James Gunn has a Batman problem – but the solution is hiding in one of this year's best comics

James Gunn may have already cracked Superman, but Batman remains an albatross around the DCU's neck – an impossible dilemma with solutions that would split the fanbase.

On one side, you've got the Robert Pattinson Problem. With Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel set to begin filming in 2026, there remains the awkward possibility of two Batmen appearing in very close proximity to each other while remaining in completely separate universes.

At the risk of confusing audiences, folding Pattinson's Batman into the DCU seems like the obvious way out, but not a route that Gunn is seemingly going to take.

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Instead, he is working on bringing The Brave and the Bold, a completely separate film with a new Batman actor, into his universe – with the groundwork for that fresh Gotham already being laid in Clayface if recent Easter egg-strewn set photos are any indication.

But what if there was a third way? Better yet, what if it were based on a comic that is fast becoming one of the decade's most acclaimed, original superhero works?

Absolute cinema

That would be Absolute Batman, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Nick Dragotta. The first entry in DC's ambitious Absolute Universe (in essence, an alternate universe warped by Darkseid's energy so that evil reigns supreme and superheroes are no longer the force they once were), Absolute Batman is a dramatic, visceral reinvention of the Batman mythos – and its Bruce Wayne is the perfect six-foot-nine specimen to crash into James Gunn's fledgling DCU.

Turning Batman into even more of an angular-shaped powerhouse is only part of Absolute Batman's appeal, however. It's filled with smart remixes that turn Batman's origin story on its head, without feeling like a character assassination designed for shock value and quick sales.

Without spoiling the expertly-plotted current run, Batman is Bruce Wayne, but not the Bruce Wayne you're thinking of. This Wayne wunderkind is scrappy, relies on his friends – with many of his group being made up of familiar faces such as more grounded takes on Harvey Dent and Oswald Cobblepot – and, crucially, this Wayne barely has a cent to his name. By contrast, the money man here is Joker, a pale-white benefactor who (in the first year of Absolute Batman's run, anyway) operates in the shadows and is famed for never, ever laughing.

In a world perhaps long fatigued by even Batman, Absolute Batman represents a welcome breath of fresh air. It presents a dangerous, more vulnerable hero who exists in a viciously depraved, dirty world – and he doesn't always have the Bat-gadgets and resources to back up the legend of the Batman.

Yet, Absolute Batman's greatest calling card is its villains. As mentioned, most of Batman's traditional rogues' gallery have shifted into being Bruce Wayne's allies, with many even being aware of his existence as Batman. But that doesn't mean the streets of Gotham are safe. Far from it. In the place of Riddler, Killer Croc, Two-Face, and Penguin are a collection of bizarre eldritch horrors that have revitalized a pretty static set of iconic Batman villains in perhaps the most dramatic way since Batman: The Animated Series thawed out Mister Freeze's icy heart with a warm dose of pathos back in the '90s.

Absolute Batman begins with Black Mask, an animalistic gangster sent to Gotham to disrupt the city and send crime rates soaring sky-high. After his defeat, the floodgates are opened: a Mister Freeze that wouldn't look out of place in The Thing; a monstrous 9-foot Bane that doesn't need a drop of Venom to crush Batman and, the pièce de résistance, an upcoming Joker transformation that turns the Clown Prince of Crime into a demonic creature.

Gunn deciding to transplant elements of Absolute Batman into The Brave and the Bold would bring over the DC boss's trademark of oh-so-slightly twisted tried-and-tested lore (Superman's message from Krypton, the majority of Peacemaker) into something altogether different and fresh for audiences to lap up.

Even if that doesn't come to pass, Absolute Batman's DNA will almost assuredly find its way into future Batman cinematic affairs. It's a bruising, exciting take on a character that isn't far off 100 years old – and that sort of risk-taking and reshaping of established folklore should absolutely be the blueprint for Batman and James Gunn's DCU in the years to come.

For now, dive into the confirmed DCU projects in the works with our guides to upcoming DC movies and DCU Chapter One. Then catch up on the story so far with a complete look at how to watch the DC movies in order.