In 2022’s The Batman, Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves definitely went the direction of treating Batman as the real person, and Bruce Wayne as the persona. That hasn’t always been the primary way to play the role — both Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer, seemed, at times like their sad Bruce Waynes might have their inner child healed by the attention of a hot blonde. Said blonde, however, was usually primarily attracted to the excitement of Batman. After George Clooney essentially played both sides of the man the same way, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm solidified the idea of Bruce Wayne being the real mask, with Kevin Conroy’s versatile voice clearly differentiating them. Christian Bale might have overdone it with the raspy Bat-voice, but he continued the tradition of Bruce being a pretense. He played up the billionaire dilletante aspect in public, while beating up bad guys and using functional armor on the down-low.
Pattinson’s Bruce was a person unsure of who he was; a sack of glumness packed into a suit, or overcoat, who only truly came alive as a brilliant anti-criminal mastermind inside the Batsuit. His Bruce Wayne didn’t even know yet what to pretend to be, and was mostly viewed as a recluse, with Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” glumly serving as the basis for his new theme. (Compare that to Prince’s “Batdance,” U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” or even the 1966 theme tune, and it’s easily the biggest bummer.) Batman wasn’t just the real character — he was the only character, not because he behaved the same both ways in the Clooney style, but because half his character traits seemed to remain in the suit after he took it off. He was playing Bruce seemingly younger than Pattinson’s actual thirties; for the sequel, Pattinson is now 40, and is going to have to play a more established, sure Batman/Bruce, who has the confidence of having saved the city at least once.
A new series of set images posted to Instagram which you can check out below shows Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in a scene from The Batman: Part II that instill a lot of fan confidence. In a black suit and long coat, Pattinson-as-Wayne is shown shielded by police from a crowd of protesters. His expression is calm and intense; his posture controlled. This looks like a serious man, seriously affecting the poise befitting his role in society.
Fans so far are reacting enthusiastically, with comments like, “Even surrounded by the crowd, his imposing physique and aura make it instantly clear that he is no ordinary person—this is what a star looks like,” “this is what the fans like to see,” and “Pattinson can eat 10 Bales and 20 Afflecks in [sic] breakfast and you’re just tripping on nostalgia if you think otherwise.” It’s a far cry from when he was initially cast and the “Battinson” quips would reference Twilight. Few, if any, fans are making Edward Cullen sparkly vampire jokes now. Pattinson has put in the work as a serious actor, and as longtime observers of his entire career figured he would, risen above easy stereotyping.
