The Batman Trailer Has A Big Animated Series Call Back

The trailer for The Batman features numerous hidden details, including a call-back to Batman: The Animated Series. Matt Reeves will soon reboot Batman once again and if the trailer is anything to go by, The Batman should be a full-on reimagining of the character. Taking cues from films such as Taxi Driver and Chinatown, Reeves' film is set to be a more grounded, noir-inspired outing that focuses on Batman's detective skills.

The first trailer for the film lifted the lid on what looks to be a decidedly gritty crime thriller, giving viewers their first look at an almost-unrecognizable Colin Farrell as Penguin and Zoe Kravtiz's Catwoman. In fact, the teaser contained an impressive amount of footage for a film that by Reeves' own admission is only 25 to 30 percent shot. And while the director has cited Batman: Ego and The Long Halloween as inspiration for much of what audiences will see in 2021, the teaser also contained a neat reference to another celebrated Batman story.

Towards the end of the trailer – which also revealed Riddler will be the main villain – Robert Pattinson's Batman delivers a truly brutal beatdown, in a scene that instantaneously converted every Pattinson naysayer. After being questioned by a gang member, who asks Batman, "Who are you supposed to be?" Pattinson's Dark Knight pummels the helpless criminal before delivering the killer line, "I'm vengeance". While that particular phrase has shown up in the Arkham games, those words are best-known for appearing in Batman: The Animated Series. To be specific, in season 1, episode 3, "Nothing To Fear," Kevin Conroy's Batman says, "I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman." It's an iconic line that became synonymous with the show itself, and now appears to have been picked up by Reeves for his take on Batman. Even if it wasn't intentional, Pattinson's delivery of the line is similar enough to Conroy's to establish a link.

Perhaps more than any other scene in the teaser, the "I'm vengeance" moment seemed to drive home the point that Reeves' movie will not simply be a rehash of previous Batman films. Prior to the trailer's release, details about The Batman were sparse, with Warner Bros., DC, and Reeves himself remaining tight-lipped about the project. Aside from some screen test footage of Pattinson in the new bat-suit and some leaked set photos, there wasn't much to go on when it came to the movie's plot. As such, viewers were unsure of what to expect when the trailer debuted.

One thing that seemed certain once the goon in question asked Batman what he was "supposed to be" was that audiences were about to get yet another "I'm Batman" moment – á la Michael Keaton in 1989's Batman or Christian Bale in 2005's Batman Begins. The inclusion of "I'm vengeance" appears to have been met with approval by fans of the franchise, who not only welcomed a change from the classic Keaton line, but also recognized the reference to The Animated Series.

Aside from just making a change from the standard Batman intro, using the "vengeance" line to link the movie with the animated show is a neat way for Reeves to play up his noirish ambitions. The show itself remains revered as one of the best on-screen depictions of the Dark Knight, with many considering it the best version of Batman so far. Batman: The Animated Series drew from the character's past while still managing to innovate, even adding now-iconic characters to the Batman canon – most notably Harley Quinn. It also had a distinct gothic, film-noir inspired style, which is why it makes sense for Reeves, who looks to be aiming for a similar aesthetic with The Batman, to include this nod to the animated show.

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