How Robert Pattinson’s Batman Costume Compares To Previous Versions

Robert Pattinson’s Batman costume has finally been revealed by director, Matt Reeves, but how does it compare to previous movie Batsuits?

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What does Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit in The Batman alter from previous versions, and what elements does it carry over? While the project has been in DC’s pipeline for a while, The Batman has endured some production turbulence. First an extension of the DCEU starring and potentially directed by Ben Affleck, the actor stepped away from the director’s chair to focus on the role itself before leaving the franchise entirely. Fortunately, serious progress was made once the director/actor combo of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson was nailed down.

Since then, the cast of The Batman has been rounded out considerably. Paul Dano is The Riddler, Zoë Kravitz is Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell will be Penguin, Jeffrey Wright plays Jim Gordon and Andy Serkis is slated for Alfred Pennyworth. Reports suggest that The Batman will take a measure of inspiration from the DC comics’ revered The Long Halloween arc and will also chronicle Bruce Wayne during his formative years as the Caped Crusader.

Of course, one of the biggest aspects of any new era of Batman movies is the Batsuit design. As proven by Batman Forever, a nipple in the wrong place is never totally forgotten. Accordingly, Reeves’ reveal of the new Batsuit was a watershed moment, and the reaction online has been strongly positive so far, both in terms of the suit itself and how much Pattinson’s jawline suits the part. As the latest in a long line of Batsuits, what does Pattinson’s costume change and borrow from previous designs?

The Michael Keaton Batsuit

As the oldest of the cinematic Batman costumes, it would be natural to assume that Michael Keaton’s Batsuit is the furthest removed from Robert Pattinson’s modern gear, and while that’s true to an extent, there is evidently some influence taken from the Tim Burton era. In terms of differences, the biggest is obviously the Bat emblem on the front of the torso, the updated design representing a marked departure from every former version of the costume.

Usually molded into or grafted onto the chest plate, Pattinson’s suit has instead used two separate pieces of metal to form the rough shape of a Bat, but more interestingly, these chunks appear to be parts of a gun – almost certainly the one used to kill Bruce’s parents. This idea is adapted from the DC comics, in which Batman once reforged the gun into a piece of armor to wear over his his heart, but this simply slotted underneath the exterior logo. The Bat-shaped disassembled gun is a great visual representation of both Bruce’s motivations and his no-firearms policy, and is a far cry from Keaton’s yellow-mounted logo.

Also unlike the Keaton Batsuit is the material used in the new design. The original movie suit had a distinct rubberized wet-look style that appeared molded onto the body. Modern Batsuits have moved away from this approach and Pattinson’s costume continues that trend, opting more for the realistic lightweight armor look.

Despite the differences, the new Batman has taken at least one fashion tip from Keaton, namely the all-black design. As far as can be seen from the dimly-lit video, Pattinson’s suit is more or less one classic shade all over. Other versions (across all eras) have played with grays and blues, but it seems The Batman is going back to basics in terms of color scheme.

Val Kilmer & George Clooney

The Batsuits of the Joel Schumacher era aren’t exactly remembered with kindness, and it’s no surprise that they bear very little resemblance to what Robert Pattinson will be wearing in The Batman. Kilmer wore two suits in Batman Forever; the first being the infamous, overly-muscled nipple version. This costume was an exaggerated update on Keaton’s but, thankfully, Pattinson’s Caped Crusader appears to have prioritized function over fashion, with no sign of any excessively pronounced molding and, best of all, zero rogue nips. Kilmer’s second Batsuit was the more technologically-advanced Sonar suit, and Pattinson’s costume is even less akin to this. While the Sonar variation was packed with gadgets and tech, Pattinson’s suit has a more amateur vibe, with visible stitching on the cowl, indicating his newness as a vigilante.

There’s a similar level of disparity compared to the costume of Kilmer’s successor, George Clooney. Batman & Robin’s Batsuit introduced a metallic finish that The Batman wisely avoids. And while the movie suits of the 1990s became progressively sleeker and more streamlined, the separate components of Robert Pattinson’s are more visible, including armor, cape and cowl. As well as the gun-crafted emblem, another unique feature of the new Batsuit is the raised collar, which calls to mind to Gotham by Gaslight animation more than any live-action film, and underlines how different Pattinson’s Batman looks compared to his predecessors.

The Christian Bale Batman Costumes

Christian Bale’s Batman fashion line evolved drastically throughout Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, but there’s many more parallels to be found here than in the DC character’s initial movie run. Starting with Batman Begins, there are some notable changes to the aesthetic. Where Bale’s pointy-eared cowl was more of a helmet, Pattinson’s bears a heavier resemblance to a standard mask, and certainly looks like it wouldn’t stand up to Alfred’s baseball bat test. The logo on Bale’s suit was also one of the most subtle Bruce Wayne has ever donned, blending seamlessly into the chest. This reduced the theatricality of the character and suited Nolan’s style, but Pattinson’s Bat symbol is clear and obvious, hinting The Batman won’t go quite as dark and gritty as The Dark Knight trilogy. What Batman Begins’ costume does have is a mostly monotone design, with the exception of the utility belt, and it’ll be interesting to see what color Pattinson’s fanny pack is.

Moving onto The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises is where the inspiration for the new Batsuit really begins to tell. Known as the “plated” Batsuit, Bale’s later designs were split into far smaller pieces, creating improved movement and flexibility (both for Bale and for Mr. Wayne). This revolutionary style appears to have been the basis for Robert Pattinson’s costume also. The test reel footage highlights the joins in the chest plate and the separation of the shoulder armor. In fact, the shoulder plate itself looks like it could be part of a police riot gear ensemble, which adds to the sense that this suit isn’t the work of an experienced Batman.

Ben Affleck’s DCEU Suits

While it’s currently not known whether The Batman will in some way connect to the DCEU, the lack of continuity between Affleck and Pattinson’s costumes perhaps supports the idea that Matt Reeves’ film will be a standalone venture. Despite being the most recent big screen Batsuit, the scratched, worn gray of Batman V. Superman has been tossed aside, and the new design looks far closer to a suit of armor than Affleck’s first outfit did. Closer similarities can be found in Affleck’s updated Justice League suit, which reverted the gray back to black. However, both Batfleck suits were dominated by their open, flat chest designs and the new look ignores this entirely, opting for the textured, dynamic feel of The Dark Knight Rises.

With that said, there is a very strong resemblance between Affleck and Pattinson’s Dark Knights from the neck upward. The Batman’s newly-designed cowl is more compact and fitted, widely compared to that of Daredevil, and this stands defiantly apart from other movie Batsuit designs. Closest in style, however, is Ben Affleck’s, especially in terms of its subtler eyebrow ridges and nose shape. Matt Reeves has yet to fully reveal the ears of the new Batsuit, and while the connections to The Long Halloween might mean fans are getting massive, gothic, foot-long points, short and stumpy ears would take the cowl ever closer to Affleck’s.

Also comparatively close to DCEU Batman is Pattinson’s cape, or at least what can be seen of it. The Burton and Schumacher eras had a tendency to mold the cape into the suit itself so as to be fairly anonymous. The Nolan Batsuits, in their quest for functionality and logic, found somewhere to visibly tuck the capes in. The Batman follows more along DCEU lines by using a mixture of both; a cape set quite distinctly apart, but where the joins blend into the shoulders and neck.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/batman-robert-pattinson-batsuit-costume-movie-comparison/