“The Batman,” a film released on March 4, 2022, follows Batman and Bruce Wayne played by Robert Pattinson, in the early stages of his career. Two years after he started protecting Gotham as The Batman, or Vengeance as he calls himself. In this iteration of the DC hero, he is facing a villain called The Riddler as well as his own demons after the death of his parents. 

The first time I remember the character of Batman is in his 2016 appearance in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” In this film, Batman is played by Ben Affleck. Pattinson’s Batman is definitely an upgrade from Affleck’s. The haunted, vengeful but justice-fighting Batman is portrayed amazingly by Pattinson given his previous role as Edward in the “Twilight” saga. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

The Riddler, played by Paul Dano, starts to gain the attention of Batman after killing the Mayor of Gotham, and leaving a note/riddle for Batman. The Riddler continues to kill important figures in Gotham’s government because of their involvement in an important police case earlier in the year, and thinks of Batman as his equal or his adversary because of them both being orphaned very young. 

The Riddler case also leads Batman to the club where the crime syndicate busted in the case earlier that year originated. This club is also where he meets Cat Woman. Cat Woman, played by Zoë Kravitz (beautifully I might add), is there for her own reasons but ends up teaming up with Batman to take down The Riddler and those he is trying to take down with his campaign. The relationship between Cat Woman and Batman is portrayed exquisitely by Kravitz and Pattinson. 

Batman, or as my friend, Destiny Rockett and I call him,“Emo Edward,” is struggling to find who he is and what he really stands for in this iteration of the iconic DC hero. The Riddler makes both Wayne and Batman question his family legacy and if it’s something really worth fighting for and if his father really was who Wayne thought he was. Batman and Cat Woman work together to take down The Riddler, and deal with their own demons in the process.

 Coming from someone who really wasn’t a huge Batman fan before 2016 and “The Justice League,” Pattinson’s iteration has definitely made a great impression, and I look forward to what comes next for The Batman!