When it comes to the big screen adventures of everyone’s favorite Caped Crusader, the consensus has been to take Batman down an increasingly dark, dingy, grounded, and gritty path.
Of course, that makes complete sense in the grand scheme of things when you consider the reception afforded to Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, the latter of which will no doubt endure as one of the worst comic book adaptations ever made until the end of time.
On the other side of the coin, though, how much darker can the Dark Knight get? Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed trilogy grounded Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego in a tangible reality, before Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson literally cloaked every frame of their near three-hour epic in complete shadow.
We’re not saying a return to the Adam West-era aesthetic is the way to go, but that hasn’t stopped a number of Bat-fans from questioning why the character can’t delve a little deeper into the fantastical on the odd occasion.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did introduce Doomsday into the mix, but even that was treated with the utmost seriousness given Zack Snyder’s preferred visual and thematic sensibilities. If there’s a balance to be struck, then The Batman franchise ain’t gonna be the one to strike it, so it could be a long time before we see a lighter, frothier, and dare we say it… more fun take on Gotham City’s nocturnal protector.
Shark Repellent Bat-Spray is several bridges too far, but surely there’s a happy medium somewhere?
