James Gunn has been somewhat vague on updates about what's happening with Batman in the new DC Universe, with many fans speculating whether the studio will fold Robert Pattinson's version of the Dark Knight into the burgeoning cinematic universe (The Batman director Matt Reeves says no). But Gunn has now given the most promising update about The Brave and the Bold, the DC Universe's Batman and Robin movie - and he's even giving some potential hints about what fans can expect from the plot.
"I think we have a really, really good story now for what's happening with Batman," Gunn says on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, with host Tom Segura asking if the DCU will finally deliver a more colorful version of Batman than the usual all black or black and dark grey look from most of his modern live action appearances.
"There's a religious aspect to some of this stuff that's very uncomfortable," Gunn states, citing the heated debates some fans engage in around how popular characters should be portrayed. "Should Batman have white eyes? That's a big subject of conversation. It's like, 'Guys, that's really what matters?' But those are the things they care about. Should his utility belt be yellow? Should he have the yellow crest around the bat? All of that sort of stuff. None of those things are what's most important to me. What matters is the character, the story."
"I think that's one of the fun things about Batman though, is that there are so many expressions of Batman that are cool, and [having] different ways to access that character is one of the ways in which he's so iconic," Gunn continues. "I don't think it's a matter of the blue and the grey or the black Batman. I think both those things are really cool. I like the detective Batman, but I also really like the fighter Batman, that's just the brute that's, you know, fighting. I like the silly '50s Silver Age Batman, with Bat-Mite. I like all of these different versions of Batman."
Even accounting for all of that, Gunn does indeed have a personal favorite version of Batman, revealing his favorite comic featuring the Caped Crusader, 1970's Batman #225, a supernatural, horror-fueled story by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Irv Novick, with an iconic cover by definitive Batman artist Neal Adams.
"My experience with Batman too, as a kid…was reading those early '70s Neal Adams Batman comics that were much darker and grittier, and I was like, 'Oh, I like this Batman.' I had seen the sillier Batman on TV, and I'm like, 'Oh this is gritty, cool Batman.' And that was the thing that I really like, that version of Batman, which was kind of a Batman that we'd never seen."
"That was my favorite story," Gunn continues, pointing out the cover from a group of Batman illustrations. "That was in a compilation of Batman comics that I read, and I just thought it was the greatest ever. It was Batman - supernatural Batman, too, which is something we've never seen. Batman in a sort of supernatural environment."
The Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams era of Batman redefined the character as a more serious hero who existed in the shadows rather than a colorful sci-fi hero. Perhaps most relevant is that the pair introduced the villain Ra's al-Ghul and his daughter Talia, Batman's eventual lover.
With The Brave and the Bold reportedly focusing on the relationship between Batman and his son with Talia, Damian Wayne, who will appear as Robin in the film, it's entirely possible that the film will present a version of Ra's al-Ghul with the magical Lazarus Pit still intact as part of his backstory.
The Brave and the Bold doesn't yet have a release date. While we wait, stay up to date on all the upcoming DC movies and shows that are in the works.
