Kevin Smith Reacts To Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit Looking Like His Batman Costume From Mallrats

Kevin Smith has been loving all the developments surrounding The Batman so far, including that Bat Suit. One person pointed out how the costume from some action scenes being filmed today looked like his version of the Bat Suit from MallRats. Now, of course, Smith was playful in his response and acknowledged a little of the overlap. These kinds of jokes have been flying on Twitter ever since the images popped up. There’s a bit of the rough quality to Reeves’ costume in these photos. It’s nearly impossible to say if the fact that it’s a stunt double wearing it, or if the suit is supposed to symbolize and even more grounded approach than we’ve seen on the screen before. One thing is for sure, the increased level of scrutiny will only get louder as the filming continues.

Last week, the filmmaker was alerted to the possibility that the Bat Insignia on the new suit could be fashioned out of Joe Chill’s gun. Smith had a hand in crafting that exact idea in Detective Comics #100 with Jim Lee. In that version, he takes the gun parts and fuses them into a metal plate. Batman hides that plate under the insignia on his chest as a way for the trauma he’s endured to protect him. This idea leans into similar arguments that the yellow logo serves to be both striking and a natural target.

Comicbook.com’s Spencer Perry broke down this panel from the landmark Batman story in detail. Here’s what he said:

“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.”

Pattinson talked about trying on his Batsuit at least once. “It’s maybe the craziest thing I’ve ever done in terms of movie stuff,” Pattinson explained. “I put it on. I remember saying to Matt [Reeves], ‘It does feel quite transformative!’ He was like, ‘I would hope it does! You’re literally in the Batsuit.’ And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.’”

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