When you ask the average fan what aspect of Batman’s character appeals to them most, you’re often going to get some variation of “he’s the superhero with no superpowers” or “he’s just a normal guy.” Well, if you consider “normal” to be a billionaire who also happens to be one of the smartest men alive, as well as the world’s greatest detective, martial artist, criminologist and escape artist, then more power to you. But I digress.
If there’s one thing I can say about the director of The Batman, Matt Reeves, it’s that he appears to have a great understanding of this enduring icon. During a recent interview with Nerdist, the filmmaker laid out how the Caped Crusader’s humanity is vital to the story, saying:
“I’m going to pitch the version of Batman that I would do, which is going to have a humanist bent. And who knows if they’ll have any interest? If they don’t, then I won’t do it. And that’ll be okay. I was really lucky that they said yes.”
Seeing a Batman who is perhaps a bit more vulnerable and hitting the learning curve than we’re normally used to makes sense, given that Robert Pattinson’s iteration has been donning cape and cowl for only a year or so. And despite this take on Bruce Wayne’s inexperience, we’re told not to expect yet another origin movie, as Reeves explained:
“I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is. Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle. But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of.”
Admittedly, this does put Reeves on a potentially slippery slope with moviegoers. Though I welcome his direction, those same fans who often love seeing that “normal guy” of whom I spoke earlier tend to complain when they receive anything other than “Bat-God,” if you know what I mean.
The Batman arrives in theaters on June 25, 2021.
