For decades, Batman has been the poster child for DC movies. Superman made the world believe a man could fly in 1978. Subsequent sequels brought him crashing down to Earth. 1989’s Batman put Bruce Wayne front and center for DC projects, with Superman a distant memory. Now, for the first time, we have established, successful Batman and Superman projects happening. Matt Reeves is pushing Batman along. James Gunn is tackling Superman. But Batman himself doesn’t see him coming into contact with his fellow super buddy.
Robert Pattinson Batman vs James Gunn’s DCU
Robert Pattinson gave the world a successful turn as the Dark Knight in 2022. That world of Gotham is a very dark and unhappy place. If you want further evidence of this, watch The Penguin. Then go and watch 2025’s Superman by James Gunn. Bit of a tonal difference, eh? This is something that could be mitigated in the comics. Crossovers would happen all the time, and artists and writers could find a way to make that work.
It’s much different when it comes to actors and films. As Pattinson said, “I think it would be kind of tough to have this version of Bruce outside of that world. It’s one of the only characters, I guess because of the length of the shoots but also it’s such a specific kind of [style], the tone of it gets inside you.” He elaborated, “I remember that happened to me the last time I did it, it took a while. You’re just in the dark, the whole time. Both mood-wise and light-wise, I can’t see anything for like months.”
The DCU is Adrift Anyway
Pattinson probably can’t comment on the state of the DCU in general. We can, though, and it’s clearly a wreck. Gunn’s tone and style cannot seem to divert themselves from a specific sense of humor and irreverence. It clashes heavily with the Matt Reeves-directed world of The Batman. The only way you could really blend them together would be with a STARK tonal adjustment. Put Batman into the world of David Corenswet‘s version of Superman. You’d have to make it a comedy of what happens when this brooding dude is in a sunny Metropolis. Put Corenswet’s Superman into Pattinson’s Batman world; you’d have to make Superman edgy since there is no room for comedy in Gotham.
Matt Reeves and James Gunn are clearly not working on the same wavelength, nor were they intending to. If the DCU wants a Batman, they’re going to have to find it outside of Pattinson’s portrayal. Or they’d have to have him do an alternate version of Batman that exists in a different canon. We don’t see any of that happening. It seems neither does Pattinson.
