Joe Chill is a minor character in Batman Begins yet plays a major part in the genesis of the Batman himself. In both this film and in the DC Comics universe, this petty crook is the man responsible for murdering Thomas & Martha Wayne, and thus responsible for driving Bruce Wayne to become Batman. Chill is portrayed in this film by Richard Brake.
History[]
Joe Chill was a down-on-his-luck thug living on the streets of Gotham City, trying to get by through mugging and petty theft. One fateful night, he crossed the path of the Wayne family as they left the opera house and held them at gunpoint, demanding that Thomas hand over his wallet and Martha her pearls. There is a struggle and Chill pulls the trigger on Thomas and Martha, leaving young Bruce an orphan. Shortly after commiting the murder, however, Chill is caught by the police and imprisoned.
Death[]
Ten years after his arrest, Chill undergoes a court hearing to be released from prison as part of a court deal to testify against Gotham's leading crime lord, Carmine Falcone. However, after the hearing, he is approached by a woman posing as a reporter when in fact she is an assassin working for the Falcone family. She gets close to Chill despite the police presence and shoots him point blank in the gut.