Is Robert Pattinson’s Batman Symbol Made From Joe Chill’s Gun?

Filmmaker Matt Reeves dropped the official first look at at Robert Pattinson‘s Batman earlier today and with it the first details of this take on the Dark Knight detective were confirmed. Fans were quick to notice the clear influence of the Batman: Arkham video games as the costume’s chest armor looks very close to those titles. Furthermore, the new Batman mask has what looks like stitching along the nose and has many thinking of the Adam West Batman. Perhaps one of the most curious things about the reveal is the symbol on his chest, which features a very unique looking insignia for the hero.

Unlike previous costumes it doesn’t have a traditional bat-insignia on the chest. The other movies all had different styles and sizes of symbols across them, but the Matt Reeves/Robert Pattinson version is the most peculiar because it doesn’t actually look like a bat. The wings of the symbol aren’t traditional sculpted metal or armor, they have a gritty quality to them that has some fans wondering about its uses. Could they have a use beyond being the symbol on Batman’s chest like a gadget? Or do they have a significance to the character that he carries with him all the time anyway?

Far from confirmed at all, but it seems possible that the insignia on Robert Pattinson‘s Batman suit appears to be made from pieces of a gun. “What pieces?” you might be thinking, look again above. The two pieces that make up the bat “wings” look a lot like a compact or tactical stock for a weapon, perhaps some kind of shotgun, which has been cut in half to make the bat symbol. If true, this would make the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne a little different as they’ve always been traditionally killed by a handgun of some kind. Joe Chill using a weapon of this size might imply different circumstances for the Waynes’ death beyond a back-alley robbery, or perhaps Joe Chill just packs a lot of heat.

There is precedent for Batman using the weapons that killed his parents in his costume though. The story “Manufacture for Use” in Detective Comics #1000 by Kevin Smith and Jim Lee told the tale of Bruce Wayne wearing a disguise and buying the gun used by Joe Chill at a seedy pawn shop in Gotham. He then melted down the gun into an armor plate that he wears underneath the insignia of his costume delivering a heartbreaking monologue about it. The ever present Batman fan, Smith has already reacted to the new suit as well.

So what do you think? Will Robert Pattinson’s Batman have a special purpose for the symbol on his chest like a gadget or weapon? Or is he paying tribute to his late parents and protecting his own heart with the weapon that ended their lives? Sound off in the comments below!

The Batman is currently scheduled to fly into theaters June 25, 2021.