Bruce, Meet Thomas.

Well here's an interesting twist of events for DC comic book fans!


DC has been ramping up interest in their upcoming Flash/Batman crossover event called "The Button."  Here's their official synopsis:


Two greatest detectives in the DC Universe unite to unravel the mystery behind a certain blood stained smiley face button stuck in the Batcave wall. However, what begins as a simple investigation soon turns deadly when the secrets of the button prove irresistible to an unwelcome third party — and it’s not who anyone suspects! This is a mystery woven throughout time, and the countdown starts here!


In DC Universe: Rebirth #1, Bruce Wayne discovers the Watchmen Button on the wall inside his Batcave, and after doing some tests, it reveals multiverse radiation on the button similar to the letter that was sent back at the end of “Flashpoint.”  This may be the catalyst that sets “The Button’s” mystery in motion, and leads them back to the “Flashpoint” universe.
 
As you may or may not know, in "Flashpoint" Barry Allen goes back in time, saves his mother, and when he returned to his present, things hard turned all wonky.  There was still a Batman, but it wasn't Bruce Wayne.  He had been killed in the alley instead of Thomas.  Batman was Thomas Wayne, Bruce's father, and he was a more hardened and extreme Batman than Bruce ever was.  Martha Wayne took a more evil turn, cutting herself and her face into a smile, killing the man that shot Bruce with a hammer, and basically became that timeline's Joker  Barry was able to go back in time and correct everything, setting his present back to normal, but before he left, Thomas gave him a letter to give to Bruce when he returned to his alternate timeline.  That's the really short of the story, there was a lot to take in, so I'd recommend going back and reading it for yourself.



Now it looks like even the alternate universe has changed, judging by the cover art that was revealed for Batman #22.  Check it out below:

Now it seems that Martha also died in the alley.  You can see Thomas Wayne as Batman on the left, and then see both Batmans on the right, Thomas and Bruce.  It seems to reason that Bruce is finally going to be able to reunite with his Dad, but will it be a happy one?  Is Thomas the "unwelcome third party" that they're talking about in the synopsis?  Everything starts to unfold May 2, 2017, so mark your calendar.