#84 - Joe Chill
First Appearance: Detective Comics #33 (Nov 1939)
"I shoulda shot the kid right there. I shoulda done him first. Three for three." ~Joe Chill
Let's get one thing straight. No one ever asked the Waynes if they danced with the devil in the pale moonlight. No one. That's hogwash. Crap. A travesty of epic proportions. Only one man got the shots off on Tom and Martha, and that was good ol' Joe Chill, useless thug and waste of human genetic material. Joe Chill was for many years Batman's arch-nemesis of a sorts (until he became Batman, so probably more of a Bruce Wayne nemesis), and his actions have had the hugest repercussions on the DC Universe possible. After all, he in essence created Batman. What if Bruce had been killed and Tom and Martha had lived? Well, Flashpoint for one thing. But the world would be completely different. Batman begat Robins, Batman begat Batgirls, Batman begat Justice Leagues and Outsiders and solutions for Final Crisis and an entire corporation of worldwide superheroes and etc., etc., etc... Joe Chill's 2 minutes in a dark alley with a rich family left an indelible impact on the DC Universe.
Joe Chill has been depicted in just about every Batman flashback ever, despite his relatively minor role in the actual goings-on of day-to-day DC Universe machinations. He got what he deserved; a life tormented by horror and cut short by the very monster he created: vigilantism. It's a fitting end to a scumbag like Chill, and another reason I love Batman villains. Here's a guy who had more impact on Bruce Wayne than anyone else, and in tragic Greek myth fashion, he's torn asunder and left to the crows.
Greatest Joe Chill Story Ever Told:Batman: Year Two - I've talked about this story when I discussed the Reaper, but I'm not going to put another story down that isn't the Greatest, right? Batman teams up with Joe Chill to track down the Reaper... what happens is a true Batman clash between three men with a variety of conflicts between them. A lot of great comparisons.
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Top 100 Batman VILLAINS
RandomName basically describes it. It's a list of the top 100 Batman villains. (Note: This isn't MY list. So, if you don't agree with it, don't freak out and rant in the comments)
