It's possible Robert Pattinson's Batman won't even have a Batmobile yet in Twilight.
And yet, for all that's the case, the initial doubts are fading. Director Matt Reeves' script is unlike anything in the history of the franchise, charting the earliest adventures of the Dark Knight and testing him as a detective rather than just an action hero. A gun Joe Chill used to kill Bruce Wayne's parents. It's a textbook indicator of repressed trauma, just as it should be.
Of course, there's more to Batman than just his suit. The Dark Knight is famous for his transport and equipment, and particularly for his vehicles. Intriguingly, so far there's not been a single glimpse of the Batmobile - which raises the interesting question of whether Robert Pattinson's Batman has a Batmobile at all.
The Batman Is Early In The Dark Knight's Career
In marked contrast with Christopher Nolan's take, The Batman byes the first year of the Dark Knight's career. The Batman is set during Year Two, when Bruce Wayne has settled into his role as playboy, and Batman has become known throughout Gotham City. Crucially, though, this Batman is yet to meet many of his rogues' gallery; and that has significant implications for the movie. Most fans tend to forget Batman is essentially reactive; he develops his technology, and he devises new tools and weapons, as he perceives the need for them.
In truth, even in the comics, the Batmobile wasn't used by Batman until he'd been in print for several years. It made its debut in Detective Comics #27, and the first version was very different to the classic sleek black design. This earliest incarnation was an ordinary automobile, painted bright red, designed so Batman could drive through the streets of Gotham without being noticed. It changed shape over the years, gradually absorbing Batman's own bat-motif and becoming his trademark vehicle, complete with distinctive wing-shaped tailfins.
Each version has increasingly been customized in order to incorporate Batman's most advanced weapons and equipment. One of the most famous vehicles in comics, the Batmobile has been everything from a mobile crime lab to a prisoner transport - but, of course, Robert Pattinson's Batman may not have had need of any of this yet. After all, his Batman will still be relatively new to vigilantism, and he won't yet truly understand the evils he's destined to confront time and again.
Set Photos Have Shown A Batcycle, Not A Batmobile
The Batman has begun filming, and set photos taken in Glasgow have shown a stunt performer suited up in Batman's full costume and riding a motorcycle. Unlike the military-style Batpod in the Nolan take (above), this particular version of the Batcycle appears to be a normal bike that's been customized a little, with the telltale bat-ears forged into the front. It doesn't have wing-shaped tailfins, presumably because Batman's own cape fans out when he's driving, and thus serves that purpose. There's something refreshingly basic and functional about this design; the Batcycle is a way for Batman to get from point A to point B, and nothing more. It doesn't look to have any industrial or military hardware integrated into it, but instead feels vaguely reminiscent of the Batcycle in the old 1960s TV series.
This is just the kind of vehicle people would expect an early Batman to use. A motorcycle is more maneuverable than a car, able to zip in and out of traffic on the freeways, as well as get down Gotham's tight back alleys. The customized exterior could well conceal the kind of engine typically seen in a racing bike, meaning Batman would be able to pursue fleeing crooks and avoid any police officers who tried to chase him down. It's true there's no room to hide advanced weapons or a crime lab of any kind. But, as noted, Batman is unlikely to have a need for that at such an early stage in his career. This could quite easily be Batman's main mode of transportation in The Batman.
The Batmobile Could Come In Sequels
This approach is a sensible one, but it's also a radical divergence from traditional portrayals of Batman. The truth is that the Batmobile has appeared in every Batman movie or animated series since the '60s, and in fact it's not unusual to see fans rate the various incarnations of Batman according to their favored vehicle. Sometimes the Batmobile has been a heavily-modified concept car, other times a military vehicle given a black paint job, but it's always been there. Pattinson's Batman would be the first version of the Dark Knight to go without his signature vehicle.
But this doesn't mean Pattinson won't get a Batmobile in the end. Although nothing has been announced to date, it would hardly be a surprise to see The Batman become the first in a new series of Batman movies. Indeed, the potential is self-evident; this is the Year Two Batman, one who has yet to dominate Gotham and develop all his distinctive tools and equipment. That could come later, with each film in the series seeing Pattinson's Bruce Wayne change and transform, building an inventory of equipment and a fleet of vehicles. The first Batmobile could be akin to this Batcycle; basic and functional, serving a very specific purpose. It could be refined as time goes by, a visual sign of the growth of the Batman legend and mythos in Gotham.
