics and/or Batman and the DCU?


I also found this article “Batman”: Why is Thomas Wayne A Meanie Now? which tries to address this question as well. But it's really not satisfying.


(1) I might be paraphrasing, if you do know the exact quote, please edit it into the question.



Best Answer

To answer your question of to what extent the movie Wayne is based off of any such comic Wayne, the director has stated that he has not used the comics for inspiration. In essence, the way Wayne Sr. is portrayed in the movie is not based on any comic reference. Although some sources indicate that Batman: The Killing Joke may have been an inspiration for the screenplay, in terms of this question, Thomas Wayne does not appear in that graphic novel.




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Who is Thomas Wayne based on?

Based heavily on the Batman: Earth One graphic novels, the newly released film The Batman presents us with a Thomas Wayne somewhere in between Lex Moxon's nemesis and the corrupt political scoundrel of Joker\u2014a man with good intentions who makes a grievous mistake to protect his family.

Is Joker Thomas Wayne son in comics?

In Joker, Thomas Wayne (Batman's father) and Penny Fleck (Joker's mother) are key characters. Penny claims that Thomas is actually Arthur's father.

Is Joker 2019 based on comics?

Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and provides a possible origin story for the character.



JOKER Thomas Wayne LIE Explained! | Total Conspiracy




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