The Waynes and the Black Glove

A defining story in the Batman mythos was Detective #235, printed in September 1956. In this story, the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne was revealed to be not an accident caused by a random mugging but a deliberate "hit" by a mobster who had a grudge against Thomas. The origins of this grudge went back to a party in which Thomas Wayne was abducted to provide medical care for the mobster, Lew Moxon. Thomas was wearing a batman costume that inspired Bruce's choice of the bat-identity years later. Notice, moreover, that Martha Wayne's butterfly costume is dominated by red. If we hadn't been told that the Joker's color clues was a red herring in RIP, this might have been a credible origin for the Red and Black theme.

As the Silver Age gave way to the post-Crisis DC Universe, and other retcons over the years, this story was retold more than once. When Infinite Crisis had past, it was not clear if this party was still (or again) part of continuity. But the Thomas Wayne batsuit did appear in Grant Morrison's run as early as Batman #657, locked in a glass display case just as it appeared in Detective #235. This suit also appeared in an issue of Brave and Bold, and ultimately was worn by Doctor Hurt for the last three issues of Batman, R.I.P.

Because some details from the past have been rendered invalid and others have not, one cannot rely upon stories from the Fifties as being the authoritative truth -- most often, they are not. But Morrison's run on Batman dangled enough clues to make us suppose that the costume party did take place, and that, moreover, it may well have been a Black Glove party.

First of all, the Black Glove holds annual parties, with only very wealthy people in attendance. (Doctor Hurt makes all of this clear in #680-681; it is also stated in the Club of Heroes storyline in #667-669.) We know that the party in Detective #235 was also "annual". By dint of the Waynes' attendance, we know that at least some of the attendees were very wealthy. Similar language is used to describe each: The invitation that Jezebel reads in Batman #676 says, "The theme this season: Danse Macabre" while the 1956 story says, "The theme of this year's masquerade ball is 'Flying Creatures'."

While no direct statements are made to this effect, the suggestion is strong that the Black Glove party idea was adapted from the older story. They are further linked in that Doctor Hurt wears the batsuit to the latest Black Glove party. Additionally, it is suggested that the Waynes are linked socially to Black Glove members -- they are seen (albeit in the bogus "dossier" photos) with John Mayhew, and Bruce's own detective work suggests that the Black Glove involves "people my parents knew."

If the Waynes were involved with the Black Glove, it might also make them a match for the characters in the Black Glove movie: "Two innocent lovers corrupted and destroyed by a group of super-rich gamblers." And indeed, on the final page of Batman #681, we see several shadowy figures watching the Waynes just before the encounter that leads to their death -- just the sort of thing the Black Glove might have sanctioned... for revenge, or as the basis of a wager.

Finally, we have Doctor Hurt's claims of being or having been Thomas Wayne. When Alfred states that he is not Thomas Wayne, Hurt replies, "No, I'm Doctor Hurt now." This implies that whoever Doctor Hurt is, he used to be someone else (Thomas Wayne) in the past. Given Hurt's diabolical nature, we might suppose that the Black Glove is an entity that can inhabit different human hosts. Perhaps Thomas Wayne once hosted the same spirit that Doctor Hurt hosted in Batman, R.I.P. just as the two men, we know, wore the same garment. At present, we have a lot of suggestions and hints and no solid information -- but we may find out more when Grant Morrison resumes his writing this summer.