Here's a riddle: What do greeting cards, family secrets, and a nosy neighbor have in common?
You don't have to solve the puzzle – we'll just tell you. "The Batman" is
littered with small details that only the most dedicated fans could spot.
The movie's version of the Riddler takes after the Zodiac killer in more ways than one.
Not only does he don a terrifying mask he wears when he targets his victims,
but he also leaves behind puzzles and ciphers for the detectives to solve.
Specifically, he leaves behind greeting cards for Batman himself,
and inside contain clues that help reveal what it is he's actually looking for in all of this.
However, fans will want to pay attention to the outside of those cards.
They may not mean much to the characters in the film, but fans should recognize
that each card contains a reference to a different Batman adversary. For instance,
the first card we see features an owl. It may come across as a spooky Halloween card initially,
but fans should recognize the correlation to the Court of Owls from the comics.
That's not the only reference hidden in the cards. The second one has a Hugo Strange-like mad
scientist. The third features a beautiful woman who looks an awful lot like Poison Ivy. The fourth
has a set of eyes reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat, hinting toward Mad Hatter. And the fifth
card includes a boy with a puppet in an obvious reference to Scarface and the Ventriloquist.
Each card subtly references a different Caped Crusader villain,
and honestly, any of them would make for a terrifying foe for "The Batman 2."
"The Batman" differs from previous Batman films by not necessarily depicting the
murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Instead, their deaths are merely alluded to and end
up playing a significant role in the cover-up Riddler wants to expose. During one sequence
featuring heavy exposition, we learn the truth behind the two most prominent families to ever
grace Gotham — the Waynes and the Arkhams. We learn that during Thomas Wayne's run for mayor,
a reporter threatened to expose Martha's time being institutionalized in Arkham Asylum.
Martha hasn't been related to the Arkhams in any of the movies before,
so this is something of a reference to the Earth One storyline where her last name is Arkham before
marrying Thomas Wayne. And that's not the only familial connection the movie makes ...
Even casual moviegoers know who Batman's parents are, but Selina Kyle's lineage is more up in the
air. While it's gone through some changes over the years, "The Batman" decides to borrow elements
from "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory," making Catwoman's true father Carmine Falcone.
The film establishes that her mother, Maria Kyle, died a long time ago,
and she wants to get close enough to Falcone to kill him for what he did to her mom.
In the "Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" comics, the relationship between Selina and
Carmine is far more circumstantial. While she has a strong hunch that Carmine is her father,
she doesn't have any definitive proof. She's far more sure of herself in the movie.
Prior to the release of "The Batman," a box set collection came out gathering Dark Knight
stories that influenced the latest feature film. Among them was "Batman: Year One,"
even though director Matt Reeves explained that the movie wouldn't be an origin story
like we've seen in the past. Still, as one of the most definitive Batman stories,
it's understandable that the book would influence the first chapter of a new Batman story. And you
can see that in how the movie recreates one of the most significant scenes in that storyline.
In "Year One," Catwoman scratches a side of Carmine Falcone's face,
resulting in claw scars remaining a fixture of his character.
A similar scene occurs in "The Batman" when Catwoman claws at Carmine's face
with her extra long nails. He sports that look throughout the rest of his time in "The Batman."
Most moviegoers should have a passing familiarity with the Riddler,
and probably know his true identity as Edward Nygma.
This has been his real name in the likes of "Batman Forever" and "Gotham."
In true comic book fashion, the name shortens to "E. Nygma," or "enigma," which is appropriate for
a man who loves puzzles and riddles. However, for some, the name might be a bit too cartoony
for more serious fare, which is why this new version of the character has the name of "Edward
Nashton." As it happens, though, there's a comic book precedent for even this change.
In the comic books post-"Crisis on Infinite Earths," it's established that Riddler's
birth name is Edward Nashton. That allows the character to have a more grounded persona,
but in true comic book form, he changes his last name to "Nygma" to better fit his new persona.
It's not hard to figure out why Matt Reeves went with "Nashton" over "Nygma." The film takes on
the tone of a dark noir film, so a name like "E. Nygma" probably wouldn't work for the more
realistic feel of the movie. Still, Reeves managed to squeeze in a nod to Riddler's alternate names
throughout his comic book continuity. When Riddler's apprehended at the diner, the police
find two alternate I.D.'s on his person, hinting at the various names he'd held over the years.
Another major moment pulled straight from the comics occurs during the beginning of
the film's final act. As Batman confronts Riddler, who's locked away in Arkham Asylum,
he reveals that the machinations of his grand final plan are already well underway.
In this instance, "The Batman" finale takes place in a Gotham that's been flooded by water
after various flood walls break apart in an explosion set forth by Riddler and his henchmen.
The plan should be familiar to anyone who read the "Zero Year" comic book arc.
In that storyline, Riddler manages to do the same thing,
flooding Gotham and turning it into an apocalyptic wasteland.
An intriguing development occurs during the big climactic final battle between Batman and Catwoman
versus Riddler's henchmen. At a certain point, Batman becomes too overpowered.
To help him get back on his feet, Batman takes out a vial containing a green substance,
which he uses to inject himself. Suddenly, he receives the strength to get back on his feet
and pummel the final Riddler henchman into submission.
It might take some fans by surprise, especially seeing how the vial wasn't
set up earlier in the film. However, fans of the comics may recognize the substance
as having similar properties to Venom, which is what Bane uses to give himself super-strength.
"And now I add my super soldier serum, codenamed Venom."
After all, like in the comics, it does appear to give Batman a boost in energy and strength.
It also vastly increases his hostility, as he goes way over the limit beating up
the thug to the point where the Gotham P.D. have to pull him off. That level
of savagery could also be attributed to what we've seen out of Venom in the past.
Could this mean that Bane could appear in a subsequent "Batman" movie?
Similar to Riddler's greeting cards, it could just be a fun Easter egg to hint
at a larger world out there. After all, the universe of "The Batman"
will be further explored in an HBO Max TV series centered on Gotham P.D. and Penguin,
so there are plenty of avenues for Bane to make his way into this franchise.
By the end of the film, Batman has stopped the Riddler's reign of terror
and put him safely behind bars at Arkham Asylum. However,
there's someone in a cell next to Riddler's who manages to put a smile on that face once again.
While they're never mentioned by name, we can make a pretty educated guess.
Riddler's neighbor makes a reference to how one day a person can feel like they're on top of the
world, but the next day, the world sees them as a clown. Then he begins laughing maniacally
in such a manner that gets Riddler chuckling, too. It's easy to put two and two together and
surmise that this individual, played by Barry Keoghan, will be the latest iteration of Joker.
In the credits, this character is listed as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner," so it does give
those working behind the scenes some leeway as to whether they want to pursue a Joker storyline for
a future installment of "The Batman" series. After all, when asked about who he'd like to
include in a sequel, Matt Reeves surprisingly picked Mr. Freeze. Still, it's exciting to
think that Joker is out there somewhere, just waiting to bring some joy to Gotham.
[laughing]
For years, Warner Bros. tried to get a shared cinematic universe up and running with the DC
Extended Universe. This established that films like "Man of Steel,"
"Wonder Woman," and "Aquaman" all existed within the same timeline, similar to what Marvel had
accomplished with the MCU. Over the years, the franchise has been met with mixed responses,
so DC has branched off into other separate entities since the beginnings of the DCEU.
"The Batman" falls into that category – it exists in its own separate timeline,
completely detached from what Ben Affleck had done during his tenure as the Dark Knight.
"She with you?"
"I thought she was with you."
As such, there aren't too many references to other DC properties
outside of the Batman mythos. However, it does manage to accomplish a bit of
world-building that could easily pay off down the line. Toward the end of the flick, Catwoman
mentions how she's going to get out of Gotham for a while and perhaps head up to Blüdhaven.
The name should sound familiar to anyone who's read the Batman comics or checked
out "Arrow" on The CW. The fictional city has come up frequently in DC Comics over the years
as a nearby locale to Gotham. In fact, when Nightwing decides to venture out as his own hero,
he sets up his base of operations in Blüdhaven to get away from Batman.
What does this mean for the future of "The Batman?" It might mean nothing and serve
as solely a way to get Catwoman out of the picture to make room for other characters
in "The Batman 2." But it's good to know that if Dick Grayson ever enters the fold,
Blüdhaven is there awaiting its protector.
It's become commonplace for superhero movies to contain mid- or post-credits scenes.
Fans have come to anticipate a fun joke or a teaser of what's to come.
"You're still here. It's over. Go home."
No doubt plenty of theatergoers will wait around until the credits have
finished to see if "The Batman" has anything worth sticking around for.
While there's no teaser scene at the very end of "The Batman," it does show
a blink-and-you'll-miss-it tag of a web address.
Viewers will remember this is the URL Batman and Gordon had to visit
about halfway through the movie when they realize Riddler gave them a web address.
As it turns out, you can actually visit this URL.
It will take you to a website where you'll encounter some of Riddler's puzzles,
attempting to answer them to reveal the truth. It appears the riddles are different
each time you visit the site, but one of the trick questions you'll encounter is,
"From birth to death. From boy to man. All things change, but this is one thing he will always be."
And don't think you can get any hints on other websites. If you click away from the page,
you're greeted with a message reading,
"You scour the internet for the truth, but you still need to answer me."
What does it all lead to? We won't spoil the fun of you figuring out the riddle on your own.
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