A quick shot in The Batman trailer mentioned a character named “Savage”, which has raised speculation about his identity and possible comic connections. The most obvious character this could be referencing is Vandal Savage, an important DC Comics villain and a character who has never before appeared in a movie. Thus far, his live-action appearances have been limited to TV shows like Legends of Tomorrow, where he served as the main antagonist for season 1.
Of course, DC already has a mixed bag of DC villains appearing in Matt Reeves’ The Batman movie. The Ridder (Paul Dano) is poised to serve as the primary threat to Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) in the movie, but he won’t be alone in targeting the Caped Crusader. Batman will also have his hands full with other characters from his rogues’ gallery, such as Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). There’s also Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), who may or may not embrace her villainous connections in the comic books. All of these characters may somehow fit into whatever diabolical scheme the Riddler is cooking up in The Batman.
At the 1:15 mark in The Batman trailer that was released for DC FanDome 2021 is a shot of writing on the ground where Bruce is presumably trying to figure out one of the Riddler’s puzzles. Some of the names included in this scene are “Colson”, “Mitchell,” and “Savage”, which is the surname of the aforementioned Vandal Savage, an immortal adversary of the Justice League. However, closer inspection of The Batman’s full cast points toward the movie’s “Savage” actually being Pete Savage. It was reported back in 2020 that a character by this name will make an appearance in this movie. Played by Alex Ferns, The Batman’s Pete Savage is the Gotham police commissioner and has been spotted in the first trailer.
Ferns’ character does share his last name with Vandal Savage, but a connection between the two seems unlikely. After all, the latter is an immortal warlord who has existed for centuries as a loner. For this reason, the chances of him having family ties to a character in The Batman seem rather low. Instead, it makes sense that Pete Savage will be a victim of the Riddler's plan. That’s the most logical answer, given that both “Colson” and “Mitchell” are linked to confirmed victims of the Ridder in the movie. He was seen killing both of them in separate scenes in the trailers. That would explain why their names are written on the ground. Bruce could be trying to find a link between all of the Riddler’s murders.
Pete Savage’s name being found next to two other dead characters isn’t the only sign that he won’t survive The Batman. The role of police commissioner in Gotham traditionally belongs to Jim Gordon. Savage’s death at the hands of the Riddler could be the catalyst that leads to Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) getting his comic book job by the end of the movie. As for Vandal Savage, on the other hand, a DCEU debut for the DC Comics villain is still on the table – it just isn’t expected to happen in a movie about Bruce Wayne. He would, however, be an interesting fit for Black Adam or a potential sequel.
