Warning: SPOILERS for The Batman.
The Batman writer/director Matt Reeves compares his version of the Wayne family to the Kennedys and American royalty. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne/Batman in Reeves’ film, which was released in theaters last month to critical and commercial acclaim. Inspired by comics like Batman: Year One, The Batman follows a Kurt Cobian-inspired Bruce in his second year as Gotham’s vigilante, struggling to earn the mantle of the “World’s Greatest Detective.”
In addition to Pattinson, the film stars Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Lieutenant James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/Riddler. The latter character serves as the main villain as he goes around Gotham killing the city’s elites and leaving clues and ciphers for Batman. Riddler’s goal is to unveil Gotham’s corruption, which leads to a darker incarnation of the Wayne family’s legacy not seen in previous adaptations.
In a recent interview with KCRW, Reeves talked about his take on Thomas and Martha Wayne. The director revealed that his version of the Waynes was inspired by British or American royalty like the Kennedy family. Read the full quote below:
"I was interested in the idea of him being at a stage where he couldn't bear the weight of the history of being part of the Waynes. I thought he could be kind of like a member of the Kennedy family like American royalty, or what a British royal would be in the wake of a tragedy and how there was a lens being put on you because of a family tragedy that you could never escape. And so his response would be to want to withdraw from all of that and not understand that in the mission of what he was trying to do to try and make sense of his life, he might be able to use that as a kind of mask or guise, that might be useful. He can't figure any of that out yet."
Halfway through The Batman, it’s revealed that Bruce’s mother—whose maiden name was actually Martha Arkham—struggled with mental illness and spent time in her family’s Asylum. When a journalist came close to discovering Martha’s past during Thomas Wayne's mayoral campaign, the billionaire reached out to Carmine Falcone for help—which led to the death of said journalist. On top of that, the Wayne Renewal Fund heavily influenced Gotham’s downfall, with the crime lord taking control of the money and buying off the officials following the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Before The Batman’s release, Pattinson called his character a “weirdo,” or a recluse who has yet to embrace the billionaire playboy persona of Bruce Wayne to distract from his vigilantism. The character is essentially a grieving, rageful Batman the entire film until he realizes he needs to be a symbol of hope rather than vengeance. The tragic, political element of his Wayne heritage very much motivates his character arc, painting Gotham in shades of gray. With Riddler and Joker in Arkham, and Penguin and Arkham Asylum shows in the works for HBO Max, it seems likely the Wayne and Arkham legacies will be further explored in the spinoffs or sequels.
Source: KCRW
