Robert Pattinson Details How The Batman’s Ending Flips the Script on Most Batman Stories

The Batman is a hit with the masses. It boasts an 85-percent Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it has made over $750 million at theaters around the world. A large part of its success is attributed to the film’s fresh take on the Caped Crusader, taking fans back on a trip to Bruce Wayne’s earliest days as the vigilante. In fact, Robert Pattinson says the way the film’s script differs from most Batman-centric stories is certainly a major piece of why the film’s been so successful.

“At the beginning of the story, he doesn’t think that the city is capable of healing itself, and it’s just on a downward spiral and he’s just fighting a hopeless battle, which will end in defeat,” Pattinson says in The Art of The Batman book.” | just always liked the idea at the end of him allowing himself to hope a little bit. It’s probably the most painful thing that he has to do. It’s much more painful than anything he’s had to experience, because if you’ve closed yourself down to feeling anything, and all you wanna do is just go out and fight, if he allows himself to think that there is a possibility of Positive change then you can get hurt again. Then you can feel the disappointment and failure of that as well, which I think he’s trying to hide from as well.”

Pattinson goes on to say that while most Batman stories end with Wayne providing inspiration for the citizens of Gotham, he’s thankful the flick from Matt Reeves is the reverse option. Instead, Gotham bares its soul to Bruce and he’s inspired from the citizens of the city when all is said and done.

“One of the first ideas I had about it was . . . I think a lot of the endings of Batman stories is that it ends with Batman believing that he’s given hope to the city, and he thinks the symbol of Batman and what he’s done throughout the story will hopefully inspire the city to have a more hopeful outlook, and create a brighter future,” Pattinson adds. “In this, I always imagined that he’s so committed to darkness and nihilism that it’s actually the city which opens up himself for a bit of hope.” 

The Batman is now streaming on HBO Max.