10 Worst Things That Ever Happened To Batman

10. His Parents' Murder - Numerous

An event so permanently etched into the corneas of every Bat-fan, they bemoan its inclusion on the big screen, the death of Bruce Wayne's parents is still no less tragic.

At the age of just eight years old, Bruce's parents - Thomas and Martha Wayne - took him to the cinemas to watch a proper classic, The Mark of Zorro (or a different film, depending on the interpretation). As they leave the cinema and cut through what would later be known as Crime Alley, they're ambushed by Joe Chill, who robs them at gunpoint.

Although the Waynes are compliant, Chill shoots Thomas dead. He then reaches for Martha's pearl necklace, killing her as she resists and sending them cascading down the alley in a now iconic (albeit well-worn) comic book moment.

It sort of goes without saying, but seeing his parents murdered before his eyes traumatised young Bruce, and robbed him of the chance of a normal life. It was what effectively started him down the path to being the Batman, with the Caped Crusader making a solemn oath that no one should have to face the horror he did when he was just a boy.