Warning! Spoilers for The Batman
The Batman introduces the most radical take on Bruce Wayne yet, and simultaneously fixes an issue from The Dark Knight Trilogy. Robert Pattinson's Bruce is far from experienced, and he has not managed to balance his personal life with his vigilante persona. Contrastingly in Batman Begins, Christian Bale's Bruce is immediately able to get to work as a fully formed Caped Crusader, which The Batman implicitly calls out as unrealistic.
Batman Begins sees Bruce travel and train with the League of Shadows for seven years, before coming back to Gotham to become Batman. Though he is notably inexperienced as a crime fighter, Alfred Pennyworth quickly makes arrangements to cover up Bruce's double life. He goes onto wear a second mask: the disguise he wears as playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. Pattinson's Bruce is far moodier and shows no signs of pretending to be someone else. The Batman makes many references to him being reclusive. Even when out in public, he remains somber and mostly silent.
By presenting Bruce Wayne as a social recluse, The Batman calls out how fast Wayne was able to transform his life to become Batman in Batman Begins. The film goes to great lengths to show just how damaged Bruce is after the death of his parents. His trauma is absolute, and he shows little signs of moving past it, even as he reconciles with Alfred and begins to understand his position as Gotham's protector, rather than the brutal vigilante he has been so far.
By contrast, Bruce's decision to become Batman feels rushed in Batman Begins. Not only does the character immediately decide on his new identity, Alfred is also very quick to go along with the plan without any comments or concerns. Alfred in The Batman takes a much more realistic position and still doesn't seem happy with the choice Bruce has made.
The Dark Knight Trilogy's Bruce is also rapidly able to balance his life with his role as Batman. He understands that he needs to forge a public image to draw away suspicion, as evidenced when he consistently makes fun of Batman, and even claims to be unaware of the events surrounding the Joker after foiling his plan to kill Colman Reese in The Dark Knight. His transformation into a fully-formed Batman comes across as rushed, whereas Robert Pattinson and The Batman director Matt Reeves are clearly taking their time with his evolution.
Just as it waits to introduce the Joker, The Batman is gradually turning Bruce Wayne into a more familiar version of Batman. Unlike how Christopher Nolan's films had Bruce immediately cement himself as Batman and skillfully balance his life as Bruce Wayne, Matt Reeves presents a Bruce who doesn't care about his public image. As sequels to The Batman release, it is likely that Robert Pattinson's Bruce will make more appearances in public and gradually develop his iconic (yet fake) playboy persona and become a more traditional Batman.
