Fans, critics, and recent DC-converts alike continue to praise Robert Pattinson‘s box office smash, The Batman. The film is a unique take on the iconic franchise, where director Matt Reeves and the former Twilight heartthrob achieve a unique feat: adding depth and dimension to one of the most recognizable DC characters by staying true to the original story.
The Batman peels back the ‘playboy’ persona of Bruce Wayne that has become a clichè in recent cinematic versions of the superhero and instead chooses to reveal the Caped Crusader’s troubled past and tormented psyche.
Pattinson, who’s admitted to channeling Kurt Cobain and Michael Corleone to bring his character to life told Entertainment Weekly why ditching the playboy façade was a good idea.
“When you think about Bruce Wayne, you kind of think he’s a playboy, and then that’s how he disguises himself, so no one knows he’s Batman. As soon as you take that away, it made the character almost make more sense.There’s something about a person who would be able to delineate three incredibly distinct personalities, and then just being able to switch them as an outfit at will. That’s really way more sociopathic than someone who doesn’t really have much more control over it and is compelled to put this suit on. It’s kind of out of his control a little bit.”
According to Pattinson, Bruce Wayne made “more sense” as in his mind he is still stuck with the memories of his 10-year-old self who believes that he let his parents die. “What he feels is himself, he thinks is an incredibly weak and vulnerable child, and he needs to have an entirely different alter ego to survive himself, let alone fight all the criminals of Gotham,” he added.
Seeing The Batman‘s continued reign over the box office, it indeed appears that Reeves’ creative decision to leave behind an older Bruce’s future womanizing antics has made his younger version a more well-rounded character.