Now that director Matt Reeves has graced audiences with his vision of Batman lore, one can't help but wonder if other DC superheroes will be introduced to this version of the multiverse. Reeves’ take on Gotham is one that is grounded in reality and is exemplified by situations that are all but plausible in real-world scenarios.
To draw comparisons, Riddler’s attempted ‘coup,’ social media presence, and siren call was a chilling reminder of events that happened not too long ago. Batman’s Batmobile is not a crazy mechanical behemoth but a simple muscle car with a lot of thrust. We could go on about how Reeves’ ideas are both plausible and hyperrealistic. Seeing as how successful The Batman was in its first week at the global box office, can this formula be repeated with other properties? Do the concepts of Superman and Wonder Woman exist in this realm, and how would Reeves go about introducing them?
The Superman in the Room
By now, audiences and fans have seen multiple iterations of the Superman origin story. Between Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and the CW’s Superman and Lois, we’re all familiar with Krypton and Smallville. Arguably, Snyder did it best when he introduced these ideas in Man of Steel. His stories were told with a certain level of grandeur and a decent amount of reality. Yes, there was a certain degree of fantastical elements (i.e., the entire leveling of Metropolis during that iconic Zod vs. Superman scene). But for the most part, the way the narrative unfolded was somewhat plausible. Like Reeves, Snyder has a distinctive directorial style that fits in very well with DC characters.
Fans can draw slight comparisons between the gritty cinematography between Man of Steel and The Batman and note that these films are infinitely different compared to the Saturday morning cartoon quality of Marvel movies. Considering that Snyder somewhat came up with a realistic take on Superman, how could Reeves approach this iconic character (and should he?).
Everything audiences have seen in The Batman draws very heavily from specific Batman comic book runs. Thus, it is very authentic to the source material- perhaps this is one of the many reasons the movie connected with fans. Similarly, if Reeves were to follow this path with Superman, he’d have to follow the already established mythos. Superman is an alien; his origins lie in the cosmos. Retconning this storyline will prove to be incredibly inauthentic and, quite frankly, would not fit in with Reeves’ established lore. Bringing aliens into the dark, grim world of Gotham will take audiences out of the mood and universe that he has painstakingly been created and arguably perfected. In a world of corrupt district attorneys, realistic Battech, and grounded villains, the introduction of Superman and other extraterrestrial forces would upend and dilute the effectiveness of this cinematic vision.
Greek Mythology
Now that the case has been (arguably) made against bringing Superman to the Battinson universe, what about the question of going back in time and introducing the concept of Wonder Woman? Like Superman, her powers are very much based in the supernatural and are very fantastic in nature. Wonder Woman’s rogues' gallery goes beyond this. It brings Greek gods to the equation, so in essence, an Amazonian storyline would have to include these elements to be authentic. In a sense, a modern retelling of Greek mythology is somewhat doable, but this was done to an extent with 2017s Wonder Woman.
Patty Jenkins (and by extension Snyder) released a film that saw Diana’s story based in realism and was gritty in nature -- a far cry from Wonder Woman 1984, which arguably didn't perform well due to its cartoony messaging and tone. This is, quite simply put, a character who will not fit within the universe created by Matt Reeves. Wonder Woman’s power set and her origin story are far too based in fiction and will not hold when it comes to how Reeves plans to tell his version of Batman.
Zack Snyder’s version of the DCEU was the closest we got to a comics-accurate version of these characters. His movies were gritty, dramatic and his rendition of these superheroes had a god-like quality to them. Had he continued his vision, audiences would have experienced a seamless integration of his Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
Matt Reeves has, without a doubt, done an impeccable job in realizing a Gotham that is based in reality while the most authentic version of Batman audiences have seen on screen yet. Warner Bros. would be creating a grave mistake if they do not decide to expand this contained universe, and so far, with the announced HBO Max shows, they seem to be on the right track. That said, Reeves should be allowed to expand this universe but have it restricted to everything Batman. There are a myriad of storylines that he can use to expand his mythos and bring in fan-favorite characters from Batman lore. Superheroes like Superman and Wonder Woman do not work in this world and arguably do not need to be introduced or shoehorned for fan service. Let the Flash and the introduction of the multiverse handle that, but Reeves should focus on telling hyperrealistic, gritty stories within the Battinson universe.