History Film / TheBatman2022

* BrokenPedestal:
** [[spoiler:The Riddler's [[LoonyFan twisted admiration]] of the Batman takes a serious hit in their final conversation in Arkham, when the Caped Crusader firmly makes it clear that he does ''not'' agree with what Riddler has done, labeling him a "pathetic psychopath". This leads to the Riddler having a bad case of VillainousBreakdown.]]

** Look at the Riddler's photos. [[spoiler:They're all taken from the exact same angle, the same spot; the apartment window he shoots Falcone from. In fact, Riddler assumed Batman had figured it out and did it on purpose.]]

* LamePunReaction: Gordon audibly groans in response to the VisualPun of a "thumb drive."

The film is not set in the concurrent Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, nor is it connected to ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'', but is instead set in its own AlternateContinuity that begins a SharedUniverse of its own, and is the first installment of a planned trilogy. Unlike previous first installments of standalone ''Batman'' film franchises, which usually featured elements of the character's OriginStory or showed him as a [[ExperiencedProtagonist seasoned crimefighter from the get-go]], the film is set during the formative years of Batman's crime-fighting career, with several members of his RoguesGallery establishing themselves as his perennial enemies.

** As a rule, forensics analysts don't just plug digital media straight into their computer. For one, it becomes inadmissible in court since it can be argued that the cops may have planted incriminating evidence on the drive. The other thing is it might trigger a logic bomb, which is exactly what happens when Gordon pulls up the pictures on the "thumb" drive. In reality, the drive would go to the lab and be imaged for a copy that could then be looked through. A detective as seasoned as Gordon would and should know better. It's semi-{{Justified}} because Gordon is showing Batman--who doesn't have a good relationship with the rest of the police at this point--the drive's contents to keep him 'in the loop', and if he'd turned it straight in, Batman would likely have been barred from crucial evidence he'd need to solve Riddler's CriminalMindGames. As Gordon and Batman work together almost as closely as actual partners in the force, Gordon necessarily has to skirt some corners to avoid limiting Batman's effectiveness, especially in a police force as corrupt as Gotham's. [[spoiler:The fact that the next stage of Riddler's plan ''depended on'' Gordon making such an error shows that this isn't the first time he's done something like this, and Riddler is aware of it, given how the drive contained information that the police would ''not'' have released if he'd gone through proper channels]].

On February 1, 2022, a [[Literature/BeforeTheBatman prequel novel]] aimed at middle schoolers was released, serving as an OriginsEpisode for Bruce Wayne and Edward Nashton's journeys into their alter egos. Prior to the release of the film, it was announced that a pair of SpinOff television series were in development at Creator/HBOMax, with Reeves and Dylan Clark executive producing. The first will focus on this film's iteration of the Penguin that will cover the character's origins and rise to power, along with events set after ''The Batman'', while the second will explore Arkham Asylum and its inhabitants. A third show, set from the perspective of a GCPD officer during Batman's first year of operations, was announced before the others, but entered a period of DevelopmentHell before resuming development in October 2022.

** Even more than that: [[spoiler:If either Batman or anyone on the police force questioned where the Riddler got those compromising photos of the mayor coming out of the Iceberg Lounge, they would have found Nashton's apartment overlooking that spot and all the evidence therein, and the Riddler's plans would have been interrupted right then.]]

A sequel was officially [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-batman-2-matt-reeves-1235010110/ announced]] on April 26, 2022. The film, titled ''The Batman Part II'', is currently scheduled for [[https://variety.com/2023/film/news/the-batman-2-release-date-october-2025-1235506926/ October 3, 2025]].

** The first time we see the Batman in action, he delivers a controlled but vicious beatdown to a thug that attacks him, showing that he's struggling with rage issues towards criminals that he vents through violence, and terrifies the nearby civilian he was saving. [[spoiler:In the climax, in order to save Selina from the last Riddler goon, he injects himself with some sort of enhancement drug that pushes him into an adrenaline high, leading to him almost losing himself in his rage and beating the goon to death with his bare hands whilst Selina can only look on, horrified. The parallels are make clear when the barely-conscious goon names himself as '[[IronicEcho Vengeance]]' when questioned by Gordon, showing how Bruce's vigilantism has had the opposite effect from the one he wanted.]]

* FreezeFrameBonus: In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBeccCU_pEE this deleted scene turned standalone short film]], [[spoiler:when Batman consults with the Joker in prison over the Riddler murders, he hands him a file with a paper clip on it. When Joker hands back the file, the paper clip is gone, likely taken by him for use as a HairpinLockpick to escape.]]

A sequel was officially [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-batman-2-matt-reeves-1235010110/ announced]] on April 26, 2022. The film, titled ''The Batman: Part II'', is currently scheduled for [[https://variety.com/2023/film/news/the-batman-2-release-date-october-2025-1235506926/ October 3, 2025]].

A sequel was officially [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-batman-2-matt-reeves-1235010110/ announced]] on April 26, 2022.

* SmokescreenCrime: [[spoiler:This is implied to be the case with the deaths of Bruce's parents. Initially, it is believed that Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed in a mugging gone wrong. However, Bruce uncovers that Martha was severely mentally ill and a journalist was planning to expose this despite Thomas begging him not to. In a moment of desperation, Thomas went to Carmine Falcone for help, who had the journalist killed. It is suggested that Falcone had Thomas killed to keep him from going public about Falcone's crimes, but the movie never makes this clear.]]

* DeadManHonking: When the Riddler chokes Colson into unconsciousness [[DangerTakesABackseat from the backseat of his car]], Colson falls forward and his head plants on the steering wheel causing the horn to blare.

* EveryoneHasStandards: During the Riddler's livestream of Colson's death, at least one of the people in chat tries to talk him out of detonating the bomb.

-->'''Selina:''' (''Referring to Batman's mask'') So, why do you wear this? Are you horribly scarred or something?\\

* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: There's a couple clues implying the film is set in 2019.[[note]]The story starts on a "Thursday, October 31", and two distinct scenes establish Selina was born in 1997 (in the Iceberg Lougne, Selina tells Batman she was 7 when her mother dies, then the cemetary scene at the end features Maria Kyle's tombstone and her death happened in 2004). Before the movie's release, the fitting calendars are 2013 and 2019, and Selina would look too old if the story happened in 2013.[[/note]]

** The same trailer also has Bruce confronting Alfred for lying to him, with the latter looking down in shame. [[spoiler:This hides the fact that the actual exchange happens in the hospital, where Alfred is recovering after getting bombed by Riddler.]]

* CoolCar: The Batmobile is a lifted twin-engined muscle car with a jet-engine-looking booster rocket.

* FailedASpotCheck: Selina, on her way to steal back Annika's passport, somehow doesn't notice Bruce Wayne tailing her. Made more egregious because they're on the only two motorcycles on the street, at night, ''in the pouring rain'', and both are weaving recklessly through traffic.

* ComplexityAddiction: It's [[RiddlemeThis the Riddler]], so naturally this occurs with his overall scheme furthered through his CriminalMindGames, but, fitting with the Deconstruction of the more fantastic aspects of the Batman Mythos, its effectiveness is {{Zigzagged}}. On the one hand, [[spoiler:the portion of his plans that involves manipulating Batman and Gordon into [[BatmanGambit exposing Falcone as the Rat so he can kill him]] actually ''fails'', because he's so roundabout in his clues and statements alluding to what he wants that all they can understand is that he wants them to uncover the Rat's identity, and not why he does. It's ultimately Selina's tangential investigation into Annika's simpler and straightforward murder that exposes the answer by chance, showing that Riddler being ''too'' obscure in his puzzles actually works against him when he needs to manipulate people into doing what he wants. On the other hand, because he's been so abstruse, Batman never understood that there ''was'' a final plan in place until Riddler told him, and the time he has to spend solving the final riddle is more than sufficient for the bombs to go off, showing that, when his plans depend on distracting his opponents whilst the actual scheme is underway, his confusing clues work as a smokescreen until everything's ready to proceed]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Batman stops the Riddler, overcomes his rage and vigilantism, and prepares to become a HopeBringer for Gotham City, which is finally run by a mayor that is corruption-free. But the city has been flooded, resulting in thousands of fatalities, and [[DidNotGetTheGirl Selina skips town]]. Worst yet, it's revealed that, deep within Arkham, Riddler has encountered [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker a new friend]]...]]

** A significant portion of the film is spent building up to the idea that [[spoiler:the Riddler is aware of Bruce's secret identity as The Batman, which fuels his attempts to 'reach out to' Batman through his clues left at the scenes of his murders as well as the attacks he orchestrates against Bruce, including a letter bomb that badly injures Alfred. When Riddler is finally caught and in police custody, Batman sits down to interrogate him and he says Bruce Wayne's name... as a lead up to his [[MotiveRant tirade]] against the corruption in Gotham and the disdain and apathy held by its elite towards the poor that Edward thinks Bruce symbolizes. Nashton reveals that he's actually a ''[[HatesMySecretIdentity fan]]'' of the Batman and patterned his attempts to expose Gotham's corruption on Bruce's own crusade, believing the two of them shared a common goal. Despite having all the clues he needs to deduce Bruce's secret, it becomes apparent that Edward cannot reconcile the mental image he has of Bruce as the embodiment of Gotham's sins with the masked vigilante that inspired him]].

** The Batmobile, while still a CoolCar, is mostly just a very souped-up muscle car with some bullet-resistant windows. It lacks the James Bondian gadgets and physics-defying maneuverability of [[Film/Batman1989 its]] [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy previous]] [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse incarnations]]. Its most outlandish feature is the auxilary jet-engine [[spoiler: that only gets used once.]]

* ArtisticLicenseCars: Despite looking more like an actual car than most other big screen Batmobiles, this version has one feature that is pure fantasy: the bespoke rear engine/jet booster. The back of the car is dominated by what looks like a very large V8 engine with what appears to be a jet engine running through the middle of it. The problem is, this engine cannot run as a V8, as the jet booster sits roughly where the crankshaft would be in the block. Then again, this Batmobile aready has a functional engine under its front hood. Given how Bruce built this machine himself, the rear booster likely ''looks'' like a non-functional engine because that's what he had available.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Once the Batmobile fires up, The Penguin gives a masterclass in the slow realization that he is boned. [[spoiler:then the car stalls.]]