The Batman set photos took fans back to the funeral scene shown in the first teaser trailer, and while plot details continue to be a mystery, these photos offer some hints about the story, the relationship between some of the main characters, and even the costume of one of them. The characters from DC Comics have made the jump to film for years, and Batman has had an interesting history on the big screen, which began in the 1940s with two serial movies, followed by Batman: The Movie in 1966, an adaptation of the Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward.
The Dark Knight’s most recent adventures in film have been within the DC Extended Universe, which introduced Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck reprised his role in Justice League and will return one last time in The Flash thanks to the confirmation of a multiverse of DC characters from both film and TV. Before that, DC Films’ multiverse will welcome a new Batman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, this time played by Robert Pattinson. The Batman is part of the multiverse but not of the DCEU, and it will be very different from its predecessor, as it will be darker and will feature a younger Bruce Wayne in his early years as vigilante and detective.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Batman production has gone through a couple of obstacles and its release date has been delayed, but that didn’t stop Reeves and company from sharing a teaser trailer during their panel at DC FanDome. However, plot details continue to be kept under wraps, but the set photos that have made it to the web – especially those from the funeral scene shown in the trailer – reveal a couple of story and character details that can give a better idea of the tone and the direction in which the story will go. Here’s what the funeral set photos from The Batman reveal.
Bruce Wayne & Oswald Cobblepot Already Know Each Other
The Batman will have various villains, with The Riddler serving as the main antagonist. Among the bad guys living in this new version of Gotham City is Oswald Cobblepot (Collin Farrell), best known as the Penguin. As mentioned above, The Batman will see a young Bruce Wayne in his second year as a detective and vigilante, and it will also see the beginnings of Cobblepot, who in this story is not yet the mobster everyone knows from the comics and other movies (specifically Tim Burton’s Batman Returns). What’s important here, however, is that Bruce and Cobblepot seem to already know each other, as they are shown outside the funeral together (along with Selina Kyle). Whether Bruce and Cobblepot have worked together or not is unknown, but the reason they know each other might be all about business.
The Possible Origin Of The Penguin’s Name
In the comics, Cobblepot got the nickname of “Penguin” due to his short stature, weight, way of walking, and beak-like nose, and as his parents owned a bird shop, he spent a lot of time with them, to the point where he saw them as his only friends. The origin of the Penguin on the big screen has been changed according to the narrative, with Burton giving him a backstory where his parents threw him into the sewer due to his deformed appearance and after he attacked a cat, and young Oswald was raised by penguins who lived in the sewer lines at an abandoned zoo. The Batman will go for a more grounded story and a completely different look for Cobblepot, with Farrell wearing lots of prosthetics to the point where he’s unrecognizable. What stands out the most about the Penguin, and which can be better appreciated in the funeral set photos, are the scars on the right side of his face, which run down his right cheek and towards his nose and chin. These wounds appear to make the simple outline of a penguin, pointing at a possible origin for his peculiar nickname.
The Relationship Between Selina Kyle & Carmine Falcone
Also attending the funeral in The Batman are Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), who caught the attention of fans as they look to be very close. Selina is seen walking down the steps arm-in-arm with Falcone, and it’s thus assumed that they are attending the funeral together. Of course, what exactly is the relationship between them is still unknown, but they do have a history in the comics. In Batman: Dark Victory – the sequel to The Long Halloween, which is believed to be one of the stories The Batman took inspiration from – is implied that Selina Kyle suspects she’s the illegitimate daughter of Falcone, and has robbed him many, many times throughout her comic book history. However, there’s one detail on Falcone’s face that points at a different comic book moment being included in some capacity in The Batman: on his right cheek, there are some scratch marks. This goes back to Batman: Year One, where Selina as Catwoman was responsible for those wounds on Falcone’s face.
Selina Kyle’s Comic Book Accurate Costume
While the funeral set photos as they are don’t reveal anything about Selina Kyle’s Catwoman costume, the scratch marks on Carmine Falcone’s face definitely do. Although the only look at Catwoman so far has been in a brief scene in the trailer where she’s putting her burglar skills to good use and is wearing a cloth mask with very subtle cat ears, the wounds (supposing they were done by her) point at her costume including metal claws, just like in the comics. Whether Catwoman’s full costume will be revealed in official images, a trailer, or will be kept a secret until The Batman is finally released is unknown, but these set photos might have revealed more about it than what the audience thinks.
