Bruce Wayne's Batman is good at a lot of things, but taking bad news isn't one of them. Now, as he wrestles with a revelation that changes everything about his parents' murder, the Dark Knight is back to shutting out his allies and working to exhaustion, but this time without faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth to snap him out of it.

The Waynes knew their killer long before the fateful night that created Batman.

A preview of Detective Comics #1095 - from Tom Taylor, Mikel Janín, Norm Rapmund and Alex Guimarães - shows that Batman now has confirmation that his father Thomas Wayne once saved the life of Joe Chill - the man who went on to kill Bruce Wayne's parents. Bruce's confidante​​​​​​​ Dr. Leslie Thompkins confirms his worst fear - "Joe Chill would have died if not for your father's intervention." However, there are darker implications than just this twist of fate...

In recent comics, fans learned of a new link between Thomas Wayne and Joe Chill, the mugger who killed both his parents on the fateful night when Batman was born. The twist is significant because Batman's own 'no killing' rule is a tribute to his surgeon father, and could now come into doubt as Bruce's view on his father's work changes. But while Thomas officially saved Joe Chill's life, he also did something that may have given Chill reason to seek vengeance. Was the murder of Batman's parents actually revenge?

However this revelation plays out, the bare facts of Batman lore just changed forever.

Batman's Origin Will Never Be the Same

Joe Chill Lived "Because of an Oath My Father Took"

​​​​​​​Recently, Batman began dating a woman named Scarlett Scott. Fans have learned that Scarlett is the daughter of Joe Chill, and that Thomas and Martha Wayne helped her and her mother flee Joe due to his abusive behavior. While Thomas refused to let Chill die, he felt responsible for allowing him to go back to abusing his family, and so the Waynes helped his wife Evelyn escape. Now, Batman is forced to ask if Joe Chill actually killed his parents as revenge for his father's meddling.

While a lot of media adaptations put a dark spin on Bruce's parents, they've long been paragons of virtue in the comics, with each inspiring Batman in different ways. One of the major effects Thomas Wayne had on the Batman legacy was instilling in Bruce Wayne a deep respect for life - hence why he refuses to kill anyone, even the maniacal serial killer known as the Joker. However, if Thomas Wayne's commitment to life caused Bruce's trauma, will Batman's respect for life remain? Could this persuade the Dark Knight that the world is better off without some forms of evil? There's also Bruce's relationship with Scarlett to consider - can he maintain a romance with a woman whose freedom came at the cost of his parents' lives?

However this revelation plays out, the bare facts of Batman lore just changed forever. There's no taking back the reveal that Thomas Wayne saved Joe Chill's life (something fans have seen directly via flashback), and the grim irony it adds to the Waynes' murder. Hopefully, Batman can snap out of his malaise and cope with this dark turn of events with help from his friends and family. But even if Thomas' early connection to Joe Chill is just a coincidence, Batman will always live with the knowledge that his parents would still be around if it weren't for Thomas' decision.

Detective Comics #1095 is coming March 19 from DC Comics.