Question: The answer is not given in the film, but does it explain in the early scripts why Jack shot his parents but not Bruce? If not, what was Joe Chill's reason for shooting Thomas Wayne in Batman Begins?
Gibson Rickenbacker
6th Mar 2025
Batman (1989)
Answer: There's a fan theory that Bruce Wayne projects his parents' killer onto all his enemies, so whoever he's fighting at that particular moment killed his parents.
31st Jan 2021
Batman (1989)
Question: Why is Robin omitted from this film?
Answer: According to screenwriter Sam Ham, Batman started out solo in the comics.
Answer: In addition to the other answers, it may also be a factor that around this time the "current" Robin, Jason Todd, wasn't very popular, to the extent that a phone poll was taken which ended up with him being killed off not long before this film was released. Batman was Robin-less in the comics from 1988 - 1991. Given Robin's lack of popularity and strong association with the Adam West Batman series, the filmmakers may well have felt that a clean slate would be a better approach.
Answer: Probably because this was the first movie in the series. It sets up the entire Batman premise and goes into Wayne's backstory before he met Robin. Adding Robin at this point would only clutter and confuse the plot. It would also slow the action and diminish the conflict between Batman and the Joker. Robin being introduced later allows for his own history to be better incorporated into the overall story.
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Answer: It's unlikely there was anything in the script addressing this. In the Batman universe and the various interpretations, there's never been a definitive explanation. In the original lore, Bruce Wayne's parents were the victims of a random mugging by Joe Chill, who, for whatever reason, murdered the Waynes, probably unintentionally. Maybe he was startled or Mr. Wayne attempted to subdue him. He may have been mentally unstable and acted impulsively. Bruce was probably spared because many hesitate to kill a child. Chill may have considered Bruce too young to remember specific details. Something could have scared him off. However, this really has to be seen through the lens of a writer. The plot requires that Bruce survive the ordeal in order to grow up and become Batman. His parents' murders shaped and motivated everything in his life from that point on. Otherwise, there would be no story to tell.
raywest ★