DCjust made some major changes to Batman’s origin story in one of its latest releases, and I can’t help but appreciate the way they work perfectly into the story that’s told. Much like Spider-Man losing Uncle Ben, or Superman being sent away from Krypton before its destruction, Batman’s origin story is one of the most famous parts of the hero’s entire history, even 85 years into his existence. The significance of this origin story is clear throughoutBatman’s movie historyas well, since there’s always at least one reference to the tragedy that created the Caped Crusader.
However, an origin story being well known doesn’t mean there isn’t room to play with it. The MCU has notably never featured Uncle Ben - instead having Aunt May deliver the “great responsibility” line to Tom Holland’s hero - andthe DCEU timelinemade adjustments to some key hero origin stories like Superman as well. Now, a2024 DC releasehas also changed the Dark Knight’s origin story in its own way too, by having a different DC villain be responsible for the infamous murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
The Court Of Owls Orchestrated Thomas & Martha’s Deaths In Fallen City
Batman Unburied: Fallen Cityepisode 6 sees the Dark Knight discover that Coby Williamson - Bruce Wayne’s friend and collaborator in their current project to repurpose Gotham’s abandoned orphanage - is secretly also a Court of Owls assassin known as a Talon, though he has no control over this form. As if this isn’t surprising enough,it’s then revealed that Coby has memories of killing Thomas and Martha Wayne as a Talon, contrary to Bruce’s prior belief that they were killed by Joe Chill.
Though Batman initially believes this cannot be right due to Coby’s age, he realizes later that the figure who killed his parents had their face covered in shadow, meaning it would have been easy to mistake another figure for Chill. The Talon then explains that he was under orders to kill Thomas and Martha Wayne because of their efforts to try and get the Gotham orphanage - where the Court of Owls were operating out of, choosing orphans to train into their next Talons, and which had a Lazarus Pit under it - shut down.
Ironically, the Talon also notes that Bruce was allowed to live as a warning of sorts, with the idea appearing to be that this traumatic experience would make the young Wayne jaded about Gotham and thus less likely to try and work towards the betterment of the city as his parents had - since the reward for their philanthropy was an early grave. However, the incident ultimately had the exact opposite effect, with Bruce instead channeling his torment to become the hero that would eventually take the Court of Owls down.
Why Batman Unburied: Fallen City’s Origin Story Changes Feel Right For The Story
Batman Unburied Makes A Selection Of Interesting & Logical Changes To Various Characters
Batman Unburied: Fallen City’s story centers around Bruce trying to honor his parents' memory both as a philanthropist, and as a vigilante. As Bruce Wayne, the hero attempts to bring The Brave And The Bold project through, changing the abandoned Gotham orphanage into an institution that can provide social care for those who need it in the city. As Batman, he seeks to deal with the Court Of Owls and the other villains they’re associated with. Tying these two threads together makes sense in terms of ensuring the overarching story told is as cohesive as possible.
Similarly,this provides the release with a narrative throughline, as Bruce monologues to his parents towards the start and end ofBatman Unburied: Fallen City, being able to say in the final episode that he’s discovered the secret behind both of their deaths. Though I do think Thomas and Martha’s deaths being a more random act of evil does work in traditional depictions of Batman’s origin story, this adjustment also really works here to me, adding a further sense of victory to Batman taking down the Court of Owls, and making their schemes all the more personal to the hero.
Batman’s Origin Story Is Deservedly Iconic, But That Doesn’t Mean It Should Never Be Changed
Experimenting With Batman’s Lore Can Benefit Releases That Diverge From Tradition & Releases That Follow It
While I think I might have reacted toBatman Unburied: Fallen City’s origin story change differently if it were changing Batman’s story from now on for good, it’s unlikely that any other releases set in different universes will take it on, making the adjustment a unique part of the story. Altering established parts of a universe’s lore can be useful for creating fresh-feeling stories and twists when done right - as evidenced by both the changes to the Waynes' deaths, and byFallen City’s other tweaks, like having the Court of Owls be responsible for Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face.
The death of Bruce Wayne’s parents spurring him to become the Dark Knight to channel his grief into protecting others is one of the most universally well-known parts of Batman’s history, with even many who are completely uninterested in the superhero genre likely able to sum up this part of the character’s past. As such,using this preconceived expectation for dramatic effect by altering story aspects that are usually kept the same holds more weight, and works to better effect to keep audiences on their toes.
Batman Unburied: Fallen Cityreleased on Spotify on July 14, 2025.
Though this primarily ensuresBatman Unburied: Fallen Cityhas some twists that help tie the Court Of Owls into the overarchingDClore, the decision to provide a different take on this narrative also works to make adaptations that follow the traditional story route feel more special in a sense as well. With a selection of altered renditions of Batman’s story shown in the DC hero’s catalog of releases, the times DC chooses to stick with the traditional version of his origin feel all the more intentional, since there’s not an obligation for every release to do so.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
