Each new trailer and teaser spot for The Batman keeps us guessing. But as we learn more about Matt Reeves’ upcoming entry into the DCEU, we can’t help but be excited. New footage from a TV spot brings the Riddler’s game into focus, and that focus is the Wayne family and Bruce’s legacy. So far, the Riddler’s victims appear to be Gotham’s corrupt heavy hitters: the politicians, district attorneys, mob bosses, etc. And among those is Gotham’s wealthy elite, namely the Wayne family.
“I’ve always loved little puzzles,” the Riddler intones, before asking “what is cruel, poetic, or blind, but when it’s denied, violence will you find?” Batman knows that the answer, of course, is justice, something that has always been in short supply in Gotham. “This is all about the Waynes,” Catwoman concurs.
The clip comes in advance of the next trailer for the film, which will debut during the Super Bowl this Sunday. For as many times as we’ve seen the murder of Batman’s parents onscreen, we rarely see Thomas and Martha Wayne depicted in a negative light. Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ gives us a kind, caring Dr. Thomas Wayne, who rescues Bruce from the bats and comforts his son.
But the Waynes are billionaires, and we all know there is no such thing as a good billionaire, with the exception of Rihanna. So what crimes have the Riddler uncovered about the Waynes? And who will those revelations affect Bruce, whose core identity was shaped by their death? Riddler says that Bruce will have to answer for the sins of his father, but what are those sins?
It’s been rumored that The Batman takes inspiration from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween. The series features a flashback where Dr. Wayne saves a young Carmine Falcone, who had been shot by rival gangster Luigi Maroni. We already know that Jon Turturro plays Falcone in the film, so perhaps the Riddler blames Wayne for Falcone’s rise to power?
Or is there something more insidious in the Wayne family history? And will its revelation change the way Bruce sees his parents and his mission for justice? Most (if not all) Batman films explore how the death of his parents shaped Bruce, but what of their lives. It also begs the question of how much Alfred knew, and what he kept hidden from young Bruce.
This is all rich thematic territory to explore for the film to explore, and we’re excited to see where The Batman takes us.
(image: Warner Bros.)
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