Why Bruce Wayne Alter-Ego Isn't Fully Established In The Batman
Robert Pattinson explains why it makes more sense for his Bruce Wayne to not have his typical alter ego in The Batman. Over the weekend, The Batman finally arrived after years of breathless anticipation. The gritty DC pic, directed by Matt Reeves, upends the well-known archetype of Batman and offers a darker take on the tortured hero. Audience so far seem to be responding well to it, as The Batman earned the second-highest opening weekend since 2019 after grossing $134 million over 3 days. That comes after scoring some of the best reviews for a Batman movie yet.
In The Batman, Pattinson's Bruce is only in his second year of fighting crime as Gotham City's vigilante. Even in that short time, though, he's built quite a reputation, and a major theme throughout the film is whether he is truly making a positive impact on the dysfunctional city. The Batman doesn't focus much on Bruce on his own, and it largely does away with the idea that he acts like a playboy in public to hide his true nighttime activities. Instead, Bruce is more frequently suited up as he puts all his focus on the mystery presented by the Riddler (Paul Dano).
According to Pattinson, that is intentional. In a recent roundtable discussion with EW and his fellow Batman stars, the actor explained why the movie avoided Bruce's playboy persona. Most iterations of the character have indulged in that, but Pattinson feels that it actually makes more sense for Bruce to not be a playboy. He explained:
"When you think about Bruce Wayne, you kind of think he's a playboy, and then that's how he disguises himself, so no one knows he's Batman. As soon as you take that away, it made the character almost make more sense. There's something about a person who would be able to delineate three incredibly distinct personalities, and then just being able to switch them as an outfit at will. That's really way more sociopathic than someone who doesn't really have much more control over it and is compelled to put this suit on. It's kind of out of his control a little bit."
Pattinson also added that, in many ways, Bruce is still a lost 10-year-old boy grieving his late parents who feels he's weak inside. That paves the way for him to take on this far more formidable alter ego and exact his form of vengeance. The Batman has offered perhaps the most radical take on the well-known character yet, but it also fits in incredibly well with the comics. This is a Bruce Wayne consumed with his fight and still very much impacted by his parents' deaths. If he could easily shrug all that off to get some drinks with beautiful women amid the Gotham nightlife, that would say major things about his mental state.
Though some fans initially rejected Pattinson's casting, the former Twilight actor has proven time and time again he's perfectly suited to play the Dark Knight. Pattinson has demonstrated a compelling insight into Bruce's psyche, and his willingness to play up the character's weirder side fits in well with the version of him The Batman wishes to portray. Those like Christian Bale and Michael Keaton might've made Batman incredibly cool and slick, but Pattinson went the darker route, and that's why The Batman has been such a breath of fresh air.
Source: EW