How Many Batmen Does It Take For James Gunn To Fix The DCU (& Why The Answer Is Four)

The big bat-themed revelation here is, of course, the looming introduction of Active Batman #4 in “The Brave and the Bold.” Per /Film, Gunn and Safran specifically stated that neither Affleck nor Pattinson will be playing the role, so fans are no doubt already browsing through Hollywood’s most chiseled faces to locate potential Bat-candidates.

The way they described “The Brave and The Bold” makes it seem that the movie will be significantly lighter in tone than “The Batman,” and focuses on the dynamic between the crimefighter and his young son-slash-sidekick. This sets Batman #4 up as a borderline comedic role of a dad who’s trying to figure out an optimal work-life balance –- which actually sounds hilarious, and also like something that’s never been done in live action. 

Since “The Batman” series takes care of the serious, muted-colors version of the Dark Knight’s two most common representations, there’s a decent chance that “The Brave and The Bold” will leans into the fun, colorful side of the equation, not unlike its animated namesake. No need to fully Adam West things up, but an injection of comedy in the live-action Batman mythos is something no one’s dared to attempt since Joel Schumacher … though, to be fair, this is likely also because of Joel Schumacher. 

As for “The Flash” bat-duo, Gunn and Safran obviously inherited the pair. Even so, they might be extremely useful. See, regardless of how “The Flash” wraps Keaton and Affleck back in their respective capes and cowls, it’ll set a precedent: Now, there’s a DC film with multiple Batmen. After that, Gunn can summon meetings between Bruces Wayne whenever he deems it necessary, and with minimal explanation. This might just come in handy, because with four Batmen (and, quite possibly, counting) at his disposal, he’ll always be sitting on a potential “No Way Home”-style Bat-event for the ages.

The big bat-themed revelation here is, of course, the looming introduction of Active Batman #4 in “The Brave and the Bold.” Per /Film, Gunn and Safran specifically stated that neither Affleck nor Pattinson will be playing the role, so fans are no doubt already browsing through Hollywood’s most chiseled faces to locate potential Bat-candidates.

The way they described “The Brave and The Bold” makes it seem that the movie will be significantly lighter in tone than “The Batman,” and focuses on the dynamic between the crimefighter and his young son-slash-sidekick. This sets Batman #4 up as a borderline comedic role of a dad who’s trying to figure out an optimal work-life balance –- which actually sounds hilarious, and also like something that’s never been done in live action. 

Since “The Batman” series takes care of the serious, muted-colors version of the Dark Knight’s two most common representations, there’s a decent chance that “The Brave and The Bold” will leans into the fun, colorful side of the equation, not unlike its animated namesake. No need to fully Adam West things up, but an injection of comedy in the live-action Batman mythos is something no one’s dared to attempt since Joel Schumacher … though, to be fair, this is likely also because of Joel Schumacher. 

As for “The Flash” bat-duo, Gunn and Safran obviously inherited the pair. Even so, they might be extremely useful. See, regardless of how “The Flash” wraps Keaton and Affleck back in their respective capes and cowls, it’ll set a precedent: Now, there’s a DC film with multiple Batmen. After that, Gunn can summon meetings between Bruces Wayne whenever he deems it necessary, and with minimal explanation. This might just come in handy, because with four Batmen (and, quite possibly, counting) at his disposal, he’ll always be sitting on a potential “No Way Home”-style Bat-event for the ages.