Draft:Bruce Wayne (The Batman franchise)

Bruce Wayne is a fictional character portrayed by Robert Pattinson in The Batman media franchise, based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, better known by his vigilante alias, Batman. The character was adapted for film by writer/director Matt Reeves, and co-writers Peter Craig & Mattson Tomlin. Fans have nicknamed this iteration of the character "Battinson", intended to be a portmanteau of "Batman" and "Pattinson".

Wayne is introduced as a wealthy, but reclusive socialite who has been operating as a masked crimefighter for two years, seeking to uncover the inner workings of Gotham City's criminal underworld with the assistance of his mentor and family butler Alfred Pennyworth. His crusade to inflict a personal brand of justice on the city's streets has brought him into contact with several notable figures who are divided on his methods, including Gotham's district attorney Gil Colson, mayoral candidate Bella Reál, Police Commissioner Pete Savage and young lieutenant James Gordon--whom he assists alongside the rest of the Gotham City Police Department, crime boss Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot, powerful mob boss Carmine Falcone and another vigilante within Gotham, Selina Kyle, who bonds with Wayne due to their shared innate compulsion to help the powerless and expose Gotham's broken societal systems. Wayne is tested when a neurotic serial killer named Edward Nashton, operating under the alias The Riddler, targets the city's elite and methodically eliminates people in positions of power, intent on unearthing a history of corruption within Gotham City that is linked to Bruce Wayne and his family's past.

Pattinson's performance as the character has been well received by critics and fans, with many highlighting the return to the character's detective roots and internalized, tortured interpretation of Bruce Wayne in contrast to previous film adaptations. As of 2022, Pattinson has appeared as the character in one film: The Batman (2022), and will return in The Batman Part II (2025), in addition to being slated to reprise the role for a third film. The character has also appeared in media and merchandise outside the franchise such as tie-in novels and the comic limited series The Riddler: Year One (2022-23).

Concept and creation
The character Batman was first created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane for an appearance in Detective Comics #27 (dated March 30, 1939), with Kane seeking to use the character to capitalize off of the popularity of Superman, who had debuted a year prior in Action Comics #1 (cover dated June 1938 and published on April 18, 1938). Although Kane initially claimed sole credit for the creation of Batman, Bill Finger was largely responsible for developing the character's bat-inspired aesthetics and a large portion of his rogues gallery. The character would receive a solo publication spinning off from his appearances in Detective Comics, titled Batman, in 1940. Following a period in the 1960s involving comic book writers working to retain a synergistic tone between Batman's solo comics and his then-recent television series from 1966, several creators worked throughout the following decade and the 1980s to return the character to his darker, noir-thriller roots. These efforts culminated in the publishing of the 1986 limited series The Dark Knight Returns by comic book writer Frank Miller.

Preceding The Batman, the character has been the subject of numerous multimedia adaptations. Principally on live-action film, he was previously portrayed by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney in Tim Burton and Joel Shumacher's initial Batman film series (1989-1997), by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012) directed by Christopher Nolan, and by Ben Affleck in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad (both 2016) and Justice League (2017), as well as its eventual director's cut (2021). Additionally, Affleck reprised the role in The Flash (2023), which featured his iteration of Bruce Wayne alongside Michael Keaton's incarnation of the character, reprising his role he played in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), while ignoring the events of Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), as Keaton did not star in those films.

Under Ben Affleck and DCEU development (2015–2017)
In July 2015, Ben Affleck, who had been cast as the character two years prior, was in negotiations to co-write, direct, co-produce and star in a standalone Batman film simply titled The Batman, which was to be set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and focusing on his iteration of the character introduced in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). The film was intended to be set after the events of Dawn of Justice and Justice League (2017), telling an original narrative that centered on Wayne confronting Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, who would've attempted to dismantle his personal life and orchestrate a breakout at Arkham Asylum in order to tire and weaken him as revenge for his involvement in the death of his son. The film would've featured Jeremy Irons and J.K. Simmons reprising their roles from Dawn of Justice & Justice League as Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon, respectively, with the character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl also slated to appear. Cinematographer Robert Richardson was attached to this iteration of the film, and commented that the narrative would've delved more into the psychological aspects of the character and emphasized "insanity" as a permeating theme throughout the script, which Affleck co-wrote with prolific DC Comics writer and former CCO of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns. He stated that audiences "would've seen something a little darker than what we've seen in the past and [would've gone] more into the individual, who's inside Batman". Affleck's story for The Batman would've drawn principal inspiration from the comic book stories Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989) and "Knightfall" (1992-1994), in addition to loosely deriving from events in the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) developed by Rocksteady Studios. Dawn of Justice and Justice League helmer Zack Snyder thoroughly enjoyed Affleck's story, and included a post-credits scene in the latter film depicting Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), revealing Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne to Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello), to lead into the events of Affleck's iteration of The Batman. The scene was ultimately altered to instead allude to the formation of the Injustice League in the theatrical cut of the film (helmed by Joss Whedon due to Snyder's exit from the film's post-production), in part due to the film's story being rewritten from scratch and discarding Affleck's intended narrative at this point in time, but it was restored to its original form in the 2021 director's cut of the film, Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Affleck eventually stepped down as director in January 2017, feeling that after a period of rewrites that someone else should "have a shot at it", which took place in conjunction with Warner Bros. re-evaluation of their approach to the shared universe model of their films following the critical and audience reactions to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad (2016), leading to Affleck's film being "sidelined". Directors being shortlisted as Affleck's potential replacement included Matt Reeves, Matt Ross, Ridley Scott, Gavin O' Connor, George Miller, Denis Villeneuve and Fede Álvarez; Reeves quickly moved to the top of the shortlist, being a longtime fan of the character. Following quickly resolved disputes regarding salary, Reeves was officially hired to direct the film on February 23, 2017, beginning work on the script the following month.

Under Matt Reeves and standalone universe redevelopment (2017–2022)
Upon being hired, Matt Reeves read the latest draft of Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns' screenplay. While he would go on to compliment their vision for the film in January 2022 for its "action-driven" and "James Bond-ian" tone and stylization, he felt that elements of the character that resonated with him individually were not as present in their script as he would've preferred, and critiqued the screenplay for what he found to be an overreliance on the film's roots in the DCEU continuity, calling it "deeply connected, with other major characters from other movies and other comics popping up. I just knew that when I read it this particular script was not the way I'd want to do it". He would ultimately conclude that, "it wasn't something that [I] quite related to". Reeves, originally intending to retain The Batman planned connections to the wider DCEU, reworked the original screenplay to be set earlier in Bruce's vigilantism career prior to the events of Dawn of Justice, with plans to cast a younger actor to play Batman. Warner Bros. began searching for Affleck's replacement in July 2017, while Affleck himself would go into rehabilitation for alcohol abuse the following August, thus making it increasingly unlikely he would reprise the role for the film. Affleck would officially leave the film altogether in January 2019 as the studio set the original release date of June 25, 2021, with the actor attributing his departure to multiple factors, namely his divorce from Jennifer Garner, the tumultuous production of Justice League in 2017, his alcohol problems, and his degraded passion for the role in general.

When Matt Reeves elected to set the film's new script near the start of Batman's crimefighting tenure, he chose to have it take place in the character's second year as opposed to retelling his origin story as had been done with previous live-action incarnations of the character. He also desired to emphasize the detective roots of the character, saying that his take would be an "almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman" emphasizing the character's heart and mind. Reeves described his version of The Batman as a blend of the detective, action and psychological thriller genres, which he felt hewed closer to the source material compared to previous adaptations. As Reeves wanted to explore how the Batman mythos could exist in a realistic setting, he also wanted to depart from Bruce Wayne's traditional portrayal as a wealthy socialite and charismatic playboy. Instead, feeling inspired by having listened to the Nirvana song "Something in the Way" (1991) as he wrote the film's first act, he chose to base his interpretation of Wayne off of the band's reclusive frontman and lead singer Kurt Cobain. This included taking inspiration from the film Last Days (2005), which depicted a fictionalized character based on the singer named Blake (played by Michael Pitt), living "in a decaying manor" that would parallel Wayne Manor in his film. To prepare for the film, Reeves reread several of his favorite Batman comic book stories, but still opted to tell an original narrative as opposed to basing his film off of a specific comic book arc. Inspirations for his film included "Year One" (1987) by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, The Long Halloween (1996-97) by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Ego (2000) by Darwyn Cooke and "Zero Year" (2013-14) by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Additionally, multiple plot and characterization elements in the film, namely Bruce Wayne's blood relation to the Arkham family through his mother, Alfred Pennyworth's background as a former intelligence agent who trained Bruce in combat, and the depiction of Batman as an inexperienced vigilante who learns to become a less vengeful and more honorable hero, were derived directly from the graphic novel series Batman: Earth One (2012-2021) by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Reeves took especial influence from the portrayal of Batman's psyche present in Ego, and sought to make his Bruce Wayne more relatable, while still honoring the aspects of the character audiences enjoyed. Further cinematic inspiration for his take on the character came from the likes of The French Connection (1971), Chinatown (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), and the various works of director Alfred Hitchcock.

Reeves originally planned for The Batman to tell a standalone story set in the broader DCEU continuity that didn't service other characters or films, a sentiment he echoed both in March 2017 and August 2018. However, he eventually decided that its ties to the DCEU would end up detracting from Batman's character arc, and asked Affleck and the studio for the permission of being able to creatively shift the film outside the shared universe. Reeves explained that he wanted to be able to create a version of the character with "a personal aspect to it", feeling as though he should not be obligated to connect it to other aspects of the DCEU franchise. Warner Bros' further incorporation of the multiverse in its DC Comics-based films allowed Reeves to take the project outside the previous continuity and in a new direction; as such, the film and its characters are set in a separate standalone universe known as "Earth-2". Warner Bros. intends for The Batman to launch a new standalone film trilogy for the character in addition to a Batman shared universe, which will be expanded by future theatrical films and television series currently in development for the streaming service HBO Max. One of the series, originally intended as a prequel to the film focused on the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD), was eventually reconfigured into taking place after the film and centered on Arkham Asylum. Another series centered on the franchise's iteration of Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin portrayed by Colin Farrell is also in development.

Recasting Bruce Wayne / Batman
By May 2019, The shortlist for actors being considered for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman included Robert Pattinson, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Armie Hammer, with Pattinson being the frontrunner to replace Ben Affleck in the role. Reeves began taking serious interest in the actor upon seeing his film Good Time (2017), but felt unsure as to whether Pattinson himself would be interested. The actor had a tendency to avoid roles in large multi-film franchises following his experience with the Twilight film series, as he found such roles dull and preferred not being confronted by paparazzi. He was especially desirable to Warner Bros. due to the fact he had not appeared in any of the rival films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise produced by Marvel Studios, while Hoult had prior experience with the Marvel Comics-based X-Men films from 20th Century Fox (where he portrayed Hank McCoy / Beast), but was largely unrecognizable over the duration of those films due to the extensive application of prosthetics and make-up. Reeves spent hours reviewing Pattinson and Hoult's prior performances before meeting with them in April; by May 20th they were the only contenders for the role and each flew to Burbank, California for a screen test. During his test, Pattinson wore the Batsuit previously worn by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), which was similarly worn in a screen test by both Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy when they auditioned for the lead role in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005). Reeves had specific requirements for the role, and in spite of the actor's increasing inability to be able to move in the suit during the test, Pattinson ultimately became the lead choice for the role, and was officially cast as the film's new star on May 31, with a salary of US$3 million. Pattinson had been captivated by the Batman character for a long time, particularly due to his lack of traditional superpowers, and had numerous ideas on how he could bring a unique portrayal between Batman's activities as a crimefighting vigilante and detective, and his more public identity as Bruce Wayne, compared to previous film interpretations of the character.

Pattinson's casting in the title role was initially met with significant fan backlash, with some initiating a Change.org petition in order to convince Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves to reverse the decision. The actor observed that he found the reaction to be less vitriolic than he anticipated, ultimately having the sentiment that being an underdog in the eyes of the general audience meant he wasn't pressured to live up to specific expectations in regards to his performance. Former Batman actor Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Trilogy; 2005–2012), was openly supportive of Pattinson, encouraging him to "make the role [his] own" and ignore critical reception, while comparing the fan revolt the actor received, to a similar response Heath Ledger experienced when he was cast in the role of the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008).

To prepare for the role, Pattinson began by studying the comics history of the character, reading various material spanning the Golden Age of Comic Books to Tom King's then-recent run on Batman (2016-2019). He physically trained for the role by partaking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with instructor Rigan Machado, wanting to undergo a significant shift in physicality similar to actors such as MCU alumni Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, as well as fellow DC alumni Dwayne Johnson (who portrayed the title role in the DCEU film Black Adam). He also received further advice and support from the Dark Knight Trilogy director Christopher Nolan, whom he had worked with on Tenet (2020).

Characterization
In a stark deviation from the traditional interpretation of the character, Bruce Wayne in The Batman is presented as a reclusive, socially inept, and generally introverted individual as opposed to his civilian persona being depicted as a charismatic socialite in various comics and preceding film incarnations. Bruce is depicted in the film as a man who despite his best intents with his vigilantism, is made falliable through his emotional investment in continuing what he perceived as his family's legacy; a legacy he soon believes was tarnished by the revelation regarding his father's attempt to intimidate a journalist through crime lord Carmine Falcone during his mayoral campaign, as well as his mother's relation to the Arkham family and history with mental illness. His methods of handling Gotham City's criminal activity are met with extreme divsiveness among public officials, with particular ire drawn from his frequent collaborators, the Gotham City Police Department. The former Commissioner Pete Savage was specifically outspoken about his distaste for the police's association with a vigilante through James Gordon, often criticizing the young lieutenant for his insistence of having Batman present at crucial crime scenes, such as the investigation into Mayor Don Mitchell Jr.'s murder. His exploits as Batman also cause a significant strain on his relationship with his butler and surrogate father figure, Alfred Pennyworth, who is privy to Bruce's escapades at night, and is deeply concerned for his wellbeing and ability to uphold his public image as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises during the daytime. While initially intending to use the Batman persona to invoke fear in the criminals he targeted, he soon comes to the realization that his dedicated efforts to exact vengeance on the criminal element in Gotham City, is inadvertently leading to the increase in crime throughout the city over his two-year tenure as a vigilante, instead opting to reconcile his feelings to begin inspiring hope and focusing his efforts on aiding in the safety of the city's citizens, bettering his personal image as a member of the Wayne family while continuing their work to maintain stability in Gotham's society.

In characterizing Bruce Wayne for the film, writer/director Matt Reeves cited Kurt Cobain, the deceased frontman of the rock band Nirvana, as a significant influence on his iteration of the character. Reeves was inspired to portray Wayne in a similar light as he regularly listened to the song "Something in the Way" (1991) while writing the film's first act. In addition, Reeves also heavily derived from the character "Blake", a fictionalized interpretation of Cobain featured in the film Last Days (2005) directed by Gus Van Sant. Another inspiration Reeves cited for his take on Bruce was the character Michael Corleone from The Godfather (1972), portrayed by Al Pacino. Reeves' ultimate goal in depicting Bruce in this fashion was to make him relatable while retaining his core aspects, and described his interpretation of the character as "still trying to figure out how to do this, how to be effective, and he's not necessarily succeeding. He's broken and driven." Although the film eschews depicting the origin of Batman—in which he witnesses his parents being mugged and murdered—the writing team behind The Batman sought to deeply explore the emotional toll said events took on Wayne himself, with Reeves stating that Bruce at this point in his life was, "emotionally stunted at being 10 years old, because that's a trauma you don't get past". Both Reeves and Robert Pattinson, who portrays this iteration of Bruce Wayne, described him as an "insomniac" who was unable to delineate between his Batman persona, and his "recluse rockstar" identity as Bruce. Reeves further compared Bruce's obsession with his Batman identity, to that of a drug addiction. Pattinson suggested his Bruce Wayne would question the nature of heroism, as he felt Batman was more flawed than traditional superheroes, and at times is unable to control himself, prompting him to channel his rage towards inflicting "his kind of justice". Reeves ultimately wanted The Batman to be a story about how Bruce learns to stop exacting vengeance, and begin inspiring hope.

Equipment and vehicles
Bruce Wayne wears a suit with shell-plated armor, sporting items such as a utility belt he uses to store his various weapons, as well as bulletproof arm gauntlets that that house micro-missiles. His Batsuit is also outfitted with a holster to hold his grappling hook, an item Batman can use either as an offensive attack against criminals, or for traversal around Gotham City at night, as well as pockets for a flare stick, and canisters for injecting himself with adrenaline for a boost in energy and awareness. The bat-insignia on the centre chest piece is detachable from the rest of the armor, doubling as a utility knife and a throwable offensive weapon known as a "Batarang", in addition to providing Bruce with impervious protection from bodily damage sustained from factors such as gun fire. The suit is adorned with a black cape and a bat-like cowl with pointed ears and an upturned collar that he uses to frighten his enemies. A wire trigger is also present on the suit, allowing Wayne to convert his cowl into a fully functioning wingsuit in order to glide long distances as an additional method of traversal, useful for evading enemies or opposition from GCPD officers, as he does when he escapes the Gotham City Police Department headquarters to rendezvous with James Gordon at the Gotham Harbour.

While the film's general costume design was spearheaded by Jacqueline Durran, Pattinson's Batsuit was primarily designed by supervisor Dave Crossman, and concept artist Glyn Dillon over the course of a year. Matt Reeves desired for the Batsuit featured in The Batman to have a more practical and homemade feel, as if Batman used spare parts to create it by hand, with the design team being inspired by tactical gear used during the Vietnam War in regards to the suit's aesthetics. Robert Pattinson himself had a sizable amount of input when the costume was being designed, as he wanted to be able to move freely and fight in it. Pattinson cited Batman's appearance during the "Shaman" story arc in the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight comic series by Dennis O'Neil and Edward Hannigan, as an inspiration for the Batsuit's depiction in the film. The final suit is considerably more flexible than any preceding live-action depiction of the costume, to the point that Pattinson himself "immediately started doing somersaults in it just because you could" when he put on the first prototype. During the design process, Pattinson consulted with actor Christian Bale, who portrayed the incarnation of Bruce Wayne featured in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012). Bale jokingly advised him to "make sure you're gonna be able to relieve yourself" while wearing the suit. Crossman and Dillion noted that the decision to have the cowl expose more of Batman's chin compared to previous incarnations, came from a desire to give it a "neutral expression" due to a large portion of the film being dedicated to the character's conversations and detective work, necessitating "something that was a bit calmer". The film's iteration of the Batarang gadget originating as a utility knife that doubled as the chest symbol on the Batsuit, stemmed from wanting to give every aspect of the costume "a proper purpose" beyond their aesthetics. Dillion additionally exclaimed that him and Crossman "were going for the feeling of everything being utilitarian".

Bruce's primary mode of transportation as Batman is the Batmobile, a heavily modified muscle car customized by Wayne himself, outfitted with reinforced, protective armor and a custom turbo-jet engine, in addition to featuring multiple gadgets, bullet-resistant window plating, and a communications radio.

The Batmobile was one of the earliest designs conceived for the film following the completion of the script, alongside the Batcave. Reeves envisioned a grounded, hand-crafted design for the Batmobile in a similar vein to his vision for the Batsuit. Production designer James Chinlund and concept artist Ash Thorp collaborated on designing the vehicle, intending on having the namesake car sport a custom engine that physically resembled a bat. Reeves wanted the Batmobile to evoke the aura of a "wild beast", expressing a desire to move away from the tank-like designs used for the Tumbler in The Dark Knight Trilogy and the Batmobile featured in the DC Extended Universe films, in favor of a design that more closely resembled 1970s muscle cars. For inspiration, Reeves derived from the novel Christine (1983) by Stephen King, the plot of which centered on a car possessed by supernatural forces. Reeves would state, "I liked the idea of the car itself as a horror figure, making an animalistic appearance to really scare the hell out of the people Batman's pursuing." In total, the production team assembled four separate Batmobile units, with the primary driving unit being powered by a V8 engine that generated 650 horsepower. Another unit was built on top of a Tesla chassis for various indoor and night shots.

Outside of the Batmobile, Bruce also uses two custom motorcycles for basic traversal and patrolling of the city's streets. Wayne initially rides the "Drifter Motorcycle", described in the tie-in novel Before The Batman: An Original Movie Novel as modified from a basic Café racer and designed purely for optimal speed. Bruce exclusively uses this mode of transportation under his discrete persona as "the Drifter" while surveying the streets of Gotham for criminal activity during the daytime. As Batman, Bruce eventually customizes and constructs the Batcycle for use at night, and first uses it at the memorial site for Selina Kyle's deceased mother Maria, when he parts ways with Kyle after opting to remain in Gotham City in order to assist with the fallout of Riddler's terrorist attack.

Early life and becoming the Batman
Bruce Wayne was born in Gotham City to the wealthy Wayne family. Initially raised by his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne (née Arkham), he lived in the Wayne Manor until age six, after which he and his parents moved to Wayne Tower, after the Manor was converted into an orphanage as Thomas began to campaign for his election as Gotham City's mayor.

At age ten, Bruce's parents were mugged and fatally shot by an unknown assailant. This served as an event that would significantly alter Bruce's life, as he would find himself using his psychological scarring as a motivator to wage a war on Gotham's criminality.

Despite pleas against his turn towards criminal justice from his butler and surrogate father figure, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce would train rigorously under his butler's tutelage for years, culminating in his perfection of skills in detective work and hand-to-hand combat. He would eventually construct a suit in the visage of a bat--a mammal known to invoke fear, and an assortment of gadgets and weapons to aid in his vigilantism. Donning the costumed identity of the Batman, Wayne patrolled Gotham's streets at night in search of criminal misdemeanors, eventually gaining public notoriety and in particular, the attention of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD). Over the course of his first active year, Batman would form a working relationship and friendship with the GCPD's novice lieutenant, James "Jim" Gordon, with the organization eventually electing to place a spotlight on the rooftop of their headquarters that would shine a bat-insignia in the sky, alerting Batman for assistance in future investigations, while serving as a warning for the criminals he targeted. A chance encounter with the vigilante saving a young woman during a mugging incident would also inspire forensics accountant Edward Nashton to investigate further into his activities out of inspiration. One such criminal, a nihilistic killer whose mouth is permanently scarred in the shape of a smile due to a biological condition, was apprehended by Batman and incarcerated at the city's Arkham State Hospital during this period in time.

Riddler conspiracy
Two years into his vigilante career, Batman investigates the sudden murder of Gotham City mayor Don Mitchell Jr. on Halloween night, purportedly the first victim of an emerging serial killer known as the Riddler. James Gordon discovers and informs Batman that the Riddler left a cryptic message directed towards him, although his superior, Commissioner Pete Savage, is quick to berate him for allowing Batman onto the crime scene, forcing him to leave. As Savage holds a press conference pronouncing his intentions to capture the Riddler, Bruce watches from afar before returning to the Batcave, riding his custom motorcycle. While there, he writes an entry in his personal diary documenting the conference footage he recorded with a set of tech-infused contact lenses.

Batman and Gordon, continuing their investigation, discover a thumb drive left in Mitchell's car that contained images of himself accompanied by a girl named Annika, at the city's Iceberg Lounge operated by Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot, an associate to the infamous crime lord Carmine Falcone otherwise nicknamed Penguin. Upon being questioned by Batman, Cobblepot claims to know nothing regarding their relationship, but highlights a woman named Selina Kyle, who works as a waitress at the Lounge in addition to being Annika's roommate and girlfriend. He follows her to Mitchell's residence, where they discover that Annika's passport was left in a safe there, prompting Batman to dispatch Selina to the Lounge for more intel. Selina relays to Batman that Gotham's district attorney Gil Colson was on Falcone's payroll, but disconnects with Batman upon being questioned in regards to her own relationship with Falcone.

While Wayne is in attendance at Mitchell's funeral, the event is sabotaged by a compromised Gil Colson. The Riddler calls Batman when he arrives at the scene, threatening to detonate Colson's collar bomb if he is unable to solve three riddles. Batman assists with the first two, but Colson is killed upon refusing to name a "rat" within the GCPD who outed another crime lord in Gotham, Salvatore Maroni. Batman and Gordon deduce said "rat" was Oswald Cobblepot, and promptly pursue him. They later find out that Maroni's drug business never ceased and that corrupted GCPD officers were involved. Their plan to further interrogate Penguin is also interrupted when Selina Kyle returns to steal drug money and discovers Annika's corpse in a car trunk as Cobblepot flees the scene. Batman pursues Penguin in the Batmobile, only for him to reveal that he was not the informant after capturing him.

Batman and Gordon are compelled to investigate the ruins of the orphanage established by the Wayne family. They learn that Riddler was a former resident of said orphanage who held a personal grudge against Thomas, deciding to target Bruce himself in lieu of his death. Alfred is then hospitalized upon opening a letter bomb addressed towards Bruce, with Riddler then leaking alleged evidence of Thomas Wayne having a journalist assassinated through Carmine Falcone, for their threat to expose his wife's blood relation to the Arkham family, history of mental illness and housing in Arkham State Hospital. Confronting Alfred, he is told that Thomas did have the journalist intimidated by Falcone's men, but decided to turn in Falcone to the police after learning about the murder, surmising that Falcone had Bruce's parents killed in retaliation. Selina then reveals to Batman that Falcone is her father, and that he neglected her as a child and killed her mother, wanting to kill him after learning that Falcone himself strangled Annika to death, after Mitchell told her at the Iceberg Lounge that he was the informant.

Batman and Gordon arrive at the Iceberg Lounge to prevent Kyle from killing Falcone, only to be intervened by Riddler, who snipes him from a nearby building. Publicly unmasked as Edward Nashton, he is soon arrested and incarcerated at Arkham. When being visited by Batman, Nashton reveals he was always envious of the sympathy Bruce received following his parents' murder, contrasted with the neglect towards himself, and that he aspired to become a masked vigilante upon recognizing Batman's efforts to address corruption in Gotham through fear and violence, vying to work alongside him in his crusade. Upon Batman's rejection, a search of Nashton's residence reveals that he placed seven car bombs along the Gotham seawall, which subsequently destroy the breakwaters and flood the entire city. Batman also soon discovers that Riddler had amassed an internet following that was directed to assassinate mayor-elect Bella Reál, eventually taking down said followers with Selina Kyle's assistance. As the flood manages to hit the shelter set up at the inauguration hall, Batman rescues Reál and various attendees trapped under the remains of the main stage, leading them to safety.

In the aftermath, Batman begins to assist in Gotham City's recovery efforts, as Selina resolves to instead depart the city, deeming it beyond redemption. While at the tomb dedicated to Selina Kyle's mother Maria, Batman and Selina bid farewell to each other, as Kyle knows Batman is needed in the city. The two part ways as they leave the memorial site on their motorcycles.

Pre-release
Prior to the film's release, reactions to Pattinson's portrayal of Batman were positive. Speaking on the initial test footage released by Matt Reeves unveiling the actor in his Batsuit, Chris Evangelista of /Film observed that "It's very dark, and very red, but it's enough to get people talking. It also looks much different than any onscreen Batman we've seen before". The initial teaser trailer released during the DC FanDome 2020 event on August 22 that year also drew a welcoming response. Bonnie Burton and Jennifer Bisset, writing for CNET, described Pattinson's interpretation of the character as being able to "bring a violent, unrelenting fighting style. Trying to figure out his role in battling the evil of Gotham, he's unsure how he fits into helping Gotham PD". Reeves, Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz would debut the film's main trailer to close out the following year's DC FanDome event, which was similarly acclaimed. Multiple commentators highlighted that the footage's depiction of the film's take on the character was dark, violent, and consistent with the previous footage shown, with Adam B. Vary of Variety describing, "Pattinson's Batman, just a year into his reign as a costumed vigilante, attacks his enemies with a visceral, unhinged brutality that past live-action Batman movies never quite reached". Chancellor Agard when writing for Entertainment Weekly, would echo aforementioned sentiments, stating that the trailer's tone and approach to its unique depiction of Pattinson's Batman and his world "gives the impression that the movie is really focusing on the character's war on crime, but without some of the more fantastical elements".

Post-release
Following the film's theatrical debut, in conjunction with positive reviews for the film overall, the public responded similarly to Robert Pattinson's performance in the title role. Writing for The National News, James Mottram exclaimed in his review of the movie that, "he nails the character: the physicality, the brooding introspection, the rage, that all turned millionaire orphan Bruce Wayne into Gotham's costume-wearing crusader". Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent observed the similarities between Pattinson's take on Bruce Wayne, and his prior role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight film series, remarking that it was "stripped of the exhilarating chaos that infects his acting in Good Time or The Lighthouse". Alex Stedman, when giving the film a 10/10 score in his review for IGN, especially praised Pattinson's portrayal of Batman, stating that "Robert Pattinson is playing a much more vulnerable, human version of the orphaned billionaire than we've seen before. With a role so iconic, it would've been easy to crib – even accidentally – from the many actors who came before him, but Pattinson makes Bruce his own entirely". Similarly, Ian Sandwell from Digital Spy took note of Pattinson's physical acting while in-costume for the majority of the film's runtime, commenting that "Spending so much time in the Batsuit makes it all the more challenging for Pattinson, who has to do a lot with just body language. He rises to the task though with an imposing performance, and you never doubt that his is a Batman who villains will genuinely fear. Any doubts you may have had won't last long".

In other media
The iteration of Bruce Wayne / Batman featured in The Batman has appeared in various media outside of the film. Prior to the film's release, Penguin Books published a tie-in novel titled Before The Batman: An Original Movie Novel, that closely followed Bruce Wayne during his first active year as the Batman in tandem with Edward Nashton's formation into the Riddler prior to their encounter during the events of the film. The novel was released on February 1, 2022, in both physical and audio book formats, and received positive reviews. In March 2022, DC Comics released The Batman Box Set, which collected three major graphic novels that writer/director Matt Reeves cited as major influences on his characterization and portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman in the film. Namely, the box set collects trade paperback versions of Batman: Year One (1987) by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli, Batman: The Long Halloween (1996-97) by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, and Batman: Ego & Other Tails (2000) by Darwyn Cooke, packaged together in a slip cover with special art of Robert Pattinson's Batman drawn by DC Comics artist Jim Lee. That same month, all Batman and Batman-related comic books published by DC were released alongside versions with variant covers based on the film and its characters. Notably, attendees of the film's "fan-first" screenings at select IMAX theaters on March 1, 2022, were given a special copy of Batman: The Long Halloween #1 with a specially-drawn variant cover to commemorate the film's release.

This iteration of the character has also been featured as part of promotional tie-ins for select video games. On March 2, 2022, developer Psyonix added another skin for the Batmobile to be featured in Rocket League, now based on its depiction in the film, as a purchasable item in the in-game shop between then and March 9, 2022, for 1100 in-game credits. Additionally, the inclusion of The Batman Batmobile also introduced a new game mode titled "Gotham City Rumble", a variation of the game's regular battle mode with weapons and items themed around the film and the character. For a limited time, Google added a feature to their search engine pertaining to user searches for the topics "Bruce Wayne", "Bat-Signal", and "Gotham City", allowing users to summon the film's Bat-Signal on-screen in an interactive manner.