We’ve been here before. Jump back to the early 2010s, and comic book movie fans were having the exact same debate about DC and its movie universe future as they are now. Around 2011, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy ended, and the new DCEU was still in its formative stages. By 2012, fans everywhere were wondering if Christian Bale’s Batman would stand alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, bringing the worlds of Nolan’s trilogy and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel together. It ultimately didn’t happen; Snyder tried to introduce Ben Affleck as a new vision of Batman, and the rest is (infamous) history. Cut back now, and fans are once again wondering: will Robert Pattinson’s Batman (from director Matt Reeves’ The Batman film series) share the screen with David Corenswet’s Superman, in James Gunn’s new DCU franchise?
Videos by ComicBook.com
There is already a long list of reasons why this onscreen collaboration isn’t going to happen, but here’s a hot take: it would be oddly perfect if it did. Below, you’ll find some pretty good arguments for why it would work better than most fans (or even the studio) think.
“Robert Pattinson’s Batman Is Too Dark & Scary For the DCU!”
Robeter Pattinson’s (emo) take on Bruce Wayne, and the over aesthetic of Gotham City that Matt Reeves and co. created in The Batman, are definitely polar opposites to the bright, fantastical version of Metropolis that James Gunn introduced in Superman. And that’s exactly the point, isn’t it?
DC Comics lore is constantly going back to the idea that Batman and Superman are very different kinds of heroes, in large part because of the different kinds of environments they grew up in and/or currently live in. So, while many fans look at The Batman franchise as being incongruent with DCU shared universe films, that juxtaposition may be the best way to finally highlight the different worlds of Batman and Superman, onscreen. Moreover, James Gunn has made it clear that DC Studios projects will come in a wide range of genres, tones, and even ratings. If Creatures Commandos and a Clayface body-horror movie can stand alongside Superman in the DCU, The Batman can too.
The Batman’s World Is Dark, Yes, But He Still Has DCU Values
Yes, Reeves made his version of The Batman feel like a David Fincher serial killer movie, with a more fanciful detective, femme fatale, and killer at its center. However, Reeves was also very careful to convey that while Pattinson’s Batman may have a darker, edgelord personality, he also had the Dark Knight’s strict moral code. Pattinson’s Batman admonishes Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) for trying to kill, and despite personal risk (and numerous injuries), he refuses to use fatal attacks or return gunfire in the climactic showdown with The Riddler’s army of incels. More so than Affleck’s Batman, Pattinson’s Caped Crusader seems to be very rigid in his moral code.
So, when we’re imagining what it would look like to have Corenswet’s Superman working with Pattinson’s Batman? Yes, the awkward clash of personalities would be there (as it should be), but at the end of the day, both heroes would find common ground in their values about where to draw the line on killing. It’s a core foundation to build a DCU Justice League on, while still allowing Batman to be appropriately harder and edgier in how he approaches crimefighting.
It’s NOT “Bad For (DCU) Business”
The real story of “success” or “failure” when it comes to Superman‘s performance isn’t just box office receipts. For a reboot that’s also meant to launch an entire shared universe IP, it’s also very much about branding and merchandising. And, if you haven’t been tracking those, it’s already clear that DC Studios and Warner Bros. achieved wins on both fronts. In that sense, there might be some fairly measured worry within the studio that The Batman franchise doesn’t have the same kind of wide marketability as Superman. That’s a game-changing predicament for DC/WB, as Batman has been the company’s go-to cash cow for decades now.
Yes, it should be obvious to anyone that The Batman films aren’t going to ever sell as many toys, lunchboxes, backpacks, bedding sets, and other kid-themed merch as Superman – but it doesn’t need to. DC Studios is going for a diversified portfolio of content, and the same philosophy should carry over to the merchandising campaign: they should vary with each project. Sell kids and pet stuff as the major thrust of Superman’s tie-in merch; for The Batman Part II, start re-aligning things to sell goods more toward collectors, teens, and young adults. High-end collectibles; higher-end fashion items (motorcycle jackets, cosplay costumes, prop gadgets), tabletop games, tie-in novels or world-expanding comics, etc. The bottom line here is that following only one marketing and merchandising standard for the DCU already seems impossible; The Batman can be just as valuable to the business if marketed correctly.
The Batman Already Set Things Up Perfectly
Reeves’ film admittedly got a bit muddled in its third act (thanks, Covid!), but the director managed to land the plane (bumpily) onto the thematic tarmac of having Bruce Wayne/Batman come out of the Riddler case and subsequent terrorist attack on Gotham with a new outlook. R-Bat was committed to leaving behind the frightening ‘vengeance personified’ aspect of being Batman, and evolve himself into a symbol that can heroically inspire the people of Gotham to believe in their city again, and fight for it. (Meanwhile, villains like Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb/Penguin are feasting on the dying city.)
With Robert Pattinson’s Batman character left in that kind of place, who better to help him achieve that heroic evolution than Superman? It cannot be stressed enough that the exact kind of odd-pair fun DC fans want from a Batman and Superman collaboration is exactly what we’d get watching Corenswet’s good-natured Superman trying to get Pattinson’s brooding Batman to lighten up, be hopeful, or connect with others. Think of Rain Man with superheroes. It would be fantastic.
The Batman Part II can make this happen sooner before later. As Batman struggles to be more hopeful, while Gotham is slipping into being a second-world city on the brink, a cameo from Superman could galvanize some key thematic motion. By the time Reeves ends the sequel, Pattinson’s Batman could be fully formed and ready to be a Justice League leader.
Pattinson’s Batman Is the Awkward Daddy The Brave and the Bold Needs
The hardest hurdle to overcome with the DCU Batman and his The Brave and the Bold movie is how to find the right actor to play The Dark Knight. This will be a Batman who both interacts with an entire library of fantastical DC heroes and villains, while also acting as a father figure to characters in the Bat-Family (Nightwing, Oracle, Robin III, Red Hood, Batgirl, Huntress), and an actual father to his biological son, Damian Wayne. Again, the fun in this approach will clearly be found in seeing Batman (the notoriously stoic, harsh, vigilante-of-few-words) trying to navigate these personal and interpersonal relationships.
The film needs to be serious enough to be on-brand for Batman, but still lighthearted enough to be an engaging metaphor for modern parenting that both kids and adults resonate with. So, if you start to envision a film that’s more like Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy with superheroes, suddenly a pick like Robert Pattinson doesn’t seem so crazy anymore. And, for those not tracking age, Pattinson is about to enter his 40s next year: A brooding and traumatized Millennial struggling to instruct and guide the naive, narcissistic, socially inept Gen Z son he didn’t even know he had? Now that sounds like a movie!
This Fixes DC Studios’ Batman Problem Entirely
No recasting. No rebooting. No more behind-the-scenes tensions. Learn the lessons of history: the DCEU tried to sundown a popular Batman franchise in favor of ‘doing its own thing.’ For as much as there will forever be diehard Batfleck fans, it’s now undeniable that the movie didn’t work: fans just weren’t willing to embrace a new Batman mythos onscreen, as quickly as WB and Zack Snyder hoped they would. So maybe this time around, let’s try the road not taken: turn your sole vestigeal “standalone” franchise (The Batman) into a cornerstone of your universe, and reap all the likely rewards to come.
Do you want to see Robert Pattinson’s Batman and David Corenswet’s Superman together in the DCU? Let us know in the comments!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Pierrot/Shueisha -
Image Credit: DC -
Images Courtesy of Crunchyroll/Studio 4°C
