Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Batman.
The Batsuit is a critical part of any Batman movie, and the costume designers put a lot of work into making sure it fits the version of Batman that each story is focused on. From thestylistic accessorizing ofThe Dark Knight series to the armored tank suit ofBatman v Superman, the suit tells the audience a lot about how this version of Batman is going to behave.
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The Batman (2022) is no exception to the rule, with a brand new suit for Robert Pattinson's Batman. There are already some impressively accurate cosplays out there, like one from Cosplay Chris, but forthose looking to make perfect replicas of the newest Batsuit, there are ten subtle detail pieces to make sure to get right.
TheColoring
This Batsuit deviates from recent all-black suits to be a black and grey suit, with small yellow accents on the arm pieces. According toCNN, the yellow accent was a deliberate choice by Dave Crossman and Glyn Dillon to subtly reference the classic yellow accents that have been absent from the Batsuit sinceBatman and Robin.
This allows the suit to stand out more from the dark filmography and features a number of homages to classic costumes from both live-action and comic book portrayals.
Tactical Armor And Padding
Just because Batman has the best fighting ability in the film does not mean he handles it with skill alone. The Batsuit takes quite a beating throughout the film, and both it and the man inside of it stand up to the attacks.
While the suit is practical and movable, it has several areas where there are armored plates added in for protection. These are primarily obvious on the chest, where there are several plates around the emblem where he hopes to draw fire. In addition, there are pads strapped onto his shoulders, elbows, and knees to protect the joints from injury.
The Skeletal Cowl
The cowl has a couple of distinct purposes for Batman: hiding his identity, providing protection, and adding to the overall fear factor of his look. While it does a good job with the first two objectives, covering most of his head, it is the fear factor that provides the most unique detailing.
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According toLooper,Glyn Dillon modeled the cowl off of Venetian face masks, saying, "I liked the idea of it being very skull-like. If you look at the neck piece there's this cervical vertebrae. I wanted it to have a Grim Reaper feel."
His Utility Belt
Although it was often difficult to see in the promotional materials, the newest Batsuit does include his famous utility belt, which includes anything he could need to have in a chaotic situation, from all kinds of weaponry to sweets for scared children. This version of the utility belt includes a baton, at least three pouches, and a canister of smoke or gas.
The most talked-about part of the utility belt is that within it, Robert Pattinson's Batman keeps a syringe and a mysterious green liquid, whichsometheorize might just be Bane's Venom or its predecessor.
Who is Batman without his coolest gadgets?The Batman's version of the Batsuit makes gadgetry a part of the design, with darts attached to the suit's gauntlets and Batman's famous grapple gun flipping out from his wrist, rather than needing to be pulled out in an emergency situation.
Batman needs to be prepared for any number of circ*mstances, and that includes the possibility of losing his utility belt. By attaching several gadgets to the suit itself, rather than to the belt, Batman is better able to respond to dangerous situations as they happen.
The Practical Fabric Placements
This costume was made to be as practical as possible, which made it possible for Robert Pattinson to giveone of the best acting performances inThe Batman. According to Dave Crossman in a call withCNN, this was part of a deliberate effort to make the Batsuit feel realistic."This is the most based-in-reality the Batsuit can be," he says; "we removed a lot of the fantasy element."
A big part of that practicality was thinking about how easy it would be to take the suit on and off, as well as the ease to move freely in it. For example, the addition of a collar to the cape allowed Batman to keep the protection around his neck while also being able to move his head freely, a range of motion that previous iterations did not have. In addition, the costume designers possibly wanted Batman to be able to easily go to the bathroom, so dedicated cosplayers can feel safe adding a hidden zipper without losing authenticity.
The Visible Stitching
The Batman is supposed to be a Year Two era story, which means that while Batman has somewhat of agrasp on his role, he is still in a relatively home-made costume. A big part of making that clear was through the visible stitching on the costume, particularly in the cowl.
Because of the stitching,one can imagine Batman or Alfred sitting down at a sewing machine, trying to make sure they got a perfectly fitting and intimidating mask with only their own DIY skills.This realism is part of what made thisthe best costume inThe Batman.
Signs Of Previous Fights
An important part of this costume is that it has signs of damage from its previous fights. As Robert Pattinson toldEntertainment Weekly, "There are little blood stains on it. There's kind of grazes where it's been hit with bullets and kind of just the wear and tear of someone who's been out fighting every night ... It looks like a soldier's armor in some kind of strange parallel universe where you have to wear little ears on top of your head as well."
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The damage can be seen most clearly on the cowl, where there are indents and cuts from knives and bullets, but other signs of wear and tear are throughout the costume. It is dirty, worn, and bloody. Forthose trying to replicate the costume exactly, they will need to add those details for themselves to whatever pristine costume they buy or make.
The Iconic Cape
Despite Edna Mode's "no cape" rule, superheroes are famous for their distinctive capes, with Batman using his for aerodynamics and fear factor. Robert Pattinson's cape is stylish but also functional, tucking into his armor and staying in place with three pleats on either shoulder.
Another important thing to note about the cape is its shape. While it is often unclear how the cape lays while Batman stands, fans will be pleased to know that it does make the iconic bat shape when he falls and flies. The emphasis on functionality did not take away from the glorious and sometimes ridiculous accents of a man dressed as a bat.
The Unique Emblem
The Bat symbol drew a lot of conversation with this movie, withsome debating whether or not it was made from the melted-down gun that killed Bruce's parents. Fans will have to go see the movie if they want that particular question answered, but there is a lot of mostly spoiler-free information to give about the emblem.
The suit's costume designers did not want anything to be just for appearances in their iteration, so they made sure that the bat symbol had a purpose. According to Robert Pattinson in an interview withEntertainment Weekly,"It's a tool, which he can pop out of the chest plate, which is kind of amazing, incredibly difficult to design as well, and looks great." The costume designers put a lot of thought into how that tool could work, and the execution they came up with ultimately makes it the best cinematic iteration of the emblem.
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