Anticipation for The Batman 2 has reached unexpected levels following the success of the HBO crime series, The Penguin. Although the public has largely been kept in the dark concerning what goes on or who appears in The Batman sequel, director Matt Reeves recently shared a piece of information that puts the movie in danger of avoidable criticism: Bruce Wayne would find it “very hard to be Batman,” likely blaming himself for the devastating flood caused by the Riddler.
Extensively explored in The Dark Knight Rises, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Dark Knight Returns, and non-Batman IPs such as Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man 3, the audience has had its fill of the “tired of being a superhero” trope. Feeding the Batman faithful a Bruce Wayne wallowing in self-guilt will likely be distasteful. With Robert Pattinson’s Batman still in his prime, it would be an unwise choice to make him self-doubt at this stage, especially when the clamor for an active Batman with his rogues gallery is at an all-time high. Instead, The Batman 2 should double down on Batman honing his detective and combat skills, cleaning Gotham’s streets, and perfecting Batman’s image as Gotham’s true protector.
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Batman Was Noticeably Absent in The Penguin
The first hint that something was up with the Dark Knight was in The Penguin. Although the series did everything right, viewers couldn’t help but notice a high-profile absence. Neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne appears in the series, even when the time most called for it.
In The Penguin, Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobb attempts to fill the gap left in Gotham City’s criminal underworld after Carmine Falcone’s death. After a series of murders, he successfully establishes himself as the top dog among the city’s gangs. Throughout the eight-episode ordeal, not only is Batman absent, but even mentions of him are scarce. The Bat Signal piercing through the skyline in the final shot of the final episode was all fans got. Given that Batman was hot on Oz’s heels in the first film, it is doubtful that he was not privy to his atrocities.
While it’s tempting to link this with Reeves’ recent comments, the truth about Batman’s absence in The Penguin is quite simple. He and showrunner Lauren LeFranc didn’t want to pull a Marvel with an act of fan service by injecting unnecessary cameos. A Penguin series with Batman lurking around the screen might take the limelight off Oz. Even a little taste of Batman’s presence would deepen fans’ disappointment if they didn’t get more of it; it was one of those cases where none trumps little.
A Guilt-Laden Batman Is Becoming Tiring
Another Sad Batman Story Risks Being Too Repetitive
If a Batman going through an identity and guilt crisis only to be juggled by a challenging villain sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Since the early days of Batman: The Animated Series, a deeply introspective Batman — one who either struggles to balance his night duties with his personal life, or broods about losses incurred from his face-off with villains — has been the locus of many Batman films. Some of them, such as The Dark Knight Rises, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and even the Batman: Arkham games, are still fresh in the minds of cinemas for how brilliantly, or poorly, they tackled the concept. The idea isn’t limited to dear old Bruce, either. A similar — but not identical — dynamic played out in Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man 3.
Batman Is More Than Just A Burdened Hero
Although Batman’s character is steeped in a moral dilemma, constantly pitting him against his conscience risks growing tiresome. What makes Batman an interesting character is not emotional trauma, but complexity, discipline, skill, and most importantly, resilience and commitment. He isn’t a man who folds when the pressure of living in one of the most dangerous cities on the planet and the losses attached to trying to save it come knocking. If anything, he is addicted to the cape and cowl, with Bruce Wayne being his real mask.
Most fans would prefer to see Batman in his prime, in Gotham in its prime, tackling villains in their prime, rather than one who spends half the movie brooding as Gotham’s streets boil. DC’s last attempt at a larger-than-life character not wanting to embrace his identity resulted in significant backlash and a spectacular box office failure, despite some nuances.
The Batman 2 Should Double Down On Rage, Not Regret
In The Batman, Bruce is eager to save the city; thus, there is less Bruce and more Batman. The wake of being outplayed by the Riddler, failing to prevent the ensuing chaos, and Oswald Cobb’s rise to power should fuel Batman’s rage to pursue justice. Having him switch from that to an individual trapped in a cycle of guilt, without facing any significant threat or loss, would be a hard one to sell, even for Matt Reeves. It’s not hard to imagine a Batman-starved audience from The Penguin coming to The Batman 2 and leaving unsatisfied upon sitting through yet another one of the Caped Crusader’s overplayed moral struggles when the stakes in Gotham are at their highest. There was already discontent among some fans upon hearing the news, and more may join them as the details surface.
Regardless, the success of The Batman and The Penguin means that fans will have little reason to doubt Reeves and his vision. The director’s proven skill at writing a character right means that an even more emotional Batman than the first film may come just as well received. But it doesn’t invalidate the point that audiences have had their fill of the cliché and deserve something refreshing. Given that the script of The Batman 2 is still unfinished (according to James Gunn on Threads) there’s time for Reeves to reconsider the direction and choose a more compelling storyline from the vast Batman mythos.
The Batman Part II
- Director
- Matt Reeves
- Writers
- Matt Reeves
- Studio(s)
- DC Studios
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