Batman to appear in Smallville universe

[Silver Nemesis]

This news was revealed over a month ago, but I only just heard about it. Apparently Batman is set to appear in the Smallville Season 11 comic series during a four-part story titled 'Detective'.

"The hunt for his parents' killer puts a vigilante known only as 'the BATMAN' on a collision course with The Man of Steel."

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2012/06/12/batman-smallville/

[BatmAngelus]

I haven't been following the Smallville comics.  Based on the image there of Batman, I'm not sure if I should...

I will say that I think it's interesting that there are three Batman stories this year covering Bruce Wayne investigating his parents' deaths- this, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's Batman: Earth One, and the novel Wayne of Gotham. 

I always thought it was strange in the comics that even though Joe Chill/The Mugger was never caught by the cops, we never saw Bruce investigating the murder and the few times that Batman does wind up meeting Chill/The Mugger in the comics (or even Jack Napier in Batman 1989), it's completely coincidental and not from any kind of investigation on his part.

I realize that the most popular interpretation is that he never finds Chill at all, but I'd think the World's Greatest Detective at least would have looked into it early on and tried to track him down.  Now three Batman stories will provide interpretations on how that turned out.

[Silver Nemesis]

That might have made an interesting addition to the canon following last year's reboot – if they revealed early on that Chill was not the one who killed the Waynes. Meanwhile the real killer would remain elusive. Then it would be an ongoing story arc, with Bruce desperately trying to find out who did kill them, but never finding the answer. Kind of like the 'who killed Laura Palmer?' premise of Twin Peaks. Every now and then he could find a clue that hints at a larger conspiracy, but the killer's identity would always remain just out of reach.

Think of all the speculation it would arouse amongst the fan community. Who really killed Batman's parents? I think that would add an extra layer to the mythology. The one crime that Batman was incapable of solving was the very crime that created him.

Regarding Smallville and Batman, wasn't the Adam Knight character in season 3 meant to be Bruce Wayne? I seem to recall reading somewhere that they couldn't get the rights to Batman because of the Nolan films, so they created a new character that was meant to represent him. I'd more or less stopped watching the show by that point, so I never saw how that storyline panned out.

[BatmAngelus]

Who really killed Batman's parents? I think that would add an extra layer to the mythology. The one crime that Batman was incapable of solving was the very crime that created him.

Indeed.  You could bring in reimagined versions of Joe Chill and Lew Moxon, as well as other red herrings, while setting up an organic way of exploring Thomas and Martha Wayne's past through Bruce's investigations. 

Was it a hit?  If so, who would've wanted them killed?  Was the hit on both parents or was it meant for only one of them?  Why was Bruce left alive as the only witness?  I imagine Bruce would've considered all these things early in his career, yet it doesn't seem like it's been explored until now.

I'm also surprised that the detectives who investigated the Wayne murders haven't become part of the mythos.  There was that one story in Bruce Wayne: Fugitive that featured detective Gary Sloan as the investigator, but he only lasts in that one story. 

Steve Englehart's Batman movie treatment and Wizard's Ultimate Batman proposal had Gordon be the investigator, which, while a little convenient, would have given Gordon an interesting role in a "Batman investigates the Wayne murders" story.  It'd also give a stronger motivation for Batman to trust Gordon than the Batman Begins version.

I'm curious how these three stories (Smallville, Earth One, Wayne of Gotham) will address this type of story especially if Bruce doesn't end up finding Joe Chill by the end of them.  It's tricky to end a story in a satisfying way if the main mystery remains unsolved.

Regarding Smallville and Batman, wasn't the Adam Knight character in season 3 meant to be Bruce Wayne? I seem to recall reading somewhere that they couldn't get the rights to Batman because of the Nolan films, so they created a new character that was meant to represent him. I'd more or less stopped watching the show by that point, so I never saw how that storyline panned out.

This was the rumor and it's somewhat validated by the show itself (last name Knight, hints at a dark past with losing his parents, martial arts and hacking skills), but I actually did get to ask Gough and Millar about this a few years ago and they stated that this was not the intention. 

He was originally meant to be the new main love interest of Lana Lang, more in line with Whitney Fordman and the next season's Jason Teague, but apparently, Kristin Kreuk and Ian Somerhalder didn't click well enough for it to work out, so the character was suddenly changed into a villain, resurrected from the dead by a sample of Clark's blood and revealed to have been sent by Lionel Luthor to spy on the Smallville gang before going after Lana Lang with a shotgun in his final episode.

Shame, really, because the early fan speculation of Adam Knight being an undercover Bruce Wayne, out to investigate the weird happenings in Smallville, was far more interesting than the episode stories themselves.

I have a feeling Smallville's version of Bruce Wayne would've been more in line with their take on Green Arrow.  Given the option, Bruce Wayne, instead of Oliver Queen, probably would've been the recurring superhero guest character from Seasons 6-10, who went to school with Lex and found out Lionel Luthor played a role in the death of his parents.

[Silver Nemesis]

Another aspect I'd like to see introduced is the idea of Bruce Wayne as the unreliable narrator. He could be suffering from repressed memories, recalling only vague images and sounds from the night his parents died: the first gunshot, the pearls, the second gunshot, the popcorn, etc. Over the course of the series, he'd gradually piece together what really happened, occasionally seeing something that would trigger one of his repressed memories. His subconscious could present him with symbolic clues in the form of dreams – again, kind of like Special Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks. And both Bruce and the fans reading the comics would have to interpret those dreams in order to discern the next clue.

There's so much potential in his origin story, but no one's really bothered to expand it to any great depth. It should be an ongoing mystery, not just a catalyst that triggers events and is then relegated to the past. And as you say, the detectives who handled the case should play a much more prominent role in the mythos. At the very least, Batman should try and contact them to exchange leads and information. There's a great untold story in there somewhere.

He was originally meant to be the new main love interest of Lana Lang, more in line with Whitney Fordman and the next season's Jason Teague, but apparently, Kristin Kreuk and Ian Somerhalder didn't click well enough for it to work out, so the character was suddenly changed into a villain, resurrected from the dead by a sample of Clark's blood and revealed to have been sent by Lionel Luthor to spy on the Smallville gang before going after Lana Lang with a shotgun in his final episode.

That's awesome that you met Gough and Millar. Though based on how you described the Adam Knight storyline, I'm not sorry I missed those episodes. It sounds like they really dropped the ball on that one.

[greggbray]

One of the things that made the Adam Knight storyline stick out like a sore thumb is that Season 3 is considered by many to be one of Smallville's best seasons.  Some count it as the best.  For me, the season is tied with Seasons 9 and Season 2. 

Season 3 would actually have wound up being my favorite, bar none, but the Adam storyline kind of goes nowhere...slowly...and once he exits from the program he's never referred to again.  Smallville wasn't particularly good at keeping tabs on most side characters (though Bug Boy disappears in Season 1 episdoe 2, and reappears in Season 10 Episode 5.  Quite a long strange journey for that guy. 

[thecolorsblend]

He was originally meant to be the new main love interest of Lana Lang, more in line with Whitney Fordman and the next season's Jason Teague, but apparently, Kristin Kreuk and Ian Somerhalder didn't click well enough for it to work out, so the character was suddenly changed into a villain, resurrected from the dead by a sample of Clark's blood and revealed to have been sent by Lionel Luthor to spy on the Smallville gang before going after Lana Lang with a shotgun in his final episode.

Shame, really, because the early fan speculation of Adam Knight being an undercover Bruce Wayne, out to investigate the weird happenings in Smallville, was far more interesting than the episode stories themselves.

I liked that little conspiracy theory too. Plus, Somerhalder could've come off as a young Bruce. I could've bought into it if it'd been a five or six episode thing. But hey...

I have a feeling Smallville's version of Bruce Wayne would've been more in line with their take on Green Arrow.  Given the option, Bruce Wayne, instead of Oliver Queen, probably would've been the recurring superhero guest character from Seasons 6-10, who went to school with Lex and found out Lionel Luthor played a role in the death of his parents.

Up through the end of season 8, I'd basically pegged Green Arrow as a Batman surrogate. Yeah, sure, the character's name is Oliver Queen and he calls himself Green Arrow... but, c'mon, Batman is who they wanted to use. That kind of went out the window though when he shacked up with Chloe. I never gave two craps about them as a couple. Just never bought it. I do think the "Batman surrogate" thing holds up for most of his earlier appearances though.

Even so, the Veritas thing wouldn't have worked for me if they'd been able to bring Batman onto the show. I think Batman's origin is at its best when it's a random crime. I think it plays better as a symptom of Gotham City's disease rather than somebody else's unnecessarily elaborate conspiracy, supernatural curses, inductions into secret societies or whatever else. All that stuff just serves to complicate that which is inherently simple. If someone can come up with a better presentation, I guess I'll give it a day in court but in general... just keep it simple.