The Batman needs to lean into the larger aspect of the DC Universe and avoid the restrictions The Dark Knight series had. The next cinematic iteration of the Caped Crusader coming from director Matt Reeves is bringing the DC icon back. Robert Pattinson will portray the latest version of Bruce Wayne in The Batman that will focus on the hero's second year as a crime fighter. While The Batman was originally set to be helmed by Ben Affleck who would reprise his Batman from the DCEU, it now services as a reboot. In addition to reimagining Batman, this takes place in its own universe, giving the creative team a clean slate to do their franchise however they want.
The first film will focus on Bruce investigating one of his most famous enemies with The Riddler, played by Paul Dano. But what his motives are and his interest in the Dark Knight is so far a big mystery. With this being envisioned as a new film series, The Batman has the opportunity to do something other Batman franchises haven't before. Despite being in the DC Universe, a lot of Batman stories focus on a more gritty perspective of Bruce's war on crime. Most enemies he faces are human with no powers whatsoever. However, that doesn't exclude the concept of powered villains from Batman's mythology.
It's currently known that this version of Gotham City's infamous vigilante will heavily showcase his ability as a master detective. But that shouldn't be the only aspect to be unique to this reboot. Given that there have been many interpretations of Batman, so there's a number of directions Pattinson's take on the hero and Reeves' take on the universe can go. One of those elements should be to set The Batman in a universe where super-powers, magic, aliens, and more exist, contrasting sharply against something like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series.
Three Batman Series Already Did It
The Batman is one of many franchises to have featured the iconic DC detective in live-action. Besides the Nolan trilogy, there are also two film series with Tim Burton's Batman '89 and Batman Returns as well as Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. But something all 7 total films have in common is that they're all heavily focused on non-powered foes. Despite the fact that Batman & Robin had Poison Ivy and Bane, it didn't exactly give a good representation of those characters and what it'd look like for Batman to take on super-villains. But it's the Batman films with Christian Bale where the realistic tone was heavily increased.
There's no denying the Nolan films have been crucial to the representation of Batman on screen. Batman Begins was one of the first superhero films of the early 21st century to demonstrate how to do origin stories for comic book properties best. The Dark Knight was a game-changer to the superhero genre with an unforgettable performance from Heath Ledger as The Joker. But Batman will always be reinvented and redone on TV, films, and comics. That's why each creator needs to shake it up a bit to add something new. After 7 feature films all being heavily grounded in reality, it's time for The Batman to break that streak. To do what the past 3 franchises have already done would be very limiting. Sure, Affleck's Batman certainly broke this mold, but without a solo franchise, we didn't get the chance to explore his Gotham in the same way as the other Batman movies, as he was more of a supporting character in Superman's world.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Is Actually Part Of Batman's Mythology
Despite Batman fighting a lot of villains that are only humans, his mythology actually does involve sci-fi and fantasy. Even if a lot of Batman stories are extremely dark, it doesn't always include a criminal like The Joker or Two-Face. Bruce's rogues' gallery is one of the best ones that have ever existed in fiction because of how varied so many of them are. There is a good chunk of enemies that Batman faces that are metahumans and, in some cases, not even human. One of Batman's greatest foes is Kirk Langstrom who literally becomes a Man-Bat, giving Bruce an actual monster to take on. Poison Ivy is one of the most powerful metahumans in DC and that was something Schumacher's Batman & Robin failed miserably at portraying. It's appealing to see Batman having to figure out powerful ways to actually stop villains that have powers.
It also becomes a great example where a story can depict just how intelligent he is. The purpose of seeing The Batman be set in a universe where anything is possible isn't to make the stories less dark. It's more about how to give Batman new powerful threats on screen. It's just as compelling to see Bruce take on a psychologically driven antagonist like Hugo Strange just as it's to see Bruce battling a Venom-fused Bane who is also a psychological threat to him. The notion that it'd somehow make a Batman film silly or not serious because he goes up against non-human threats limits the storytelling. There should a balance of what kind of stories that Batman movies do where it can be serial killers like the Riddler as well as someone that can shape-shift like Clayface.
Why The Batman Will Be Better With Powers
Currently, it's not entirely clear what The Batman universe looks like in terms of other DC characters existing or how grounded in reality it's. Given that extras were spotted in Wonder Woman and Superman costumes, they do exist in some shape or form, be it as in-universe comic book characters or otherwise. Regardless, it would be a big missed opportunity if The Batman universe is set in another reality where Bruce is the only hero in the universe again, but it would be so wise to leave that door open,
Being set in a new universe gives this franchise an opportunity to set up various layers however they want. In the scenario where The Batman becomes a trilogy, it would be fun to see each movie escalate the villains beyond the more grounded Riddler in the first film. There are easy ways to incorporate super-powers and make it fit the noir Batman tone.
Not only does The Batman benefit by expanding to more fantastical concepts, but it would pave the way for big villains that haven't been on screen properly. There's at least a future story with The Penguin coming with Colin Farrell cast as Oswald Cobblepot. He may very well be the next big bad in The Batman 2 since he isn't the primary focus in the first film at least. But beyond that, it's a big mystery and hopefully, as The Batman comes out next year, it'll at least indicate that this universe, more or less, definitely has sci-fi and fantasy involved.
