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| Joe Chill | |
| Aliases: | Joseph Chilton Joey Chilton |
| Continuity: | DC Universe |
| Notability: | Antagonist |
| Type: | Criminal |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | Gotham City, Gotham County |
| Status: | Deceased |
| First: | Detective Comics #33 |
Joseph "Joey" Chilton is a fictional criminal featured in comic books published by DC Comics. He is associated with the Batman family of comic book titles and has been represented in nearly every continuity connected with the franchise. He first appeared in Detective Comics, Volume 1 #33 in November, 1939. Chill's history has been updated and altered many times over the years, and receives a "re-imagined" background every time DC Comics decides to reboot the internal continuity of their comic titles. As such, some elements of Joe Chill's biography may be considered apocryphal by modern standards.
Overview[]
Joe Chill is without question one of the most important super-baddies you never of. His name and face may seem unfamiliar, but anyone who has ever picked up a comic book knows what he is famous for. This is the street-level thug who made the colossally huge mistake of holding up Thomas and Martha Wayne during a stick-up, ultimately killing both of them before the eyes of their young son, Bruce. This single act of violence paved the way for the creation of one of the most infamous crime-fighters ever known, for Bruce Wayne was destined to grow up to become the costumed dark knight known as the Batman.
Biography[]
Golden Age version[]
When he was a young man, Joe Chill was nothing more than a common street thug. One evening, he accosted Thomas and Martha Wayne and their young son, Bruce who were on their way home from a movie theater. When Thomas refused to be muscled, Chill shot him dead. Martha's weak heart could not stand the strain and she died only seconds later. Chill ran off into the night, leaving young Bruce kneeling before the bodies of his dead parents. He had no way of knowing at the time that this single act of violence would inspire the boy to one day become the caped crime fighter known as the Batman. [1][2]
As years passed, Chill continued to operate out of Gotham City. By the time he was a middle-aged man, he was the leader of his own racket, which involved using a trucking company that would smuggle wanted criminals across state lines for a hefty fee. One of Chill's trucks was involved in an automobile accident, which ultimately earned the attention of Batman and his teen sidekick, Robin. Through the course of his investigation, Batman was shown a photograph of Joe Chill and immediately recognized him as the man who murdered his parents.
Batman didn't have any hard evidence to go after him, so he staged an event to link Chill to criminal activities. He boarded the illegal gambling vessel of a man named Monty Julep and caused a distraction, which forced Julep to flee. Monty ran to Joe Chill begging him to smuggle him out of Gotham City's jurisdiction. Chill used his monitoring equipment and discovered that the Batman had followed him. Fearing that Monty had double-crossed him, he shot him dead inside his office.
Batman burst through Joe Chill's office doors, but he was too late to save Monty. Chill tried to play it off as if Monty had attacked him and that he was only acting out of self defense. Batman knew better however. He removed his cowl and revealed his true identity to him. He told him that he was the son of the man he murdered, Thomas Wayne, so many years ago. The Batman swore that from this day forward he would haunt Joe Chill at every turn, awaiting that final moment when he would finally have vengeance. Chill was terrified and ran from his office in a panic. He went to his henchmen and told them what had happened, begging them for help. However, when the thugs learned that their boss was responsible for creating the man that had sent so many of them to prison, they decided to take their frustration out on Chill themselves and they all shot him dead. Chill died before he could reveal the Batman's true name to them. [3]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Joe Chill was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane. The post-Crisis iteration of Martha Wayne was created by writer/artist Frank Miller.
- For several years, the identity of the man who murdered the Waynes was unknown. It wasn't until "The Origin of the Batman" story from Batman, Volume 1 #47 in 1948 that his first name was revealed. This issue is key in that it presents the first meeting between Joe Chill and the adult Bruce Wayne. It is also significant as the final appearance of the Golden Age version of Joe Chill, who dies in that same issue.
- The character of Joe Chill was preserved in the restructured continuity of the DC Universe, which came about following the events of the 1985-86 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths. Although the role he plays in the new history is basically the same, there are some key differences. Chill's role as the murderer of Thomas and Martha Wayne is preserved in the new continuity as demonstrated in the "Batman: Year One" storyline, chronicled in issues #404-407 of Batman. However, unlike his pre-Crisis predecessor, Chill did not died in the same manner as demonstrated in Batman #47. The character was re-introduced in the "Batman: Year Two" story-arc, which spanned issues #575-578 of Detective Comics. Here he was presented as a member of an underworld crime cartel who was forced to team-up with Batman to stop the murderous vigilante known as The Reaper. Joe Chill was killed by the Reaper at the end of this story.
- In the 1989 live-action Batman feature film, the role of Joe Chill was replaced by Jack Napier, who ultimately became The Joker. In the film, Jack Napier was played by actor Jack Nicholson. No version of Joe Chill is presented in the original film series.
- A live-action version of Joe Chill was finally presented in the 2005 movie Batman Begins where he was played by actor Richard Brake. In keeping with classic DC Comics continuity, Chill is shown to be the man responsible for the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne. However, he is eventually caught and brought to justice. During the trial of Joe Chill, an adult Bruce Wayne went to the courthouse armed with a gun with the intent of avenging his parents' deaths. He reconsidered this action however and did not shoot him.