What the DCU's New Batman Reboot Needs to Succeed

Every passing day, it feels as if the DC Universe is evolving into new and uncharted territory. The franchise of movies, television shows, and more is being shepherded by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who stepped into the role of DC Studios co-CEOs late last year. While the exact specifics of their plans are currently unclear, we do know that the franchise is unafraid to recast major characters, with Gunn penning a Superman reboot starring a younger actor. One lingering question has been whether or not Bruce Wayne / Batman will have the same fate, with Gunn indicating that the character will be a significant part of the franchise.

With Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise set to remain unconnected from the main DCU, and current main universe Batman Ben Affleck seemingly done with the character in front of the camera, we'll have to wait and see how the character gets reimagined and remixed in the future. If the character does get recast in the franchise going forward, here are some elements that could set it apart — from Robert Pattinson's portrayal in The Batman, from Affleck's portrayal, and possibly from every previous cinematic Batman.

Glory Days

Across the 21st century, the big screen portrayals of Batman have existed in two extremes — either early on in their cape-crusading days (Pattinson, Christian Bale in The Dark Knight trilogy) or in their grizzled twilight years (Affleck). As fans of Batman comics will attest, there is countless opportunity to tell stories somewhere within the middle: a Batman in his prime.

Bypassing the origin story (come on, how many more times do we need to address the Waynes' murder?) but not completely aging up this new Batman could help build out the world of this new DCU pretty significantly.

Blue and Grey

Another way to further differentiate this new onscreen Batman would be through his costume, especially since all of the previous cinematic Batman portrayals in the past few decades have used a black and/or grey color scheme.

Throw this new DCU Batman in his classic blue and grey suit — which has gotten close to, but failed, to appear in live-action — and it will not only make a lot of fans happy, but it will clearly differentiate from Pattinson's Batsuit in sequels.

The Bat-Fam

If the past decade-or-so of online discourse is any indication, a lot of DC fans really want to see the "Bat Family" brought to life onscreen. The various allies of Bruce have been a huge part in the enduring legacy of DC's comics over the years — but have yet to fully flourish onscreen, outside of sporadic solo appearances from a sidekick or two.

While Pattinson's Batman is still in his early days, and Affleck's version presumably lost all of his previous sidekicks, this new turning point for the DCU could allow for a full-fledged Bat Family onscreen, and provide the fodder for countless spinoffs in the process.

Larger than Life Villains

Going forward, it's safe to assume that The Batman will continue to take a street-level approach to Bruce's rogues gallery, with that saga already establishing grounded versions of The Riddler, The Penguin, and Joker. If the DCU wanted to provide the opposite side of that spectrum with its new Batman, it should go weird with its villains — and it definitely could find ways to do so.

Whether with absurd characters like Man-Bat and Bat-Mite, or with a less-whitewashed version of the League of Assassins, the DCU could find a number of foes for its Batman that don't step on the toes of what Reeves' corner is doing.

World's Greatest Detective

The Batman very clearly treated Bruce's domain as its own character, something that Reeves himself cited multiple times. While Pattinson's version of the character could conceivably leave Gotham in future sequels, the DCU Batman should make that a priority. There are decades of comics showcasing Bruce's globetrotting days, and focusing on his worldwide efforts with teams like the Outsiders and Batman, Inc.

It would be delightful to see a version of that onscreen — and have him serve as a conduit for fleshing out the larger DCU in the process.

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What elements do you want to see with the new DC Universe Batman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!