The newest live-action adaptation of Batman's mythos has arrived with Matt Reeves' The Batman. Fans are loving it for many reasons, including the large roster of characters that fit rather well into Reeves' depiction of Gotham City.
While some were made up specifically for The Batman, others are new portrayals of characters seen in the DC comic book universe. The pre-existing characters show the director's love for these comics while still having some of their own flavors, leading to the question: who was the most and least comic accurate?
Harriet Cooper
An obscure character, Harriet Cooper originated as a slight recurring role in the Adam West Batman series but was later introduced in the comics. In both, she is the aunt of Dick Grayson AKA the first Robin. Matt Reeves has openly shared his love for the 1966 series many times both in interviews and even in The Batman.
In Wayne Tower, Alfred has a maid working with him named Harriet. She doesn't have a large role outside of that and another scene where she and Batman talk over the phone. She's mostly just an Easter Egg for fans and does not really have anything to do with her comic book counterpart outside of her name.
Riddler
There are quite a few similarities to the comics and film version of The Riddler, such as his real name being Edward Nashton and his plot to destroy Gotham by flooding it is very similar to Batman: Zero Year. Some of Paul Dano's more flamboyant moments are very loyal to the character's personality, and his laugh even sounds like a scarier version of Frank Gorshin's laugh from the 1966 series.
However, this is still a very different Riddler that is more akin to a horror villain with the mask, the way he brutally murders. He even has traps reminiscent of Jigsaw's traps of the Saw franchise, which is a departure from the comic version.
Alfred Pennyworth
The clearest inspiration for this version of Alfred Pennyworth is in Batman: Earth One. Instead of a prim and proper butler, this Alfred is more of a father figure and companion of Batman. He's ex-military and even confirms that he helped teach Bruce Wayne how to fight.
This is very similar to Batman: Earth One, although he's a less physical interpretation of Alfred compared to that comic. Matt Reeves and Andy Serkis still bring enough of their own flavor to the character to make it more of a fresh interpretation.
Carmine Falcone
Compared to the likes of The Long Halloween and Batman: Year One, Carmine Falcone in The Batman is much more subtle. John Turturro plays Falcone as rather soft-spoken and reclusive whereas Falcone in the comics is much wilder, louder, and imposing from the second he appears on the page.
John Turturro certainly nails the look of Falcone, even down to the Catwoman scratches he has later in the film. Despite being a much quieter and more level-headed Falcone, Turturro still proves to be an intimidating crime boss and is arguably the vilest of the characters in The Batman.
Jim Gordon
When it comes to the many incarnations of Gordon in the comics, they all are very similar, and the same goes for the many actors. Jeffrey Wright continues the tradition of yet another stand-out Gordon who ends up being less of a supporting character and more of a partner for Batman, giving one of The Batman's best performances.
Like in the comics, Gordon always has some kind of sassy remark to whatever crazy situation is happening. He also nails the classic Jim Gordon look of that classic rugged but good-hearted cop that fits the noir detective thriller angle that Matt Reeves' movie goes for.
The Penguin
Already in terms of looks, Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepott is perfect. Colin is hidden so perfectly behind one of the best costumes in The Batman that it looks like Matt Reeves somehow pulled Penguin out of a page into live-action.
Most remember Penguin has to be a shorter man, but Batman: Earth One depicted Penguin being taller and with a design eerily similar to Colin's version. Also, like in the comics, Penguin pretends to be an upstanding citizen by running a genuine business in the Iceberg Lounge with his criminal empire on the side.
Catwoman
From her design to her backstory to her more anti-hero role, it is blatantly clear that Matt Reeves took Selina Kyle from Batman: Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween and blended them to create the film character. Selina is more than just a femme fatale cat burglar, there's a reasoning to her methods.
Batman and Catwoman go on different paths, but their goals are essentially the same, stopping the corruption that stems from people like Carmine Falcone. Even with the small changes, Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman is actually one of the most comic accurate depictions of the character thus far.
Batman
With over eighty years of comics that have changed due to the success of both films and television shows, there are a lot of comic book versions of Batman. As a result, Matt Reeves made arguably the most comic-accurate Batman by combining several comic book versions into one. Robert Pattinson has the rashness and anger of a young Batman from Batman: Year One and Year Two.
This Batman is not perfect and often makes mistakes à la Batman: Earth One. Batman's design has elements of Batman: Noël, Zero Year, and even the original debut of Batman. He even has his own character arc, going from a lowly creature of the shadows to a hero of Gotham City that's been sprinkled in different versions of Batman's origin story.