The Batman’s Dark Knight Intro Is Better Than Anything Nolan Did

The Batman's Dark Knight Intro Is Better Than Anything Nolan Did

In The Batman’s opening sequence, Matt Reeves presents a version of the Dark Knight that may be better than anything in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.

Warning! Contains spoilers for The Batman.

In The Batman, Matt Reeves gets to the core of what makes Batman work. Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne in a Gotham that is just getting to know their masked vigilante guardian. The Batman has been well received by audiences and critics alike and is being hailed as the best Batman adaptation since The Dark Knight. Directed by Matt Reeves, it features a young Bruce Wayne who is only in his second year of donning the cowl. While it’s still a Warner Brothers release, The Batman exists outside of the continuity of the DCEU, where Ben Affleck will reprise the role of Batman at least once more in 2022’s The Flash. Instead, it will be a part of its own Batverse, which will potentially have spin-off movies and TV series of its own.

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The Batman’s Bruce Wayne is still becoming Gotham’s hero. The story follows a reclusive Bruce who is still not over the death of his parents. His decision to become a masked vigilante comes both from a place of trauma and from a place of deep love for the city of Gotham. This Bruce wants to rid the city of the violence that took his parents from him, but he still hasn’t earned the respect or trust of much of the city. This Batman is much more feared than he is respected, and that’s evident in the opening sequence.

Related: Did The Batman Secretly Reveal Who Really Killed Bruce Wayne’s Parents?

The Batman opens with a voice-over reminiscent of The Watchmen’s Rorschach. Bruce talks about moonlighting under the cowl as a masked vigilante who refers to himself only as “Vengeance”. In the sequence, James Gordon, played by Jeffrey Wright, turns on the Bat-signal, which makes Gothamites all over the city who are committing even the pettiest of crimes cower in fear. This introduction to the Batman is much more effective than anything that Christopher Nolan did in his Dark Knight franchise. The feeling that Batman is there, lurking in every shadow, looms over the criminal element in Gotham. Reeves uses darkness to create that tension before Batman ever appears on screen, and when he does, it immediately becomes clear that the fear that surrounds Batman is warranted.

Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy will forever be hailed as a classic and is the definitive Batman trilogy for a generation. However, his franchise focused more on the dichotomy between Batman and Bruce Wayne than Reeves’s version. In contrast, Pattinson’s Batman neglects Bruce Wayne, completely dedicating himself to enforcing his brand of vigilante justice. The billionaire playboy persona was an important part of Christian Bale’s Wayne, as was his involvement with Wayne Enterprises.  The fear that Nolan’s Batman uses is much more localized to the specific criminals he’s fighting at the time. While there’s a sense that Batman is a part of Gotham in both films, there isn’t much sense that the fear of the Dark Knight looms quite as much in the Nolan trilogy.

In Reeves’ opening sequence, Batman immediately becomes a specter for the criminal element in Gotham. The tension between the camera and the shadows throughout the city makes it clear that Batman is something to be feared. When Batman emerges from the shadows to challenge a gang assaulting a subway passenger, the fear stemming from his reputation, and that the opening sequence teased, is warranted. He is a force, unfazed by their blows and precise and relentless with his own, wiping out the entire gang in a couple of minutes. The storytelling in the opening sequence builds tension and then pays the tension off in a satisfyingly badass moment for the caped crusader. From there, the audience is completely on board.

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is a masterwork, but The Batman does a better job at building a sense of fear. Though Nolan’s Bruce Wayne is in a different place than the one in The Batman, Matt Reeves’ Batman starts as a warning. Reeves creates an intimidating vigilante by using noir tactics to build tension and strike fear in the hearts of Gotham’s criminal element.

More: All 7 Villains The Batman Sets Up

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About The Author

Raven Monroe
(39 Articles Published)

Raven is a graduate of New York University and UNC Charlotte. She is a writer and theatre artist who is a lover of all things comics, fantasy, and sci-fi.

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