The Batman’s New Chest Insignia Revealed in Footage

Tonight’s first look at Robert Pattinson in costume for The Batman gave fans their first look at a very different costume for the Dark Knight detective — and if all the rumors are true we’re going to get more focus on that “detective part” — but one of the biggest things that you’ll notice watching that brief video from director Matt Reeves is that the Bat logo on the costume’s chest is either absent, incomplete, or wildly different than anything we’ve seen before. In the video, which you can watch below, you can see a shot of the chest where a vaguely bat-shaped gap is filled with metal, including something that looks like it has a vent or a speaker in it.

It seems likely at first glance that this version of the costume has a detachable bat emblem for one reason or another — maybe that’s where the Batarangs come from? — and that what we are seeing here is what is hidden under the emblem. In addition to the vent/speaker, there are also textured bits that look like they could be either magnets or brackets, used to keep the eventual logo in place. In the same way but a little different, it’s possible that this IS the batarang and that it can be removed from the chest plate, leaving a gap in the shape of a bat behind.

Of course, it’s equally possible that this IS the verison of his signal that fans will get in The Batman, which is reportedly set early in Batman’s career and may feature a proto version of the suit. Overall, the costume looks more tactical than fanciful, suggesting that this version of Batman is more concerned with the moment-to-moment than with the symbolic philosophy of criminals being a superstitious and cowardly lot. Maybe there’s another reason that the chest plate looks like that, and it will make sense in context.

Equally possible is that this is just a choice made by the filmmakers. It looks at least somewhat like the one seen in Batman: Arkham Knight, and given how “boxy” the chest of the costume is, maybe the Bat is a kind of happy accident, a visual that is created by the segments of plating needed to provide maximum protection for Bruce Wayne’s upper body while still having a costume that he can move and fight in.

There’s also the more obvious answer: that a final form of the Bat is being withheld for now so that when there is a full costume reveal later it can have maximum impact.

The Batman is set to premiere in theaters on June 25, 2021.

What do you think of Pattinson’s look as the Caped Crusader? Be sure to let us know in the comments!