The Batman did an impressive job of reinventing certain aspects of past movies to fit its gritty and grounded tone, but one of its best creative choices was a change it made to the story of one of Gotham’s most iconic characters that the Nolan trilogy almost forgot about entirely. The latest Batman outing, like the Dark Knight Trilogy, focused heavily on the corruption and class division within Gotham City. But the newer film puts itself above previous efforts by fleshing out one major villain who didn't have much of a big-screen presence until now.
Many of The Batman’s most effective changes were made to fit the movie’s "film noir" tone. One of the more memorable adjustments Matt Reeves made in his film was the grounding of previously cartoonish villains like Riddler (Paul Dano) and Penguin (Colin Farrell) by giving Batman's villains more realistic outfits that fit their purpose. Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) was given a much more brooding persona and often skulked in the shadows searching for the criminals of Gotham. The movie as a whole gave much less screen time to Bruce out of his Batsuit and showed the caped crusader living up to his detective reputation while working in close proximity with Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). But perhaps the most welcome change in The Batman was the increased presence of one of the Dark Knight’s most consistent foes who was sadly and sorely underused the last time he was on the big screen.
While Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins revolutionized DC movies, it gave moviegoers a poor introduction to one of Gotham’s most notorious mob bosses: Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson). Falcone has a rich history with Batman but received just over five minutes of screen time in his one and only appearance in the Dark Knight Trilogy. This was a missed opportunity as Nolan focused heavily on the dangers of corruption and lawlessness in Gotham, and Falcone’s presence as a powerful criminal represents those themes perfectly. So when John Turturro brought this classic bat-villain to life in The Batman with a much more dynamic and prominent role throughout the entire story, it elevated the depiction of corruption and lawlessness in Gotham. Turtorro’s Falcone exemplified everything that was wrong with Gotham and why Batman was so necessary.
In The Batman, Carmine Falcone wasn’t just a secondary villain; he was an integral part of The Riddler’s plan. Bruce wanted him stopped, and Selina and Riddler wanted him dead. How each character chose to handle Falcone showed audiences more about each of their perspectives and added another layer of complexity to the larger conflict. In Nolan’s Batman Begins, Falcone’s minor appearance at the beginning was really just a catalyst for having Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) leave Gotham. Falcone’s relevance in the Dark Knight Trilogy pretty much ended there.
One of the best upshots of Falcone’s expanded role in The Batman was that it made his character more complicated to the others in the film as well as to audiences. Many DC fans know Falcone purely as a villain, but his relationships with Bruce and Selina weren’t fully certain for most of the movie. He seemed to have a fondness for Bruce because of his relationship with Bruce’s parents before they were killed. He also treated Selina with affection as if she was his daughter. Not until towards the end of the movie was it clear how villainous he truly was. This added an element of mystery to The Batman that was missing from the Nolan films.
Of the many creative changes Matt Reeves made for The Batman, the expansion of Carmine Falcone's character was perhaps what enriched the movie the most. Having Falcone heavily involved in Bruce Wayne's past and present made him absolutely crucial to the new story of Gotham. Though Nolan's underuse of the character was unfortunate, it did set the stage for a reintroduction that was one of the highlights of the entire film.
