The Batman: How Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit Compares To The Dark Knight

Matt Reeves’ The Batman features a radically different version of the Caped Crusader, and one element that sets him apart from The Dark Knight is the Batsuit. The Batman finally hit theaters after two years of waiting and Robert Pattinson didn’t disappoint in his rendition of the Dark Knight. Robert Pattinson’s new suit is both flashy and yet understated in all of the right ways, which works for the sense of gritty realism that Reeves brings to his own Batman franchise. In addition to a new Batsuit, the director took a different approach for his first Batman story. Rather than a traditional origin story, a “Year Two” style story was shown instead, in which Batman is still adjusting to his war on crime and figuring out what his true purpose is as a vigilante.

With Pattinson starring as the titular vigilante, audiences are offered an unorthodox approach to the character. Robert Pattinson’s performance as Batman is just as “unhinged” as previous characters that he has played. Furthermore, director Matt Reeves cultivates a version of Gotham that is incredibly unique,  mixing elements of both Tim Burton’s version and Christopher Nolan’s, neatly packaged in a psychological crime drama. This new take on Batman is only exemplified by the new Batsuit.

The new Batsuit was first revealed back in February 2020, courtesy of a camera test posted by Matt Reeves on Twitter. The new Batsuit is the culmination of several different sources of inspiration, bound together by a distinctly original vision. This separates it from every other version of the live-action Batsuit seen before and specifically from the one worn by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight. 

Pattinson’s Cape and Cowl Compared To The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight‘s Batsuit was particularly revolutionary because of the mobility it provided to Bale while wearing it. With the Batman Begins Batsuit and every Batman costume in the films before it, the cowl is a connected piece running from the neck to the head, which gives it a streamlined look going into the cape but heavily restricts the actors’ movements. Bale famously had this problem in Batman Begins, which is why in The Dark Knight, Wayne receives a suit upgrade that swaps out the joint head/neck cowl for one that functions similar to a motorcycle helmet, with two distinct parts. The cape of The Dark Knight‘s Batsuit also served a practical purpose, designed out of memory cloth that hardens when passed with an electrical current. This allowed Batman to glide through the city similar to his traversal method in the Arkham games.

Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit features a cowl that is different than the “motorcycle helmet” format utilized in Nolan’s later two films, instead opting for a collared design. Pattinson’s cowl seems to be formed out of leather and the stitching is much more apparent compared to The Dark Knight‘s sleeker appearance. The cowl plunges below the rest of the suit’s armor plating, while the cape is formed by a distinct collar that rises up around the wearer’s neck and extends back into the cape. In The Batman, the cape of the new Batsuit tucks into his armor and leaves distinct folds around his shoulders. The cape on Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit resembles the texture of Affleck’s cape in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, though it looks much less cloth-like.

Pattinson’s Batsuit Plates Are Similar To The Dark Knight’s

One similarity shared by both The Dark Knight and The Batman‘s Batsuits is the armor plating that makes up the main part of the costume. At the beginning of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Wayne asks Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) for a new Batsuit that would increase his mobility and agility instead of the bulky design of the Batman Begins costume. The response is a bodysuit made up of titanium-dipped fiber with hardened kevlar plates, allowing for quicker speed and reactions but at the cost of weak spots where the armor segments. In The Batman, Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit, while distinctly leathery, follows a similar motif, with huge plates of armor making up the exterior of the suit. Throughout The Batman, Bruce Wayne gets shot, kicked around, and even skids across the road after his parachute gets stuck. Despite all of this, the new Batsuit is able to protect the hero just fine.

Pattinson’s Batsuit Is More Armored Than The Dark Knight’s

While both Batsuits share an armored plate design, the difference between the size and stature of the two is night and day. The Dark Knight‘s Batsuit was designed for practical mobility and speed, at the cost of close-range protection. However, the big difference here is that Pattinson’s suit is clearly designed to be massive and as intimidating as possible. The armor plating here is much more bulky and heavy-duty. It works out in Bruce Wayne’s favor, as he’s shot repeatedly throughout The Batman. As well, the new Batsuit had to go up against much more physically demanding threats than what Bale was up against in The Dark Knight when one considers that Robert Pattinson’s Batman had to fight multiple people at the same time more often than not.

A big inspiration here is the Arkham games, which features a heavily armored Batman taking on threats from Bane to Ra’s al Ghul. Since Robert Pattinson’s Batman will still be relatively early in his career, it would also make sense for him to be over-compensating his lack of experience and skill with a heavier, bulkier set of armor. If Reeves does get to make multiple The Batman sequels featuring the character, there’s a very strong possibility that audiences will see an evolution of the new Batsuit, similar to the Arkham games as well as The Dark Knight trilogy.

Pattinson’s Bat Logo Is More Prominent Than The Dark Knight’s

While the Bat-symbol in Batman Begins was a prominent emblem emblazoned across the chest of the suit, the filmmakers opted for subtlety with the logo on The Dark Knight‘s Batsuit, making it much smaller than before. This makes it even harder to see, as Bale’s suit was completely black, including the symbol, which was ultimately swallowed up amidst the armor-plating segments and lack of colorization. On the contrary, The Batman‘s Batsuit makes the Bat-symbol prominent across the chest, drawing attention to the unorthodox design. The new Batsuit’s symbol is actually rather useful. The symbol itself is the Batarang, a weapon to anyone familiar with the Batman universe. The bulky Bat-symbol on Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit is an intentional callback to the origins of the Bat-symbol, which is used as a purposeful target to draw the aim of criminals to the reinforced bulletproof plating underneath.

The prominence of the Bat-symbol in Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit also highlights the color differences between the two suits. While The Dark Knight‘s Batsuit was stark black, making it hard to see the symbol, Pattinson’s costume appears to be gunmetal gray in color, showing off more of the logo. With the pronounced differences in the two Batsuit designs, it’s clear that Matt Reeves’ The Batman shaped up to be a depiction of the character never before seen by audiences.