DC's Holy Trinity of superheroes are all in quite different places in regards to their on-screen future with Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe. Wonder Woman is all set to get a third film in the coming years, while the Clark Kent version of Superman remains on a mysterious hiatus until further notice. Meanwhile, the franchise will get its second of three Caped Crusaders with Robert Pattinson's The Batman in March 2022.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman will explore a younger and less experienced Bruce Wayne as he takes on his first year of fighting crime in Gotham City. While fans are looking forward to Pattinson's upcoming battles with Colin Farrell's Penguin and Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman, the story as a whole will expand on a universe never explored before within the DCEU.
Thanks to so many other superheroes already existing in previous movies, fans are wondering if the universe in which The Batman is set has its own versions of heroes like Superman or Wonder Woman. Now, a recently released tie-in novel is answering that question and expanding this world before the film debuts.
Metropolis Exists in The Batman Movie Universe
Before the Batman: An Original Movie Novel (The Batman), a children's middle-grade book which directly ties to the events of The Batman, has shared some intriguing details about Matt Reeves' DC universe.
Obtained by The Direct, the book introduces a character named Dex, who confirms the existence of both Metropolis and LexCorp within The Batman's story with the following quote:
“My dad and I need to get away. Maybe Metropolis. I hear LexCorp Race Team is taking on new mechanics.”
Unfortunately, no additional details about Metropolis are provided in the novel.
Will Superman Appear In The Batman Franchise?
Despite being arguably DC's most iconic superhero, Superman hasn't had a true appearance in the DCEU since 2017's Justice League and 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League. While the Kryptonian made a short cameo at the end of 2019's Shazam!, his face wasn't shown on screen due to Henry Cavill not returning to the role.
Whether fans see Cavill's Superman again is a major mystery, but the Last Son of Krypton's home city and main villain seem to be firmly entrenched in The Batman ahead of its release.
Looking at how much story is coming in The Batman, it's unlikely that too much of the screentime will focus on Superman or Metropolis, if any at all. Regardless, this adds another fun nod to the extensive DC universe that will hopefully see more growth and expansion as Pattinson's Batman moves further into his run through the DCEU's movies.
The Batman will debut in theaters on March 4, 2022.
