Batman costumes from various movies about the Caped Crusader have been shown without ears, and they look ridiculous. The Batman character debuted in the comics in 1939, and it has become one of the biggest and most iconic superheroes of all time, particularly when it comes to the big screen. The Batman films truly took off when Michael Keaton wore the famous Batsuit in Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989. Since then, other memorable outings for Batman on the big screen have included Christian Bale’s more grounded and realistic Dark Knight, as well as Ben Affleck’s older and more brutish Batman. Of course, a great way to highlight these different Batman's was by tweaking the iconic Batsuit.
Michael Keaton’s original costume featured the black suit with incredibly pointy ears and the iconic Batman logo with the yellow on the chest. Of course, the yellow logo didn’t last too long, and in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, fans see a black bat logo that is less noticeable and plays into the idea of Batman being more one with the shadows. Affleck’s Batman saw the return of the famous grey suit that Batman was known to wear in the comics, which also had smaller bat ears. There have been plenty of unique and utterly shocking adjustments to the costume in the past, the Bat nipples being an obvious example. However, the Batsuit has never really been seen without the famous pointy bat ears, which was a good thing.
A tweet from Ryan George of Screen Rant’s Pitch Meetings shows three Batman images. One being Affleck’s version from Batman v Superman, another showing Keaton’s version, and the third is Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight. However, despite being from different films, all three images show Batman without his trademark pointy ears, and the visuals prove to be quite startling, especially if you’re a diehard fan of Batman. Along with the images, George writes: “batman is cool because of his ears,” and it may be a valid point after seeing these images. The full tweet can be seen below:
An earless Batman does indeed look ridiculous, and the images are a reminder of how the smallest detail in costumes like this can make the biggest impact. Batman without his pointy ears is not only a shock to the system because of how accustomed fans are to seeing the superhero with his ears, but it’s also because, without the ears, it doesn’t signify a bat as clearly. Without clearly representing a bat-like figure, the mask becomes a little formulaic and strange because it’s lost its purpose. DC fans were recently treated to a more detailed look at the latest incarnation of the Batsuit in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the titular character. Fortunately, the ears are intact and pointy.
It's reported that The Batman will be set on Earth-2, further highlighting its distance from the DCEU, as well as clearing the pathway for multiple Batmen in the same calendar year. The Flash film will explore the multiverse and will feature the return of both Affleck and Keaton as their respective Batmen. If Keaton and Affleck suit up as Batman in The Flash, then it means fans could be treated to three different Batsuits in 2022, but thankfully, ones with the bat ears.
Source: Ryan George