The Dark Knight Rises The TDKR Batsuit Discussion Thread IX

[antsman41]

Returns was basically a Neal Adams batsuit painted black, so awesome...

 

[DaveMoral]

That was a hyperbole, but my opinion of the Captain's suit is not. It appears to me like a Party City costume, and that's that.



It's a personal preference WHY I prefer grounded and proven materials when coming to bullet-resistant armor. Up to this point, rubber has done the job fantastically image-wise (Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). Function-wise, that is another story. I wouldn't dislike the idea of a Nomex style body suit underneath the fabric.



It would have to be an incredibly awesome design, that's for sure. I would stray away from the same fabric used for Captain America though.

I have a way heavier, more durable fabric in mind. Almost like canvas. Kevlar would actually work really well, and it would be possible to actually make the suit of the very materials it is said to be.

 

[the dmg]

Not going to deny that I enjoy the design but when the suit is wrapped around Evans, it's a different story. The suit appears like a halloween costume.

Different strokes for different folks.

This is the first time I've heard anyone compare Batman to Robocop or Iron Man though.

Really? People have been comparing the look to Iron Man and Robocop since TDK.

I didn't know Batman's suit literally weighed a ton and was composed of steel.

Yes, because that's exactly the reason people have and are making the comparison.

Don't know if you realize this but Batman has been compared to a SWAT or Special Ops soldier several times by writers, directors and fans. Soooo... point?

We're talking about the batsuit, not Batman himself. A lot of posters have stated that they think it looks too much like SWAT gear, thus doesn't make him look enough like Batman.

Do I love the design? Yes. Do I think it's perfect? No.

You said a few pages back that you thought the TDK batsuit was perfect. Cause of confusion.

Don't get me started on originality. The cloth suit had it's moments from the 40's to the 80's.

Yes, because a bigger budget and advancement in technology/design would be even remotely comparable.

While rubber is fictional, so is cloth without armor present underneath.

I'm fairly certain that most posters who are pro-fabric have stated on many occasions that they would want him to have protection under the fabric.

But here lies the tradeoff:

With Batman losing the bodysuit and/or plating, it'll leave Batman more exposed. Batman can only wear so much body armor before it starts weighing as much as the bodysuit does. While he'll be faster and more agile, he's prune to receiving more life-threating wounds.

Right. That's the risk he was willing to take when going from the BB batsuit to the TDK one. Also, if we are meant to believe that the TDK batsuit is a lot lighter than the BB one, which turned out to be a lot heavier than it, then we could be meant to believe that the armor he wears under the protective fabric is lighter than what he currently has as well.

While that would be ingenious, spider silk and liquid armor have yet to be proven effective in the battlefield.

I'm going to be keeping a close eye on these elements. The next Batman film is likely to arrive in theaters 6-7 years from now, so we'll see where we are at with the new thinner and lighter materials.

Liquid armor, especially, has been highly unstable.

I've still never seen rubber body suits used on the battlefield either. "Teh realism" after all.

You don't need spider silk and liquid armour. All you need is to show Bruce wearing an under-armour suit similar in style to the nomex survival suit before it was painted in BB. He would then slip the fabric costume over it. .

Exactly. That would really be the only explanation the GA needs to believe he'll be protected when he goes toe-to-toe with criminals.

Exactly, and after seeing Snyder's take on the Superman suit I have no doubt that something just as impressive looking could be pulled off for Batman, the armor being shown in a scene like you suggest. Here's hoping for something like that in the next series.

I hope so too.

I still don't know why you think this is an actual argument. It's not. The Future Warrior body armor suits have yet to be proven either, and that's definitely what TDK takes it's cues from.

Hemming has stated that the took a lot of inspiration from Motorcycle/MotoCross gear and protection. I definitely agree that they looked at that as well for inspiration.

Just because you are more stringent in your body armor evaluation does not mean the general audience will be. They are going to be far more open to explanations for spider silk or liquid armor or dragon scale armor than you seem to realize. Hells bells, they'd do another Batman Tech thing on the Science Channel and tell us all about how those things are real and in development and possible in the not too distant future... and then they'd put it in the special features on the Blu-Ray and digital releases.

It's that simple.

That would be cool to see a special of the technology that's around the corner.

I can tolerate grappling guns and memory cloth because I know these gadgets are fictional, body armor is not. It's a personal preference.

When it's made out of rubber it is.

 

[Boom]

Ignoring the fact that the batsuits in Nolan's films look absolutely nothing like the material they're supposed to be made of (kevlar biweave), I have yet to see a single uniform actually utilized in combat that even vaguely resembles the batsuit in all of its complexity.

 

[Troy_Parker]

What do people want the cloth suit to look like?

Do you want it to be designed like the current comics suit?

What (real life) material do you want it to look like?

 

[Boom]

I want a creature-like Batman, so any fabric that can be textured to look like a second skin. I do like the material used for the new Superman suit, so I'd be for something like that (with padding underneath of course, to create the illusion of armor).

Or perhaps actual kevlar fabric stretched tightly over armor padding.

 

[DKDetective]

Returns was basically a Neal Adams batsuit painted black, so awesome...

Ummm, not really.... Keaton was as much the problem as the suit, but the end product was that Batman in Returns looked quite different from Adams' Batman. The Returns cowl has a very flat face and the head is quite square looking. Adams' Batman had a sharp nose and long face. One of my favourite things about his version was that his Batman DID NOT have a Superman-esque square jaw.

Moreover, one of the things that makes Adams' Batman design so appealing, to me at least, is that he looks tall and lean. He is well muscled, but not some bulky monstrosity. He looks like a believable cross between Bruce Lee and Frank Zane. The Returns suit does not at all give off that vibe. Keaton's short stature and the bulkiness of the rubber muscles makes Batman short with an oversized head. The proportions are those of a child in a Halloween costume... hardly intimidating.

Last, another strength of the Adams design is that it is simple, it sticks to the human form. The Returns suit has square, fake Robocop-like muscle details.

If anything, colours, nipples, and belts aside, the standard, non-climax Batsuits in Forever and Batman and Robin appear to be more reflective of the Neal Adams Design. (not that I am a fan of them by any measure)

 

[michael]

I don't know what anyone else thinks, but this seems like the way to go...

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

What do people want the cloth suit to look like?

Do you want it to be designed like the current comics suit?

That would be great, it's manages to keep the "practicality" of the Knight suit, but keeps the theatricality of the Begins suit. As for cloth the neoprene that was in the Spider-Man film looked quite good, but, they could keep the same materials, just make it like the DCnU suit.

What (real life) material do you want it to look like?

Rubber/plastic. It shouldnt look like Kevlar.

 

[Mister Meddle]

Ummm, not really.... Keaton was as much the problem as the suit, but the end product was that Batman in Returns looked quite different from Adams' Batman. The Returns cowl has a very flat face and the head is quite square looking. Adams' Batman had a sharp nose and long face. One of my favourite things about his version was that his Batman DID NOT have a Superman-esque square jaw.

Moreover, one of the things that makes Adams' Batman design so appealing, to me at least, is that he looks tall and lean. He is well muscled, but not some bulky monstrosity. He looks like a believable cross between Bruce Lee and Frank Zane. The Returns suit does not at all give off that vibe. Keaton's short stature and the bulkiness of the rubber muscles makes Batman short with an oversized head. The proportions are those of a child in a Halloween costume... hardly intimidating.

Last, another strength of the Adams design is that it is simple, it sticks to the human form. The Returns suit has square, fake Robocop-like muscle details.

If anything, colours, nipples, and belts aside, the standard, non-climax Batsuits in Forever and Batman and Robin appear to be more reflective of the Neal Adams Design. (not that I am a fan of them by any measure)

Robocop? Don't want to know what you think of the BB and TDK suits. The design is simpler than those suits.

As for the cowl....

And also.... the Returns cowl didn't have a sharp nose?

Compare that image of Batman to this (minus the over-sized emblem).

So much for a "squared" look.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

That looks pretty darn close to the Neal Adams style cowl to me, how can someone not see that?

 

[Mister Meddle]

lol I know, right?

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Haters gona hate

 

[floreairfoot]

What do people want the cloth suit to look like?

Do you want it to be designed like the current comics suit?

What (real life) material do you want it to look like?

I think a mix of armor and cloth, like from Arkham Asylum/City would look amazing on film. It would also hold a more "comic" feel, without looking cheap.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Minus the trunks of course, oh no ya I said it.

 

[Lily Adler]

I would like this a little adjustment and I could see this in a live action Batman film.

 

[Bathead]

Minus the trunks of course, oh no ya I said it.

Ah, no.

 

[Doctor Who]

I think a mix of armor and cloth, like from Arkham Asylum/City would look amazing on film. It would also hold a more "comic" feel, without looking cheap.

One of my all time favorite bat suits; my only recommendation would be to shorten the ears a little.

 

[Mister Meddle]

And the gauntlets & replace that fat belt buckle.

 

[DKDetective]

Haters gona hate

Okay, I may have been too harsh, but I'm not a blind hater. I think I gave pretty reasoned criticism of the Returns suit and why I don't think it captures the essence of the Neal Adams look. I honestly think a lot is lost in translation and that may be moreso because of the man wearing it. I'll admit the cowl looks sharper from the side than I remember, but it still looks flat and blocky from the front to me. I dunno, I think, especially with modern technology, a much better job can be done adapting the Adams suit.

I just don't understand all of the worship of the Returns suit. For all the criticisms of the Begins suit, it looks a lot more convincing than the Returns suit to me. It doesn't look as fake and rubbery to me, maybe because of the matte finish combined with an actual metal utility belt and nicer cape. The Returns belt looks like it belongs on a Halloween costume. I'm also not a fan of the heavy, short, leathery cape. It never catches the wind in the right way.

 

[DKDetective]

I would like this a little adjustment and I could see this in a live action Batman film.

Totally agreed, I made a couple of posts to that effect a few pages back. Like our time lord friend, I think the ears should be shortened a bit and the gauntlets and boots/shinguards should be toned down. However, overall, the look is great - the combination of armour and believable looking cloth bodysuit.

 

[TheBat812]

I don't know what anyone else thinks, but this seems like the way to go...

Haha, that's great.

 

[MultipleJesuses]

I think a mix of armor and cloth, like from Arkham Asylum/City would look amazing on film. It would also hold a more "comic" feel, without looking cheap.

Unfortunately the probably wouldn't hold up as 'realistic' enough for tge Nolanverse but I could totally see that in a reboot. Or even if it was all black I could see it in Nolans world.

 

[Spoonman]

The Batman Forever cowl looks way closer to Neal Adams style than the Returns one, but I guess it was helpful for the costume designers that Kilmer was tall and had a very similar jawline to that of Neal Adams Batman, but I don't understand how people say BR "looks like Neal Adams" when there is the design in Forever (panther suit) which is way closer to that.

 

[I'm Not a Hero]

I don't know what anyone else thinks, but this seems like the way to go...

THAT IS SICK.



On a side note I hope there are goons with cat suits in this movie.