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It seems that no matter what version of Batman you’re selling, he’s always a popular sell. From the feature and animated films to all the various cartoon series and comic books, the Dark Knight is without a doubt DC Comics’ — and by extension Warner Bros. — bestseller. The Batman, Matt Reeves‘ most recent directorial feature, has especially wowed audiences across the globe, and fans are chomping at the bits for more. With a pulse-pounding story, incredible performances (especially from Robert Pattinson, who knocks it out of the park as Batman), and a thought-provoking personal journey for our titular hero, The Batman goes to some familiar places, and others not-so-familiar. No doubt there’s a sequel already in some stage of development, and with Reeves also executive producing the upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader animated series – alongside J.J. Abrams and DCAU legend Bruce Timm – it’s clear that his work with Gotham’s guardian isn’t done.
Throughout the history of Batman-on-film, the Dark Knight has faced off against mobsters, underground criminal empires, homicidal clowns, angry district attorneys, terrorists, assassins, and super-powered supervillains alike. He has wrestled against criminals like the Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Scarecrow, and Bane on multiple occasions, and has fought them both solo and with allies. And this isn’t even to mention the extraterrestrial threats that Ben Affleck‘s DCEU Batman had to tackle alongside Superman (who he also battled), Wonder Woman, and the Justice League! Be it Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, or Zack Snyder at the helm, just about every kind of threat that Batman has faced in the comic books, he’s faced on the big screen. Well, every kind except one…the paranormal.
The possibility of the supernatural is the one thing that a modern, live-action Batman has yet to tackle, and it’s a shame given that there are so many obvious possibilities out there worthy to be explored. Of course, everybody loves Se7en-inspired serial killer crime dramas (right?), and The Batman is certainly that, but just as Nolan’s Batman evolved from a distinct blockbuster superhero in Batman Begins to his thoughtful and revolutionary climax in The Dark Knight Rises (which truthfully doesn’t even feel like a superhero movie), so could Reeves’ next installment begin to explore uncharted waters. Ironically, Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy could easily have done so itself, especially given that one of Batman’s most supernatural foes happens to be Ra’s al Ghul (played by Liam Neeson in Nolan’s trilogy), a warlord who appeared first as Bruce’s mentor in Batman Begins. In the comics, Ra’s – who showed up during Denis O’Neil and Neil Adams‘ iconic 1970s run on Batman – uses supernaturally charged Lazarus Pits to keep himself alive across centuries, dabbling heavily in the Eastern mystic arts.
But you could go back a lot further than 1971 to read supernaturally-infused Batman stories, in fact, some of the Dark Knight’s earliest adventures involve him hunting down and killing vampires to save his fiancé from becoming a werewolf! Seriously, go back and check out the original Detective Comics #31-32, the first two-part Batman story, you won’t be sorry. They even re-told the story in 2006’s Batman and the Mad Monk, it’s that good. Actually, there are a host of other supernatural Batman villains out there just waiting for their live-action debut, including the likes of the zombie Solomon Grundy, the thieving Gentleman Ghost, the cultist Deacon Blackfire, the terrorist leader Kobra, and even the famed vampire Count Dracula himself! While we’re not advocating that Dracula be the next big Batman villain (though The Batman vs Dracula proved that it would actually be really cool), it is worth noting that one of the most popular out-of-continuity Batman stories is the Batman & Dracula: Red Rain trilogy, in which the Caped Crusader faces off against Bram Stoker‘s infamous villain only to be turned into a vampire himself. Pretty spooky.
While some of those characters previously mentioned might be literal zombies or ghosts, we don’t necessarily have to throw Batman too far into the paranormal deep end right off the bat. By starting with villains such as Doctor Simon Hurt or the Court of Owls, there are easy, practical ways that the Caped Crusader could slowly begin to accept the existence of a supernatural world. Doctor Hurt is a great example because he bridges the gap between science (well, pseudo-science) and reality, with many strange practices that seem more paranormal than, well, normal. But a better example might be the Court of Owls, which would allow for the introduction of their undead assassins the Talons. These Talons only remain alive (though they’re technically dead) through an elixir called electrum, which sounds a lot more supernatural (like Lazarus Pits) than scientific. The Owls especially would be interesting given their deep and direct ties to Gotham’s pre-established underworld (something The Batman has already explored), as well as the conspiracy behind their existence, giving Robert Pattinson’s Batman room to still use his growing detective skills.
Not only that, but in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s infamous New 52 Batman run, which first introduced the shadowy organization, it’s revealed that a wealthy Gotham socialite named Lincoln March is actually a Talon, and could very possibly be the deceased brother of Bruce Wayne (he certainly believes himself to be). Whether Reeves and company decide to go this route or not (though after the direction they went with Martha Wayne, it certainly seems possible), there’s no doubt that plenty of Batman fans – including this one – would love to see the Court of Owls in a live-action Batman film (they were on Gotham, but that doesn’t count). The Court would also open up the door for other Batman villains – namely fan-favorite Mr. Freeze, who was contracted by the group – to be revived by Reeves and company by establishing them as a part of the overarching conspiracy. Come on Matt Reeves, make it happen!
But regardless, the supernatural should be addressed at some point in Batman’s live-action filmography, or at least hinted at. Why? Because it’s an element of the DC Universe that Batman himself has always been uncomfortable with, and that makes for some fascinating storytelling. Whether he’s teaming up with Zatanna, John Constantine, Doctor Fate, or Etrigan the Demon, Batman has a hard time believing and understanding the supernatural. Even though his own father, Thomas Wayne, held to a traditional Christian faith before his death, the paranormal still troubles Batman who would much rather believe in what he can physically see with his own eyes. The supernatural has always evaded the Dark Knight Detective, and it’s part of the reason that he has been unwilling to explore it any further than he has to. The introduction of Ra’s al Ghul forced Batman to recognize the supernatural’s existence in the modern DC continuity, though he remains uneasy about the effects of the Lazarus Pits that have been used to resurrect his sworn enemy. With the paranormal, all rules, and even reality itself, can be broken, and what was once one thing could quickly become another; Batman hates this uncertainty, which is precisely the reason it should be addressed.
Last year’s animated film Batman: Sword of the Dragon pushed Batman into a mystical journey alongside the likes of Lady Shiva, Bronze Tiger, and Richard Dragon as they face off against Kobra, who desired power from another demonic realm. Not only did the film expertly balance these characters, but it pushed Batman to his absolute limits, ending with the Dark Knight sacrificing himself to the demonic realm to stop these creatures from taking over the world. Now, we’re not saying that the next live-action Batman film should copy this in any way, nor are we saying that Batman himself should be fighting demons on screen (we’ve already seen him battle plenty of parademons in Zack Snyder’s Justice League), but rather we’re trying to make a point: Batman shouldn’t be limited to small-time crime or even the mob, but should be free to discover things that aren’t always quantifiable.
No doubt, some of the absolute best Batman stories, such as Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween, revolve around Bruce Wayne taking down organized crime in Gotham. Honestly, we’ve seen parts of all the best Batman stories adapted to the big screen over the past two decades, be it Knightfall or The Dark Knight Returns, so there’s only so much of the same thing we can take. But Batman’s story never stops there, or even with the costumed criminals who emerge from the chaos. Rather, Batman — even in the days before he was Batman – would eventually be exposed to otherworldly forces that he doesn’t understand, and that’s part of what keeps his story fresh and exciting.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman does a great job of thematically returning our hero to his original Bob Kane and Bill Finger roots while also updating Gotham for a modern audience. There’s no doubt that Pattinson’s Batman feels eerily similar to the Batman that existed before Robin was introduced in the early 1940s, but why stop there? A huge part of many of those early Batman stories was a fascination with things that Batman didn’t yet know or understand. He often worked hard to uncover the truth about criminals who used supernatural means to attain their dastardly ends, and this was even before all the strange and bizarre things that he’d experience during the Silver Age! Even many of Batman’s own close friends and allies are supernatural in nature, including Zatanna, Wonder Woman, the one-time Batman Azrael, and his Outsiders’ teammate Looker, who is even turned into a vampire – and there are plenty of others when you count the other groups that Batman’s worked with over the years.
Although Batman prides himself on being a superhero with no superpowers, and avoids using magic, sorcery, or dabbling into the supernatural for said power, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have to deal with it. We’ve seen Batman fight against common thugs and the same rotating gallery of rogues who always make it back on screen, and now we’ve even seen him battle serial killers and organized crime (and again, aliens, we can’t mention Justice League enough), but we have yet to see the Dark Knight in action against the dark otherworldly forces that he would rather pretend don’t exist. If Batman is to continue to survive without becoming stale on the big screen, then some cues from Nolan and Snyder’s playbooks might be needed to freshen things up, namely doing something different that makes Reeves’ version of Bruce Wayne’s story just a bit more interesting.
Nolan’s Batman finally found a happy ending to his crusade, something most incarnations of the Dark Knight tragically never find; while Snyder’s went from being an enraged and broken vigilante to the hopeful leader of a group of superheroes, helping save the Earth from alien invaders with a smile on his face. Wherever surprising turns that Matt Reeves’ Batman takes us through, we’re obviously along for the ride and excited for whatever he and Robert Pattinson have to offer. But, if they really wanted to put our hero to the test, slowly introducing the supernatural to the live-action mythos — or even just hinting at the possibility, causing a crisis of faith in Bruce’s life — might be just the spark that this back-to-basics Batman needs to keep him interesting for a long time. Well, that and another thrilling mystery!
