Summary

The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, is not a part of the main DC Universe, but rather an Elseworlds project. This was a choice made by Reeves himself, not a decision imposed by James Gunn. Reeves’ vision for The Batman was to create a more grounded and gritty version of the character, focusing on Batman as a detective in Gotham City. The success of the movie has led to a sequel and spin-off shows. Keeping The Batman separate from the DCU allows it to stand on its own merits and continue its own unique story, while the DCU will have its own version of Batman in The Brave and The Bold.

The Batman is one of the most successful DC movies of the last several years, but many fans have questioned why it is not a part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU. Although the Matt Reeves-directed Dark Knight franchise will continue with spin-off shows and a sequel, it will not be part of the main DC Universe and is instead an Elseworlds project. It seems that this is not a choice that was made on behalf of the franchise by Gunn, but rather due to a request by Reeves to not be included in the overarching connected story.

The Batman Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement when The Riddler starts killing key political figures. Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and Paul Dano star. Release Date March 4, 2022 Rating PG-13 Runtime 2hr 55min

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Bat himself, created quite a stir when it arrived in 2021; a Batman movie that stripped away all the fantasy elements of the character and returned him to the guise of a dark, gritty detective working the streets of Gotham with mostly just his wits to aid him. While some were not quite on board with the dynamic new direction the movie took, there was little doubt that Reeves’ vision was one that would continue in the future.

In a recent exchange on Threads, James Gunn responded to one fan who suggested that Reeves had not been “allowed” to join the DCU. The post asked the DC Studios co-CEO:

“I’m curious, why isn’t Reeves’ The Batman allowed to exist within the new DCU? Not to implicate that this is a reason, but I personally like the contract between the sark and decrepit Victorian/gothic Gotham City and a lively midcentury modern Metropolis and think it was all perfect casting and executed damn-near perfect iterations of the characters – especially Robert Pattinson’s Batsy.”

Gunn replied with a note saying that The Batman’s exclusion from the DCU was nothing to do with it not being “allowed” to be part of the universe, but actually something Matt Reeves requested. He wrote:

“It’s not an “allowed” thing, it’s Matt’s choice, and we respect that.”

In a separate post, June also responded to a question of whether he had seen a script for The Batman Part II yet, to which he replied that he had “heard a pitch” for the sequel, but there is currently not a script for it.

Related: Robert Pattinson Reveals His Biggest Fear About Being an Actor

The Batman is Building a World That Does Not Need the DCU
Warner Bros. Pictures

Matt Reeves created The Batman with a very specific vision in mind for what this iteration of The Dark Knight would look and feel like. Rather than pitching another Batman movie filled with spectacular action sequences, fantastic visual effects and plenty of technologically advanced gadgets, Reeves stripped back everything to take Batman back to a time when he was still finding his feet as a hero and was a much more grounded character.

From the success of The Batman, Reeves has been given the green light to expand the franchise with a sequel, currently due for release in 2025, and at least one spin-off series, which comes courtesy of Colin Farrell’s Penguin series that will hit Max in 2024 and see the actor reprising his role as Oswald Cobblepot.

The decision by Reeves to continue to keep his version of Batman a separate entity is a very smart one, as whatever happens with Gunn and Safran’s franchise, The Batman will stand on its own merits along with other Elseworlds projects such as Joker: Folie à Deux.

However, the DCU will not be without its own Caped Crusade for long, as The Brave and the Bold is one of the projects included in the first wave of movies that make up the Gods & Monsters phase of the rebooted franchise. While Gunn has already told fans that there is currently not a script for that movie, and casting has yet to begin, there are still many who continue to speculate on who will be the next actor to don the cape and cowl.

So far, Gunn’s first DCU Batman movie has no release date. The Batman Part II will arrive in cinemas on October 3, 2025, and Colin Farrell’s Penguin spin-off will arrive on Max sometime late in 2024.