For the second consecutive year (due to you-know-what), The Batman panel capped off the DC FanDome event, and this time, we’re seeing a full-on trailer. (Whew, it’s intense.) DC Comics fans are getting plenty of peeks at director Matt Reeves’ vision of what led Bruce Wayne to become a masked vigilante. And boy, is Robert Pattinson’s take a brutal one, although one would be forgiven for being distracted by Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman wondering aloud about what’s underneath Batman’s cowl while uttering the most glorious movie cliché of all time: “Maybe we’re not so different.”
One thing is certain about this trailer: Bruce Wayne is dealing with many adversaries, and they just won’t stop coming at Batman. As well, the gloom and the grime and all of the tangibly pulpy glory is so vivid and punchy in its presentation, that it’s no wonder that DC decided to release a new collection of Batman comics that include a Frank Miller origin story. However, this is surely not a straight-up adaptation of Year One or any other singular comic. In addition, The Riddler (Paul Dano, enjoying a cuppa and leaving puzzles for fans to solve) and The Penguin (Colin Farrell, who’s sounding like the toughest cabbie in all of Gotham) should figure prominently into this movie.
This trailer re-highlights the “I am vengeance” snarl from Pattinson (from the previous teaser), and he’s not here for anyone describing his Batman as “sweetheart.” It’s a joyous experience to see him pummeling all of those goons. Bye bye, Edward Cullen, you’re gone for good, and this film might also vanquish the sneakily-inserted Batman origin story that Todd Phillips inserted into Joker. Neither film, it must be noted, is part of the DCEU, although The Batman takes place in the same universe as an upcoming HBO Max series about the Gotham PD. So many universes.
The Batman arrives on March 4, 2022.
