The DCEU is set up for a soft reboot and could finally take advantage of its most underutilized setting, Bruce's Batcave. The only time the Batcave becomes fundamental to expand Batman's lore within the DCEU is when Bruce examines an old suit of his sidekick, Robin, painted over with graffiti by the Joker to signify the cause of Robin's demise. The Batcave should be used cleverly again to establish the DCEU's refurbished timeline.
The Batcave has not appeared in the DCEU since Zack Snyder's Justice League director's cut was released. In the Snyder Cut, the Batcave is used as a base of operations for the of the Justice League and is not given many nuances beyond that. A few characters of the League have solo films, namely Ezra Miller's Flash whose film is to be released in June 2023 and feature a return of Ben Affleck as the titular Batman. Despite claiming he doesn't want to play Bruce Wayne after The Flash, the film is rumored to set up Crisis according to The Direct. Crisis is a cataclysmic event from DC comics that could open up various universes and continue Batman's legacy in the DCEU even without Affleck's involvement.
In order to establish the DCEU's revamped timeline up until this point, the most underutilized setting in the franchise will need to be used to its full potential. Henry Cavill remains absent from the DCEU in The Flash, perhaps the Batcave can instead offer insight into Superman's weekly agenda by letting Bruce store away memorabilia from League missions. Whatever direction the DCEU takes, the narrative opportunities provided by the Batcave mean that it's time to start treating it as the vital setting it really is.
With Ben Affleck appearing to have little interest in returning and The Flash ready to open doors into new universes and give a soft reboot to a sizable portion of its characters, the Batcave may be necessary to world build the fresh DCEU. Batman's timeline was easily understood in BVS with Robin's suit because of its implied references from A Death In The Family. A revitalized universe allows room to take advantage of lesser utilized comics in order to expand the DCEU's lore in unique ways. To align with the darker foundations Snyder built, perhaps an example like Bruce Wayne's suit from The Batman Who Laughs would be a pertinent choice to maximize the Batcave's effectiveness as an emotional plot device.
The Batcave, even outside the DCEU, has been underused for long enough. It is arguably DC's best setting because it serves as an interactive timeline for any viewer who may not be caught up on Bruce Wayne's comic book lore, or even the Justice League's history. Ideally, the films in the DCEU should refuse to waste their most effective location due to the opportunities it presents for plot establishment.
