Now that Superman is out, DC Studios has concurrent live-action Batman and Superman franchises on the big screen. There's only a slight problem: They live in totally different universes. The Dark Knight is being played by Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves' gritty The Batman world, while the Man of Steel is portrayed by David Corenswet in James Gunn's colorful universe. Despite the distinction between the two, fans have long wanted to see Pattinson's Bruce Wayne be merged into the DCU.
There was a period when that seemed like a real possibility. However, as time has passed, it seems likelier that DC Studios will have its own version of the Caped Crusader existing at the same time as Reeves' iteration. Yet, as the old, heavily paraphrased adage says, hope is the last thing to go. A curious thing happened that's led fans to once again wonder if there might be a chance that Pattinson's Batman will make his way into James Gunn and Peter Safran's universe.
DC Studios had a big presence at CCXP in São Paulo, Brazil. Aside from the focus on Craig Gillespie's upcoming Supergirl, the convention also featured two incredible life-size statues of David Corenswet's Superman and Robert Pattinson's Batman standing side by side. An image of the statues was shared on X:
The statues being placed next to each other led eager fans to wonder whether DC Studios was sneakily hinting at the possibility of Matt Reeves' Dark Knight being folded into the ongoing DC Universe:
Other fans simply shared their excitement about the possibility of seeing Pattinson sharing the screen with Corenswet's Clark Kent:
Despite the speculation, it's unlikely for the statue placement to be signaling anything. The Batman and Superman are highly successful ongoing franchises for two of DC's biggest characters. With no DCU Batman available yet, it makes sense to display the two properties side by side. As such, the placement appears to be a display of DC's cinematic legacy, rather than a potential merger between the two properties.
During a 2024 appearance on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, James Gunn was asked if he had considered Robert Pattinson becoming the Batman of the DCU. The director replied: "I've contemplated it. Yeah. We've contemplated it. I gotta contemplate everything, Josh. [We have to] talk about everything."
Then, speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2025, Gunn said about merging Pattinson's Bruce Wayne into the DCU: "We've talked about it before, but it's not what's happening right now. You know, listen, everything's in flux. So, we'll figure out what we're doing next, yeah."
With Matt Reeves' Batman already being well established, his addition to the DCU would aid the franchise with some preset world-building. Having said that, odds are DC Studios' The Brave and the Bold will ultimately introduce a whole new Caped Crusader. During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Gunn even addressed his commitment to the long-in-development DCU feature, stating:
"If you're gonna make a Batman movie, it better be f—ing awesome."
Superman returns to theaters in Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release on July 9, 2027. Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne will make his comeback in The Batman Part II, coming out on October 1, 2027.
What do you think about the speculation sparked by the statues at CCXP? Would you like to see Matt Reeves' Batman in the DCU? Drop your thoughts in the comments!