The Batman has proved a phenomenal success, offering a very different vision of both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Robert Pattinson has won acclaim as the film's star, bringing a brooding intensity to the Dark Knight and depending on body language for characterization rather than dialogue. There's a striking stillness to his version of Batman, making him feel all the more ominous - until the moment he explodes into brutal action.
Batman's Thomas and Martha Wayne, and forcing Bruce Wayne to confront that legacy.
This subtly transforms the Batman mythos, and building on this foundation will lead to a sequel that is tonally and thematically unique. The first movie was essentially the story of how Bruce Wayne became the Batman his city needs; the second can be about how Batman becomes the Bruce Wayne the city needs. And the pieces have already been set in place for this story.
Batman's Mission Is Not Vengeance - It Is Redemption
When Batman first appears in The Batman, he gives a simple description of his mission; he is vengeance personified. This is clearly the persona he's cultivated over the last two years, becoming a force of nature who moves in the shadows and tears criminals apart. When the Bat-Signal shines over Gotham City, it inspires fear in the hearts of criminals - and, as seen in the opening scenes, even the civilians of Gotham who are protected by Batman fear him. Over the course of The Batman, Bruce Wayne realizes this is doing more harm than good; it is inspiring criminals to embrace his methods, with one of the Riddler's gang claiming the idea of vengeance as well. Batman realizes Gotham doesn't need vengeance - it needs hope. And so he resolves to become that force for hope, spending as much time saving lives from the floodwaters and the rubble as he does beating up crooks.
But, in thematic , The Batman goes a little deeper than many viewers may realize; because it's dealing with a very specific kind of hope, the hope of redemption. Batman's own arc embodies this, as he learns the true legacy of Martha and Thomas Wayne; that Thomas Wayne's renewal fund is actually responsible for Gotham City's descent, used by criminals to cement their power. Meanwhile, the film also ties Batman to Arkham Asylum itself, using an idea from the Batman: Earth One comics that Bruce Wayne's mother was an Arkham. That means Arkham Asylum itself is a part of Bruce Wayne's family legacy - and so is all the madness that will flow from the asylum, even including the Joker. 's ending sets up its hero as a man who is seeking to change his family legacy, to embody something good for Gotham. And that should embrace far more than just his mission as Batman.
The Batman's Bruce Wayne Arc Embodies Redemption
The Batman's portrayal of Bruce Wayne is unlike anything seen before in the comics. He makes the most of his family wealth, but he clearly resents the pressure that comes with it, and he's shunned the spotlight for years - provoking a shocked reaction from journalists when he steps out of the shadows. New mayor Bella Reál is eager for him to become a public figure, a symbol of hope for Gotham, and it's a role Bruce Wayne is reluctant to play - simply because until now he has preferred his mission as Batman. But, strikingly, the dynamic between Bella Reál and Bruce Wayne is also lifted from The Batman: Earth One comics, where Two-Face's sister, Mayor Jessica Dent, presented almost word-for-word the same arguments to Wayne. She ultimately won the debate, arguing Gotham had lost hope in its leaders and needed someone new to look up to - someone she believed was not corrupted by Gotham, simply because he had been isolated from the city for so long. It's easy to see the potential for exactly the same arc in The Batman 2, with Gotham's public officials exposed as corrupt by the Riddler and the public's faith shattered. This Bruce Wayne must find a way to redeem the Wayne family name.
In The Batman, the Dark Knight treated his Bruce Wayne alter-ego with more than a little contempt - signified by the fact Bruce Wayne is only in four scenes. To this Batman, Wayne is necessary purely because he funds his nocturnal activities, and because on occasion he allows him to attend public events he wants to be at in case they went south. He doesn't really see the value in being Bruce Wayne, and in truth only really becomes himself when he puts on his mask. The Batman 2 must go beyond this if it is to live up to the story of redemption that has been so clearly signposted. It must see Batman come to understand that Bruce Wayne is necessary and essential for Gotham City as well - and put as much care and attention into crafting that persona as he has done the one he embraces when he stalks the night. Such an approach would allow The Batman 2 to be unlike any Batman story told to date, with Matt Reeves truly demonstrating just how unique his version of the Dark Knight really is.
