The Batmanis the newest addition to the beloved franchise. Released in March 2022, the film follows Bruce Wayne during his second year as Batman as he investigates a trail of riddles linked to a series of murders targeting Gotham's elite. As Bruce does his best to work on this case alone, he quickly discovers that he may need to form new relationships in order to achieve his goal and save Gotham from a masked killer. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, The Batman was a critical and commercial success, with the only complaint being the long run-time. The film was popular enough that it has already been lined up for a sequel, which is said to feature even more Batman villains.
Pattinson had a very close hand with Reeves in perfecting the bat-suit after the actor, per PEOPLE, spent time in every Batman suit while auditioning for The Batman. This gave Pattinson an idea of what worked and what didn't, while also giving him a feel for what would was practical versus what was more for aesthetic. The Batman's suit is not a far departure from many of the previous Batman suits. That being said, there are still quite a few details that set it apart from many of the others. Here are six details on Pattinson's The Batman suit that you may have missed.
Update November 14, 2023: This article has been updated with even more hidden details regarding Robert Pattinson's bat-suit in The Batman.
8 Wear & Tear
The overall look of Pattinson's bat-suit is far less polished than previous suits have been. Not only does this help establish that Bruce is all hands-on, but it also makes a point to show that this iteration of the character works his hardest to fight crime. The wear and tear of the suit also helps to establish that The Batmanis set in the second year of Bruce Wayne's life as the masked vigilante.
The wearing of the suit also lends a sense of harshness that is seen as a part of Bruce's dark personality, also shown by the way he treats Alfred. The scrapes and tears in his suit and cape, along with the little blood stains, show that Bruce is not afraid to get his hands dirty to save Gotham from itself.
This is notable in the stitching on the suit can be easily seen and is thorough but uneven. This tiny detail may not seem like much, but it gives the suit a much-needed DIY feel. It implies this suit has been through some wear and tear, and instead of updating it as past Batman did, Pattinson's version just keeps repairing it.
7 Yellow as a Homage to Batman's Past
The colors often associated with Batman are black, grey, and yellow. Since The Dark Knight, Batman's colors have drifted away from Adam West's more vibrant costume to mainly black and different shades of gray. Pattinson's suit stays true to the newest all-black theme of the bat suit while also paying homage to the classic black and yellow logo from the 1960s with near-imperceptible yellow accents on the sides of his arms. This tiny detail is very easily missed, but if you pause The Batman and look closely, you'll see this little reminder of where Batman came from and how far he's come.
6 Use of Tactical Armor
Over the years, the bat-suit has evolved to suit the realistic needs of the hero. Considering that Batman uses non-lethal forms of combat, he must have a great deal of protection in order to ward off any armed assailants he may encounter. With Christian Bale, we saw a whole new bulky suit with very heavy padding to protect him from being fatally injured. This has continued with Pattinson's suit in The Batman. The way the suit is designed allows for a great deal of mobility during combat with the maximum amount of protection in his most vulnerable spots so that Batman is able to take a good beating without dropping to his knees right away.
It is also thoroughly bulletproof. During the film, Batman takes several rounds at close range and is able to keep fighting. Fans have theorized that the suit is made out of an experimental material similar to Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy that is both bulletproof and extremely flexible. It would be the best choice for Batman to wear, given that this particular material can be shot and reformed again and again.
5 Finally Acknowledged The Eye Liner
A common joke among Batman fans was the fact that the character must be wearing eyeliner to maintain his signature dark eyes, but whenever a Batman actor takes off his mask, there is no sign of it. This inability to acknowledge the eyeliner on Batman led to a fun goof in Batman Returns where in one shot, Keaton's Batman has it on, but when it cuts over to him before he takes the mask off, it is missing and leads to a brief shot of what the Batman looks like without the makeup.
The Batman, however, acknowledged this. Robert Pattinson is seen multiple times throughout the movie without his signature mask, but the eye makeup he wears is still on. One scene even shows him putting it on. This is a small detail but one that it is hard to believe it took so many movies to acknowledge.
4 Adrenalin
The suit contains a special shot of adrenalin to save Batman if he's seriously injured or at the point of losing consciousness. Many fans have speculated that the shot Batman took was actually the drug Venom, which is used by the Batman villain Bane. The injection was fluorescent green and definitely looked a little strange for some average medical supplies.
While it's an interesting theory, concept art for The Batman was released informing fans that the shot Batman took was, in fact, adrenalin. The shot is evidence that his suit contains medical supplies and emergency measures for when Bruce Wayne is in a tight spot.
3 Batman's Skeletal Cowl
Another unique addition that may have skipped your mind is the skeletal cowl surrounding Batman's neck. The cowl is not just there to help Bruce look mysterious, indeed, it serves quite a few purposes. Aside from the obvious protection of his neck from long-range shots, it also assists Bruce in protecting his identity when he gets close to his allies and foes alike.
This also adds to his intimidating appearance, making his shoulders and chest look even broader, sprinkling some fear into the eyes of his adversaries. The designer for the suit's cowl and mask said, per Slash Film, they wished to give a "Grim Reaper feel" to the suit and this definitely adds a deathly vibe to it.
2 Court of Owls Connection
One notable element of Batman's suits are quills around his arm gauntlet. Eagle eye fans might catch that these look very similar to the weapons of the Talons from DC Comics, who are the foot soldiers of the mysterious Gotham secret society, The Court of Owls. While the Court of Owls has been rumored villains for The Batman Part II, nothing has been confirmed, and this design choice might just be a fun homage to the larger DC Universe while also finding a way to make this Batman have a unique design.
Connecting Batman through his enemies with his arm gauntlets was previously done in Batman Begins. That film established the signature razor-sharp elements of Batman's suit were part of the League of Shadows ninja suits that he incorporated into his suit. It appears that filmmakers of DC projects like having Batman borrow elements from his enemies.
1 The Bat Symbol
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While the bat symbol does appear on every bat-suit in cinematic history, Pattinson's emblem is quite unique. This emblem serves as more than just a cool new iteration of the Batman symbol as the symbol itself is a tool. Pattinson has since explained that the emblem is a chest plate that pops out so that he can use it when necessary. Not only is this a practical modification to the Batman emblem on the suit, but the execution of this modification has only had fans raving, wanting more from the costume designers who worked on the suit.
Before the film's release, a common theory about the chest piece was that it was, in fact, the melted-down gun that killed Bruce Wayne's parents. Director Matt Reeves actually cleared up some details about the iconic emblem in an interview with HeyUGuys:
Well I wanted it to be something that was a practical use. It’s not the gun. That was interesting that people were speculating that’s what it was. What people did happen on that’s right is I wanted it to be not just an emblem but I wanted it to be something tactical and functional… That’s actually a glauca knife that he uses in a couple of places in the movie.
The emblem isn't made from the gun that killed Bruce's parents but is, in fact a folding knife. To have it shaped like a bat symbol as part of his suit makes it the closest thing to a Batarang that exists in Matt Reeves' universe. The director's penchant for maximizing the bat-suit's function gives it the potential to hide all sorts of things within it. If fans have a theory about an item that looks purely aesthetic and turning it into something useful, they're probably right.
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