I’m not writing this to slam Robert Pattinson. I actually quite like the Twilight star and have a lot of respect for him. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and I think the world of his acting skills.
The point is that he should not play Batman in the upcoming movie The Batman. Here’s why:
Because He’s Way Too Young
Although Batman was first introduced to the world as a 60-year-old man named Alfred Pennyworth in the 1939 film serial Batman, the character has always been depicted as a much older, more matured individual. Even in the comics, where the character was originally created in the early 20th century and is therefore much older than in the cinematic universe, he is still typically shown as an adult, with some of the other characters occasionally calling him “father.”
This makes sense from a storytelling perspective, as audiences have likely seen Wayne (Batman’s original moniker) grow up and become a man. In the comics, he was originally the young son of Bruce Wayne and his wife, Anna, whose murder inspired him to don the cape and cowl. In the movies, he has generally been the nephew of Bruce Wayne’s siblings, Dick and Maggie, whose parents were murdered by a criminal they were trying to expose. In both cases, Wayne was left with the duties of a father and gained the skills and experience necessary to take on the role.
In short, if you’re going to portray a superhero, the general public will expect you to look and act like one. In order to accurately portray the character of Batman, you must be willing to follow his costume and combat style, which includes an extremely restricted diet. Not to mention the fact that Bruce Wayne is supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, which means he spends a lot of time thinking and analyzing problems. This type of intensive mental exercise is not something that a 17-year-old kid is going to be able to pull off. Not even close.
He Doesn’t Have The Charisma
The second reason that Pattinson shouldn’t play Batman is exactly what makes him so attractive to Hollywood in the first place: He doesn’t exactly have the traditional celebrity charisma that most Hollywood heroes and villians seem to demand. In fact, aside from the fact that he’s actually quite nice-looking, if you’ve seen any of his acting performances you know exactly what I mean.
On the big screen, Pattinson has been mostly featured in serious and dramatic roles, often playing characters who are part of a group. This includes 2014’s The Hundred-Foot Journey, where he played Lord Frederick, the charming husband of Uma Thurman’s character; 2013’s Maps to the Stars, where he was Rhett Butler; and the drama Life of Pi, where he was Lt. Joseph Krendler. While these are all very impressive acting resumes, they each featured one or more characters who were considerably more interesting and charismatic than Pattinson himself, which is probably why he was given such strong supporting roles.
In the comics, Batman rarely resorts to acting and instead relies heavily on his wits and physical gifts to get the job done. He is an extremely competent detective, resourceful inventor, and brilliant strategist. It’s not clear that these are exactly the sorts of skills that translate well to the big screen, at least not yet.
He Isn’t Muscular
The third reason that Robert Pattinson shouldn’t be Batman is that he doesn’t exactly fit the image that the character has been associated with in the comics and films. The key characteristic of Batman that has always set him apart is his incredible physical strength. As we’ve established, Batman was originally a World War II-era superhero who utilized his immense brawn to battle his foes, many of which were highly sophisticated and dangerous criminals. In the comics, he stands at over 7 feet tall and possesses extraordinary physical attributes, including a nearly perfect body and great stamina. He is often depicted as being quite muscular, with some even going so far as to say that he is one of the most physically attractive superheroes ever created.
As appealing as this sort of masculinity may be to some, it’s never going to find a home in Hollywood, especially when you consider that most of the roles being offered to men these days are on the other end of the spectrum, with men like Chris Hemsworth, Jason Statham, and Dwayne Johnson commanding huge salaries for playing characters with less extreme physique.
He Isn’t Confident
This brings us to our final point: Robert Pattinson isn’t exactly comfortable in his own skin. It’s not that he doesn’t have enough self-assurance to play Batman, but perhaps more accurately, he doesn’t believe that he deserves to be the hero. While the other characters in the Twilight universe may see themselves as o the good guys, ultimately, they serve a greater goal: Bella (Pattinson’s character’s fiancée) wants to be the ultimate ‘victim’ so that she can be with Edward (played by Taylor Lautner) and the world thinks that it’s ‘evil’ Jacob Black (Tobias Menzies) who caused the problem in the first place. Even Alfred considers himself to be on the wrong side of the conflict, as do most of the townspeople in Forks, Washington. As for the younger Bruce Wayne, he is the innocent victim of circumstance, trying to bring peace to a troubled world while also defending his family as best he can.
While the Twilight saga may be over, the fandom and subsequent movie adaptations haven’t disappeared. In fact, as we’ve established, it has become commonplace to see fans at comic book conventions across the globe dressed up as their favorite characters from the series. These costumes aren’t only a way of remembering the fun times that they had reading the books and watching the movies, but also a way of expressing their feelings about the characters and the world that Twilight introduced them to. And when it comes to Batman, a lot of the fans have chosen the character’s most famous enemy: the Joker.
The Joker
If you’ve been to a comic book convention in the last year, you may have seen a lot of people dressed up as the Joker. The Batman enemy has inspired a passionate following and has been a Halloween costume staple for almost 70 years now. Even in the dark days of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Joker has maintained his allure, mainly because of his willingness to go above and beyond-even for a villainous character-in order to get his story told.
The Joker’s most iconic outfit is undoubtedly his iconic red and white suit. The combination of the two-plus-two color scheme and the exaggerated shoulder pads gives the costume a sporty appeal while also contrasting sharply against the black of the suit’s base. When it comes to Halloween 2020, the Joker is arguably the character that fans want to see most. With fewer people in costumes as the pandemic continues to loom over the world, the opportunity to dress as the Clown Prince of Crime has never been more appealing.
The Riddler
Another fan-favorite from the Batman universe is arguably the most mysterious character of all: the Riddler, whose iconic outfit is as unique as it is stylish-in fact, he’s often referred to as “Mr. Fashion’. While the other villains of the Batman universe may dress in tights and skintight clothing in order to emphasize their ‘badass’ appearance, the Riddler generally prefers to sport a colorful and eye-catching costume, often sporting a pattern or graphic that is difficult to replicate.
The most famous of the Riddler’s outfits is undoubtedly his colorful and patterned ghillie suit. The outfit is named after the tartan pattern that was used in the original Batman comics, although today it’s mostly associated with the character because of its striking pattern. The colorful and unique pattern of the suit has made it a firm Halloween costume choice for over 60 years now and has been featured in both movies and comics.
The Penguin
Another fan-favorite villain from the Batman universe is the Penguin. The character is mostly known for his appearance in the 1960s Batman television series, in which he would often dress in a red and white checkered suit. Even then, his outfit wasn’t named the Penguin Suit; that was the name used by the popular press at the time because, well, it kind of looked like a penguin.
The best way to describe the Penguin’s style would be colorful and eye-catching. He frequently wore bold and eye-catching prints that were difficult to replicate. If you were to make a list of the biggest fashion faux pas in history, the Penguin would be at the very top of it. Sadly, however, his fashion choices often proved to be his undoing. In the latest Batman installment, Bombshell, the filmmakers were forced to cut much of his colorful and flamboyant costume out of respect for the AIDS epidemic that was underway in the late 1980s.