Killed after attending a showing of Toy Story

[JoeZhang]

In quite a few (comic book rather than film) versions of the Batman origin, Bruce's parents are killed after attending a showing of Zorro - however given the sliding timeline, it could well be that they had taken young Bruce to see a showing of Toy Story (twenty years old next year!!!).

Who else would have an origin that could be different with a proper update rather than hand-waving it away as they have done with the original X-men still appearing to be from 1960s?

* The Punisher - they have already done, he's now a Vet of some vague gulf war

* Captain America - Completely missed the cold war, only a couple of years away from being woken up post-911 (Mark Waid did write that story but it wasn't adopted)

 

[sojourner]

You do know there was an Antonio Banderas version of Zorro?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Zorro was one of the prototypes of Batman, so the Toy Story idea loses the metaphor. I'd suggest some other action hero flick suitable for family consumption. Why not The Mask of Zorro, which is both a successful film and a near contemporary to Toy Story?

^ .... and ninja'd.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

If his parents are killed after a showing of Toy Story, does Bruce Wayne grow up to troll the streets of Gotham as a cowboy or a spaceman?

 

[Silvercrest]

In quite a few (comic book rather than film) versions of the Batman origin, Bruce's parents are killed after attending a showing of Zorro - however given the sliding timeline, it could well be that they had taken young Bruce to see a showing of Toy Story (twenty years old next year!!!).

What would he have become then? Buzzman? "Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot! I'll punch them all the way to infinity... and beyond!"

Edit: and... ninja'd!

 

[Corran Horn]

Why not 'Mask of the Phantasm'? Too meta?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I doubt DC would be able to mention "Toy Story" in one of their comics You'd have to pick a Warner Brothers property Also Marvel is the one who has the sliding timeline, DC has the "Five Year" timeline currently...which will get adjusted with the upcoming "Five Years Later" stuff.

 

[Silvercrest]

This is all purely speculative. DC would never actually do it.

I hope.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Why not 'Mask of the Phantasm'? Too meta?

Why not a screening of some Tim Burton movie?

 

[Admiral_Young]

We could actually get an answer to Joe's question in Secret Origins #2 which deals with Bruce's 52'Verse origin. They could also do the Nolan route and have the Wayne's go to opera instead of seeing a movie.

 

[JoeZhang]

Hah - the Zorro answer is perfect, I was using Batman as an example rather than trying to find a definitive answer. Can we think of anyone who's origin plain doesn't make sense because something involved in it is obsolete or doesn't exist anymore?

 

[Aragorn]

What would he have become then? Buzzman? "Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot! I'll punch them all the way to infinity... and beyond!"

Edit: and... ninja'd!

Gordon: "I never said thank you."

Batman: "And you'll never have to."

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy you've got a friend in me
Yeah you've got a friend in me

 

[Stevil2001]

Hah - the Zorro answer is perfect, I was using Batman as an example rather than trying to find a definitive answer. Can we think of anyone who's origin plain doesn't make sense because something involved in it is obsolete or doesn't exist anymore?

When would the Fantastic Four have been racing into space now? 1999?

 

[Silvercrest]

But it's not obsolete to have them racing into space, regardless of the year. Back when they were supposedly going to the moon, however....

I think most of the characters for whom that's a problem have already been retconned, like Iron Man and Viet Nam. The only examples I can think of are either obscure or may have been retconned and I don't know it.
My best examples are
1) Dazzler and her ties to disco.
2) Mad Mod. Who wouldn't even be a problem if they hadn't revived him on the Teen Titans TV show. At the time my thoughts kept flipping from, "I don't know what DC was smoking back in the '60s when they created this guy, but they went back and smoked it AGAIN!" and "Do they even know what a Mod was??!!"

 

[JoeZhang]

But it's not obsolete to have them racing into space, regardless of the year. Back when they were supposedly going to the moon, however....

I think most of the characters for whom that's a problem have already been retconned, like Iron Man and Viet Nam. The only examples I can think of are either obscure or may have been retconned and I don't know it.
My best examples are
1) Dazzler and her ties to disco.
2) Mad Mod. Who wouldn't even be a problem if they hadn't revived him on the Teen Titans TV show. At the time my thoughts kept flipping from, "I don't know what DC was smoking back in the '60s when they created this guy, but they went back and smoked it AGAIN!" and "Do they even know what a Mod was??!!"

Given that the sliding marvel time line is about 13 years, Dazzler would have arrived just in time for nu-disco

 

[sojourner]

Dazzler would fit right in to modern rave culture. I could see her partying to Daft Punk.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I'm currently reading "The Further Adventures of Batman" a short story anthology from 1989 with works from some great writers, most prominent among them propably Isaac Asimov. I think it was the story "Subway Jack" by Joe R. Lansdale, where it is mentioned that they did indeed see "The Mark of Zorro" at the theatre, but that it was actually a reshowing of the movie. That way, it would still work today.

As for others, well, Spider-Man wouldn't appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.

 

[Dream]

Killed after attending a showing of Toy Story

Come on! Toy Story wasn't THAT bad!