Pennyworth Cast and Producers Tease the Relationship Between Thomas and Martha

In addition to giving a hard-nosed backstory to the most iconic butler in history, the new [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

In addition to giving a hard-nosed backstory to the most iconic butler in history, the new DC-inspired series Pennyworth is also going to give fans a much-needed history of Batman's parent's, Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane. Played by Ben Aldridge and Emma Paetz, the characters will play a major part in the first season of the series and, according to the folks that make the show, are laying the foundation for Batman's complicated moral compass.

During San Diego Comic-Con last month, the cast and creators of Pennyworth took some time to chat with ComicBook.com about the new series. When we asked Aldridge about his role as Thomas Wayne, and what the character means to the show, he couldn't help but mention Martha as an important part of his story.

"So I guess we've never seen him before, or the beginnings of him, so that's the interesting thing about it, it's going right back," Aldridge said of his character. "He's contained in the comic books to him being murdered, basically. I think Bruno stayed faithful to elements of the character in that he's very moral, very upstanding. In our version of it, where in the comic books he's working in medicine, he's caught up in a covert world in Pennyworth. A bit more underground. He still has that strong moral compass but he has to question it a lot. There are some things that come up in the show where he has to make some compromising decisions against things that he believes in.

"He's one half of what goes in to become Batman, that's been a really great thing reading the scripts. And Martha Kane is a huge part of the show as well as it progresses, so its the beginnings and the sparks of their chemistry and how they meet as well. So that's been an exciting thing to read and be part of."

Producer Danny Cannon went on to explain that the stories of Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane are intricately connected in Pennyworth, and their relationship will make sense out of the complicated man character we know Batman to be.

"Arguably Batman is a very schizophrenic messed up guy, but Martha and Thomas are both sides of him," Cannon said. "The DNA is right there. the way that they clash together, the way the sparks fly, the way that they're angry at each other sometimes. They have completely different ideals and different beliefs. But together, if those things merge, it could be really special."

Are you looking forward to seeing Thomas and Martha's story unfold on Pennyworth? Let us know in the comments!

New episodes of Pennyworth air on Sunday nights on Epix.

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