The Batmobile: The Weirdest Thing About It, According To Director James Gunn

James Gunn’s Peacemaker TV series is highlighting some of the sillier aspects of the DC universe:

James Gunn’s Peacemaker TV program is spotlighting some of the sillier features of the DC world, with his most recent humor showing an issue with the Batmobile. James Gunn has established himself as a key figure in comic book adaptations, assisting in the introduction of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy as well as resurrecting the DCEU’s The Suicide Squad series. While he gives some excellent comedy deep cuts, he also appears to be utilizing his new position to highlight some of the more ludicrous aspects of the comic book industry. In Peacemaker Episode 3, “Better Goff Dead,” the Peacemaker and the squad embark on an incredibly covert operation to eliminate a United States senator and his family, who are thought to be Butterflies, in Peacemaker Episode 3. “Better Goff Dead.” While Peacemaker and Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) are in the sniper’s nest, Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) emerges and risks jeopardizing the mission until he is eventually the one to make the death shots. When questioned how he arrived, Vigilante (AKA Adrian Chase) stated, “I followed you guys in my Vigilante-mobile.”

In the series, Peacemaker is startled to see that Vigilante owns a Vigilante-mobile and inquires as to when he acquired it:

Peacemaker is startled to learn that Vigilante owns a Vigilante-mobile and inquires as to when he obtained it. Vigilante claims that Peacemaker was involved, while Peacemaker claims that it was simply his Chrysler Sebring. Vigilante claims that it can still be a Vigilante-mobile and mocks the notion of making it noticeable by painting it purple with a huge red “V” on the hood, claiming that he’d be pulled over immediately. Vigilante is clearly correct, and even Peacemaker acknowledges that he should not do so because Vigilante is wanted by the authorities for his conduct. However, this is a clear dig at Batman’s own Batmobile, considering that he is frequently wanted by both the police and prominent criminals, and yet he travels about in Gotham City’s most identifiable automobile.

In various depictions of Batman, his Batmobile has varied considerably:

The Batmobile has been altered considerably in various depictions of Batman. However, one feature stays constant: it never appears like a regular automobile that could ever blend in. Given that many of Batman’s activities take place outside of his Batmobile, the ability to leave it somewhere undetected would seem useful, but issues with this were raised even in Batman: The Animated Series when his car was in the episode “I’ve Got Batman In My Basement,” where a child helps to keep him concealed and has to hide the Batmobile under old cardboard boxes. Some versions of the Batmobile have worked around this by having the car have various defenses against someone attempting to steal it when it is left parked somewhere, but Peacemaker makes an excellent point in pointing out that it would still be easy to track where Batman is going in the city when the Batmobile’s best camouflage is that it is black. At this point, James Gunn appears to have relatively free run to mess with superhero worlds, and this episode 3 jab at Batman’s Batmobile should come as no surprise considering what has previously featured in earlier episodes. James Gunn employed Peacemaker to poke fun at Aquaman in the opening few minutes of episode 1, “A Whole New Whirled,” when he informs a janitor that Aquaman has sex with fish (it’s unclear whether Peacemaker believes this). Then, in Peacemaker episode 2, “Best Friend, Forever,” Gunn had John Economos (Steve Agee) and Peacemaker examine the existence of Bat-Mite, a seldom-mentioned figure who is regarded as one of Batman’s most absurd sidekicks. All of these jokes help to show that Peacemaker is not a show that takes itself too seriously, which is an important step given how much of the DCEU is concerned with being dark and gritty. Peacemaker airs new episodes every Thursday on HBO Max.