In an early scene in The Batman, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne reveals himself to be a Nirvana fan. Nirvana plays a key role in The Batman soundtrack, both emphasizing the gritty tone of the movie, and assisting the characterization of the movie's Batman himself. For The Batman, “Something In The Way,” reveals both the internal turmoil and the external environment that Batman has trapped himself in while taking on the role of a vigilante during the past two years - so it makes sense that it also shows the character is a fan.
During the course of Batman’s opening monologue, Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” plays in the background as he goes from Mayor Don Mitchell’s murder scene to the Batcave. Nirvana’s song goes from being the soundtrack to diegetic music when Wayne closes his diary, and it is revealed that he had been actually listening to it in-universe in The Batman while writing and watching the news. He turns the music off when the news anchor notes the coincidence between the mayor’s murder and the murder of his parents that happened 20 years ago on the exact same day.
What "Something In The Way" Reveals About Bruce
“Something In The Way” first starts to play when Wayne looks over at Archie Mitchell as he is being questioned by detectives as the one who had first discovered his father’s dead body. The song then ends when the news starts talking about Batman’s need for vengeance, which he needs to work through as the film goes on.
Along with the emotional parallels that “Something In The Way” evokes in Wayne’s situation, the lyrics also seem to personify the closed-off physical world that he occupies as Batman. Before the lyrics repeat for the second time, Wayne zips through the Wayne Terminus, which is under the Wayne Tower and is the entrance to the Batcave. The train station is damp and dark, evoking Cobain’s “Underneath the bridge / Tarp has sprung a leak.” As Wayne enters the Batcave, bats are shown flying around as Cobain sings, “And the animals I've trapped / Have all become my pets.” The ‘trapped animal’ imagery is also echoed as Wayne describes himself as a “nocturnal animal” that inhabits and “[is] the shadows” of Gotham City.
Why Nirvana Is Perfect For Pattinson's Bruce Wayne
The next time that “Something In The Way” plays is during The Batman movie ending. While Cobain’s song ends with no resolution in dealing with his depression and loneliness, Wayne has actually worked through his “something in the way,” that is, his need to avenge his parents’ death. “Vengeance, won’t change the past. Mine… or anyone else’s,” he says in his closing monologue. “I have to become more. People need hope. To know someone’s out there for them.” The song evokes his former self as his words show his changed attitude as Batman – and sets up a sequel to The Batman at the same time.
