Robert Pattinson IS The Batman

[Nemeres]

Everything that adds to the illusion has a reason to be there. Like a visual that makes people think, even if briefly, yeah, this guy is obsessively driven and it shows on his body as much as elsewhere. It would just be a detail, but so would everything else related to the costume, set design, etc. I'm team #ripped.

 

[Invader Joker]

Agreed. I remember reading an interview with Matt Damon who said that when he started boxing to prepare for The Bourne Identity, it really changed the way he moved and walked. I felt the same way when I started boxing. I would love it if Pattinson trained some boxing, Krav Maga, Muay Thai etc.


Yeah, I do find it a little bit strange that when it comes to a character that is known for being an expert martial artist, some people don't want the actor to look like he trains martial arts.

Its not just that Batman trains martial arts. It's also that this is a character that trained ever since his parents got killed to become a one man army against crime. This is an obsessive human being that trained day after day after day to be capable of injuring all types of criminals. Heck, in the comics, they explicitly say he trained to physical perfection/pinacle of human potential. And it makes sense, because if you're just a man with no superpowers you're gonna have to really push yourself to your limit to fight crime.

I'll agree that muscles are merely superficial in a lot of superheroes. Thor, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Superman, etc they're gods and superpowered beings. Their looks don't matter, as seen in Endgame Thor can be lazy, fat and out of shape and still insanely strong and powerful. Superman can be scrawny and still lift a mountain.

But Batman?
He has no superpowers. He depends on his intense physical and mental training to the limit of human potential. That's why he's the best.
He has to be in the best shape he can be because if not he could not do his job properly, he could not save people as efficiently or fight dozens and dozens of thugs without getting seriously injured or killed. And of course that has en effect on his character.


Physique does matter to the character. A lot. Don't get why people say it doesn't.

 

[Boom]

If I were a betting man, this will be a complete non-issue when people see the movie.

 

[Invader Joker]

If I were a betting man, this will be a complete non-issue when people see the movie.

Well, we don't know how in shape he is yet. But if he looked scrawny or in everyman Keaton shape I'd definitely take issue with that. It may not matter to you but it does to other people for a reason beyond just superficial bull****

 

[rockandrollsoul]

I don't understand why some are so vehemently opposed to Pattinson getting in shape. We're meant to believe that Batman is a man in peak physical condition waging a one-man war on crime. He doesn't need to be massive, but he should look convincingly lean and muscular and be able to fill out the Batsuit. Otherwise, we'll end up with an excessively padded suit, which I believe everyone is against.

 

[Boom]

I don't understand why some are so vehemently opposed to Pattinson getting in shape. We're meant to believe that Batman is a man in peak physical condition waging a one-man war on crime. He doesn't need to be massive, but he should look convincingly lean and muscular and be able to fill out the Batsuit. Otherwise, we'll end up with an excessively padded suit, which I believe everyone is against.

Not caring =/= being opposed to.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I'm opposed to it only if they intend to delay the production so Pattinson can spend months on getting muscles. Which isn't the case as we can see. Filming is underway.

Either he's already in good enough shape for shirtless shots, or they will spare us of them.

 

[Boom]

It is what it is. They're filming the movie. For a production of this scale, they're probably already working 12+ hour days. Who knows how much gym time Pattinson is going to be able to fit in during the day/night. I don't expect he'll get that much bigger or that much more toned during production than he already is. I'm not saying he won't. I just question how much.

In the grand scheme of things, it's an inconsequential detail to me. If the fight scenes are choreographed in such a way that I believe this guy is a world-class fighter, then I couldn't give less thought to how much muscle definition he has.

 

[Travesty]

I just don't care that much. He's in good enough shape as it is. The suit will fill him out. And no, I'm not talking about a muscle suit like Snyder, I'm saying any kind of Batsuit is going to fill him out.

He'll look fine as Bruce. As long as he look good as Batman, it'll be fine. Him being ultra ripped really isn't needed, unless you're really dying for some shirtless scenes of him training or hanging upside down after sleeping with his girl.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Keaton and Kilmer weren't particularly ripped (and let's not forget Clooney was also in the role). People still believed they were Batman.

 

[Milkman95]

Pattinson has been training for a minimum of at least 6 months, it was rumored back in May of 2019 and official in June that he was cast as Batman. You don't think he started fairly quickly into training soon after that? He will be in good shape and convincingly so. Will he be Cavill or Hemsworth? No, his body type will lend itself to be more lean and ripped, but he will be just fine.

 

[Invader Joker]

Keaton and Kilmer weren't particularly ripped (and let's not forget Clooney was also in the role). People still believed they were Batman.

That was at a time when
A) There wasn't a trend for actors to drastically change their physiques for these sort of big roles.
B) The character was not as defined in the overall cultural landscape as he is now.

Also, as I already explained I wasn't the biggest fan of Keaton and I wasn't a fan of Kilmer either.

 

[Boom]

Pattinson has been training for a minimum of at least 6 months, it was rumored back in May of 2019 and official in June that he was cast as Batman. You don't think he started fairly quickly into training soon after that? He will be in good shape and convincingly so. Will he be Cavill or Hemsworth? No, his body type will lend itself to be more lean and ripped, but he will be just fine.

Only issue is he was filming Tenet basically the entire second half of 2019, and doing press for The Lighthouse. I just don't see where he would've had the time.

The most recent photos we have of him don't look all that much different from how he usually looks in terms of size. Definition is hard to gauge.

 

[Milkman95]

Only issue is he was filming Tenet basically the entire second half of 2019, and doing press for The Lighthouse. I just don't see where he would've had the time.

The most recent photos we have of him don't look all that much different from how he usually looks in terms of size. Definition is hard to gauge.

True, but shooting schedules are fairly flexible with having time to train, so you make time, which I'm sure he did. He'll also be training during this shoot, so I'm not worried about his build in the slightest.

 

[bapi]

Well Reeves was choosing between Pattinson and Hoult and said he's making a noir detective story inspired by Chinatown so I wouldn't expect big fight scenes or something anyway. Wouldn't surprise me if it's closer to B89 than some modern 250m budget blockbuster.

 

[Invader Joker]

I don't see why this film would be similar to Batman 89 at all.

 

[cryptic name]

I just don't care that much. He's in good enough shape as it is. The suit will fill him out. And no, I'm not talking about a muscle suit like Snyder, I'm saying any kind of Batsuit is going to fill him out.

He'll look fine as Bruce. As long as he look good as Batman, it'll be fine. Him being ultra ripped really isn't needed, unless you're really dying for some shirtless scenes of him training or hanging upside down after sleeping with his girl.

Agreed. I would like another post-coital moonboot session tho.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Bale and Affleck were the only two actors to drastically change their physique for the role, and even then Bale hardly killed himself for the two sequels.

Pattinson looks fine. I always prefer a slimmer looking Batman anyway. He's meant to be a svelte, lean ninja type.

 

[shauner111]

You never know, maybe Pattinson goes nuts in his workout for the sequel.

 

[DKDetective]

Bale and Affleck were the only two actors to drastically change their physique for the role, and even then Bale hardly killed himself for the two sequels.

Pattinson looks fine. I always prefer a slimmer looking Batman anyway. He's meant to be a svelte, lean ninja type.

Affleck did not drastically change his physique for the role. Most of his muscle was CGI. The numerous candid shots of Affleck out and about during filming and getting pizza in particular, show that his workout regime was far from rigorous or dedicated. The Dad Bod always remained. He never got close to The Town shape.

While Bale's sequel physiques were less impressive for the sequels in absolute terms, you have to remember that both times he was coming off crazy body transformations in the opposite direction before both TDK and TDKR. Before TDK, he got starvation skinny for for Rescue Dawn, and, before TDKR, he got crackhead skinny for The Fighter. Given where he was coming from, both the TDK and TDKR transformations were very impressive and showed Bale's dedication to the role. The fact that he didn't reach the same heights as with Begins probably had more to do with increasing age and his body resisting repeated dramatic transformations. Prior to The Machinist, Bale had maintained his physique pretty perfectly almost five years. It made easier to bounce back the first time. Repeated shifts made it harder going forward.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Not real. He looks like Cavill's muscle suit. And Cavill didn't even need it.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

I always felt that scene was touched up with CG. There is something unnatural about it.

 

[DKDetective]

Not real. He looks like Cavill's muscle suit. And Cavill didn't even need it.

The real giveaway is his serratus (the finger like muscles in his armpit). Even Cavill doesn't have a serratus like that. You are hard pressed to find it outside of pro bodybuilders and gymnasts.

The clearly CGI'd body parts aside, Bale was always more impressive, even in his later turns:

 

[terry78]

God I missed the constant heterosexual comparison of dude bodies everytime a new Batman was announced.

 

[DKDetective]

God I missed the constant heterosexual comparison of dude bodies everytime a new Batman was announced.

The constant stalking of Batfleck's lack of progress from gas station paparazzi shots and pizza jokes during the filming of Batman v Superman was some of the best time I have ever had on these boards.

As soon as they give us a Batsuit shot or something else noteworthy to discuss, the physique discussion will subside. It's just a nice lounge topic in the meantime until we get a clear shot of Pattinson's hairstyle and we all lose our minds.