Right now, the faces of DC are Robert Pattinson and David Corenswet. Both of them took on Herculean tasks in replacing beloved, critically acclaimed (at least in some instances), and fan-favorite actors who played the character before them. For Pattinson, he succeeded the legendary Christian Bale. Corenswet took the cape from Henry Cavill.
The Batman from 2022 was a huge success for DC. Superman, which is only barely out, has been a massive hit as well. With the latter kicking off the extended DC universe (again), conversations have begun to arise about Pattinson’s Batman being the DCU’s version alongside Corenswet’s Man of Steel. Here’s why it most likely won’t happen.
Don’t Expect Robert Pattinson, David Corenswet to Cross Over
When asked, the two directors of both films gave coy, dodgy answers to whether or not the two characters could cross over. James Gunn, who directed Superman and is now the head of DC Studios, said he wouldn’t rule it out and admitted he’d thought of it. A recent update revealed that a scriptwriter is working on the DCU’s Batman movie, while The Batman 2‘s script was just completed. This implies that the two are decidedly not the same.
Matt Reeves, who led The Batman, was a little less enthused about it. He said several months ago it would have to make sense before talking more about his Batman universe. Reeves said he doesn’t know what the future holds, but he didn’t seem to be overjoyed with the idea of his Batman linking up with an extended universe.
For that reason, it’s highly unlikely. There are plenty of reasons it would work, though. The idea that two characters in a fictional universe need to be somewhat similar is silly. Part of the folly of the original DCEU is that it tried to erase any middle ground between Superman and Batman, making them both dark, brooding, and gritty or grounded.
The Batman is that, while Superman is very much not that. The argument is that characters like this should be sharp juxtapositions to one another. They should feel very different, and the two tones don’t need to match for them to co-exist. That is very true, but it comes with one huge caveat.
To mix those two tones, it would require an incredibly deft hand. Thus far, Gunn hasn’t shown a lot of expertise in the grounded, realistic world of Batman. On the other hand, Reeves hasn’t really done much that’s been fantastical or whimsical, like Superman.
Balancing those two would be incredibly difficult, and it would need a really skilled director and writer to pull it off. Does that make it impossible? No, but the margin for error is slim. The chance of it failing and becoming a muddled mess that has jarring tonal shifts is higher than the odds that it’ll be pulled off well.
It’s been done before but with mixed results. The MCU, Gunn’s former stomping grounds, did it in Infinity War and Endgame, but the characters they were mixing into one story were not as starkly different as Pattinson’s Batman and Corenswet’s Superman. Plus, there was criticism that some characters were used comedically when they shouldn’t have been (Thor, most notably), so even the good examples are not without criticism.
There’s also the fact that it’s taken The Batman 2 three years to even get a script done. To be able to one day mix the two worlds would take a long time. Robert Pattinson is also becoming one of the most-desired actors out there, and scheduling conflicts would be a nightmare. He’s been incredibly busy and will continue to be for the next few years, so having him cross over from his franchise into another one is a big ask.
Conclusion
All the logistic issues make this coveted crossover a pipe dream. There will be a Batman in the DCU; it just probably won’t be Robert Pattinson. That’s a bit of a shame since those two versions of both Batman and Superman, for my money, are the best interpretations we’ve had in some time (perhaps ever). They just probably won’t be able to meet up onscreen.
