You can’t have a cinematic Batman without his Batmobile. Part of the fun of every new live-action iteration of the Dark Knight is seeing what his tricked out new vehicle is. Then it’s about seeing how closely it sticks to the comics. Now, director Matt Reeves has revealed the first look for his Bruce Wayne’s ride for the upcoming The Batman, along with another look at Robert Pattinson as its titular hero. This time with his cape actually attached.
You can check out Reeves’ Batmobile reveal tweets below. Then we’ll unpack the influences of this newest version of the Caped Crusader’s famous car.
?? #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/qJFNprk1ut
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) March 4, 2020
So, the first big difference from both the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy and the version from Batman v Superman is that the Batmobile is once again an actual car, and not another military grade tank. The Tumbler, as Lucius Fox called it, was very cool when we first saw it in Batman Begins. But we feel the novelty of the “Bat-tank” has worn off. It’s good to see an actual Batmobile that’s an actual automobile once again in live-action.
This muscle car looks like something closer to an actual car that a real person would own. It’s just tricked out beyond belief. If it’s close to any previous Batmobile we’ve seen on-screen, then it’s probably actually closest to the 1996 television one. That was the first iconic Batmobile ever to be widely known in pop culture. Many fans still love it to this day. The Reeves Batmobile feels like a modern version of that more than anything akin to what the other movies had, even the Tim Burton ones. The original Batmobile was also “just a car,” although it was a spruced-up 1955 Lincoln Futura concept show car.
DC Comics
If this movie Batmobile has a comic book counterpart, then it’s probably the version first seen in Batman #288 in 1977. After years of the hero driving around in cars that resembled the TV series one, this was the first Batmobile in a long time that looked more like a real sports car. Only with a giant bat painted on the hood. It needed to have some bat-flair after all. It’s also somewhat similar to the version from the mid-80s, which was the one that Jason Todd tried to steal the tires from. This act of chutzpah made Batman take an interest in Todd, leading him to becoming the second Robin.
DC Comics
Of course, considering that Matt Reeves’ new movie will likely take place closer to the “year one” time frame for Batman, it’s possible this is just an early version. By the end of the film, he could be riding around in something a little more sci-fi. But so far so good. We like that they’re letting the tank concept rest for awhile. Matt Reeves will score some real nerd points if he gives Catwoman a version of her Catmobile from the ’60s series. We believe you can make it work, Mr. Reeves! Selina Kyle deserves her own tricked out car too!
Featured Image: Warner Brothers
