The Batman Replaces His Most Iconic Movie Line

The Batman puts its own spin to the titular character's most iconic movie line. Directed by Matt Reeves, the upcoming DC Films project will introduce fans to Robert Pattinson's version of the Caped Crusader. Set during Bruce Wayne's second year operating as the anonymous hero, the movie will also feature a string of brilliant actors playing supporting roles such as Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Andy Serkis as Alfred.

Since Pattinson's casting came on the heels of Ben Affleck's exit as the iconic DC superhero, there was a general assumption that the new version would be a replacement. However, it's been recently confirmed by DC Films president Walter Hamada that The Batman will exist in an entirely different universe from the DCEU, meaning Pattinson's iteration of the character has no connection whatsoever to the Justice League. This way, Reeves' take on the character is not beholden to what's previously established, giving free rein with what he wants to do with the upcoming movie.

Clearly, differentiating The Batman from previous films focused on the character is a priority and Matt Reeves said this much when he appeared on the film's special panel at DC FanDome. The filmmaker explained how the movie reframes the hero's origin story in a way that it offers fans something new and fresh. In conjunction with that, the first trailer for The Batman has also been released giving the public a glimpse of the project which ends with Wayne saying "I'm vengeance" to a group of face-painted goons.

Robert Pattinson in The Batman Movie DC FanDome Trailer

This is a spin on the character's most famous catchphrase on the big screen: "I'm Batman." While it's been used in comic books before, it hit mainstream popularity when it was delivered by Michael Keaton's version take on the character in the 1989 Batman film directed by Tim Burton. Since then, of course, it has also been delivered by George Clooney in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin (1997) and more famously Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005). That said, Batman has also used the catchphrase "I'm vengeance" in other forms of DC media, most notably in the video game Batman: Arkham Night and the TV series, Batman: The Animated Series. It's supposed to be part of a much longer phrase, however, which says "I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!" Interestingly, The Batman's working title is "Vengeance" which makes for a nifty connection.

Based on what's known thus far about the film's story, it's an intriguing question whether Pattinson's version of the Dark Knight will eventually use "I'm Batman" in the future — assuming that sequels are in the cards for The Batman. Given that he's still in the early days of his career, perhaps Wayne still isn't comfortable actually calling himself Batman so, he's simply using a different catchphrase. In any case, aside from differentiating this upcoming version of the character from its predecessors but still paying homage to what came before him, "I'm vengeance" is arguably so much cooler than "I'm Batman." The former also better fits the dark and gritty vibe of the upcoming blockbuster considering the latter is often used now as a humorous line in pop culture conversations and online communities.

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