The Dark Knight Batsuit Discussion Thread

[Steelsheen]

i've posted this on other threads but i don't think i've posted it on this one. if i have...my bad, but i made a manip with the changes i would like to see in the batsuit. there are 5 changes really and 4 are so minute that you wouldn't even notice a change while watching the movie...

1. my biggest problem with the original (left) is the abs. i changed it to make it look more organic/natural while still keeping an armor-ish look.
2. my 2nd biggest complaint is the cape attachment. i know they made Robin's cape attach to the neckpiece just fine without the buttons/scallops/whatever you wanna call them. so i just copied that same attachment for Batman.
3. i darkened the batsymbol, gloves, gauntlets, and cowl just a tad. just enough to break up the colors a bit without going overboard. you go too dark and you loose detail while filming.
4. i widened the mouth opening to give the illusion that Bale has a bigger and stronger jaw. the narrower the opening, the narrower his face looks. Batman should have a strong jaw and as great as Bale looks, he still have somewhat of a weak jaw. widening the opening makes his jaw look stronger...
5. last but not least, i narrowed the neck...one of my main complaints is that the neck is too thick. yes, it looks fierce but it also looks clunky...narrowing the neck makes Batman's body look bigger as well.

so there you have it...hope ya'll like it and can agree with some of my views. if not, then go stick your tongue on a frozen pole or somethin' hehe

i like your version dude , although i really dont have anything against the clips on the cape.

 

[Brian Braddock]

i like your version dude , although i really dont have anything against the clips on the cape.

Same here - only real problem I had at times with the BB costume was the size of the neck. If that could be trimmed down (slimmed?) in some way like in DorkyFresh's manip and yet keep from restricting the ability to turn the head, that would be cool.


Awesome manip by the way

 

[Whack Arnolds]

I thought that the thick neck of the BEGINS suit really set it off, and made a distinct look from any previous suit. Looked so aggressive.

 

[Bathead]

Yah, I like the thick neck too. It makes him look much stronger. No pencil-necked geekiness for Batman. LOL.

 

[Brian Braddock]

I never really noticed it until the scene where Batman is explaining the situation in the narrows to Gordon and gives him the Batmobile.

God, I really don't want to use the phrase 'teh puffy' for the 1st time in my life coz I don't wanna be one of those guys - So I won't.

But, I'd just like to see the neck streamlined slightly.

 

[Keyser Sushi]

OMG!! LMAO! I can't help but laugh so hard at this, which made my belly bounce from laughter. Thanks a lot, Keyser. I needed that.

BTW, can you make that pic in 100 x 100 pixels? Since I hang out on another forum, I want to post that pic. I hang out at Countingdown & they can't allow pic that big. I hope you don't mind.

Hey, Nightwing -- thanks.

Here's your 100x100 version. Actually it's 100x95, because it isn't a perfect square, but anyway:

Enjoy.

 

[Keyser Sushi]

The suit really does need to get fixed, the mask is too chunky, his ears don't look right. Not sleek anough, needs a bigger opening around the mouth. Darker Bat too that stands out.

Alright, foul Melkor, I return to banish you once more to the darkness beyond.

First off, there is nothing darker than black. The suit is already black, so you can't make the bat darker. You can make the rest of the suit lighter, but you can't make the bat darker. Also, a subtle contrast like the one that DorkyFresh posted, above, would be pretty much unnocticeable onscreen.

Second, the "mouth hole" you speak of is about as big as it can reasonably be. If you look at it, it's as wide as the distance between the outside corners of Bale's eyes. Which means it's almost the entire width of his face. Which is exactly what it should be.

The reason the "mouth hole" appears small is because they made the mask so much wider than Bale's head. Why did they do that, you ask? I think there's two reasons. The first is that his suit is supposed to be armor in BB, and the cowl doubles as both a disguise, and a protective garment. Being protective, it would have some thickness.

The second reason is, I assume, to give his head the more square appearance that it normally has in the comics. I mean, everybody's head is a different shape, and you can't choose your actors based solely on appearance. In the past they've just rolled with it. The trouble is, Batman's head should not look lost in the cowl (as Keaton's did) nor should it look like a Q-tip with bat-ears on it (as Kilmer's and Clooney's did). In the comics, Batman's neck is as wide as his head (not unlike a pro wrestler or heavyweight boxer - and if Batman were a boxer, he would certainly be a heavyweight).

So with Bale, upon giving him ear-room, they took the time to find a way to make his head look squarer (a la Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Kane/Finger, or BTAS). What they chose to do was to make his jawline wider and squarer than it actually is. So the cowl has a completely un-Bale jawline. What this means is that, while the "mouth-hole" is the exact right size for Bale's jaw, the cowl itself is actually wider around the corners of his jaw.

And, in order to prevent his head from looking ungodly huge, they made his neck as wide as his head, which is also the way Batman traditionally appears (a la Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Kane/Finger, or BTAS). So you have a square-jawed Batman with a thick neck.

Personally, I expect Batman to be square-jawed and thick-necked, so for the life of me I can never understand why you people are complaining.

 

[Saint]

First off, there is nothing darker than black. The suit is already black, so you can't make the bat darker. You can make the rest of the suit lighter, but you can't make the bat darker. Also, a subtle contrast like the one that DorkyFresh posted, above, would be pretty much unnocticeable onscreen.

Incorrect. In virtually every scene in the film, the cape appeared to be darker than the rest of the suit, because the cape is less reflective than the rest of the suit. So yes, it is possible to make sections of the suit appear darker, simply by making them less reflective, like the cape.

 

[darknight7]

And, in order to prevent his head from looking ungodly huge, they made his neck as wide as his head, which is also the way Batman traditionally appears (a la Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Kane/Finger, or BTAS). So you have a square-jawed Batman with a thick neck.

Personally, I expect Batman to be square-jawed and thick-necked, so for the life of me I can never understand why you people are complaining.

Actually, if you look at Bale's cowl. It looks more round than anything. Why you ask? Oh because they took a new shot at doing the ears, and it made his head appear ******edly round. lol. Yes, his head is square, his neck is in line with his head, (giving the wide neck superhero look). But Bale's cowl was very round looking at the top. In my opinion, the cowl just needs the ears to be straight up, on the sides of his head. Not curved at the back of his head. It appears to look too much like a gopher.

--dk7

 

[darknight7]

Here is the new look for Batman hehe. Just did this for fun and noticed there was one of these threads on here, so I figured I would post it. It is pretty much the progress I went through to get the mask to its final form (as you can see with the white eyes and square mouth opening) I was going for a HUSH BATMAN look. I don't think we will get this in the movie, but I thoguht it looked cool


GOPHERBOY (as my brother calls it) VS. BATMAN (hush style)
*edit*

--dk7

The cowl is too round

--dk7

 

[The Last Meatbag]

its cool, but if the do give him white lenses I'd prefer they be white contacts

 

[darknight7]

Oh I did that just for extra effect I don't think they will ever use it, but it definately looks creepy. I love the white eyes

--dk7

 

[Keyser Sushi]

Incorrect. In virtually every scene in the film, the cape appeared to be darker than the rest of the suit, because the cape is less reflective than the rest of the suit. So yes, it is possible to make sections of the suit appear darker, simply by making them less reflective, like the cape.

Oh, that's certainly true. But that's because cloth is less reflective than rubber. In order to make the bat-symbol less reflective than the rest of the suit they'd have to make the symbol something other than rubber. But I don't see that happening, both because I don't see Batman glueing felt on the front of his costume, nor do I see them making his costume that way for the movie.

 

[Keyser Sushi]

Actually, if you look at Bale's cowl. It looks more round than anything. Why you ask? Oh because they took a new shot at doing the ears, and it made his head appear ******edly round. lol. Yes, his head is square, his neck is in line with his head, (giving the wide neck superhero look). But Bale's cowl was very round looking at the top. In my opinion, the cowl just needs the ears to be straight up, on the sides of his head. Not curved at the back of his head. It appears to look too much like a gopher.

--dk7

I don't think it looked at all like a gopher, but I do agree that the ears angling in is a little funky. I'd have preferred the ears shorter and not angled in.

But, in the movie, it didn't bother me at all. :shrugs:

 

[Sandman138]

Oh, that's certainly true. But that's because cloth is less reflective than rubber. In order to make the bat-symbol less reflective than the rest of the suit they'd have to make the symbol something other than rubber. But I don't see that happening, both because I don't see Batman glueing felt on the front of his costume, nor do I see them making his costume that way for the movie.

Or they could just use a different paint for the symbol and cowl. There are multitudes of shades and different bases each with different reflective properties.

 

[Keyser Sushi]

Or they could just use a different paint for the symbol and cowl. There are multitudes of shades and different bases each with different reflective properties.

I suppose if they wanted to paint the rubber, sure. But rubber doesn't hold paint well.

 

[Saint]

Oh, that's certainly true. But that's because cloth is less reflective than rubber. In order to make the bat-symbol less reflective than the rest of the suit they'd have to make the symbol something other than rubber. But I don't see that happening, both because I don't see Batman glueing felt on the front of his costume, nor do I see them making his costume that way for the movie.

The fact that you are not aware of other options does not mean they don't exist.

 

[darknight7]

I don't think it looked at all like a gopher, but I do agree that the ears angling in is a little funky. I'd have preferred the ears shorter and not angled in.

But, in the movie, it didn't bother me at all. :shrugs:

Ya, it was alright in the movie. But I hated how he looked when he was walking through Arkham (when the bats are flying around him) his face looked so wierd and squished in that scene. But hopefully they just modify the ears, because the cowl looked cool, just very rounded...

--dk7

 

[Wams]

Early Year One concept art.

 

[Wams]

Seriously. All things crease or buldge. Whether it's these muscle fixated dorks and their spandex...stuff will always crease.

Why is "Spandex" the only alternitive to FOAM RUBBER?

This could be made out of just a wetsuit with silk screen print pattern

It would completly conform to the body without fake enhancements.

 

[Whack Arnolds]

The BEGINS suit WAS virtually a wet suit...I stood right next to the damn thing.

 

[Wams]

"virtually" aint good enough.

 

[Whack Arnolds]

LOL, yes...you have a narrow image of what Batman should or can look like.

 

[lujho]

The BEGINS suit WAS virtually a wet suit...I stood right next to the damn thing.

No, there is a fundamental difference in look between something that has a sculpted external surface, and something that is a sheet of material stretched over some surface.

A sculpted suit (like every one in the 5 feature films) has the aspect of something carved from stone, a statue. Not an invalid design choice at all, but we've seen it so many times before with Batman.

Some kind of sheet-like material (smooth or textured neoprene etc) over a scultpted under-form would have the aspect of skin stretched taught over bone and muscle. It's more organic and animal-like, but aside from that it's just a fundamentally different approach and look.

 

[lujho]

LOL, yes...you have a narrow image of what Batman should or can look like.

"Narrow" is only ever doing something the one same way it's been done before.