The Batman Makes a Major Change to the Batcave

Matt Reeves's The Batman is set to showcase a noir-inspired take on the Dark Knight, and it seems there'll be a major change to the Batcave, too. The movie is set to debut in 2021, after production faced delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. The official trailer debuted at the DC FanDome event, and it offered fans a preview of this movie's gritty vision of Batman.

Among things revealed in the explosive trailer were first looks at Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman and Colin Farrell as Penguin – alongside a truly brutal beatdown from Robert Pattinson's Batman that's surely silenced most critics of that particular casting choice. The trailer also confirmed Paul Dano's Riddler will be the central villain of The Batman, with Reeves explaining how Riddler's crimes slowly reveal the history of Gotham's deep-rooted corruption.

One of the less spectacular but equally intriguing moments came in the form of a brief glimpse at what appears to be the new Batcave. After a quick shot of Pattinson riding his motorcycle through a cemetery, the trailer shows him pulling into what appears to be his base of operations — and it looks a whole lot different to what audiences are used to. Rather than following the live-action Batman precedent and setting up in a natural cavern beneath Wayne Manor, it seems the Dark Knight of The Batman will be operating out of a disused train depot. At least, that's what the tracks on the floor of the new "Batcave" seem to suggest. That, and as some eagle-eyed fans have noticed, letters on the archway in the shot appear to spell out either "Wayne Depot" or "Wayne Terminal."

Some viewers have suggested that, because the trailer – which is missing some characters and moments – shows Bruce Wayne riding through a cemetery directly before this quick shot of him pulling into his base, he could in fact be operating out of his parents' tomb. That seems unlikely considering the tracks and the signage, but it's a neat idea. Either way, the look of this new HQ is distinctly sparse and lo-fi compared to some of the vast caverns used by other on-screen Bat-men — all of which makes sense considering Reeves's film focuses on a relatively inexperienced Batman, said to be in only the second year of his vigilante career.

Aside from fitting the Pattinson Batman's aesthetic, having the "cave" set in an abandoned train depot makes for some exciting possibilities. Considering the "Wayne Terminal" lettering on the archway, there's every chance this particular location could sit beneath Wayne tower rather than Wayne Manor — the abandoned station a relic of an old subway system that allowed Wayne Enterprises workers to travel directly to the company offices. Either that, or the station is part of a personal train system used by an older generation of Waynes, which allowed them to get into the city from Wayne Manor. Whatever the case, the disused depot setup suggests this version of Batman could have easy access to the entirety of the Gotham, using the abandoned tracks to travel and the various stations as exit/entry points. There's even some precedent from the comics, as Detective Comics 667 introduces a unique Batmobile that actually runs on the train tracks of an abandoned subway line.

This change to the standard Batcave — which was also revealed in some teaser images – also opens up the potential for multiple "caves" around the city — a setup that would surely aid Reeves' realistic interpretation of Batman in his efforts to deal with the real-world practicalities of the job. That said, having a more widespread physical presence around Gotham would make him more susceptible to being discovered. All it would take is some restoration project, close-by construction work, or urban exploration for Pattinson's Batman operation to be blown wide open. Whatever The Batman has in-store, it's clear that Reeves and the DCEU are looking to switch things up considerably with this latest take on the iconic anti-hero, and the changes to the Batcave are just one of the ways this Batman will surprise fans.

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