The Batman: this is the most badass detail of Robert Pattinson's Batsuit

(Image credit: @Mattreevesla/Warner Bros)

Here's the truth: the world doesn't need another good Batman movie. 

We've got five of those from the past 31 years: Batman, Batman Returns and the Nolan trilogy, without getting into the weeds on The Dark Knight Rises' plot holes. We need a great Superman movie much more than we need a good Batman movie. 2021's The Batman, then, has to show us something new – otherwise, as the third live-action iteration of the Dark Knight within a decade, it could start feeling repetitive to audiences, as evergreen as the Caped Crusader is.  

This week's costume reveal by director Matt Reeves doesn't give too much away: it's one moody shot of Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight in red lighting, set to music from composer Michael Giacchino. But fans have noticed one key detail in less than a minute of footage: the Bat symbol that Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight wears seems to be forged from a gun, speculated to be that of the firearm Joe Chill used to murder Bruce Wayne's parents.

This touch appears to be inspired by a Kevin Smith and Jim Lee story from the comic Detective Comics 1000 back in 2019, as pointed out by a Twitter user with an excellent memory:

Frankly, that's rad as hell

Is it a bit on-the-nose? Well, sure, but superheroes are on the nose. As much depth as Bruce Wayne has relative to other comic book characters, he's still a man dressed as a bat. So why not go all-in on the details? Why not have a Bat symbol forged from a damn gun

Beyond differentiating this Batsuit from previous versions, it's a detail that tells its own little story. That sort of embedded information about the character is a really cool clue as to the tone of the film, and it's slightly more subtle in terms of characterization than the Batman V Superman Dark Knight keeping the Joker-vandalized suit of a dead Robin in his Batcave. 

Generally speaking, fans have been comparing the suit to the outfit from the Arkham games, which has a similar armored look, though The Batman's version looks more angular: 

(Image credit: Warner Interactive)

By contrast, Christian Bale's Batsuit looked more like a lightly armor-plated wet suit. Ben Affleck's looked like it was made from thick fibers, which gave the character a bulky look, suiting his MMA-style brutal combat style. Earlier iterations, like Keaton's suit, had a plastic-y armored quality that famously made it impossible for the character to turn his head without rotating his whole body. 

It's a tricky thing to get right: the Batfleck suit wasn't perfect, but the Bale version did suit that version of the character, who was trained by assassins to move in and out of the shadows, and therefore needed manoeuvrability to do so. 

A story on The Wrap suggests that The Batman will focus on a Bruce Wayne in his second year as the character. The red lighting of this video underlines the noir quality that Reeves has previously used to describe his movie in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter

"It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale," the director said in January. "It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been."

This is a Batman who will actually solve crimes, then, which even in the comics isn't always the focus of the character. Some of the best Batman stories, though, like The Long Halloween, Hush and the Batman animated movie Mask of the Phantasm (itself based on the comic Batman: Year Two), do feature ongoing mysteries with a killer twist. 

Some fans have compared the moody, noir quality of the trailer (and the lighting) to the latest live-action Daredevil series on Netflix, too. And that's not a surprise either. Both Batman and Daredevil were reinvented in the '80s by Frank Miller in a similarly noirish fashion, that would go on to shape both characters for decades. They're likely just drawing on similar influences, from both Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli.

So, what's in a Batsuit, and a 50-second camera test? A lot, actually, and a hint that we really are going to get a Batman movie that can show us something we've never seen before. The world doesn't necessarily need another good movie about the Caped Crusader, but every sign suggests this one is in excellent hands. 

The Batman releases on June 25, 2021.

Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.

Latest in Entertainment
The Russo brothers posing for a photograph and Herman carrying a Volkswagen camper van in The Electric State
'We're optimists': AI enthusiasts Joe and Anthony Russo defend its use in movies and TV shows, but admit there are 'very real dangers' around its application
Max Verstappen of Red Bull in testing for the 2025 season in Bahrain
Australian Grand Prix 2025: How to watch F1 First Practice race online from anywhere
A collage of Tom Holland's unmasked Spider-Man and Sadie Sink's Max in Stranger Things season 4
Marvel reportedly casts Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in Spider-Man 4, but I don't want her to tackle the roles she's rumored to play
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari single-seater F1 car during the Scuderia Ferrari HP Drivers' Presentation in Milan, in March 2025
How to use a VPN to watch Formula 1
Glasgow Rangers' Nigerian forward Cyriel Dessers runs with the ball during a UEFA Europa League round of 16 first-leg football match in March 2025
Rangers vs Fenerbahce live stream: How to watch UEFA Europa League online
Latest in News
The Russo brothers posing for a photograph and Herman carrying a Volkswagen camper van in The Electric State
'We're optimists': AI enthusiasts Joe and Anthony Russo defend its use in movies and TV shows, but admit there are 'very real dangers' around its application
UK Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer
UK PM says AI should soon replace civil servants
Xbox Copilot in Minecraft
Microsoft confirms Copilot can be tested by Xbox Insiders next month and shares new details about how the AI sidekick will enhance the player experience: 'It has to be about gameplay, it has to be personalized to you'
Eight Samsung TVs mounted to the wall showing different basketball games
Samsung is offering you 8 new TVs in one bundle for March Madness, in case you want to watch all games at once like a Bond villain’s lair
Image depicting hands typing on a keyboard, with phishing hooks holding files, passwords and credit cards.
Microsoft warns about a new phishing campaign impersonating Booking.com
The Steam Logo on a mobile phone in front of a wall of games.
Today’s Steam Spring Sale features my absolute favorite game of all time - here's when the sale starts and all the key info