Superman’s The Batman Cameo Sets Up Even More Conflict Than The DCEU

A new set photo suggests Superman exists within the world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, potentially setting up some serious conflict between the two heroes. Following the disappointing news that the upcoming Batman reboot would be delayed yet again, fans have been treated to an ongoing supply of set photos from the production. Reeves’ crew have been filming major scenes in Liverpool, London, and Chicago, with leaked shots revealing detailed looks at Colin Farrell’s Penguin, alongside John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone and Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle. The three antagonists can be seen alongside Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in a series of set photos from The Batman showing an outdoor funeral scene.

The candid shots appear to show a different view of the same funeral scene from the film’s impressive trailer. The teaser gave audiences their first real look at Pattinson’s year-two Batman, who looks set to be a truly vicious vigilante, and the noir-inspired world Reeves and his crew have been crafting. The director has been vocal about how The Batman will take place within its own continuity unrelated to the same DCEU as Batman V Superman and Justice League. Following the funeral set photos, there’s been a steady stream of leaked shots that have remained consistent with the trailer’s dark noir aesthetic, and the grounded realism Reeves has been touting. Some have shown Catwoman and Batman on a joint motorbike ride, while others have revealed an obligatory ‘Batman standing stoic atop a clocktower’ shot.

Now, newly-surfaced photos from the set of The Batman suggest Superman himself could exist within the world of the movie. The leaked shots were taken on the film’s London set, and appear to show an extra dressed in a Christopher Reeves-style version of the iconic Superman suit. Meanwhile, more photos from the Chicago set seemingly show a newspaper prop for the film that mentions the city of Metropolis and “innocent faces looking up to the skies, fingers pointed everywhere looking for you know who.” It seems likely then, that the Man of Steel does indeed exist within the world of The Batman, which not only calls into question the realism Reeves and Warner Bros. have been teasing but also suggests there could be some serious conflict between The Dark Knight and ‘Supes’ himself.

Back in 2016’s Batman V Superman, Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader had begun brutalizing criminals and even branding them with his Bat symbol. In the film, Batman’s viciousness provoked Henry Cavill’s Superman to step in, warning the Dark Knight against carrying on his campaign of savagery and setting the stage for a major battle that sees Batman almost kill off the Man of Steel. Of course, there’s always been a wide gap between the aesthetics of the two heroes, with the whole point of Batman being that he’s a darker, more grounded hero than the “Blue Boy Scout” of Metropolis. As such, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that if Superman does exist within Reeves Batman universe, he’d have something to say about Pattinson’s rough vigilante and his questionable methods of crime control.

The most memorable moment from The Batman trailer shows Pattinson’s Bat viscously beating a thug with a savagery unmatched by other on-screen versions of the character – even Affleck in BVS. There’s even been set photos from The Batman that appear to show the Dark Knight himself with a gun holster on his suit. On top of that Reeves has spoken about how this version of the anti-hero is “not perfect” and will “make mistakes and fail and grow.” The director even revealed that after two years on the job Pattinson’s year 2 Dark Knight is failing to rid Gotham of its widespread corruption, which could conceivably be what pushes him to deploy more brutal tactics in his quest to save the city. All of which Superman would no doubt take exception to, suggesting that The Batman‘s universe has the potential for another, possibly even bigger clash between the two DC heroes than in Snyder’s movie.