Martha Arkham: Comic History & Arkham Asylum Connection Explained
Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Batman.
While The Batman is not an origin story for the Dark Knight, he does learn some new revelations about his family's legacy, including the history of his mother, Martha Arkham. While Arkham is not Martha Wayne's original maiden name in the primary DC Comics continuity (it's Kane), it is a surname used in a particular comic arc featuring a version of Batman that's very similar to the one played by Robert Pattinson. While Matt Reeves' vision for The Batman and this new take on Gotham City didn't come from any one comics source, Martha Arkham is very clearly inspired by the one seen in the comics (and may help set up future stories in The Batman series' future).
As discovered and exposed by the Riddler (Paul Dano), the Wayne family legacy is far darker and more complex in The Batman than Bruce Wayne ever knew. Not only was the nature of his parents' murders part of a bigger conspiracy, the legacy they sought to leave behind to make a difference was corrupted by the city's criminal element following their deaths. However, the domino effect began when a journalist decided to dig into the hidden past of Martha Arkham while her husband Thomas Wayne was running for mayor, a history that was largely inspired by the Batman: Earth One comic series from writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank.
Related: The Batman Ending Explained (In Detail)
While The Batman certainly puts its own spin on Bruce Wayne and his family history, his mother's troubled past is a clear reference to Batman: Earth One, featuring a version of Gotham just like The Batman's where the Waynes and Arkhams are the city's most powerful families. Not only is Bruce Wayne the last of both bloodlines following his parents' deaths,
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