“He looks like a rock star”: Robert Pattinson’s Batman Was Partly Inspired by an Immortal Musical Icon Who Influenced His ‘Emo Look’
Given the number of different iterations we see of various superheroes, it’s crucial for filmmakers and actors to add their individual essence and practice creative freedom while presenting the character’s story. All popular superheroes including Batman, Spider-Man, and even Superman have been played by different actors, and directed by different visionaries.
The audience also likes being surprised by a certain flair or a quality in every iteration that was missing from the past versions. It sets the stories apart while exploring the vast dimensions of superheroes’ lives from the comics.
What Inspired Robert Pattinson’s Look in The Batman?
Directed by Matt Reeves, we witnessed the new version of Batman, played by Robert Pattinson. His past experience in films like Twilight and The Lighthouse gave him an edge over others as he already exhibited a certain darkness that Batman’s character exudes. The protector of Gotham City fights plenty of criminals in his lifetime, but the ones that trouble him the most are the demons inside his head.
The first hint of inspiration behind Pattinson’s Batman is presented in the movie’s first trailer where we hear Something In The Way by Nirvana play as the soundtrack. Reeves explained that this was a mindful choice as the song resonates with what he had in mind for the iconic character. After Christian Bale and Ben Affleck’s successful portrayals of the Caped Crusader, Reeves knew he wanted something extraordinary. In an interview with Empire magazine, he said,
“When I write, I listen to music, and as I was writing the first act, I put on Nirvana’s ‘Something In The Way’. That’s when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne the playboy version we’ve seen before, there’s another version who had gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. So I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant’s Last Days, and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor.”
To bring out the sadness and tragic past in Bruce Wayne’s story, it was important to play that hurt in the character. More than a powerful superhero, Batman is first and foremost Bruce Wayne, a vulnerable orphan who is hell-bent on revenge. Molding Pattinson’s Batman to rockstar Kurt Cobain was a brilliant twist, loved by the masses too. Both are recluses who don’t socialize at all and prefer to feel their pain in loneliness. Even Pattinson’s disgruntled look was inspired by Cobain’s personality and appearance.
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The Changes in Batsuit
Reeves further highlights that they changed the way Batman dons the cape and the Batsuit as well. It was important to set their Batman’s identity apart from the past portrayals. The director shares that Pattinson’s suit had a bullet graze on the cape, showing the intense struggles and fights he got into every night. As the protector of the city, his encounters with criminals and people of the underworld were countless.
The 2022 Batman had a more modern suit with padding and pockets for gadgets in his torso. What makes Batman a cut above the rest is his ability to modernize and advance his fight style with new-age gadgets and technology. Along with Alfred, he sits in his manor day and night to develop such cutting-edge weapons and tools that will help him defend himself in the field.
