Martha Wayne
Encyclopedia
Martha Wayne is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 of the Batman
Batman (comic book)
Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...

series of comic books, published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

. She is Dr. Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne
Thomas Wayne is a fictional character in the Batman series of comic books. Dr. Thomas Wayne was the father of Bruce Wayne, and husband of Martha Wayne, as well as a gifted surgeon and philanthropist...

's wife and mother of Bruce Wayne. When she and her husband are murdered during a holdup, young Bruce swears to avenge their deaths by fighting crime. As an adult, he fulfills his vow by becoming Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

.

Background

Martha Wayne first appeared in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...

#33 (November 1939) in a story by Bob Kane
Bob Kane
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...

 and Bill Finger
Bill Finger
William "Bill" Finger was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the co-architect of the series' development...

 which detailed the origin of the Batman. Initially little more than a cipher whose death inspired her heroic son, later comics would expand upon her history.

Born Martha Kane (a maiden name given in homage to Batman co-creator Bob Kane), Martha was the heir to the Kane Chemical fortune and a member of one of Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...

's wealthiest families. It has not been revealed whether she has any connection to the other prominent Kanes of Gotham, Kathy (Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...

) or Bette (Flamebird
Bette Kane
Bette Kane is a fictional character in the . She first appeared in the sixties as "Betty Kane", the Bat-Girl. Later, her name was modified to "Bette Kane" and she took on the mantle of Flamebird.-Pre-Crisis:...

). Despite her Irish-Catholic background, in her youth, Martha had a reputation as a notorious party girl, socialite, and debutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...

, frequenting all the most prestigious country clubs, night clubs, and soirees. However, she also had a developed social conscience and often used her family's wealth and status to champion causes and charities.

As revealed in the miniseries Batman: Family by John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore (comics)
John Francis Moore is comic book writer known for stints as writer on such Marvel comics series as X-Force, X-Factor, Doom 2099 and X-Men 2099...

, Martha's closest friend in those days was a woman named Celia Kazantkakis. Both were renowned for their beauty, which caught the attention of a gangster named Denholm. Martha dated Denholm for a time prior to meeting Thomas Wayne, though she was unaware of his true nature at the time. Celia, who had had previous dealings with Denholm, became very protective of her friend and conspired to get this thug out of her life. However, in the process it came to light just why Celia was familiar with him. Celia, it turned out, was a criminal herself and had been embezzling money from an orphanage that was one of Martha's charities. She attempted to hide the evidence of this by setting fire to the building but Martha discovered her duplicity. Before Celia departed for her family's home in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, Martha threatened to expose her should she ever return to Gotham.

(In fact, Celia would return to Gotham many years later, as "Athena," the leader of a criminal cartel. In this guise, she attempted to stage a coup of Wayne Enterprises
Wayne Enterprises
Wayne Enterprises is a company in the DC Universe, owned by Bruce Wayne and run by his business manager, Lucius Fox. It was founded by merchant ancestors of the Wayne family in the 17th century as a merchant house, although the company changed when the heir of Judge Solomon Wayne, Alan, utilized...

, until Batman discovered the true nature of his mother's history with Celia and defeated her.)

Shortly after Celia's departure, Martha met and fell in love with prominent physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

 and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...

 Dr. Thomas Wayne. They were wed soon after and Martha eventually gave birth to a son, Bruce.

Though mention of Martha's occupation is small, some stories have indicated that, like Bruce, she was unable to allow the crime of Gotham to continue unabated. This Martha Wayne fought against the abuse of Gotham's children and against the trafficking of children around the globe. She headed a covert detection agency with help from Commissioner Gordon and the family butler Alfred--their goals were to stem abuse against children, in the hopes that those children would not grow up to turn into abusers and criminals themselves. Learning of his mother's mission prior to death, Batman gained further inspiration and motive for helping the innocent of Gotham.

Murder

When Bruce was eight years old, his parents took him to a screening of a Zorro movie at a cinema in Gotham's Park Row. Returning to the car through an alley, they were confronted by a lone gunman, who attempted to steal Martha's pearl necklace, an anniversary gift from Thomas. In the ensuing struggle, the thief shot both the Waynes dead (later versions of the story claimed that only Thomas was shot and Martha had in fact died of a shock stroke. This retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...

 was still later undone). In the wake of this tragedy, Park Row was given the nickname "Crime Alley."

The identity of the Waynes' killer has varied through different versions of the Batman story. Initially, he was said to be a criminal named Joe Chill
Joe Chill
Joe Chill is a fictional character in the DC Comics Batman series. He is best known for murdering young Bruce Wayne's parents , thus making him indirectly responsible for Batman's existence....

. Later retellings would claim that Chill had been hired by gangster Lew Moxon
Lew Moxon
Lew Moxon is a fictional character in the DC Comics Batman series. He is most famous for hiring Joe Chill to murder young Bruce Wayne's parents in early versions of Batman's origin story, thus making him indirectly responsible for Batman's existence....

, an enemy of Thomas Wayne, and told to make the killings look like a robbery. After DC Comics' history-altering Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...

series, this interpretation was abandoned in favor of the Waynes' deaths being a random street crime. The killer was thought to have never been caught, adding to the tragedy and universality of Batman's origin. After the further continuity tweaks of the Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...

 miniseries, DC has once again returned to the Joe Chill interpretation.

Since her death, Martha Wayne has only appeared in the Batman series in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...

 and in the occasional out-of-body experience or hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...

. Her most significant appearance in this latter category is in the miniseries Batman: Death and the Maidens by Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...

. In this story, Batman ingests an elixir given to him by his enemy, Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...

, and believes he is having a conversation with his dead parents. Martha is depicted here as a beautiful woman whose face is marred by a bleeding bullet wound, suggesting that Bruce remembers her this way because he has become 'focused' on her death rather than her life, the wound vanishing after she forces him to acknowledge that issue. Martha strongly disapproves of her son's costumed crusade, fearing he has thrown away his chance for happiness, although her husband notes that they disapprove of what being Batman has cost Bruce rather than disapproving of Batman himself. As she and Thomas depart, however, they assure Bruce that just because the passing of time has lessened his grief does not mean that he no longer cares for them, and, as a result, Bruce is able to accept that he is Batman because he chooses to be, not because he has to be.

In Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...

's Batman stories, Bruce feels responsible for his parents' murder because he advised Martha to wear the infamous pearl necklace the night she was murdered. Had she not worn it, the mugger might have not killed them, or even have been attracted to them. In Death and the Maidens she claims that the pearls were in fact fakes, and that she wouldn't have worn real ones simply to go to the theater. As this experience may have been merely a hallucination, it is unknown whether or not this is true.

Batman R.I.P.

Another mystery about Martha's final fate is unveiled in the Batman R.I.P.
Batman R.I.P.
Batman R.I.P. is a comic book story arc published in Batman #676-681 by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison, penciled by Tony Daniel, and with covers by Alex Ross, the story pits the superhero Batman against the Black Glove organization as they attempt to destroy everything for which he stands...

storyline, where it is revealed that the Kanes actually hired a detective to prowl about the circumstances of her death, always suspecting that Thomas Wayne married her for her money.

Many years later, the detective hired by the Kanes presents to Commissioner Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...

 a dossier describing Martha as a helpless, frail woman hooked on drugs by an abusive
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

 husband, who frequently indulged in orgies and extramarital affairs, taking Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...

 himself as her lover. The detective pushes his theory further, disclosing to Gordon a theory about Thomas Wayne ordering the fateful shooting to get revenge over an unfaithful wife and disappearing before being hit by the scandal. The villainous Simon Hurt, head of the Black Glove cabal, bent on getting revenge on Batman, claims to Alfred, taken hostage, to be Thomas Wayne himself, returned to enact his vengeance once again over the unfaithful Martha by ruining her son's life. Alfred disproves this version, and questions the truth of the "revelations" about Thomas Wayne.

In the end Simon Hurt is unmasked by Bruce Wayne as Mangrove Pierce, a former impersonator trying to ruin Thomas and Bruce Wayne's lives. Simon implies that Pierce may be another forged identity, but tacitly admits that the stories of Martha's sexual relationship with Alfred and the circumstances of her drug addiction and homicide are clever forgeries designed to break Batman, or coerce him to join the Black Glove as a means to silence the rumors about his family.

With Bruce Wayne's and Simon Hurt/Mangrove Pierce's disappearance the charges are dropped, and Martha's good name is cleared.

In Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Martha appears to her son between life and death and guides him to his fate.

The Return of Bruce Wayne

In Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5, the detective hired by the Kanes to investigate Martha Wayne's murder is revealed as Batman himself, turned amnesiac as he leaps through time under Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....

's Omega Effect, his 'investigations' being influenced by the Black Glove as they attempt to use him as a sacrifice in a ritual while planting evidence to frame the Wayne family for debauchery.

Streets of Gotham

In the series Streets of Gotham, Martha Kane's history as a young woman was revised and elaborated further.

After her father was tricked into a shady investment deal by a mobster named Judson Pierce, which drained the Kane fortune and made him suffer a fatal heart attack, Martha became involved with charity work focusing on Gotham's poorest citizens. One of her main projects was raising support for the free clinic
Free clinic
A free clinic is a medical facility offering community healthcare on a free or very low-cost basis in countries with marginal or no universal health care. Care is generally provided in these clinics to persons who have lower or limited income and no health insurance, including persons who are not...

 founded in Gotham's slums by doctor Leslie Thompkins
Leslie Thompkins
Dr. Leslie Thompkins is a fictional character from the Batman mythos. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Dick Giordano, she first appeared in Detective Comics #457...

.

During one of Martha's attempts to solicit support from Gotham's elite, she had her first encounter with Thomas Wayne who, aside from being a well-regarded surgeon, was an infamous playboy and party animal. Thomas affirmed this reputation by being extremely drunk in public and vomiting on Martha's shoes, causing her to storm off in disgust despite his profuse apologies.

Leslie's clinic also became another target of Judson Pierce after he deemed it a key point for taking over the surrounding neighborhood. Pierce attempted to prey on Martha's poverty by offering them cash to shut it down and Martha accepted Pierce's money, but filed it as a donation to keep the clinic running, which enraged him enough to arrange a hit on Martha and Leslie.

Martha met Thomas Wayne a second time after he had Alfred chauffeur him to the clinic so he could apologize to her again. That same moment though, Pierce's hitmen also decided to make their move. Alfred was able to subdue the assailants, but not before Leslie suffered a minor gunshot. While Leslie recovered from her injury, Thomas volunteered to work in the clinic alongside Martha. Thomas became content with the charity work and and it wasn't wasn't long before Thomas and Martha became romantically involved. By the time Leslie returned to work, Thomas became an official sponsor of the clinic and used his vast resources to keep it running. Thomas also distanced himself from his hedonistic lifestyle, citing Martha as his inspiration to change.

Other versions

Superman: Red Son

In Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...

's Superman: Red Son
Superman: Red Son
Superman: Red Son is a three-issue prestige format comic book mini-series published by DC Comics that was released under their Elseworlds imprint in April 2003...

, Martha and her husband are anti-communist protesters in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. They are executed by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....

 under Commissar Pyotr Roslov
Pete Ross
Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...

, which leads to their son vowing to overthrow the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...

.

Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty

In Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty
Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty
Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty is a graphic novel published by DC Comics under the Elseworlds banner in 1999. It is written by Mike W. Barr and illustrated by Scott Hampton, Gary Frank, and Cam Smith....

, Thomas and Martha are saved from death when 'Valentin Sinclair'- really Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....

, who in this reality has a long-standing interest and admiration for the Wayne family despite the fact that they often end up opposing him when they learn about his plans- scared off Joe Chill, Sinclair becoming a partner in Wayne Enterprises, only for Sinclair to have them killed when they threaten to expose his plan to divert a meteor that gave him his powers back to Earth so that he can study it. Their deaths- triggered by Sinclair's fear-inducing henchman Scarecrone causing them to remember the mugging, driving them to flee Chill by running off their balcony- prompt Bruce to become Batman to investigate, Gordon having written their deaths off as an accident and Bruce unwilling to investigate himself because of the risk to his new wife, Julie Madison
Julie Madison
Julie Madison is a fictional character in the DC Universe, best known as Batman's first significant love interest.-Original version:Julie Madison first appeared in Detective Comics #31 only four issues after Batman's own debut...

.

Flashpoint

In the alternate universe of Flashpoint
Flashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...

, Martha Wayne becomes the Joker after Bruce is shot by Joe Chill as a child. Unable to cope with his loss she cuts open her cheeks to create a faux smile. She is the arch-nemesis of the Batman of this universe, her husband Thomas Wayne. She is shown to be in league with the possible Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...

 of this timeline called Yo-Yo. After she kidnaps the children of Harvey Dent
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....

 and disguises his daughter as the Joker, and kills James Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...

 after he shoots the daughter, Batman arrives to face her. Thomas confronts Martha about Bruce's death and reveals he has a way to rewrite history and save Bruce's life, though his parents will die instead. Martha ceases her attacks but when she learns what Bruce will become if he lives, she runs away falling to her death down a hole into the caves beneath Wayne Manor.

Television

  • In the animated series The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
    The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
    The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1985 to 1986. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.-Summary:In the fall of 1985,...

    , Martha Wayne is depicted in a sequence in an episode titled "The Fear", which was the first depiction of Batman's origin outside of the DC Comics.
  • On Batman: The Animated Series
    Batman: The Animated Series
    Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...

    and the subsequent DC Animated Universe
    DC animated universe
    The DC Animated Universe is a fan term that refers to a series of popular animated television series and related spin-offs produced by Warner Bros. Animation which share the same continuity. Most of these series are adapted from DC Comics properties...

    , the Waynes' killer is never identified and the murder is rarely explicitly shown, relying on nightmares and visual metaphors, such as a tunnel that becomes the barrel of a giant gun, to illustrate Bruce Wayne's inner demons. Martha Wayne makes a full appearance on Batman: the Animated Series episode "Perchance to Dream" on dream sequences engineered by The Mad Hatter
    Mad Hatter (comics)
    The Mad Hatter is a fictional supervillain and enemy of Batman in the DC Universe. He is modeled after the Hatter from Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a character often called the "Mad Hatter" in adaptations of Carroll. He made his first appearance in Batman #49 in October...

    . She was voiced by Adrienne Barbeau
    Adrienne Barbeau
    Adrienne Jo Barbeau is an American actress and the author of three books. Barbeau came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical Grease, and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findlay in the sitcom Maude...

    , who also provided the voice of Catwoman
    Catwoman
    Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...

    .
  • The murder of the Waynes only becomes explicit in the Justice League Unlimited
    Justice League Unlimited
    Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...

    episode "For the Man Who Has Everything" in which Batman hallucinates the event while under the thrall of an extraterrestrial
    Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
    In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...

     plant called the Black Mercy. At first, the Mercy grants him his fondest wish — to see his father fight back and his parents be saved — but when the Mercy is removed, Batman's true memory of the murder returns (the deaths of the Waynes occur offscreen, however).
  • On The Batman
    The Batman (TV series)
    The Batman is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It ran from 2004 to 2008, on the Saturday morning television block Kids' WB...

    ,
    she is murdered with her husband by an unidentified mugger after watching the movie The Cloaked Rider with her son Bruce. The gunman is never caught. In the episode "The Big Chill", Bruce has a nightmare in which she and Thomas are murdered by Victor Fries
    Mr. Freeze
    Mr. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries , is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 ....

    .
  • Martha Wayne appears in a flashback in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...

    episode "Invasion of the Secret Santas". Pat Musick
    Pat Musick
    Pat Musick is an American voice actress. She is the mother of Mae Whitman.-Television roles:* 2 Stupid Dogs - Additional Voices* The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda - Additional Voices...

     voices Martha Wayne in the episode "Dawn of the Deadman". Julie Newmar
    Julie Newmar
    Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...

     voiced Martha in the second season episode "Chill of the Night!
    Chill of the Night!
    -Background:The episode is a re-telling of Batman's origin story. Paul Dini, who wrote the script for Batman: The Animated Series, wrote the script for this episode. Michael Chang directed the episode. The episode first aired on April 9, 2010. People who voiced characters in Batman: The Animated...

    "

Film

  • In Tim Burton
    Tim Burton
    Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...

    's film Batman
    Batman (1989 film)
    Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...

    (1989), Martha Wayne is portrayed in flashback by Sharon Holm. In this version, she and her husband are killed by Jack Napier, the man who later becomes the Joker
    Joker (comics)
    The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...

    .
  • In the Joel Schumacher
    Joel Schumacher
    Joel T. Schumacher is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Schumacher was born in New York City, the son of Marian and Francis Schumacher. His mother was a Swedish Jew, and his father was a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died when Joel was four years old...

     film Batman Forever
    Batman Forever
    Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman...

    (1995), Martha is played by Eileen Seeley and is only seen in a misty flashback as Bruce struggles with repressed memories.
  • In Christopher Nolan
    Christopher Nolan
    Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...

    's Batman Begins
    Batman Begins
    Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...

    (2005), Martha is played by Sara Stewart
    Sara Stewart
    Sara Stewart is a Scottish actress, perhaps most famously known for her role as Stella in Sugar Rush.-Early life:Stewart was born Sara Scott Griffith in Edinburgh, Scotland, to American parents...

    . In this version, it is once again Joe Chill who is the murderer. The Waynes are killed after exiting the opera Mefistofele
    Mefistofele
    Mefistofele is an opera in a prologue, four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito.-Composition history:...

    , whose bat-like performers frighten young Bruce, who has a strong fear of bats.
  • In The Batman vs. Dracula
    The Batman vs. Dracula
    The Batman vs. Dracula is a 2005 direct-to-video animated movie based on The Batman television series. It has a much darker tone than the show, and features Vicki Vale...

    , Martha (along with Thomas Wayne) is referenced several times.
  • Andrea Romano
    Andrea Romano
    Andrea Romano is an American casting director, voice director, and voice actor, whose work includes casting, and voice directing Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toon Adventures, "Animaniacs", "Pinky and the Brain", Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and multiple Warner Bros...

     voices Martha Wayne on the Warner Premiere
    Warner Premiere
    Warner Premiere is the direct-to-video label of Warner Home Video, itself the home video unit of Warner Bros.In 2006, Warner Home Video announced they would enter the market of releasing original direct-to-video films, a market that has proven lucrative for studios over the past few years...

     animated
    Animation
    Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

     direct-to-DVD anthology film Batman: Gotham Knight
    Batman: Gotham Knight
    is a 2008 direct-to-DVD animated superhero anthology film of six animated short films set in-between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It depicts Batman battling against the mob of Gotham City, as well as other villains...

    . She appears in a brief flashback shown in the opening of the final segment "Deadshot", seen screaming before being shot.

Video games

  • Martha Wayne is featured in Batman: Arkham Asylum
    Batman: Arkham Asylum
    Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman developed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment...

    voiced by Tasia Valenza
    Tasia Valenza
    Tasia Valenza is an American actress who has most recently found acclaim as a voice actor.- Television :...

    , who also voiced the villain Poison Ivy in the game. Under the influence of the Scarecrow
    Scarecrow (comics)
    The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...

    's fear toxin, Batman experiences flashbacks of his parents' murder. A bench in Arkham Asylum
    Arkham Asylum
    The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to simply as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe, usually appearing in stories featuring Batman...

     dedicated to Thomas and Martha Wayne is the answer to one of the Riddler's riddles which leads to Thomas and Martha Wayne's unlockable bio.

  • In the video game Batman: Arkham City, the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Monarch Theatre, the location of the Wayne murders, is present. Behind the building is the chalk outline of Thomas and Martha's bodies, with a bouquet of flowers and a tape that has a taunting message from Hugo Strange lying by the outlines. The player has the option of paying his respects by having Batman kneeling by the outlines of both. It is curious to note how the chalk outlines lasted for so many years ,althought it is implied by the message of Strange (who knows Batman true identity) that he was the one who stage the scenario to torment him. Later, when Batman is sucumbing to the effect of the venom the Joker infected him, has an allucination in which both Thomas and Martha appeared standing inside a tunnel calling him to come into light. Martha is voiced agian by Tasia Valenza
    Tasia Valenza
    Tasia Valenza is an American actress who has most recently found acclaim as a voice actor.- Television :...

    .

Novels

  • In Batman: The Ultimate Evil
    Batman: The Ultimate Evil
    Batman: The Ultimate Evil is a novel by Andrew Vachss, a crime novelist known for focusing on child abuse in his novels.-Plot Summary:...

    , Martha's past is explored; she fought crime in her own way as a social worker trying to protect sexually abused children. The novel suggests this as a motive for the murder of the Wayne couple.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK