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Joe Chill was the man who shot and killed Batman's parents.

Born Joseph Chilton, Joe Chill was the son of Mrs. Chilton, a housekeeper who once worked for Philip Wayne, the brother of millionaire and eminent physician Dr. Thomas Wayne.

As an adult, Joe Chill became a low-rent thug working for a crime boss named Lew Moxon. He was hired by Moxon to assassinate the Waynes, but was instructed to make it appear as a random mugging.[1] Chill encountered Thomas and Martha Wayne, as well as their young son Bruce, in an alleyway as the family were walking home one night from a movie theater. He shot Thomas and Martha, but could not bring himself to kill young Bruce — instead turning and fleeing into the night. This brutal murder inspired Bruce to devote his life to fighting crime and he eventually became the caped crusader known as the Batman.

Chill was eventually killed by some gangsters who had a grudge against him, having discovered Chill was responsible for the Batman's origins.[2]

  • This version of Joe Chill, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

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Batman Villain(s)
This character, team or organization, has been primarily an enemy of the Batman, or the Batman Family as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Batman Villains."

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