Here’s The One Thing James Gunn Needs To Steal From DC’s New Batman

Warning: This article discusses mass shootings.Batman's origin is universally known. A young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as a mugger killed his parents in an alley, leading the child down a path to begin his war on crime. The story has appeared in countless comics and just about every live-action adaptation of the character.

But with Absolute Batman, writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta offered a new version of the event that shaped the Dark Knight's life. The duo updated Batman's beginnings in a way that feels horrifically relevant, and James Gunn would be wise to bring part of this new take to the big screen.

A Modern Batman Origin

In Absolute Batman, the fearless hero is still formed by a horrific tragedy. But instead of a mugging in an alley, Snyder and Dragotta have turned it into an event that has sadly become all too common in the United States.

While on a school field trip to the Gotham Zoo, Thomas Wayne is killed by a mass shooter. The change to the story gives Absolute Batman two things that help a modern audience connect with the character.

It updates the story for modern times. Mass shootings are a scar on the country that our political leaders either can't or won't do anything about. It is the ultimate showing of the failure of authority, as thoughts and prayers are offered in place of actual actions.

It also sets up the pivotal moment of Batman's life as a moment of pure chaos and chance. The shooter had no actual target or reason for their actions; they just wanted to inflict pain. A mugger in an alley is looking for money, a mass shooter is looking to release the anger they feel on the world.

Absolute Batman Better Expresses The Dark Knight's Desires

And this is what drives Batman — the need to act where others won't and the drive to save others from unnecessary pain. These two pieces form who Batman is, even in the Absolute Universe. He is a man who is filled with rage, but instead of taking it out on the world like the shooter, he chooses to try and make it a better place.

Along with being the size of a tank, the Absolute Universe version of Batman connects better to the average person than the mainline universe Batman can, and not just because Absolute Batman isn't a billionaire. It's because the horror beset on him is one that we all fear in this day and age.

Even more, it is because this version of Batman is actively fighting against a system that chooses to ignore the plight of the average person. Yes, he solves everything by punching people, or, on occasion, punting kids into the ocean, but this is a Batman who is punching the wealthy and powerful. He is fighting against the very people who keep others down.

How Absolute Batman Can Inspire The Next Live-Action Version

It's possible that Gunn and whoever is writing the DCU Batman movie will decide to avoid showing the world Batman's origin yet again. It may just be a passing reference, or the story could just never bring it up. Gunn already proved that audiences are OK without seeing well-known origins again with Superman.

But if the decision is made to focus at least part of the story on the defining moment of Bruce Wayne's life, it would be good to offer up something different than what we have all seen before. After all, if we all know the story, what point is there in showcasing it again?

Replace the ominous dingy alley that the Waynes foolishly decided to walk down with somewhere we are meant to feel safe and happy. Get rid of the broken pearl necklace and instead focus on the broken society that leads to the tragedy. Show the heroism of Thomas Wayne not by having him try to protect his family, but by having him try to protect strangers.

While Absolute Batman also changes things so that Martha Wayne lives, Gunn and the mystery writer can choose to go down that path or include her in the event. It seems unlikely that the DCU version of Batman will be working-class like he is in Absolute, and there's no reason to copy every aspect of this version of the character.

By picking up some of the elements of Absolute Batman, the DCU could give the general audience a version of the character they haven't seen before, keeping Batman from being boring. By making this change to his origin, he becomes someone we can better relate to. After all, most of us aren't going to be walking down Crime Alley to get to where our chauffeur parked anytime soon.

But, unfortunately, we all have those moments when we go to see a movie, or are at a concert, or are at school, where our mind goes dark, and we wonder, "Is this the day it happens to me?"