The Twilight franchise generated an incredible $1.9 billion at the box office globally, selling nearly 160 million tickets across its six films. With its success, it brought many iconic characters to life, creating an opportunity to show your love for a favourite character with fan art.
Whether you adore Robert Pattinson as the perfect Edward or Samantha, or are a huge fan of the entire franchise, there’s an artist out there who can paint a masterpiece that will be a collector’s item. Keep reading to see if this is the case for one of your favourite characters!
Pattinson As The Joker
Let’s be honest, few actors were as controversial as the late great John Wilkes Booth. We all know what happened on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, but did you know that Booth was obsessed with the 16th president’s assassin?
Booth admired John Wilkes, the star of the stage production of The Further Adventures of Jedediah Leland, and decided to impersonate him after the play’s premiere in 1875. When Booth was later found to be ill and on his deathbed, he reportedly told his family that he was going to kill them all because he couldn’t bear to live in the same world as Lincoln.
While we all might not want to live in an imaginary world where our favourite characters exist in purest form, we can still appreciate something done in creative fandom. And for those who love to draw and paint, there’s always the option of creating an original piece inspired by one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history!
Pattinson As The Riddler
Who doesn’t love a good riddle?
The mastermind behind the notorious Joker incursion in Batman Forever—the movie referenced above—is also the inspiration for the twisted puzzle master in Burton and Hollywood’s finest mind-bender. And it’s easy to see why: Chris O’Dowd’s portrayal of James Bond’s arch-enemy is both charming and terrifying in equal measure, and it’s easy to see why this movie is one of the all-time greats.
It’s interesting to see how closely the Batman character and the Riddler were connected in the first place. Way back in 1940s Detective Comics, the character was originally called the “Riddler” and was inspired by Edward Deblois’ comic strip, The Riddler. At the time, The Riddler was a bit of a comedic character who liked to play pranks on the residents of his apartment building. While it was mostly lighthearted fun, the character was so popular that he inspired a series of novels and short-stories that were eventually collected into a book called The Riddler Cases.
Fans of Detective Comics can now relive this era with the modern-day retelling of the Batman and the Riddler story, as seen in the recent film adaptation of Gotham by Frank Miller. While the character of The Riddler has mostly been relegated to comics and movies, he does show up from time to time on the big screen, usually in cameos.
Pattinson As Commissioner Gordon
Speaking of which, here’s one you’ll be seeing a lot over the next few months: Gordon is set to appear in several upcoming films, with Robert Pattinson in the starring role. And no, we’re not referring to the Australian Finance Minister—we’re talking about the Caped Crusader’s faithful butler, who’s been with him since the beginning and always puts his job before his duties as a butler.
Rumour has it that Pattinson saw a rough cut of the film and was so moved by the character that he immediately offered to play Gordon on screen. It was an offer the producers couldn’t refuse, especially since casting was already underway.
Gordon is one of the most significant characters in the Batman mythos. Without his partnership with Batman, the entire city would’ve been overrun with criminal activity. Gordon also happens to be one of the few characters that the audience feels sympathy for, even when he’s been wronged by the forces of evil. At least, that’s the way it is in most adaptations.
In 2005’s Batman Begins, the audience sympathises with Gordon when he witnesses the brutal revenge taken by the Joker on the families of millionaire socialites, which leads to a riot in the streets. In The Dark Knight, when Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is brutally murdered by the Joker, the commissioner blames himself for not being able to protect the city’s citizens. In the comics, Gordon is actually the one that tracks down Batman and apprehends him, but the story makes the audience root for the Caped Crusader anyway.
Pattinson As The Penguin
Speaking of wronged heroes, it was years before we saw Harry Potter’s famed Hogwarts friends in the flesh. While we were patiently waiting for the boy wizard’s stories to come to life, he was already immortalising fictional characters in paint, charcoal, or pencil. And speaking of waiting, someone was still patiently sitting on the fence over the casting of J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard. In fact, there were several actors who were in talks to play the part, including Ed Sheeran, Alex Pettyfer, and Robert Pattinson. But in the end, it was Rupert Grint who landed the role.
Rowling’s take on the character of The Penguin is actually pretty interesting. While most people think of him as a jokey villain who loves penguins and hates humans (sort of the converse of the Joker), the author presents him as a much more complicated anti-hero. In her book, The Crimes of Grindelwald, she reveals how the character turned from a jokey dimwit to a sadistic serial killer who loved to toy with his victims before eventually snapping.
Despite how dark the story is, we can still root for the hapless penguin who wants nothing more than to be accepted as one of the boys. It’s not an easy task bearing the burdens that he does, but at least he’s got someone on his side the entire time: his pet snowy owl, Athena. She’s the only one who comes back for him in the end, proving that even the harshest of critics can be saved by a loyal sidekick.
Pattinson As The Boy Wonder
There’s also Dick Grayson, or Nightwing as he’s known in the comics. This DC Comics fan-favourite has been the Robin to Bruce Wayne’s Batman since the character’s creation back in 1939. With no parents and a single-minded determination to be the best damn superhero he can be, Grayson sets out on a life of crime-fighting and teaming up with the Dark Knight on various adventures. While it’s not always a happy relationship, it is one that the audience always has faith in.
Grayson was first portrayed on screen in the 1966 Batman serial, where he was rechristened “Robin” for television viewers. But it was in the 1988 film that actor Tim Curry’s comedic take on the character resonated with audiences, establishing Robin as an essential piece to Wayne’s iconic suit.
Since then, the character has been featured in every major motion picture adaptation of the Batman franchise, with the most recent example being 2017’s Justice League.
If you’ve ever pondered what would happen if Batman and Robin were to become a couple, here’s your answer: they’d be the greatest crime-fighting duo in comics history!