Sonny Corinthos

You could never reveal Batman's true identity in comics or films. Batman is a very dark, mysterious hero who hides in the shadows and appears out of nowhere to strike fear into criminals. No one would ever be afraid of billionaire playboy Brue Wayne.

Draven

Or a good writer and director could be up to the challenge of making that work.

And then, again, just reboot it back to "normal" a few years later if it's such a travesty.

Kurt D

It worked for Jason Voorhees! People were still scared of him after they learned he was just a dead little hydrocephalic kid.

rocket1312

Batman is a character (not unlike James Bond) that could be interpreted in any number of ways to suit current cultural sensibilities. There's no reason to tinker with the fundamental aspects of the character. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but I'm not sure what the upside would be. I don't recall Batman's identity ever being public in the comics outside of a couple of non-canon stories released in the last few years. Even then, when his identity was revealed in those stories, it more or less marked the "end" of Batman. Compare that to Tony Stark, who has been a public hero more or less in all of his modern incarnations. That's not to say the comics are infallible, but given Batman's been around 80+ years, I'm sure it was pitched once or twice. He's an intensely psychological character and the dual identity is a large part of that.

Of course I say all this coming from the position that if you're going to make a Batman movie, then make a Batman movie. If the feeling is that the character is stale, don't monkey with it, just don't make more Batman movies. However, I understand that this is deeply naive and unrealistic point of view
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Draven

I was reminded of this scene recently. I realize this is ridiculous but it really has the feeling of old-school comic book tropes that don't necessarily need to be sacred.


And I'm also not going to die on this hill. If people want the same basic premise for every Batman movie (a billionaire's parents were killed when he was a kid so he dresses up like a bat and beats up criminals in Gotham City), then more power to you.

Michael Corvin

You think someone dressed up as a bulletproof bat jumping out of the shadows to kick your ass wouldn't be scary if you knew of the person that was behind the mask?

DaveyJoe

Yeah, that would be scary. But if you know Batman is Bruce Wayne you just shoot him in the daytime when he's not all suited up. And/or you kill his loved ones. It's a lot easier to hurt someone you know, even if most times they could kick your ass.

Hokeyboy

We're still arguing the whole "Batman shouldn't have a secret identity and be known as Bruce Wayne" concept?

I remember when the DCU in the 90s tried to go with the "Batman is actually a Gotham urban legend, most people don't think he's real" line, and it was just as ridiculous as it sounds.

"Hey we've got an indestructible alien from a distant planet who flies and sees through walls and has near limitless strength, an immortal Amazonian princess who is descended from Greek Gods that ACTUALLY EXIST, an intergalactic police officer with a magic ring powered by his own willpower which allows him to fly between galaxies, an Atlantian King he lives in one of seven kingdoms in the ocean..."

"Oh that's cool."

"We also have a guy dressed up as a bat who beats the crap out of criminals in Gotham City and--"

"THAT'S A FUCKING URBAN LEGEND!!"

GoldenJCJ

Now I wish we would have gotten this scene in the Nolan Batman films with Bale’s gruff Batman voice.

Kurt D

You know what you get when everyone knows Bruce Wayne is Batman? Ozymandias, and everyone hated that fucking dork.

William Fuld

But what if Bruce Wayne was black?

Kurt D

I'm honestly surprised it took that long to get here, though I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought the same thing several times.

rocket1312

Black people can't be billionaires. That's just silly.

Sonny Corinthos

If I knew it was Bruce Wayne, I may be concerned, but not scared. If he beat my ass, I would just go and blow up "Staley Wayne Manner" the next day. See how that works? You could never turn Batman/Bruce Wayne into Tony Stark/Iron Man. It would ruin the entire premise of Batman.

GoldenJCJ

If everyone knows Batman is Bruce Wayne and Batman kicks my ass, I’m suing billionaire Bruce Wayne for everything he’s got.

Michael Corvin

I dunno, it just seems like it might be possible. And maybe, just maybe we've seen it before and it magically worked.

Hokeyboy

Iron Man simply is not the same character as Batman. If all you see is "billionaire playboy inventor/crimefighter", you're just skimming the surface.

Draven

If you’re saying that the only thing that makes Batman Batman is dead parents, dressing like a bat and having a secret identity, I’d say that’s just skimming the surface too

What about a Batman movie when he doesn’t have access to limitless wealth? Is he still Batman? I’d like to see him on the run, improvising his arsenal, relying on his intelligence and detective skills INSTEAD of a cool car and high-tech gear. That sounds like a more interesting movie than the one we just got.

Hokeyboy

Strangely enough, that was partially the premise of Darren Aaronofsky/Frank Miller's adaptation of "Batman: Year One" in the early 00's. Bruce basically renounced the Wayne family fortune and was working as a mechanic for "Big Al". Whether or not that would have worked is debatable (I would have loved to see it) but I was excited when Aaronofsky announced that he was bringing a "real indie movie" take on Batman... which, 3 years after the Batman & Robin debacle, was so much more agreeable at the time.

DaveyJoe

They did that in the Dark Knight Rises.

Sonny Corinthos

If young Bruce Wayne doesn't see his parents killed right in front of him, he has no reason to ever become Batman. His whole existence would be totally different. He wouldn't have grown up alone (except for Alfred) in the huge mansion with daily reminders of what was took from him. He would not have had the bitterness, the anger, the rage that grew more and more each day. He would not have spent so many years as a young adult learning and training how to fight. Without his parent's death, he would have been just another wealthy playboy.

Hokeyboy

Speaking of new approaches with Batman.... I'm of the crowd that has long since championed the idea of NIGHTWING in essence becoming the 1950s Batman: the one who takes on the larger-than-life, four-color super villains in more fun and lighthearted stories.

He's the world's greatest acrobat in the DCU, plus a top-rated martial artist and a master (if not THE master) detective. I'd love to see him battling bad guys on top of giant typewriters or the like. And if you wanted to recreate the classic "Dynamic Duo" vibe, bring in Bette Kane as Flamebird and you're off to the races.

Writers keep loving to pronounce "Dick is not Batman Jr., he's his own guy!" and then just stick him in street-level crimefighting stories in Gotham City Jr (Bludhaven). I'd be more interested in seeing him fight badguys in Fawcett City or Metropolis, somewhere in which mad scientists, evil robots, and monsters from other dimensions are more commonplace.

And bring back the puns.

Draven

I think I'm more interested in the Logan treatment for a Batman movie. Get the character out of Gotham, out of the Batcave, away from his gadgets and gizmos. For as much of a mess as the Snyderverse is, I was interested in "Batman fighting in the desert" over anything else. And I loved what a brawler Affleck was.

IBJoel

The Batman film I'd love to see that would solve a lot of these issues is a Legends of the Dark Knight anthology film. Let directors/writers put their spin on the character, be it as a weird pulp creature in the 1930s, a theatrical masked adventurer, an avenger in the post-apocalypse, a modern Zorro, etc.

Draven

That sounds great to me