So, What Embarrassing '00s Movie Did 'The Batman's Waynes See Before Dying

Since there are enough dead movie Waynes to form a baseball team at this point, thankfully, The Batman spares us from witnessing yet another gruesome murder in Crime Alley. Incidentally, how bad were the names of the other alleys that this was the one they chose to take a shortcut through? Was there a Certain Death Alley? Since the murder is most frequently depicted as happening after a trip to the movies, this has prompted Batman fans to ponder which movie specifically this iteration of the Wayne family went to see. In the comics, it’s usually a Zorro movie, while in Batman v Superman it’s the ultra-horny King Arthur epic Excalibur. 

The Batman is, by all accounts, set in 2021, and we learn early on that Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed exactly 20 years before the events of the film. That means that they all must have gone to see a movie that was released in the year 2001. Judging from social media, a lot of people believe that the Waynes went, on that fateful, tragic night, to see a little movie called … Shrek.

While it’s easy to buy that pint-sized Bruce would have dragged his parents to see Shrek, and that visions of a CGI ogre and his wisecracking donkey pal, were what flashed before Thomas Wayne’s eyes as he drew his final breath while lying on the cold, hard pavement, we really have no idea. For all we know, it could have been any 2001 movie. The Waynes may have spent their final hours on Earth watching Osmosis Jones. Or they went to go see Freddy Got Fingered, and before they were gunned down, the Waynes may have mercifully lost their passion for life as a result.

It could be anything; Rush Hour 2? Vanilla Sky? Then again, we’re looking for a movie that A) would have been appropriate for young Bruce and B) contained a character who would inspire his future heroics, the same way Zorro and King Arthur did. Well, it turns out there was a movie that came out in 2001 that was both family-friendly and could have influenced Bruce’s future as a gadget-wielding agent of righteousness – we’re talking about Spy Kids.

Others concur that Spy Kids is the most logical pick. Of course, if we do ever get a flashback to this moment in future installments, it seems most probable that Warner Bros. will opt to embrace corporate brand synergy and have the Waynes go see the first Harry Potter movie before their inevitable death.

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Top Image: Warner Bros.