It would be stating the obvious to say that Matt Reeves has opted for a grounded and gritty Gotham City in which to set The Batman, or at least as realistic a world as you could imagine where an orphaned billionaire dedicates his life to protecting the streets of his home town while dressed as an armored airborne mammal.
However, if the latest reboot for the Caped Crusader wants to full immerse and invest fans in the world being created, then it’s going to need to be addressed at some stage that there’s plenty going on outside of Gotham. The Batman‘s official novelization hinted that Lex Luthor is out there somewhere, but Robert Pattinson doesn’t think Superman would work as part of his tangible reality.
In an interview with ComicBook, the actor admitted that an invulnerable alien who moonlights as a news reporter might be taking things a touch too far, with Pattinson preferring to work within the confines of realism, albeit a heightened form.
“I love the idea of trying to figure out how make… We’ve been talking about how to get the fantastical elements because Matt’s world, his take on it is so grounded, and I’m thinking like, ‘How can you add…?’. Like, we were talking the other day, like, ‘Can you add Superman into it but he just doesn’t have any powers? He’s just a guy in a cape?’ He’s just like, ‘I’m Superman!’ And they’re like, ‘So?'”
Zoë Kravitz wasn’t quite so diplomatic, though, having a joke at the Man of Steel’s expense when addressing her co-star’s comments.
“The worlds kind of just don’t work together. Sir, can you stop straining in the phone booth?”
Warner Bros. could feasibly push for Superman mentions in future sequels, but we’ve already been down that road with decidedly mixed results, so it’s a much smarter and safer option to let The Batman universe unfold on its own merits.