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47-428: Like many Golden Age heroic characters, the original Doctor Mid-Nite appeared as a member of DC's Justice Society of America . His two successors were also represented as members of the group or an offshoot. Doctor Mid-Nite has never appeared as the solo protagonist of a regular title magazine, but the figure has been the subject of an anthology and a mini-series. All three versions of Doctor Mid-Nite have exhibited

94-420: A mugger in front of their son, Bruce Wayne. This tragedy shocks Gotham and leads to Park Row (the street where it occurred) being labeled Crime Alley. Most importantly, it serves as the motivation for Bruce to become Batman. During Batman R.I.P. , it is alleged that Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne were leading a double life, secretly partaking in criminal endeavors, drug abuse and orgies while presenting

141-559: A Dr. Midnite story in his fanzine, Five . The story written by Norwood and illustrated by Steve Sabo features a doctor named Tom Benson who is blinded in battle. He discovers that his other senses are super-sensitive and dons the Doctor Midnite costume to fight crime. Another version of the character was shown in Dan Jolley and Tony Harris' JSA: The Liberty File as a World War II United States intelligence agent code-named

188-470: A façade of respectability to the outside world. The alleged evidence is revealed to be doctored in the aftermath of the storyline, however. Doctor Simon Hurt , head of the Black Glove and the mastermind behind Batman R.I.P. , actually claims to be Thomas Wayne to both Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth. Although both of them rebuke him without hesitation, Hurt never explicitly drops the claim. In

235-449: A flashback reveals that Thomas Wayne saved the life of gangster Carmine Falcone . Falcone's father Vincent Falcone came to Wayne Manor and begged Thomas to save his dying son, who had been shot by rival gangster Luigi Maroni. Thomas wanted to take the younger Falcone to the hospital, but Vincent insisted that nobody know about the shooting; the surgery was thus performed in the dining room with Alfred assisting. After saving Carmine's life, he

282-643: A head when Hurt returns to the city, claiming to be Thomas Wayne in order to take control of Wayne Manor and establish himself as the new Batman, but Grayson and Damian outsmart him. It is hinted at during the course of the Batman and Robin series that Simon Hurt's actual identity is Thomas Wayne, albeit one from the 17th century who was a 'black sheep' of the Wayne family and prolongs his life through occult rituals. The Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries and its fallout Bruce Wayne: The Road Home cements Hurt's status as

329-565: A helpless blind man. As the aging McNider spent less time in action, Beth Chapel , a medical doctor, stepped into the role of Doctor Midnight . She was an occasionally a member of Infinity, Inc . Pieter Cross first appeared in Doctor Mid-Nite #1. He is a doctor who develops the same abilities as Charles McNider after being drugged by enforcers from Praeda Industries and being in a car accident. Both Charles McNider and Pieter Anton Cross train owls as sidekicks . McNider trains

376-674: A key figure in the origin of Batman, Thomas Wayne has appeared in multiple forms of media. Notable portrayals of the character in live-action films include Linus Roache in Batman Begins (2005), Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Brett Cullen in Joker (2019), and Luke Roberts in The Batman (2022). Ben Aldridge also portrays him in the television series Pennyworth (2019). Thomas Wayne, M.D.

423-733: A result, the Comics Code Authority was created by the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers to enact self-censorship by comic book publishers. At this time, EC canceled its crime and horror titles and focused primarily on Mad . The Silver Age of Comic Books is recognized by some as beginning with the debut of the first successful new superhero since the Golden Age, DC Comics' new Flash , in Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956). Thomas Wayne Dr. Thomas Wayne, M.D.

470-417: A strange object fall to Earth . As he inspects it, Thomas' consciousness is transported to Krypton , and presented in a holographic form. There, he encounters Jor-El , wishing to know what kind of a world Earth is, as it is one of many possible candidates for him to send his son Kal-El to. Thomas tells Jor-El that the people of Earth aren't perfect, but are essentially a good and kind race, who would raise

517-482: A version of Doctor Mid-Nite his body completely covered by a black cloak is briefly seen. In the new Earth-2 created in the wake of Infinite Crisis and 52 , a version of Beth Chapel is shown to be a member of the Justice Society Infinity . The Charles McNider incarnation of Doctor Mid-Nite makes a cameo appearance in the opening credits of Justice League: The New Frontier as a member of

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564-520: Is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . He is the father of Bruce Wayne ( Batman ), and husband of Martha Wayne as well as the paternal grandfather of Damian Wayne . Wayne was introduced in Detective Comics #33 (November 1939), the first exposition of Batman's origin story . A gifted surgeon and philanthropist to Gotham City , Wayne inherited

611-567: Is seldom shown outside of Bruce Wayne's and Alfred Pennyworth 's memories of him, and Bruce's dreams and nightmares. He is frequently depicted as looking very much like his son, but with a mustache. A notable occurrence in Thomas’ biography was when Bruce falls through a fissure on the Wayne property, into what would one day become the Batcave (sometimes the fissure is replaced with an abandoned well). Thomas eventually rescues his terrified son from

658-691: Is the original Doctor Mid-Nite appearing in All American Comics #25 (April 1941) in the Golden Age of Comic Books and is a common member of the Justice Society of America . McNider, a young surgeon, was blinded when a grenade went off in front of him caused by gangster "Killer" Maroni, but he found that he could see in the dark. He made special goggles that allowed him to see in the daylight, and decided to use his special power to fight crime. In his civilian identity, he pretends to be

705-512: Is torn, Batman wears his father's in order to frighten Moxon. Sure enough, the costume restores Moxon's memory; the former crime boss panics, believing that Thomas’ ghost is attacking, and flees into the streets and is struck and killed by a truck. These events were retold in the 1980 miniseries The Untold Legend of the Batman . Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths , Thomas as the "First Batman"

752-679: The Convergence event, he is killed while fighting the Club of Villains and succeeded by Dick Grayson . An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne from Earth-Three appears in The New 52 . This version is a sociopathic doctor who is later killed by Alfred Pennyworth. An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in DC Comics Bombshells . This version was saved by Batwoman , leading Bruce Wayne to become Batman in

799-847: The Flash , Green Lantern , Doctor Fate , the Atom , Hawkman , Green Arrow and Aquaman . Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics , had million-selling titles featuring the Human Torch , the Sub-Mariner , and Captain America . Although DC and Timely characters are well remembered today, circulation figures suggest that the best-selling superhero title of the era was Fawcett Comics ' Captain Marvel Adventures with sales of about 1.4 million copies per issue. The comic

846-689: The Archie Andrews character remaining in print well into the 21st century. At the same time in Canada, American comic books were prohibited importation under the War Exchange Conservation Act which restricted the importation of non-essential goods. Canadian publishers responded to this lack of competition by producing titles of their own, informally called the Canadian Whites . While these titles flourished during

893-560: The Golden Age. During this time, the popularity of superhero comics waned. To retain reader interest, comic publishers diversified into other genres, such as war , Westerns , science fiction , romance , crime and horror . Many superhero titles were canceled or converted to other genres. In 1946, DC Comics ' Superboy , Aquaman and Green Arrow were switched from More Fun Comics into Adventure Comics so More Fun could focus on humor. In 1948 All-American Comics , featuring Green Lantern , Johnny Thunder and Dr. Mid-Nite ,

940-610: The Justice Society of America. Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known characters were introduced, including Superman , Batman , Robin , Captain Marvel , Captain America , and Wonder Woman . The first recorded use of

987-460: The Owl . This character, though a playboy, resembles other Doctor Mid-Nite representations. Though derided for his dalliances with the ladies, McNider was trusted as a valued field operative. Batman: Holy Terror depicts an America ruled by a religious theocracy as a result of Oliver Cromwell living for a decade longer than he did in reality. McNider was a member of the underground resistance against

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1034-535: The Wayne family fortune after Patrick Wayne. When Wayne and his wife are murdered in a street mugging, Bruce is inspired to fight crime in Gotham as the vigilante Batman. Wayne was revived in Geoff Johns ' alternate timeline comic Flashpoint (2011), in which he plays a major role as a hardened, more violent version of Batman, whose son was killed instead of his wife and himself, leading both of them to become

1081-621: The altered reality's counterparts of Batman and the Joker respectively, and dies again by the end of the storyline. Dr. Wayne returned to the main DC Universe in DC Rebirth , as a revived amalgamation of his original self killed by Joe Chill and his Flashpoint Batman self killed in " The Button ", teaming up with the supervillain Bane to attempt to force his son to retire as Batman. As

1128-581: The cave. Dr. Wayne's role in his son's future vigilante career is expanded upon in "The First Batman", a Silver Age tale from Detective Comics #235, which reveals that Dr. Wayne attacks and defeats hoodlums while dressed like a "Bat-Man" for a masquerade ball . According to the story, Dr. Wayne's actions result in crime boss Lew Moxon being imprisoned; ten years later, Moxon orders Joe Chill to murder Dr. Wayne. Realizing Moxon ordered his parents killed, Batman confronts Moxon, now suffering from amnesia and thus has no memory of Dr. Wayne. When his costume

1175-420: The character, such as those by Frank Miller and Jeph Loeb , Thomas Wayne is portrayed as having been a somewhat distant, stern father, bestowing more kindness and generosity on his patients than his own son. Dr. Wayne was once suspected to be the father of Bane . However, DNA testing proved this to be false, and Bane's real father was recently revealed to be King Snake . In Batman: The Long Halloween ,

1222-526: The child right, convincing Jor-El to send Kal-El there. Upon returning to his body, Thomas uses the technology in the Kryptonian probe to revitalize a failing Wayne Enterprises. Years later, the alien technology would be the basis of much of Batman's crimefighting technology. Thomas recorded his encounter in a diary, which was discovered by Bruce in the present day. When exiting a movie theater (opera in some versions), Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered by

1269-582: The comic book industry hit a setback when the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was created in order to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency . After the publication of Fredric Wertham 's Seduction of the Innocent the following year that claimed comics sparked illegal behavior among minors, comic book publishers such as EC's William Gaines were subpoenaed to testify in public hearings. As

1316-747: The commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department after the deaths of Martha and Bruce. An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in Superman: Red Son . This version is an anti-communist activist who is later killed by the NKVD under Commissar Pyotr Roslov . An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne from Earth-Two who succeeded Bruce as Batman using the Miraclo pill appears in The New 52 . During

1363-631: The doctors have been accompanied by sidekick owls. As a blind character, Doctor Mid-Nite is widely regarded as the first superhero in comics to exhibit a physical impairment, pre-dating the creation of Daredevil of Marvel Comics by more than twenty years. Charles McNider made his live-action debut in the second season of Legends of Tomorrow played by Kwesi Ameyaw. Charles McNider also appears in Stargirl , portrayed by Henry Thomas in season one and Alex Collins in season two, alongside Beth Chapel, portrayed by Anjelika Washington . Charles McNider

1410-846: The elder Thomas Wayne from the Puritan Ages, driven insane by his meeting with Barbatos , the Hyper-Adapter sent through time along with Bruce Wayne to ensure the effectiveness of Darkseid's "Omega Sanction". An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in Batman: Castle of the Bat . This version was resurrected as a Frankenstein -like creature after Bruce Wayne discovered his disembodied, preserved brain. An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty . This version

1457-470: The entire 1950s were Action Comics , Adventure Comics , Batman , Detective Comics , Superboy , Superman , Wonder Woman and World's Finest Comics . Plastic Man appeared in Quality Comics ' Police Comics until 1950, when its focus switched to detective stories; his solo title continued bimonthly until issue 52, cover-dated February 1955. Timely Comics ' The Human Torch

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1504-531: The final two issues, which included Black Cat stories. Lev Gleason Publications ' Daredevil was edged out of his title by the Little Wise Guys in 1950. Fawcett Comics ' Whiz Comics , Master Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures were canceled in 1953, and The Marvel Family was canceled the following year. Also during this period, the mass media with the advent of television were forcing media companies to put out comics that reflected

1551-458: The government years ago, working alongside Thomas Wayne , but they were discovered, with Thomas and his wife being killed while McNider was blinded and his own wife executed. McNider offers some advice to Thomas's son Bruce when he discovers the truth about his parents' deaths, leading Bruce on the path to begin his own resistance against the government. In the Tangent : Superman's Reign series,

1598-510: The licensed Walt Disney animated-character comics) outsold the superhero comics of the day. The publisher featured licensed movie and literary characters such as Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck , Roy Rogers and Tarzan . It was during this era that noted Donald Duck writer-artist Carl Barks rose to prominence. Additionally, MLJ 's introduction of Archie Andrews in Pep Comics #22 (December 1941) gave rise to teen humor comics , with

1645-440: The ongoing follow-up series, Batman & Robin , it is suggested that some, if not all, of these allegations have begun to circulate around Gotham; Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne attend a high society function where a few party guests vaguely mention the existence of rumors surrounding the family, and Dick tries to tie Bruce's absence from the public eye with being occupied with clearing his family's reputation. Matters come to

1692-551: The popular culture of the time period. Comic books focused on space, mystery, and suspense that television and other forms of media were turning to in the march toward scientific progress. According to historian Michael A. Amundson, appealing comic-book characters helped ease young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize anxiety about the questions posed by atomic power. It was during this period that long-running humor comics debuted, including EC Comics ' series Mad and Dell's series Uncle Scrooge (both in 1952). In 1953,

1739-402: The same basic features: a cowled costume featuring a crescent moon symbol, keen ability to see in the darkness at the cost of near or total blindness in sunlight, the use of special visors and "blackout" smoke bombs to gain tactical advantage in combat, a high degree of skill in martial arts, and jobs as physicians serving both normal human beings and " metahuman " superheroes. Additionally, two of

1786-709: The same owl which crashes through his window, an event that leads to the discovery of his powers. This owl named "Hooty" (sometimes "Hootie") shares many adventures during the Golden Age. Cross keeps company with an owl named "Charlie". The bird is named after the original Doctor Mid-Nite Charles McNider. Charlie keeps a mini-camera around his neck that can feed video directly to a display in Cross's goggles. Each incarnation of Doctor Mid-Nite has fought different enemies: In 1965, DC Comics had no plans to revive Doctor Mid-Nite. DC editor Julius Schwartz gave M.I.T. student and comic book letterhack Rick Norwood permission to publish

1833-788: The term "Golden Age" was by Richard A. Lupoff in an article, "Re-Birth", published in issue one of the fanzine Comic Art in April 1960. An event cited by many as marking the beginning of the Golden Age was the 1938 debut of Superman in Action Comics #1, published by Detective Comics (predecessor of DC Comics ). Superman's popularity helped make comic books a major arm of publishing, which led rival companies to create superheroes of their own to emulate Superman's success. Between 1939 and 1941 Detective Comics and its sister company, All-American Publications , introduced popular superheroes such as Batman and Robin , Wonder Woman ,

1880-673: The time of the Second World War following the Shield 's debut in 1940. Many heroes of this time period battled the Axis powers , with covers such as Captain America Comics #1 ( cover-dated March 1941) showing the title character punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler . As comic books grew in popularity, publishers began launching titles that expanded into a variety of genres. Dell Comics ' non-superhero characters (particularly

1927-423: The war, they did not survive the lifting of trade restrictions afterwards. The term Atomic Age of Comic Books is sometimes used to describe a brief time period, starting with either the end of World War II in 1945 or in 1948 with the first outcry of Fredric Wertham, and lasting until the mid-1950s. Some authors consider this an interregnum period or an era in its own right, but most regard it as still part of

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1974-399: Was retconned - he instead attends the masquerade ball as Zorro . This was retconned once more in the pages of Superman/Batman , where Superman , hoping to reverse some universe-altering change in the time streams, lands in a version of Gotham City in which Thomas never died, finding him giving out Halloween candy in the original Batman costume. In many of the modern interpretations of

2021-590: Was canceled with issue #35 (March 1949) and Marvel Mystery Comics , featuring the Human Torch, with issue #93 (Aug. 1949) became the horror comic Marvel Tales . Sub-Mariner Comics was canceled with issue #42 (June 1949) and Captain America Comics , by then Captain America's Weird Tales , with #75 (Feb. 1950). Harvey Comics ' Black Cat was canceled in 1951 and rebooted as a horror comic later that year—the title would change to Black Cat Mystery , Black Cat Mystic , and eventually Black Cat Western for

2068-672: Was killed by Vandal Savage . An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in Batman: Holy Terror . This version is the chief physician of the Privy Council who opposes Oliver Cromwell 's worldwide theocratic government An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in Batman: Earth One . An alternate universe variant of Thomas Wayne appears in JLA: Earth 2 . This version became

2115-427: Was offered a reward or favor, but refused to accept any form of payment. Unbeknownst to Thomas, young Bruce watched this all in silence from afar. Years later, Bruce contemplates whether Gotham would have been better off had his father let Falcone die; Alfred replies that Thomas would have helped anyone in need. In Superman/Batman #50, it is revealed that, while on a drive with a pregnant Martha Wayne, Thomas witnesses

2162-499: Was published biweekly at one point to capitalize on its popularity. Another notable series was The Spirit by Will Eisner , which deviated from the usual publishing model of the period as a weekly multi-page supplement in the Register and Tribune Syndicate newspapers for which Eisner held the copyright, a rare consideration for creators of that period. Patriotic heroes donning red, white, and blue were particularly popular during

2209-451: Was replaced with All-American Western . The following year, Flash Comics and Green Lantern were canceled. In 1951 All Star Comics , featuring the Justice Society of America , became All-Star Western . The next year Star Spangled Comics , featuring Robin, was retitled Star Spangled War Stories . Sensation Comics , featuring Wonder Woman , was canceled in 1953. The only superhero comics published continuously through

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