The Batman Takes One Dark Knight Idea Further Than Nolan Ever Could
Warning: Contains spoilers for The Batman.
Matt Reeves’ grounded vision for Gotham has prompted many comparisons to Christopher Nolan's award-winning trilogy, but The Batman takes one idea further than its predecessors ever could. Both versions of the Caped Crusader utilize the concept of fear, but The Batman’s emphasis on Gotham’s corruption better explores this idea. Reeves’ use of the bat signal expertly demonstrates both the power and frailty of reliance on fear.
Robert Pattinson stars as Batman, still in the early days of crimefighting and uninterested in balancing a double life as Bruce Wayne. His attempt to apprehend the Riddler (Paul Dano) and various clashes with Gotham’s criminal underground lead the masked vigilante to believe the city is broken. Although The Batman’s ending sees Bruce with renewed hope for Gotham’s future, he had to learn a crucial lesson about the value of fear – one which Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy never fully realized.
The Batman’s opening is an excellent showcase for how the vigilante spreads fear throughout Gotham. The bat signal is viewed as a terrifying symbol, as Pattinson’s Batman states, “When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call. It’s a warning.” Nolan tackled the same idea in The Dark Knight but never showed the depths of Batman's fear tactics or how he caused criminals to reconsider their actions. The Batman simultaneously illustrates how its hero perfectly embodies fear, while also proving its ineffectiveness for deterring crime.
Batman cannot be everywhere at once, but Reeves' film uses the signal to provide an illusion to the contrary. The bat signal is normally presented as a hopeful reminder that Batman is coming to save the day. However, The Batman's opening flips this notion by showing its ominous effects from criminals' point of view, as they fear the vigilante could burst out of the shadows at any moment. The montage of low-level criminals scrambling out of sight as the signal pierces the sky truly emphasizes how terrified people are of Batman. Nolan attempted a similar idea, albeit with far less visual impact. The Dark Knight's mobsters met during the day to avoid Batman, but Pattinson's vigilante never stops the hunt. Although Nolan also used the bat symbol as an instrument of fear, The Batman's signal is more frightening than any previous version. Its jagged wings better resemble a creature stalking the city, working brilliantly alongside Robert Pattinson's Batsuit, with shots emphasizing his cape and Gothic collar as if he were Dracula.
There is a strong reason to fear Pattinson’s Batman. Whereas Christian Bale’s version largely operated in the shadows, picking off one criminal at a time, The Batman's vigilante doesn’t hide. Pattinson's opening attack on gang members shows him casually emerging from the darkness, taking on multiple foes at once. His brutal confidence only makes him a stronger symbol of fear. One gang member is too scared to fight him, but Batman even terrifies those he is meant to protect. Pattinson's Batman is scarier than Bale's but less effective at deterring crime. Yet, this only strengthens Pattinson's interpretation. The Batman's Gotham is so corrupt that mobsters still believe they are untouchable - it's the poor criminals who fear Batman's vengeance, not the rich and powerful.
Nolan never delved into Batman's fear tactics, and the bat signal was always seen as a beacon of hope. In The Dark Knight Rises, the signal became the primary means of galvanizing Gotham's police into action. Conversely, Pattinson's Batman has been operating for two years but has only earned Lt. Gordon's (Jeffrey Wright) trust. Gotham's police resent Batman's intervention, and the Riddler idolizing the vigilante demonstrates why. Reeves uses fear much better than Nolan by showing the consequences of Batman's actions. One violent thug inspires another - as evidenced by Riddler's cult - but hope can repair Gotham. When he races towards the bat signal during The Batman's ending, it's clear this Dark Knight is no longer out for vengeance, but to help.