The Batman and the evolution of the Caped Crusader
“We can rebuild. We can do better. We will” – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
DC’s Batman has stood the test of time.
Making his first appearance in issue 27 of Detective Comics on 30 March 1939, there has since been a Batman film for virtually every generation (even excluding animated versions such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman: The Lego Movie, and Suicide Squad, where Batman makes no more than a cameo appearance):
1960s – Batman: The Movie
1980s – Batman
1990s – Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin
2000s – The Christopher Nolan trilogy – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises
2010s – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League
2022 – The Batman
There is also a Batman film for virtually every audience. Looking for kitsch family friendly fare? Look no further than Batman: The Movie. After something more gritty and intense, with emotional depth? Choose The Batman or any of the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
To many, Batman is more than just his beginnings as a comic book superhero. Batman is not just the preserve of ‘comic book geeks’. 1989’s Batman starring Michael Keaton became a cult classic, with Tim Burton’s reimagining of a dark and conflicted Batman/Wayne attracting critical acclaim. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, starring Christian Bale as a brooding, tortured Batman and Tom Hardy as his nemesis Bane, grossed $1.08 billion.
As the franchise has progressed, Bruce Wayne/Batman has become ever more three dimensional. Some films have been poorly received – such as 1997’s Batman and Robin, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League, starring Ben Affleck. However, this hasn’t killed the franchise. Instead, it reboots, and Batman returns more ominous and imposing than ever – the theatrical releases immediately following these critically panned instalments were Batman Begins and The Batman respectively, both heralding the arrival (or in the case of the latter, re-emergence) of a darker, grittier Gotham City.
“Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up” – Alfred, Batman Begins
Moving on from the comic book stylings of 1966’s Batman: The Movie, later films explore how Bruce Wayne’s background led to him becoming the man that he is; 2005 origin film Batman Begins is one of the most popular instalments in the franchise, gathering a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb.
Playing Batman on the big screen has the power to make or break an actor’s career. Birdman acknowledges the role that Batman (the highest-grossing film in 1989) had in reinvigorating the career of Michael Keaton, showcasing a different side to the Beetlejuice actor and leading to a host of diverse roles. Conversely, playing a poorly received Batman in Batman and Robin did George Clooney’s career no favours, with Clooney lamenting that the role ‘nearly ruined his film career’.
Whilst Bale was known for his versatility before he was cast as the Dark Knight, the Batman franchise is responsible for some surprising actor reinventions. Few would have anticipated that leads from teen romances – Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You) and Robert Pattinson (the Twilight series) – would so convincingly subvert our expectations. Heath Ledger played a disturbingly convincing Joker in The Dark Knight and was so committed to the role that he reportedly stayed in character off-set for the duration of filming.
Likewise, whilst fans of the franchise had their doubts when they heard that Robert Pattinson had been cast in the title role of the latest Batman incarnation, many were pleasantly surprised at how well he played a sombre, brooding Wayne/Batman in what is quite possibly the darkest instalment in the Batman franchise to date.
The Batman films certainly give actors a great opportunity to show a different side to their repertoire – for instance, Danny De Vito and a virtually unrecognisable Colin Farrell as The Penguin in Batman Returns and The Batman, Cillian Murphy pre-Peaky Blinders as The Scarecrow in Batman Begins, and the ever-versatile Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” – Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight
March 2022 saw the arrival of the eagerly anticipated The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. The film has been well-received, garnering 88% from critic reviews compiled on the Rotten Tomatoes website, and 85% in audience reviews.
After Ben Affleck’s poorly received Batman, it makes a welcome change to see an actor defy negative preconceptions and deliver a praise-worthy performance in the role of the billionaire Caped Crusader.
Despite some critics dismissing him as an ‘emo Batman’, Pattinson succeeds in delivering a brooding, pensive hero. Whilst he starts the film declaring, “I’m vengeance” as he singlehandedly overpowers a gang of gun-wielding thugs, The Batman is more than a mere showcase for notoriously anti-gun Batman to defeat his foes using just his fists.
The Batman is not only dark in the literal sense (filmed in a Gotham City that rarely sees daylight) but is figuratively dark, too – opening with a politician being brutally murdered by a weapon-wielding, terrifyingly sinister Riddler. The 2022 Riddler is a stark contrast to Jim Carrey’s jocular 1995 Batman Forever incarnation, and The Batman is a far cry from the camp, kitsch humour of Batman’s first screen outing in 1966’s Batman: The Movie.
The Batman shows the evolution of Batman, as he explores his motivation for his vigilantism, whilst simultaneously witnessing the unspeakable horrors delivered by serial killer The Riddler, who draws Batman into his sadistic games by leaving a card with a riddle for our eponymous hero at the scene of each increasingly horrific murder.
During the film, Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne must revisit his family history and his own past, and learns some uncomfortable truths about his philanthropic father. Crime and politics intertwine, there is a fleeting romance between Batman and Selina Kyle, and we learn more about the complicated relationship between Bruce Wayne and his loyal butler Alfred.
Dark pasts haunt Batman, Catwoman and The Riddler, and the film explores how each character responds differently to their orphaned status, each seeking vengeance against their circumstances in their own way. When one of The Riddler’s disciples declares, “I’m vengeance” as Batman thwarts his attempt to shoot newly elected mayor Bella Reál, the sniper’s adoption of his own words prompts Batman to reevaluate his motivation, and his role within Gotham City.
“Vengeance won’t change the past. Mine or anyone else’s. I have to become more. People need hope” – Batman, The Batman
Whilst sticking to the ‘bat mould’ with its flamboyant action sequences, such as an epic car chase between Pattinson’s Batman and Colin Farrell’s Penguin, The Batman is also a psychological thriller, that persuades us to step within Batman’s psyche, and The Riddler’s. We are also encouraged to explore how corruption weaves its way through politics and policing, and the impact this has upon Gotham City.
The film succeeds in its goal of showing a physically tough but emotionally vulnerable Wayne/Batman, and neatly paves the way for a sequel, with a fleeting appearance by The Joker minutes from the end, as he befriends The Riddler from an adjoining cell in Arkham Asylum.
“They think I am hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows” – Batman, The Batman
The Marvel universe is constantly expanding, with a new blockbuster released virtually every year, and series such as Wandavision and Hawkeye on Disney Plus. Conversely, whilst there are other heroes within the DC Universe, most notably Superman and Wonder Woman, we always return to Batman.
The classic story of orphaned Bruce Wayne, faithful servant Alfred and the flamboyant villains (Penguin, Riddler, Two Face, Joker) remains the same, but it is retold in a myriad of different ways. Batman is always evolving and, as long as there are new perspectives to explore, fans will continue lining up at the box office to watch the latest instalment in the ever-popular franchise.
Written by Michelle Peet
Like Batman, Michelle Peet has different identities. Unlike Batman, she's not a billionaire philanthropist by day, or a caped vigilante at night.
By day, Michelle Peet is a parent and lawyer.
At night, when her daughter finally falls asleep, Michelle writes magazine articles and children’s stories, and runs Cuddly Cactus Books, an independent picture book publisher.
Three of her favourite things are pizza, Las Vegas, and Christmastime.
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