Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may not be a full Batman movie, but moviegoers will nonetheless get to see a moment that’s been featured in numerous Batman media projects: the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Last year’s Comic-Con trailer provided a glimpse of this tragedy, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne, but we didn’t get to see who will play Bruce’s mother. Now that mystery has finally been resolved, as it’s been revealed that Martha Wayne will be played by The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan.
If that’s not official enough for you, Cohan’s verified Twitter account also retweeted IMDB’s post, confirming that she is appearing in the March blockbuster. No other details were provided about her role, but there’s really not much to say. Just like in previous stories, we’ll probalby see the Wayne family walking down a dark alley, when a gunman shows up and demands their money and valuables. A scuffle occurs, several shots erupt, young Bruce watches his parents gunned down in cold blood, and his life is forever changed. It’s this moment that leads Bruce to dedicate his life to waging war on criminals everywhere, eventually resulting in him becoming Batman. It’s fitting that Cohan is being paired with Morgan in the movie, as he’ll play the villain Negan in The Walking Dead.
Modern stories have expanded on Martha’s life beyond simply being killed, from her family’s past to her charitable contributions. The Flashpoint universe even showed her going insane and becoming The Joker after Bruce was killed in that alternate reality, while Thomas became the Caped Crusader instead. However, with everything going being packed into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s doubtful we’ll see much of Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan aside from the flashback of Thomas and Martha Wayne being killed. It’s a good bet they’ll only be on screen for a few minutes.
In other media, Martha was last seen on the big screen played by Sara Stewart in 2005’s Batman Begins, while her most recent live action appearance was in the Gotham pilot, played by Brette Taylor. She was also voiced by former Catwoman Julie Newmar in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Following her role as Maggie Greene on The Walking Dead, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice marks Cohan’s second comic book related project. Her other credits include Chuck, The Vampire Diaries, Archer, and the new horror film The Boy.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016.
