The Batman Just Inspired a Surprising Part of DC Lore

Batman has become a fascinating media figure in the 21st century, with an iconography that extends out of comic books to major media formats like television and movies – and all the merchandising in between. It’s always interesting when we see how movie and TV adaptations of Batman adapt what we see in the comics – but it’s even more interesting when we see the TV shows and movies affecting the comics. 

Case in point: Batman / Santa Claus: Silent Knight, the series that sees Batman teaming up with Santa to save Christmas from a squad of monsters. The series is proving to be more serious than the crazy concept initially sounds, and that includes featuring a location from what is arguably one of the darkest screen adaptations of Batman yet! 

The location in question would be the train station headquarters that Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne used as his “Batcave” in Matt Reeves’ film, The Batman. In Silent Knight #2 we get a look at where Bruce Wayne/Batman is operating, and it is Gotham Train Station. Nightwing (Dick Grayson) has jokes about the sewage smell in the room, and how a Christmas tree is needed to balance out the dreary ambiance. Like Pattinson’s Batman, comic book Bruce Wayne has the station filled with his Batmobile and Bat-Computer – although it’s mostly still a train station beyond that. 

As stated, it’s always interesting to see how Batman evolves and changes not only over time but across different forms of media. Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) changed the look and feel of the Batman comics, while arguably also drawing on momentum creators like Frank Miller and Alan Moore were already building. The Batman’s darker gothic Noir vision has been similarly taking root, and it’s nice to see Easter egg nods to it like this one. 

The Batman Universe is already in the midst of some big expansion. The events of the first film will lead into the upcoming Penguin TV series on Max, which will follow Colin Farrell’s Penguin and his rise to power while Gotham is still stuck in a state of emergency. After that series, we’ll get The Batman: Part II which will pick up things with Pattinson’s Batman and his fight to bring Gotham to order. 

What Is Batman – Santa Claus About? 

SANTA CLAUS AND THE DARK KNIGHT VS. KRAMPUS! SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! The ancient and wild Krampus is loose on Earth and releasing monsters to destroy Christmas! Santa Claus, with the help of the Justice League, is all that stands in the way of this impending darkness. The team’s first challenge? A plague of vampires attacking Blüdhaven!

Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight is now on sale at DC.