While Warner Bros. and its work in the world of DC have been making headlines in recent days, the studio's latest super-powered effort continues its run in theaters and onto streaming services. The Batman debuted in early March to rave reviews, quickly providing a beloved take on the caped crusader and a breath of fresh air for a DC name that had been on the sidelines in recent years.
The film offered fans a glimpse at a Bruce Wayne who is still figuring out what it really means to be Batman, as the titular hero examined a series of serial murders. For many, The Batman felt like a love letter to the character, with the film's director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson constantly professing their love for the world of Gotham City and the people who call it home.
Now, with some distance from the movie's debut, those who made the magic happen on screen are finally getting the opportunity to show what it was really like working on the next great Batman epic. And these little glimpses also give fans a look at just how much blood, sweat and tears goes into making a film such as this.
A Different Looking Batman
The Batman costume designer Glyn Dillon took to Instagram to share alternate takes for a few different elements of the Gotham-based Matt Reeves film. Amongst these images was a concept board featuring 24 unused logo treatments for the iconic bat symbol seen in the film.
Alongside these bat symbols, the designer also revealed a concept piece, offering a closer look at Robert Pattinson's gloves and grappling hook on his Batman costume.
Every Batman Has a Bat Symbol
While it is cool to see concept pieces such as the one of the bat gloves get their moment in the sun, the real meat on the bone here can be found in those alternate bat symbols shared by Dillon.
Every Batman - at least on screen - has somewhat become defined by the symbol representing them.
Keaton's bat symbol of 1989's Batman looked like something straight out of the comics with big rounded wings and a splash of bright yellow. Nolan redefined the bat sigil with his much more streamlined, modern take offering sharp edges and hard corners. And the bat symbol seen in The Batman was something more utilitarian, mimicking the practical bat seen on Pattinson's bat suit.
But it is fascinating as a fan to take a look at what could have been on the bat symbol front. Some of these look like slight variations of what the end product looked like, but others are much different. If there is one thread to follow throughout these concepts it is the emphasis on the bat wings. Every one of these sports exaggerated long wings as opposed to the more proportionate wings found on Keaton's Batman.
A couple of these also look straight out of the Batman Beyond cartoon from the late 1990s with very pointed and pronounced wings pointing upwards. There are even riffs on what look to be more bat-focused Nightwing logos in amongst the bunch here.
Despite all this though, many would agree that what the world got represented this take on the Dark Knight perfectly. The Batman can be seen in theaters now and on HBO Max on April 18.
