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Robert Pattinson’s Batmobile in The Batman is nothing like the superhero car featured in Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale’s Dark Knight trilogy. And according to director Matt Reeves, it’s because he wanted his version to feel more hands-on.

Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz as Batman and Catwoman in 'The Batman'
Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz as Batman and Catwoman in ‘The Batman’ | DC Comics

‘The Batman’ Batmobile is a total muscle car

Reeves’ first revealed images of his Batmobile in March 2020. And at first sight, it was apparent that the vehicle was nothing like the versions in any Batman projects seen before.  

But, considering how Reeves is approaching his iteration of the superhero, it makes sense. The Batman will pick up with Bruce Wayne in his second year as a crime fighter. And unlike Bale’s version —  which Wayne’s Applied Science Division fashioned — this new Batmobile reflects Pattinson’s hero’s reclusive, hands-on personality. 

“The Nolan films established the Batmobile as a tank, which was a brilliant idea,” Reeves said in an interview with Cinema Blend. “But I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if this guy is a loner and a gearhead and fashioning these things by himself, taking parts of other cars and kit cars?’”

“So it’s recognizable as a car this time,” he explained. “But it’s like a muscle car. One that he’s made himself.”

Matt Reeves’ Batmobile in ‘The Batman’ was inspired by Stephen King

Stephen King is the master of horror. And in his 1983 novel, Christine, the writer brings a 1958 Plymouth Fury to life by turning it into a demon car possessed by evil forces. 

When designing The Batman Batmobile, Reeves recalled King’s book. And he decided to give the superhero a similarly terrifying car.

“[The Batmobile] has to make an appearance out of the shadows to intimidate,” Reeves told Empire Magazine. “So I thought of it almost like Stephen King’s Christine. I liked the idea of the car itself as a horror figure, making an animalistic appearance to really scare the hell out of the people Batman’s pursuing. There is absolutely a horror-genre aspect to this movie.”

‘The Batman’ trailers give fans a closer look at the Batmobile

In the teasers and trailers for The Batman, fans get a closer look at Pattinson’s brooding muscle car as it vengefully tears through Gotham. And after catching it in action, some are excited to see how it plays into the hero’s storyline.

“Previous movie Batmobiles could easily overpower any vehicle in their path, whether it was with their firepower or their raw size and weight,” one Reddit fan wrote. “Batman won’t have the same upper hand here, which will no doubt lead to some incredibly tense chase sequences that simply weren’t possible before.”

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The 1966 Batmobile from ‘Batman’ Was a Pain to Drive

Other fans noted it will be exciting to see Bruce get hands-on and work on the car himself. “I would like to see him building it and upgrading it throughout the movie,” one fan shared on Reddit. “In the context of the world of The Batman, I’m not sure if Bruce has used it yet in his crime fighting career, so seeing him rip through the streets in his first night out with it would be cool for me.”

“I’d like to see Bruce getting actively making good equipment, crafting, and fixing doing things himself because I think it’s nice to show that he’s capable [of] being Batman himself,” another Redditor added. “I think it’d be nice since he’s still relatively early in his career, seeing him very hands on with his own stuff like his car and figuring out upgrades.”

The Batman release date is March 4, 2022. 

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