Andy Muschietti recently confirmed two things: The Brave and the Bold is not coming until after 2027 at least, and Robert Pattinson, at least for now, is not going to be Batman in the DCU. While it’s disappointing that the DCU will lack a Batman movie for at least the first three years of its existence, it’s at least good to know there is some kind of plan.
However, it would just be strange to build an interconnected DC movie universe and completely exclude Batman, easily DC’s most popular character and, arguably, the most popular comic book character of all time. Maybe, instead of giving the DCU Batman his own movie to compete with The Batman Part II, Batman’s DCU role could be to appear in other character’s movies before he gets his own similar to Hulk or Fury in the MCU.
This was an idea that the old regime at Warner Bros seemed to be putting in place when Michael Keaton was set to take over as the DCEU’s Batman before Gunn and Safran rebooted the universe entirely. Keaton was supposed to appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the scrapped Batgirl, and more moving forward.
This idea would allow Gunn, Safran, and Muschietti to introduce a Batman into their universe without giving audiences Batman fatigue. Ultimately, I don’t actually think Batman fatigue would be that big of a problem, but they’re clearly worried about it.
When writing about why in the world we would get a fastracked Clayface movie before The Brave and the Bold, I wondered if the DCU Batman would actually debut in that movie. Batman technically debuted in Creature Commandos, but he didn’t say or do anything, meaning this concept is already happening albeit to a very watered down extent. If Clayface is the protagonist in his own movie, which feels logical, the antagonist could be Batman. Batman could also work as a secondary antagonist if Flannagan already has someone in mind.
Batman making an appearance in Superman or Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow feels unlikely outside of a post credits scene. I highly doubt Batman will debut in Superman’s movie as this would distract from the main character and the movie is already stacked with side characters. We know nothing about the plot of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, but the inclusion of Lobo could potentially hint at a more cosmic plot. That’s pure conjecture as the entire plot could just as easily take place on Earth, but, regardless, Batman’s appearance still feels unlikely.
There’s a chance Batman could make an appearance in Lanterns, which is most likely releasing in 2026. The story has been compared to True Detective, an excellent HBO series, so maybe the Lanterns need some help from the World’s Greatest Detective. A multi episode arc including Batman assisting the Lanterns would make just about everyone even more excited for the show, but putting Batman in anything has the risk of the character overshadowing others. Even for just one episode, Batman could entirely steal the show and be the only thing talked about from the episode. Maybe that isn’t a bad thing, though. As they say, all press is good press. I certainly wouldn’t mind the Caped Crusader being featured in one or more episodes.
One more announced project Batman could appear in is Dynamic Duo, the animated feature set in the DCU that tells the backstories of both Dick Grayson and Jason Todd as Robins. To tell the story of two different Robins that have gone on to be their own heroes, Nightwing and Red Hood respectively, without Batman in the story at all wouldn’t make a lot of sense. In fact, I genuinely can’t explain in my own head how they would tell that story and omit Batman. Even if they did something similar to the Titans series, Batman would at least be in it some.
The Swamp Thing movie is another title that could feature Batman as the two characters have come across each other plenty of times before. Swamp Thing is a relatively unknown character to general audiences, so putting Batman in his movie could be a way to get more people to see it. Of course, it all comes down to the quality of the film as The Flash made very little money and had, if I’m remembering correctly, four versions of Bruce Wayne in it.
Other than Paradise Lost, which we haven’t received a significant update for in quite a while, and the inevitable Lobo movie, that’s everything currently announced that Batman could appear in. Both of those projects also feel unlikely for a Batman appearance.
That doesn’t mean Batman couldn’t appear in more projects before The Brave and the Bold eventually is released. Gunn is obviously open to obscure ideas like a Clayface movie, so who know what will be announced next. Maybe a Teen Titans project is closer than we think or maybe that Bane/Deathstroke will take off, both of which are related to Batman.
What do you think about this idea? Would this help avoid Batman fatigue or would it cause it? Would it bring more attention to DC projects or is ti overkill? Let me know!