Batman’s look is one of the most iconic in all of superhero mythology, and due to the character’s knack for planning, preparation, and gadgets, it’s no surprise that Batman has a closet full of alternate costumes and specialized suits at his disposal. Every fan has a favorite Bat-suit that’s attached to a spectacular moment in the Dark Knight’s history, whether it was from a comic, a TV show, or a film. That all said, certain Batman suits are way more beloved and iconic than others, and one of the top-ranked costumes just got a cool little nod from the latest Batman TV series.
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Amazon Prime Video’s Bat-Fam animated series explores Bruce Wayne/Batman, his son Damian Wayne/Robin, and Alfred Pennyworth trying to welcome three newcomers to Wayne Manor, while continuing their crime-fighting campaign. It’s a spinoff of the Merry Little Batman animated film from 2023, which saw Damian Wayne adopt a “Little Batman” persona to protect Wayne Manor and Gotham during the holidays while Batman is away. The new series takes an expanded look at Daiman and Batman’s world, and Episode 3 took Damian and Alfred on an adventure that required a serious suit upgrade.
In Bat-Fam Episode 3, “90 is the New 80”, Damian ignores Batman’s advice and makes a drastic play: he recruits Alfred Pennyworth to assist him in tracking down and taking down the Mad Hatter. Of course, the elderly Alfred can’t just hit the streets of Gotham hoping to take down bad guys with his bare hands, so he and Damian hijack Batman’s Exoframe Batsuit!
Bat-Fam Acknowledges the Rich History of Batman’s Exoframe Suit
The Exoframe Batsuit (or “Powered Batsuit,” “Exo-Suit,” or any number of other nicknames) first gained fame in Frank Miller’s 1986 classic DC miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns. It was a mechanically-powered armor exoskeleton that Bruce Wayne designed and then donned for a climactic fight against Superman. Between the added power and protection the armor gave him and the Kryptonite weaponry he designed, Bruce managed to get the better of Superman in their fight and left the Man of Steel down on his knees. Unfortunately, the armor put too much of a physical strain on the middle-aged Bruce Wayne’s heart, and he seemingly died of a heart attack before finishing Superman off.
Dark Knight Returns grew into an iconic piece of Batman lore, and the Exoframe Batsuit became iconic right alongside it. Frank Miller was the first to truly put Batman on the same plane as Iron Man: a billionaire industrialist using his resources to create armor tech that allows him to keep up with superpowered combatants. However, it wasn’t frivolous: the fight between Batman and Superman in Dark Knight Returns is deeply personal, not to mention political, as Superman is taking his friend down to stop Bruce’s revolutionary campaign in Gotham, which has finally provoked the US government into stopping Batman and his growing army. Even with Miller’s messy art style, the image of Batman wrapped in exo-armor was unforgettable.
Zack Snyder took the Exoframe Batsuit right off the comic book page and brought it into live-action for his film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Borrowing straight from Miller’s playbook, Batman v Superman saw Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) don the Exoframe Batsuit to battle Superman (Henry Cavill), after both heroes are manipulated into head-on conflict by Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg). For all the (many) criticisms of Batman v Superman, most viewers thought that Snyder did an admirable job recreating The Dark Knight Returns in live-action, with Ben Affleck’s Exoframe suit being a very impressive costume.
Since Batman v Superman has become one of the most infamous and divisive superhero movies ever made, it has nonetheless introduced the iconography of the Exoframe suit to a much wider audience. Clearly, Bat-Fam had a bit of good fun (and a little dash of fan service) by letting Alfred take the suit out for a spin.
Bat-Fam is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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