10 Reasons Robert Pattinson’s Batman Should Not Join James Gunn’s DC Universe

Robert Pattinson’s Batman joining the new DC Universe is not the best scenario for the Dark Knight, and a few reasons explain why. Pattinson has become the latest star on the list of live-action Batman actors. He debuted as Bruce Wayne in 2022’s The Batman and will return for at least two more sequels. However, progress on The Batman – Part II‘s story has been slow, with Matt Reeves still having to finish the script for the movie.

That has led to delays. The movie was originally scheduled to release this year, but was then pushed to 2026 before arriving at its October 1, 2027, release date. The Batman sequel’s delay has led to rumors about how DC might be retooling the project to allow Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne to become the DCU’s Batman. However, Andy Muschietti, the director of Batman’s The Brave and the Bold movie, recently revealed the two franchises will remain separate, and that is for the best for the DCU and The Batman universe for some important reasons.

10

Robert Pattinson’s Batman Has No Bat-Family

The DCU Will Feature The Team

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The Brave and the Bold will be very close to the comics. One of the main ways the DCU movie will attempt to do this is by featuring key characters from Batman’s corner of DC Comics. The Brave and the Bold‘s story follows Bruce Wayne as he learns that he has a son, Damian, and bonds with him throughout the film. At 38, Pattinson’s Batman could find out he has a son.

However, the difficult part of tying the two franchises is not related to Damian. The problem is that James Gunn confirmed that multiple Bat-Family members will appear in The Brave and the Bold. Gunn has teased many Batman-related characters over the years, with Dick Grayson and Jason Todd among those who could show up. As Pattinson’s Batman is alone, a fully formed Bat-Family would not make sense.

9

Matt Reeves Wants The Batman Universe To Remain Separate

The Elseworlds Brand Can Continue

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A crucial aspect of why the two franchises are to remain separate is that The Batman universe’s creator prefers it that way. From the start, James Gunn has seemed more open to that idea than Matt Reeves. When the DC Studios creative chief was first asked about a possible merger, he revealed that The Batman would remain an Elseworlds franchise, separate from DCU canon, as that was Reeves’ desire, and DC would respect it.

Robert Pattinson as Batman and Bruce Wayne in The Batman with a few interrogation marks

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Recently, Gunn even talked about how he has considered making Robert Pattinson the DCU’s Batman. He claimed, “I’d be an idiot not to think [about merging the Batman franchises].” Reeves also talked about the possibility recently. According to The Batman director, while he does not know what the future could hold, he is only focused on making The Batman – Part II special. Check out the full quote below:

“It really comes down to whether or not it makes sense. I think what’s been great is it was really a kind of story I wanted to tell – we’re calling it The Epic Crime Saga and all of that – which is the thrust of what we want to do, and it’s been important to be able to play that out.

And James and Peter have been really, really great about that, and they are letting us do that. And what the future brings, I can’t really tell you. I have no idea right now, except that my head is down now about getting The Batman – Part II shooting and to make it something really special, which, of course, is the most important thing.

I don’t know, we’ll have to see where that goes.”

8

The DCU Cannot Wait For The Batman Trilogy To End

Delays Have Plagued Robert Pattinson’s Batman Franchise

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The Batman was released in 2022. The movie was a box office hit and scored mostly positive reviews from critics, also landing well with fans. That hype continued with The Penguin, with the HBO series expanding the world of the franchise in exciting ways. However, it will take quite some time for the next chapter in the saga to arrive, as The Batman – Part II will only be released in 2027.

The Batman Franchise

Movie

Release Date

The Batman

March 4, 2022

The Batman – Part II

October 1, 2027

The Batman 3

TBD

Matt Reeves has said that he has a trilogy planned for Pattinson’s Batman. Based on his recent comments, it seems like he is not completely closed off about a merger if it were to happen after his three films are done. However, due to delays, The Batman trilogy might only end in at least 2023. With David Corenswet’s Superman debuting this year, the DCU simply cannot have Batman absent for five years or more.

7

The Batman Universe’s Villains Are Grounded

The Franchise Will Never Go Full Fantastical

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The world Matt Reeves has created with The Batman franchise is both accurate to the character in the comics but also grounded in reality. After all, Reeves has named his franchise The Batman Epic Crime Saga, with The Penguin being a hard-hitting drama about Gotham’s criminals. So far, the Riddler, Catwoman, the Joker, the Penguin, and other Batman villains in the franchise have all been grounded.

Batman and the villain Clayface — in full monster form — made their DCU debuts in Creature Commandos.

DC even chose to change the Penguin’s name from Oswald Cobblepot to Oz Cobb to make him more gangster-like. Reeves has said that The Batman franchise “might push to the edge of fantastical, but we would never go into full fantastical.” This likely rules out villains like Clayface, who has appeared in the DCU already in his fully-fledged monstrous form. As such, the tone of the two Batman franchises should be quite different, making a merger unlikely.

6

There Are No Other Heroes In The Batman Universe

The DCU Is Starting With Several Heroes

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Aside from not having a Bat-Family, Robert Pattinson’s Batman is also alone in his universe in another key regard. No other DC heroes have appeared in The Batman or The Penguin. James Gunn even debunked a rumor that Dick Grayson would appear and become Robin in The Batman – Part II. As such, Pattinson firmly lives in a universe where he is the sole hero for now.

The DCU is taking a very different approach with its first few projects. Gunn’s Superman movie will focus on David Corenswet’s Man of Steel, but it will also introduce multiple other heroes from the franchise, such as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Other DCU projects, like Lanterns, the recently-released Creature Commandos, and more, will also focus on multiple heroes or teams of characters. Pattinson’s Batman is alone, making a DCU move confusing.

5

Audiences Can Deal With Two Live-Action Versions Of Batman

The Arrowverse And The DCEU Repeated A Few Characters

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According to reports, one of the main reasons DC has been considering Pattinson as the DCU’s Batman is out of fear that audiences will be confused by two live-action Batman franchises. The Dark Knight has been a hard character to get in terms of live-action rights for DC projects. The Arrowverse, DC’s popular shared TV universe, could only use an old version of Bruce Wayne for a single episode.

However, DC has had multiple versions of other heroes at the same time in live-action. Tyler Hoechlin and Henry Cavill as Superman, and Grant Gustin & Ezra Miller as the Flash are some good examples of how different live-action takes on the same DC heroes can co-exist. Pattinson’s Batman joining the DCU is not necessary if it is a move based on fear, as audiences can fully grasp the concept of the multiverse, which is popular in Marvel and DC projects, and understand the two Batman franchises are separate.

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There Are Many Exciting Casting Choices For The DCU Batman Already

Talented Actors Have Revealed Their Desire To Play Batman

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One of the biggest points in favor of keeping the two Batman franchises separate is that there are many popular choices for the DCU’s Batman. With so many talented actors revealing they want to play the new Bruce Wayne and fans getting excited about casting possibilities, there is no need for Pattinson to come in and risk issues with The Batman franchise in the process.

DC Studios logo, Blake Lively in It Ends With Us, and DC Comics' Batman

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The Boys‘ Jensen Ackles, Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson, Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal, and many more have thrown their hat into the ring to play the DCU’s Batman. This would allow DC to have two excellent versions of the Dark Knight with Pattinson and a new actor as Bruce Wayne. 1923‘s Brandon Sklenar has become another fan-favorite for the role in the past few months, and after David Corenswet went through a similar process for Superman, the DCU’s Batman casting has a lot of potential.

3

The Batman Is DC Studios’ Biggest Elseworlds Franchise

The DCU Is Not DC’s Only Focus

The Batman's Dark Knight and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker looking in different ways

Recently, when Gunn spoke about having contemplated bringing Pattinson’s Batman into the DCU, he claimed DC is committed to both DCU and Elseworlds stories. That is important. While the DCU is the studio’s main focus moving forward, other projects not set in the DCU’s continuity will not be abandoned. Those are part of the Elseworlds brand, which Gunn recently said DC is working on a separate intro from DC Studios’ for new projects.

Crossing over its largest Elseworlds franchise, The Batman universe, with the DCU would hurt the brand as it tries to get off the ground.

It seems like DC fully intends to make the Elseworlds brand a big thing. As such, crossing over its largest Elseworlds franchise, The Batman universe, with the DCU would hurt the brand as it tries to get off the ground. The animated Harley Quinn and Keanu Reeves’ Constantine 2 cannot keep the Elseworlds brand going alone, so a popular hero like Pattinson’s Batman is needed.

2

Robert Pattinson’s Batman Does Not Fit Creature Commandos’ Dark Knight Debut

The Animated Series Featured Batman’s DCU Debut

Batman stood outside in front of lightning in Creature Commandos Episode 6

Batman has already appeared twice in the DCU. Even though no actor has been cast in the role, the Dark Knight showed up in two episodes of Max’s Creature Commandos. First, the animated series saw Batman alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and other deceased heroes in a nightmare-like vision of a possible future. Then, Batman made his first canon appearance, and he looked very different from Robert Pattinson’s.

Batman sent Doctor Phosphorus to prison in Creature Commandos.

The DCU’s Batman is not as slim as Pattinson’s, and his suit also appears to have a different texture and a more classic-looking utility belt. That said, Gunn claimed the design of characters who appear in the series but have not been cast can vary for their live-action debuts. However, if Pattinson’s Batman had been in mind for the DCU, his animated counterpart would likely have been created with that in mind.

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Robert Pattinson’s Batman Would Not Be The Focal Point Of The DCU As He Is In The Batman Universe

The DCU Already Has A Main Hero

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Finally, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne would not have the same status he has in The Batman universe in the DCU. In Matt Reeves’ franchise, Batman is the biggest character. All stories are in some way impacted by him, and his presence can be felt in the shadows of Gotham City. However, if Pattinson’s Batman were to make the jump to the DCU, he would join a world full of heroes.

More than that, the franchise already has a main hero. That is David Corenswet’s Superman. The Man of Steel will be the star of the DCU’s first movie, and DC Studios’s creative chief, James Gunn, wrote and directed the film. The DCEU’s Superman was controversial, so the DCU is taking special care with the character. Pattinson’s Batman would be important, but never as much as Corenswet’s Superman is to the DCU.

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The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.

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