When The Batman came out in 2022, it broke the mold for Batman movies. Rather than focusing on superheroics and colorful villains, The Batman focused on a grittier, darker tale that felt more like the movie Se7en with capes than a proper superhero film. Robert Pattinson played a more isolated Bruce Wayne than Christian Bale’s take on the hero and more brooding than even Michael Keaton’s rendition. By being unafraid to take a different approach than the films that came before, The Batman was able to carve its own spot into the Batman legacy. Production is currently underway for The Batman: Part II, and fans are itching to learn anything they can about the sequel. If the movie wants to meet fan expectations and deliver on what the previous film set up, it can stand to learn a thing or two from the new Absolute Batman comics. However, there is one aspect of the comics the movie should probably stay well away from.
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Absolute Batman was a smash hit when its first issue was released in 2024 and has stayed one of the hottest comics on shelves since. Much of this popularity is due to how radically different the series has been from traditional Batman stories; its take on the supporting cast, villains, and the hero himself has kept fans glued to the page month after month. If The Batman: Part II wants to continue to distinguish itself from previous films, there are many lessons to be learned from the pages of Absolute Batman it can learn from.
3) Don’t Be Afraid To Change The Status Quo
Absolute Batman proved that fans want fresh new ideas from their superheroes. In the pages of the Absolute Batman comic, Bruce Wayne isn’t a billionaire at all; he’s a construction worker in Gotham. Instead of training with martial arts masters around the world, this Batman learned to fight on the streets, driven by pure determination and indomitable will over skill. Everything this Batman has he built himself, without the luxury of an inheritance and billions of dollars at his disposal.
Bruce Wayne already has his riches and resources in The Batman, but there is no reason The Batman: Part II can’t strip those away like Absolute Batman. Any number of terrible events could happen to reduce Bruce Wayne’s fortune to nothing and leave him destitute. This isn’t just to see what it’s like when Batman is broke. The lack of money leads Absolute Bruce Wayne to invent some wild gadgets and gear for himself to compensate. For example, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne could be forced to give up the Batman muscle car from the first film, only to return with a vengeance driving a monster Bat-Themed Dump Truck. A desperate Batman could even be forced to wield Absolute Batman’s iconic bat-shaped axe.
2) Batman Isn’t A One-Man Army
In The Batman, Bruce Wayne was deep into his isolated loner era. While he confided in Alfred and developed feelings for Catwoman, he was still in a self-imposed exile and hiding away from the rest of the world. He had no friends, no acquaintances, no one except Batman. By the end of the film, almost losing Alfred shows Bruce that he needs someone else in his life, and inspires him to be a symbol of hope for Gotham, not just a symbol of vengeance. Unless The Batman Part II wants to make the mistake of throwing out this character development, it has to show Bruce continuing to grow into being the hero he could be, to himself and others.
To this end: Absolute Batman has already laid groundwork that can easily be adapted for The Batman to follow. No longer just a butler or man in the chair, special agent Alfred Pennyworth takes on a more active role in Batman’s missions. Bruce’s mother is still alive, and keeps young Bruce morally anchored. Though she is already dead in The Batman, it wouldn’t hurt to show us more of the influence his parents had on Bruce to make him the hero he is today. One of the more shocking allies Absolute Batman has is none other than Harley Quinn, who leads a gang of delinquents gathered from the Gotham streets. This guerrilla army of anarchists aids Absolute Batman in his crusade. The themes of The Batman focused on him learning how to inspire hope in others, and Harley’s army would be a great way to show the effect that has had.
1) Make it Personal
Though many have them have turned irrevocably sour, Absolute Bruce Wayne had close relationships with Batman’s most iconic villains before they became his enemies. Perhaps one of the most radical changes to the Batman lore in Absolute Batman, Bruce’s closest inner circle consisted of the men who would become Two-Face, Killer Croc, The Riddler, and The Penguin. This twist on the formula made each villain’s turn to evil something deeply personal and painfully tragic for Bruce. Each one of their vices and gimmicks is not just a reflection of their shattered psyche, but a reflection of Bruce’s own failures.
Ever since Mr. Freeze was reinvented in the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Heart of Ice”, every subsequent rendition of the character has leaned into the villain’s personal tragedy of losing his wife and trying to save her. It’s been heavily rumored that the ice-cold villain will be in The Batman: Part II, and it would be madness not to explore the character’s tragic story. Just like in the Absolute comics, a personal relationship between Bruce Wayne and Victor Fries would make the villain turn emotionally impactful and devastating. This would give the movie incredible stakes that weren’t completely there in the first film.
One Big Problem to Avoid
There is a lot The Batman can learn from the Absolute Batman comics, and there are many cool changes in the comic that the movie should try to adapt. However, some things that work well on the page don’t work at all in live action. A lot about Absolute Batman is over the top; from drop-kicking criminal children to the Akira -ike monstrosity that was Absolute Bane. These things may work really well in comics; they might even work well in a DC Universe live-action movie, but they would absolutely clash with the world and tone that The Batman set up. And while there is so much to learn from comic books, The Batman’s tone and world were nearly pitch-perfect odes to Film Noir, drawing audiences into its rainy, gritty, twisted world.
The Batman: Part II is still a couple of years away, and fans are wondering what they should expect. The first film (and The Penguin spinoff series) set up so much that fans want to see more of. With the right balance of new and old, The Batman: Part II can draw inspiration from the Absolute Batman comics and deliver the film we’ve been waiting for.
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Forum Conversation: The Court of Owls in Batman Part 2, how do you feel about it?
Go to ForumI think it could be cool. Like Nick said, it’d be something different for Batman movies. I trust Reeves as a director to handle it properly.
I like the Court of Owls as a reflection of the moral pits greed leads people into. I think in the past year the concept of the Court of Owls has become even more relevant (hence why the Absolute universe is all anti-billionaire). That said, looking at the comics, I feel I like them more as a concept, because they were not well executed (and it only got worse when they went international).
Agreed on this. If anyone can do it, its Reeves. But agree that the shadowy puppet masters controlling all of Gotham was never really my favorite thing. I like Gotham and the Rogues because they reflect different forms of extremism (chaos, absolute order, etc) and the Court kind of wraps that all under an umbrella that, in some cases, really undermines the individuals (depending on the storyline).