While it’s not yet confirmed whether Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman is going to be a part of the DCEU (Snyderverse) or not, it might be best for him to stay away and do his own thing. Better yet, perhaps his own standalone series would do well in emphasizing the concept of Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
There have been many Batmen throughout history but according to the polls, the most popular among them seems to be the loner who prefers to beat up the criminally insane around his level of metahuman-ness. When paired with the other colorful costumes at the Justice League, that kind of Batman loses his brooding charm in live-action. Against the more fantastical and outrageous elements of the DC, Batman just pales in comparison; such is the case for the live-action Justice League.
Films often don’t have the luxury of extended exposition or character development; when placed in a spot where he has to share the spotlight with five other heroes each wrestling the screentime for their own story, Batman gets sidetracked. In the animated Justice League from DCAU and its show roster, Batman can get his own episodes for development or to drive the point of his usefulness in the League. Hence Robert Pattinson’s Batman will benefit a lot from having his own series regardless of whether it will be connected to the DCEU or not. Because one thing will always be constant with Batman: he has no superpowers.
Outsmarting his favorite insane clown, catching serial killers, and taking down organized crime groups is what gives him a relatable and menacing screen presence in live-action media. Since those tend to be more grounded in reality, not only is it hard to imagine Batman being able to win against someone like Darkseid– it’s also outrageous. That scenario has happened in comic books and animated movies and even there, it’s quite hard to swallow. He also couldn’t have done that without special devices which took him several chapters (in comic books) or a ridiculous plot armor (in animated movies) to perform. DC’s Darkseid, for example, is a being who has lived through eons and is more powerful and faster than Superman. Batman is but a mere bug compared to these gods, especially in a more grounded live-action context.
There are also many other factors that make Batman function more digestibly as a standalone superhero in his own bubble of a world. In the comic books and the DCAU for example, his strongest asset is his intellect. There, he was even made to be more or less the smartest individual in the lore at one point thanks to a certain chair. This development is believable in these media; they didn’t rush it so it’s convincing there for Batman to be some sort of supergenius capable of processing future implications of any action faster than a supercomputer can.
Sadly, the DCEU might have ruined any chance for Batman to be like this. In Batman V Superman alone, he was rather blunt and too emotional. Come Justice League (2017), his charisma and leadership skills were thrown out the window; because it turns out, Superman was the only person they need for everything. In the Snyder cut, and against Darkseid’s mother boxes, even his intellect is overshadowed by Cyborg’s all-knowing computer and tech knowledge. Inserting Robert Pattinson’s Batman in that kind of setup has a chance of making him look like the weakest link in the group– the liability, the everyman who isn’t the best at anything but can do everything poorly. Going from beating up thugs in Gotham to saving the galaxy is more outlandish than epic in live-action, especially if there’s little-to-no transition.
Furthermore, there’s this hanging logical point where a live-action Gotham City doesn’t need Batman anymore in the presence of Superman, the Flash, and Wonder Woman’s omnipotence. Superman in the DCEU isn’t afraid to kill and neither is Wonder Woman. They could easily and permanently end threats like the Joker or Bane. Gotham City and its woes are simply more plausible in a vacuum where audiences don’t need to ask where’s the Justice League during all that. Because as it stands in the DCEU and its power hierarchy, even the Flash could have solved a Gotham problem in under a minute what Batman would have taken weeks to fix.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman paints a Gotham that’s more akin to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy or Ben Affleck’s Batman before that Martha-handshake-with-Supes. At least based on the trailers. Those are self-contained escapades of the Dark Knight himself. The Batman, for that matter, is a chance for the Caped Crusader to have a clean slate after his personality implant in Justice League where he went from borderline sociopath to team player. If not that, then it might provide a good transition for him; some character development on how he slowly accepted that working alone isn’t efficient in the face of otherworldly threats.
A TV or streaming service series would also be a good opportunity for DC to establish a definitive Batman. This has happened before, particularly with Batman: The Animated Series back in the 1990s. Many fans consider that version of Batman as the most faithful to the character. It also helped that he was voiced by none other than Kevin Conroy; out of all Batmen actors (minus Adam West), Conroy has been playing the character the longest. He knows the character like the back of his hand. He even sent some tips along Christian Bale’s way regarding Batman’s voice, mannerisms, and characterization.
Imagine if Robert Pattinson was to pour that same kind of dedication into The Batman, or in a series nonetheless. Fans could have ourselves a Batman: TAS situation again but with the added elegance of live-action. Meanwhile, a live-action superhero series isn’t too uncommon these days what with the MCU making their own forays into the medium. Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are doing great, even as tie-ins for films to bridge the gap between the MCU’s new phases.
It might be a smart move for the DCEU to strike while the iron is hot. The recent Zack Snyder‘s Justice League pretty much brought the DCEU back into the spotlight; this was after a disastrous reception to the original Justice League back in 2017. Renewed interest in DC’s finest costumes could well mean a demand for Batman is stronger than ever. Of course, it always has been; Batman is often polled as one of the most popular superheroes in the world so he will always have viewers.
If anything, a Batman live-action series with Robert Pattinson at the helm and at simpler times in his vigilante career could serve as the perfect hook for Warner Brothers/DCEU’s own streaming service. The Batman could very well be the lead contender against Disney+ and MCU’s success. That’ll be the day.
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