Should Batman's abilities be scaled up for JLA?

[AnorexicBatman]

We are all aware of The Dark Knight's role in the Justice League. He's the brain behind the brawn. He's the detective, the scientist who helps the team solve solve some of tougher puzzles and handle enemies in ways the others can't. So what I want to know is that, if this movie is made and we get to the obvious massive climactic fight scene in which all the heroes give it all they have got, will the other superhero's powers outshine Batman's stealthy take downs and what not. The powers of the others can be quite a visual treat while Batman's abilities are best used to make him look like the monster in his own horror movie.

If no then don't bother reading further and explain why I am wrong. I probably am.

If yes then I sort off have a solution. The first thing is that Batman will inevitably be played by Christian Bale which in turn will lead to connections to the Nolan movies even if the director/writer says that this is more of a What If... story. Thus it would be better to say that this happens 10-15 years after those movies thus giving the writers a method of providing Batman with further technological enhancements which would otherwise seem out of place.

Now don't think that I'm talking about Joel Schumaker style technology here (bat ice skates and computerized batarangs... ewww!!!). My idea is that like in the first film, Batman's suit is supposed to be experimental kevlar armor, in that same way we can have Wayne Industries developing a kind of super-suit that greatly enhances a soldier's abilities but it is suddenly reported as a failure and never comes to fruition.

What actually happens is that Bruce purposely gives out false information and keeps the finished suit for himself to obtain an extra physical edge over all kinds of criminals (Thug's to guys like Croc and Bane) and make sure his age does not hinder his work in the future. I imagine the suit to be a bit like the nanotech suit from the PC game Crysis.

The suit is capable of four modes: armor (absorbing damage), strength, speed, and cloakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crysis#cite_note-12. All of these actions, however, use rechargeable energy reserves that power the suit. It seeems overpowered but isn't really. Bats would only be able to use them for a limited amount of time and since he is a great tactician he would be able to analyse the situation and use whatever is appropriate. This would make him bit off a jack of all trades but master of none as far as physical abilities are conecerned. For comparison in strength/speed mode he'd be just as strong/fast as Blonsky in Incredible Hulk after the first dose of the super soldier serum. Powerful but far from invincible.

Also, the cloak ability could justify him being in broad daylight. Superman is adressing public. The rest of the team is also present except Batman, but in reality he's watching while cloaked.

I know I am making him sound like Iron Man but like I said, not only would this happen a decade or more after the current films it need not even be in continuity. The only reason I raise this question is because people have said that while in the comics it works, the filmmakers will have great difficulty in making Batman seem just as larger than life as the rest of the team in the big fights.

Also, I think the biggest problem with my idea is that what if Green Arrow was also fighting, wouldn't he have the same problem?

Also, an interesting tidbit I found in an Crysis related interview:

I was watching Batman Begins the other day, and thought the pre-spray batsuit was a little Crysis-like...

Cevat Yerli: When we designed the hero I said 'we don't want a tank. I don't want a Warhammer 40,000, Unreal Tournament or Halo hero.' They're all cool designs but I wanted something that expressed the gameplay.

I added muscle strains all over the body. When you move to a third-person view you can see how your suit adapts to the mode. Batman Begins was way later than when we were planning the game, but I guess in both cases it was about keeping it real - augmenting the change, not too bulky, wrapping it around the body. Real and cool.

 

[Eggyman]

I don't think Christian Bale will be in a Justice League film. I don't see it happening, at all.

It won't just be some mad free-for-all battle, with Batman jumping from buildings and stomping alien head. They will/should give him an opposite number that fits his abilities - the same should go for other main players in the film. He'll probably have his own final encounter in some way, separate from everyone else.

Maybe. But it won't be Bale.

 

[Philly Phanboy]

Funny but I see the Batman from Justice League: The New Frontier being very compatible with the Nolan-verse Batman. Minus Robin of course.

 

[BlueLightning]

If yes then I sort off have a solution. The first thing is that Batman will inevitably be played by Christian Bale which in turn will lead to connections to the Nolan movies even if the director/writer says that this is more of a What If... story. Thus it would be better to say that this happens 10-15 years after those movies thus giving the writers a method of providing Batman with further technological enhancements which would otherwise seem out of place.

Now don't think that I'm talking about Joel Schumaker style technology here (bat ice skates and computerized batarangs... ewww!!!). My idea is that like in the first film, Batman's suit is supposed to be experimental kevlar armor, in that same way we can have Wayne Industries developing a kind of super-suit that greatly enhances a soldier's abilities but it is suddenly reported as a failure and never comes to fruition.

What actually happens is that Bruce purposely gives out false information and keeps the finished suit for himself to obtain an extra physical edge over all kinds of criminals (Thug's to guys like Croc and Bane) and make sure his age does not hinder his work in the future. I imagine the suit to be a bit like the nanotech suit from the PC game Crysis.

The suit is capable of four modes: armor (absorbing damage), strength, speed, and cloak. All of these actions, however, use rechargeable energy reserves that power the suit. It seeems overpowered but isn't really. Bats would only be able to use them for a limited amount of time and since he is a great tactician he would be able to analyse the situation and use whatever is appropriate. This would make him bit off a jack of all trades but master of none as far as physical abilities are conecerned. For comparison in strength/speed mode he'd be just as strong/fast as Blonsky in Incredible Hulk after the first dose of the super soldier serum. Powerful but far from invincible.

Also, the cloak ability could justify him being in broad daylight. Superman is adressing public. The rest of the team is also present except Batman, but in reality he's watching while cloaked.

I know I am making him sound like Iron Man but like I said, not only would this happen a decade or more after the current films it need not even be in continuity. The only reason I raise this question is because people have said that while in the comics it works, the filmmakers will have great difficulty in making Batman seem just as larger than life as the rest of the team in the big fights.

Also, I think the biggest problem with my idea is that what if Green Arrow was also fighting, wouldn't he have the same problem?

Also, an interesting tidbit I found in an Crysis related interview:

Like Batman Beyond?

 

[November Rain]

yeah i was thinking beyond during all of this.

he should be durable if he needs to be durable with another suit but that doesn't mean he has to have it on at all times.

he shouldnt be an iron man lite.

 

[AnorexicBatman]

Posted By Eggyman

I don't think Christian Bale will be in a Justice League film. I don't see it happening, at all.

It won't just be some mad free-for-all battle, with Batman jumping from buildings and stomping alien head. They will/should give him an opposite number that fits his abilities - the same should go for other main players in the film. He'll probably have his own final encounter in some way, separate from everyone else.

Maybe. But it won't be Bale.

I agree that each hero may get a separate fight but I doubt studios would let the tantalizing prospect of several superheroes fighting shoulder to shoulder on the big screen pass by.

Also, 4 reasons why Bale being Batman is a possibility:

1. Current most popular superhero movie: THE DARK KNIGHT
2. Who is playing Batman? : Christian Bale
3. What is the first question fans will ask when news of the JLA movie being made surfaces : Who's playing Batman?

4. Who will non-comic fans expect for the role: Christian Bale

Posted By Philly Phanboy

Funny but I see the Batman from Justice League: The New Frontier being very compatible with the Nolan-verse Batman. Minus Robin of course.

Believe it or not. I wanted a JLA movie to be a bit like New Frontier.
However, I doubt Bats would change as suit to be less scary.
I also liked Martian Manhunter as a detective in the GCPD. I think it also may have solved the problem with Green Arrow. We could easily have him lead an aerial assault, flying a plane and all that but I'd prefer Bats in his tumbler on the ground.

Posted by BlueLighting

Like Batman Beyond?

*head explodes*
Great, now we have a possible Batman Beyod movie aswell though I doubt it. But lets not discuss it...

Posted By November Rain


yeah i was thinking beyond during all of this.

he should be durable if he needs to be durable with another suit but that doesn't mean he has to have it on at all times.

he shouldn't be an iron man lite.

Exactly. Thanks! It would be a "special suit for a special occasion".
You could even have it be destroyed or something.

 

[I Am The Knight]

I guess the question is: Why should Batman have to fight anyone in the finale? He's not and shouldn't be the star of the movie, so he doesn't "have to"...He can play another role. Which brings us to...Who would the villains be? If we are talking about White Martians, once they discover their weakness it's not even a contest. Bats can take on them withouth any special suit.

I would rather have a sort of Injustice Gang, where Batman could fight a more regular villain in the strenght department. Prometheus comes to mind.

 

[AnorexicBatman]

To: I Am The Knight

He has to fight because he's ... Batman? He feels he has an obligation to protect the regular folk whenever possible. He's not the star of the movie but is a part of a team. The team is a collection of characters all of whom should be given ample screen time and unique roles. This is possible even in fights. Everyone has a distinct style.

As far as villains are concerned. If it's Vandal Savage, it could be more subtle. If it's Brainiac (Yes, he's also considered a JLA villain) you can bet there would be a sequence of the heroes inside his ship, tearing things apart attempting to reach the core.

Best option if you want a huge fight. White Martians or the guys from New Frontier.

 

[I Am The Knight]

To: I Am The Knight

He has to fight because he's ... Batman? He feels he has an obligation to protect the regular folk whenever possible. He's not the star of the movie but is a part of a team. The team is a collection of characters all of whom should be given ample screen time and unique roles. This is possible even in fights. Everyone has a distinct style.

Being Batman does not mean he has to fight. Especially in a JLA movie, where you yourself have said he serves more of a strategical position in the team. It all comes down to who the villains are, really. His "unique" role can be that. Inteligence. Planning. All that stuff.

As far as villains are concerned. If it's Vandal Savage, it could be more subtle. If it's Brainiac (Yes, he's also considered a JLA villain) you can bet there would be a sequence of the heroes inside his ship, tearing things apart attempting to reach the core.

Brainiac would be nice, although I'd rather he appear in a Supes film first, and Darkseid for JLA.

I want Prometheus to fight Batman because...I have a major hard on for Prometheus.

 

[protocida]

Christian Bale's Batman is awesome, but, in the Justice League movie, i want to see Comic books Batman. The hero that uses darkness as a weapon agains thugs, but can also fight the Injustice League side-by-side with Superman and Green Lantern. I don't deny that TDK is dAH awsOmeSS!!!!11!!1, but Chris Nolan killed this concept. Movies Batman could NEVER interact with other superheroes.

About the final fight, Batman should totally be a part of it, using the Batplane or the Batmobile to measure up to his fellow leaguers, or count on his own awesomeness. Whe're talking about the guy that can shove a Manhunter's head of with his bare fists!

 

[Steelsheen]

I agree that each hero may get a separate fight but I doubt studios would let the tantalizing prospect of several superheroes fighting shoulder to shoulder on the big screen pass by.

Agreed.

Also, 4 reasons why Bale being Batman is a possibility:

1. Current most popular superhero movie: THE DARK KNIGHT
2. Who is playing Batman? : Christian Bale
3. What is the first question fans will ask when news of the JLA movie being made surfaces : Who's playing Batman?

4. Who will non-comic fans expect for the role: Christian Bale

hah, took the words right out of my head. like him or not, no one can deny that Bale has so much impact on this role that if they wont get him to play Bats in a JL movie they're gonna have to wait a really long time for folks to get over the novelty (and the sheer awesomeness) of his Bruce Wayne/ Batman. hell it was nearly 20 years when Chris Reeve was last seen as Superman and even then it was an uphill battle for Routh to be accepted as the new Big Blue for the big screen.



anyway going back to the topic.... the only way i can see the souped-up Batman to work in a JL movie would be if they would use Kingdom Come as a plot for the movie. May not necessarily have to involve all the superheroes, but certainly an older Bruce Wayne still fighting the good fight in the thick of battle would better justify the use of the gizmos and gadgetry that you're describing without making it appear like a cop-out or that he's trying to keep up with the superpowered joneses.

 

[Katsuro]

I don't think Christian Bale will be in a Justice League film. I don't see it happening, at all.

It won't just be some mad free-for-all battle, with Batman jumping from buildings and stomping alien head. They will/should give him an opposite number that fits his abilities - the same should go for other main players in the film. He'll probably have his own final encounter in some way, separate from everyone else.

Maybe. But it won't be Bale.

God I hate this kind of post. Why wont it be Bale? What makes you think Bale wont do it? Bale's a great actor, but I hate this idea fanboys have that he's somehow above all the other superheroes, and is "too good" for JLA. They're usually the same pretentious batfans that think their precious Batman doens't belong in JLA with those silly other superheroes.

Don't make assumptions for Bale. He has never given any indication that he would be against a JLA movie. If anything it would be Nolan that would stand in the way. In fact, I think Bale has even expressed interest in at least a Batman/Superman movie.

 

[terry78]

God I hate this kind of post. Why wont it be Bale? What makes you think Bale wont do it? Bale's a great actor, but I hate this idea fanboys have that he's somehow above all the other superheroes, and is "too good" for JLA. They're usually the same pretentious batfans that think their precious Batman doens't belong in JLA with those silly other superheroes.

Don't make assumptions for Bale. He has never given any indication that he would be against a JLA movie. If anything it would be Nolan that would stand in the way. In fact, I think Bale has even expressed interest in at least a Batman/Superman movie.

[YT]3c7ddviyXSs[/YT]

He can always go the Batduck route.

 

[Man of Tomorrow]

I'd be up for a Worlds Finest movie with Bale's Batman, but JLA is pushing it...

 

[ClarkLuther55]

Don't boost Batman to superhuman levels with a high-tech mechanical power suit. That's just not the way Bruce Wayne has ever been portrayed, and it blurs the distinction between him and his super-strong and fast teammates. Not everyone should be the same; part of the fun with the JLA is watching heroes with such vastly different abilities all working together.

Batman can plan the operations, infiltrate the villains' lair, or make pinpoint strikes at their enemies' weak spots. Against a super strong enemy he can punch above his weight class by tossing explosives or using vehicle-mounted weapons (Batmobile, Batwing). He doesn't need to be another physical powerhouse, which the JLA already had three or four of.

 

[protocida]

I would rather watch Justice League then The World's finest. Does anyone else agree?

 

[Kevin Smith]

I've said it before a thousand times, the JLA Batman needs to be the DC Comics Batman, the Batman with a batcave, and actual batmobile, tons of gadgets, the world's smartest man/greatest detective, all the more "fantastic" elements of said character need to be played up. Even get the black and gray suit in there (see the "Arkham Assylum" videogame suit, trim the ears down and it's perfect). That's the Batman that should and could appear in JLA, not the Nolan "real world", toned down Batman, which works great for Nolan's series but won't work in JLA, a film with seven larger than life superheroes, including Batman, and he needs to be played larger than life like the rest, not hum-drum and droll. Keep him dark but have more emphasis on his mind and his creations, the way he outsmarts everyone, not necessarily outfights everyone. Like the JL animated series Batman. That's the Batman I want to see.

 

[BlueLightning]

I think Nolan Batman could be on par with the rest of the league, or better. But Nolan Batman Universe could not work with Justice League.

 

[dnno1]

Yeah, they should give him a gun.

 

[Jay Lifestar]

I think the beauty of the big three (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman)being in the Justice League is that you can have them there, not delve too deep into their characters, and not have them come across as shallow as a result. As for Batman if you take an approach that emphasizes his word economy (never saying more than he feels is necessary), his abruptness, his brilliant tacticle mind you can have someone other than Bale in the cowl (I honestly find it hard to picture Bale or whoever may be playing Batman in the Batman movie franchise). But, again, the beauty of the Justice League is that the focus and care may be specifically on Batman ... and not on the trials of Bruce Wayne having to be Batman, You know?

 

[ClarkLuther55]

The "realism" of Nolan's Batman is overrated. Batman Begins had a more realistic feel, but it was still pseudo-realistic scifi. "Memory cloth" gliding wings aren't real. Roof-jumping cars aren't real. A microwave superweapon that can vaporize vast quantities of water at a distance without harming a man standing right next to it sure as heck isn't real. The Dark Knight had less scifi gadgets, but it still had a motorcycle inside a car and city-wide cellphone sonar imaging.

Know how Christian Bale and Nolan's Batman can be integrated with a Justice League movie? Hang a lampshade on the superheroes. Have the characters acknowledge in the movie that all these superpowered heroes and villains go beyond the non-powered villains that Batman faced in the Nolan films. Make it a subplot: Batman, a self-assured loner, has to learn to treat the other heroes as peers, because he's working on a far larger scale now. That way Batman gets his mandatory focus, but the other heroes are made to look important as well.

The idea of "realistic" feeling superheroes in TV and movies existed before Nolan's Batman. The first X-Men and Spider-Man movies, as well as Smallville, were praised as having successfully "grounded" the superheroes in reality, despite having full-out superpowers. What made those two "realistic" was the way characters acted: like real people instead of cartoons, with believable emotions and motivations, who got into fantasy situations that still rang true. Peter Parker and Clark Kent were angsty teens who felt isolated and got picked on, who pined after hot girls they weren't cool enough to initially get, the X-Men were fighting bigotry, etc. Make the heroes and plots ring true and no one will care how scifi it gets. The key is just not to make it a ridiculous live-action cartoon like Batman and Robin.

 

[AnorexicBatman]

^ I think you are right, the so called realism is a bit overrated with people making false assumptions about what could and could not work in Nolan's world. Batman's encounters with the other heroes don't have to be awkward, he would probably have heard of them already and like I said before, if the creators were uncomfortable with this they could make it a WHAT-IF storyline and not affect the individual universes

The reason for this is that non comic book fans would say that why doesn't Superman then capture all of Batman's villains or something silly like that. This is the reason I would want the individual movies to have there own theme and style.

Superman movies should be bright with a powerful score. Batman's movies are dark and gritty filled with mysterious characters. Wonder Woman's should feel something like 300 or Troy. Similarly, I would prefer the Justice League movie to be done in the style of Zack Snyder

Posted By Jay Lifestar

I think the beauty of the big three (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman)being in the Justice League is that you can have them there, not delve too deep into their characters, and not have them come across as shallow as a result. As for Batman if you take an approach that emphasizes his word economy (never saying more than he feels is necessary), his abruptness, his brilliant tacticle mind you can have someone other than Bale in the cowl (I honestly find it hard to picture Bale or whoever may be playing Batman in the Batman movie franchise). But, again, the beauty of the Justice League is that the focus and care may be specifically on Batman ... and not on the trials of Bruce Wayne having to be Batman, You know?

See, I think this is wrong. It is as important to establish the relationships between the alter ego's as much as the superheroes themselves. Behind the mask it is all business whereas without the mask we should get to see what Bruce Wayne thinks of Clark Kent, what Hal Jordan feels about the League in general etc. We got to see a lot of this in the animated series.

 

[Panthro]

It'll take a while for a JLA film to get off the ground, and by the time they have a script that they like, Christian Bale may have lost interest in playing Batman/Bruce Wayne by that point. Think of it like this: how many times can you play a character before you feel like you just can't do any more with it?

 

[Superwoman Prime]

So what we're talking about here is upgrading Batman's more classic suit to have versatile features that bring him closer to par with the rest of the Justice League during the climax of a JLU movie.

Hmm. Well he's updated and streamlined his suit design in the comics for big occasions. I don't think it would be wildly out of character or weird for him to do so in a JLU movie.

So sure, why not. As long as he uses it out of pure necessity. Part of Batman is heavily relying on his own body when possible. His amazing feats in a battle are a result of reaching peak human ability through discipline and determination. That's crucial to preserve for Batman's characterization.