It’s no secret that DC has been going through some big changes lately. And along with all of the exciting plans for the franchise, there are some interesting possibilities for Batman. Fans have often wondered exactly how Batman would fit into a DC continuity that would turn the universe into a single cohesive story. Well, certain Batmans may not have to. When DC finalizes its 10-year plan to make a single universe, it might unveil plans for separate Batman movies. With a single cross-title narrative taking place over such a long time, Batman could be one of those lucky superheroes with multiple continuities.
Matt Reeves, Zack Snyder, and Akiva Goldsman all have their own visions of Batman. Obviously, not all will get made, but allowing some movies to exist outside the main DC continuity could let other directors explore the character in a way that might otherwise be limited by the goals of intersecting heroes. There could be more shows and greater opportunities for creativity. Zack Snyder could bring us a Batman that would work with the rest of the Justice League. Matt Reeves could make his Bat Universe even darker than it is. Akiva Goldsman could do work with the rest of the Batman characters outside of Bruce Wayne. Splitting Batman into multiple stories could be a great thing for the character.
Justice League's Batman Is the Most Mainstream Version
The Batman that many of us are acquainted with and who has been in the DCU for years now is the Batman played by Ben Affleck. His role in the franchise has been appealing to a lot of DC movie enthusiasts. He’s a very middle-of-the-road Batman who plays on many of the old tropes fans of the character are familiar with: he’s a billionaire playboy, his superpower is his money, and he has a giant supercomputer in his basement. He’s the perfect version of Batman with which to expand the DC universe. He can cooperate, and recently in DC, he hasn’t been focused on any of his own stories. He’s the Batman we all know who sits around the table at the Justice League. And it’s likely we’ll see more of him.
As DC sets up to expand its universe, the most important movies in the franchise are going to be cross-title, team-up films, ones where hype generated by individual superhero movies will come to a head in big explosive conflicts. But creating that type of woven narrative is difficult because each individual film can’t raise the stakes too high, lest they step on someone else’s toes. Ben Affleck’s Batman is perfect for this level of cooperation because he’s able to fight the joker and other villains and still make it into other films, as we saw in the post-credits scene of Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League.
This continuity of Batman also makes a more diverse number of shows and stories possible. Fans can explore the smaller parts of Batman in shows like Akiva Goldsman’s Titans. Having a main thread for the Batman identity lets other Batman characters have their time in the spotlight, like Batgirl, may she rest in peace. But creating a Batman connected to the Justice League allows him to do the big multi-story fights while Robin or the Red Hood are telling their tales in Gotham. It even gives them a chance to step up to the big leagues.
Matt Reeves’ Batman Is Free to Show a Different Side of Batman
The separation also allows creator Matt Reeves to spin off stories from The Batman. And he can do it without fear of intersecting with another movie or having to do awkward exposition just to make a point of connecting universes. It lets him operate freely without the shackles of someone else’s goals looming over him.
Matt Reeves already ramped up the stakes in The Batman, where his hero technically won the battle but lost the war when the entire city of Gotham was flooded. It also lets him take his version of Batman into much darker places without having to put on the kid gloves for other superheroes. Audiences will know that Matt Reeves’ universe might not be for kids.
Robert Pattinson also has the freedom to explore a different kind of Batman. Where Ben Affleck might be better at playing the stable, heroic Bruce Wayne side of Batman, Pattinson’s character was designed to be inexperienced, emotionally fragile, and new to this world of heroism. Pattinson can play a Batman that is still figuring himself out. His character will focus more on how his internal conflict applies to his dark work of justice.
In contrast, Ben Affleck’s Batman doesn’t need to answer these emotional questions and can simply be impressive for just being Batman. Matt Reeves also makes his Batman more of a detective than a playboy. As DC continues to evolve, it will also be interesting to see how Batman's story takes shape.