The TRUE Origin of Batman's Logo is Finally Revealed

Warning: SPOILERS for Detective Comics #1000

The gun that killed Batman's parents may be the single most important weapon in the history of DC Comics. And thanks to an iconic team of storytellers in Detective Comics #1000, the true fate of the gun has been revealed in the most beautiful way possible.

The landmark issue of Detective Comics is FILLED with short stories fans will be talking about for years to come, told by some of the industry's most respected writers and artists. And with writer/director Kevin Smith joining forces with Jim Lee and Scott Williams (Batman: Hush), fans knew they were in for something special. Even so, they're not going to be ready for this touching tale, guaranteed to be incorporated into comic book canon for thousands of fans.

As Detective Comics #1000 reveals, the weapon that tore apart Bruce Wayne's life is also the thing that keeps his new identity alive. So that he may fight in honor of his parent's death, and use their memory to protect, and no longer wound. Get your Kleenex ready, Batman fans.

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Joe Chill's Gun... Forever Lost?

Everyone even casually aware of Batman knows the scene in which Thomas and Martha Wayne are shot to death in a Gotham City alley. Regardless of the motivations, or whether or not Joe Chill pulled the trigger in a given version of the tale, the point is the same. Young Bruce survives, but his life does not. He is transformed into an avenger of the innocent, fighting to prevent the same tragedy from striking others--and refusing to use the weapon that stole his parents' lives.

But that doesn't address the actual gun used to murder the Waynes, leaving future writers to address the weapon in their own way. In the Justice League movie, Batman had Joe Chill's gun in a display case in the Batcave, just like Thomas Wayne in DC's Flashpoint timeline. A reminder of why he does what he does... but intensely dark, when you think about it. For Detective Comics #1000, Kevin Smith finds a better way to pay tribute.

Batman Finds The Gun That Killed His Parents

Joe Chill's gun has been glimpsed a few times over the years, but in mainline DC Comics continuity, the canonical location or fate of the pistol hasn't been established. The short story "Manufacture for Use" by Smith, Lee, and Williams finally solves that mystery, with Bruce donning his go-to undercover identity of 'Matches Malone,' seeking out a black market collector of true crime 'souvenirs'--mementos of Gotham's most iconic villainy.

The shop has a few Easter Eggs for Batman fans, but there's only one thing Bruce has come looking for: a gun. Not just any gun either, but the one that ended the life of Thomas and Martha Wayne, which the vendor remarks "must've broke their poor kid." For a cool $1,500 the gun is returned to Bruce... allowing him to decide its fate, once and for all. Beware, heart-wrenching SPOILERS incoming.

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A Reminder of The Batman Logo's Purpose

It's unclear exactly why the issue begins by showcasing so many wounds being inflicted upon Batman by various villains. Well, technically, wounds that would have been inflicted, had the attacks not been aimed directly at his chest, and the bright yellow Bat insignia daring his enemies to strike. It was Frank Miller who originally explained the insignia and Bruce's decision to have it brightly colored, suggesting it was intended as a target. In a sea of black fabric, a bright yellow bullseye is an easy mark--allowing Bruce to reinforce the suit most heavily over his vital organs.

But the reminders spread throughout this short story are more than they first appear to be (evidence of the "over-the-top crime" the vendor is selling via souvenirs). Joker's acid flower. Firefly's flamethrower. Killer Croc's claws. Scarecrow's scythe. Bane's fists, and Harley's hammer, all endured thanks to the armor covering Bruce's chest. But what seems to be a testament to Frank Miller's justification is revealed to be much, much, more. Especially when you realize that these battles are set after Bruce acquires the pistol.

Bruce Finally Destroys Joe Chill's Gun

With the gun acquired by 'Matches,' Bruce returns it to the Batcave just as Alfred arrives seeing the same scene mentioned before: Bruce silently contemplating the pistol in a display case, brooding as he is wont to do. Thankfully Alfred is allowed to speak the protest so many comic book fans have in the past, openly questioning Master Wayne's decision to dwell on the object. Having made that painful memory into a righteous mission to do good, why return to worshiping the "hunk of metal" that was used to murder his parents before his eyes?

Even more thankfully, Bruce reveals that the gun's placement in the Batcave is only temporary, granting him the time to prepare for his true intent. Rather than venerating the gun that stole his parents' lives, Bruce is determined to destroy it. This short story in Detective Comics #1000 solves the riddle of the final resting place of Joe Chill's gun, showing the night that Bruce toiled away, deep in the bowels of the Batcave, to melt the pistol down so it could never take another life... but the story doesn't end there.

The Gun is Reborn on Batman's Chest

After finding the gun that killed his parents, and after melting it down into a lump of molten metal, Bruce has guaranteed it can never again be used as intended when it was first manufactured. Recognizing that he now destroys the gun, just as it destroyed the boy he once was, Bruce sets about forging the gun, as well, into something else. Something better. We'll let Smith's writing do the talking as the pistol's ultimate fate is finally revealed:

"It's not going into the trophy collection, Alfred. This gun was never fired at me, but it still scarred me for my life. I grew up broken and sad after this hunk of metal took everything from me. And who knows how many other lives it's ruined? Or ended. But after tonight, it's never going to hurt anyone again. I'm going to make that metal pay for its sins. I'm going to burn the metal that killed my parents. And forge it into something useful. So the metal that broke my heart as a child? That same metal will protect my heart as a man. And That is justice."

Pushing aside the heartbreak, the tragedy, and the superheroics, comic fans always understood that the gun which ended Thomas and Martha Wayne's lives ended up saving countless more. It may have taken eighty years, and 1,000 issues, but thanks to Kevin Smith, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Todd Klein, Bruce finally found justice for his parents.

This story, and many more can be found in Detective Comics #1000 at your local comic book shop, or directly from DC Comics.