The Batman Star Robert Pattinson Says Bruce Wayne Makes More Sense Without “Playboy” Persona

Robert Pattinson is the latest actor to take on the mantle of the Caped Crusader, starring in current box office juggernaut The Batman. This take on Bruce Wayne leans a lot less into the character’s life as a billionaire, opting instead to keep him focused on his Batman project, somewhat of a recluse from the rest of Gotham City. Pattinson’s Bruce isn’t exactly what you’d called a billionaire playboy philanthropist. Sure, that’s Iron Man’s thing, but most other on-screen versions of Batman have adopted that part of the persona.

For Pattinson, the idea of foregoing Bruce’s billionaire antics helped the character make even more sense. Speaking to EW, the actor explained why this Bruce Wayne appealed so much to him.

“When you think about Bruce Wayne, you kind of think he’s a playboy, and then that’s how he disguises himself, so no one knows he’s Batman. As soon as you take that away, it made the character almost make more sense,” Pattinson said during a recent installment of EW‘s Around the Table. “There’s something about a person who would be able to delineate three incredibly distinct personalities, and then just being able to switch them as an outfit at will. That’s really way more sociopathic than someone who doesn’t really have much more control over it and is compelled to put this suit on. It’s kind of out of his control a little bit.”

Pattinson went on to say that this take on Bruce Wayne allows the character’s grieving process to take on a bigger role. This Bruce is one that is still very affected by the loss of his parents, which fuels his time as Batman.

“Also, it made more sense with the grieving process as well if he hasn’t gotten over being the 10-year-old boy who, in his mind, let his parents die,” Pattinson explained. “What he feels is himself, he thinks is an incredibly weak and vulnerable child, and he needs to have an entirely different alter ego to survive himself, let alone fight all the criminals of Gotham.”

This Bruce Wayne is certainly different than others we’ve seen in the past, but that has helped set The Batman apart from most other Dark Knight projects.

What did you think of Robert Pattinson’s Batman? Let us know in the comments!