James Gunn, co-chief of DC Studios, has sparked conversation among comic book fans by hinting at the possibility of integrating Robert Pattinson’s Batman into the new DC Universe (DCU). During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn admitted to “contemplating” the idea. Pattinson, who first donned the cape in 2022’s The Batman, currently exists in a separate narrative outside the DCU. For now, at least.
“I’ve contemplated it, yeah,” Gunn acknowledged, though he added, “I contemplate everything. I talk about everything.” He emphasised his commitment to balancing DCU stories with standalone Elseworlds projects like The Batman. “I want the freedom to tell Elseworld stories,” Gunn explained.
This revelation has fueled speculation about the future of DC’s most iconic superhero. Pattinson’s role in Matt Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga remains distinct, but questions linger about potential crossover opportunities. Reeves recently addressed this at the Golden Globes, sharing that any integration would depend on narrative coherence. “It really comes down to whether it makes sense. There was a story I wanted to tell,” Reeves said.
“The epic crime saga. It’s been important to me to play that out and James [Gunn] and Peter [Safran] have been really great about that. They are letting us do that. What the future brings, I can’t really tell you. I have no idea. My head is down right now on getting The Batman Part II shooting, which is the most important thing.” However, Reeves also left the door open, answering the question (“And if they decide we really want Rob to be our DCU Batman?”) with, “We will have to see where that goes.”
The DC Universe currently faces a dual-Batman scenario, with Gunn’s DCU and Reeves’ standalone films running parallel. This duality has created some audience confusion, especially with Batman’s cameo in Creature Commandos. Gunn and Reeves have reportedly discussed ways to align their visions without compromising their storytelling goals.
The Batman Part II was recently delayed to October 2027, a move Gunn defended. “To be fair, a 5 year gap or more is fairly common in sequels. 7 years between Alien and Aliens. 14 years between Incredibles. 7 years between the first two Terminators. 13 years between Avatars. 36 years between Top Guns. And of course, 6 years between Guardians Vol 2 and Vol 3,” Gunn explained. He also reiterated that no DC Studios project begins production without a completed script, ensuring the highest quality for each film.
Meanwhile, The Flash director Andy Muschietti, set to helm The Brave and the Bold — a DCU Batman movie based on Grant Morrison’s Batman & Son storyline — confirmed the separation between the two universes. Speaking on the Radio TU show, Muschietti clarified (as translated by Reel Anarchy on X/Twitter), “As everyone knows, the Batman featured in The Brave and the Bold will belong to the new DC universe. It’s quite obvious that Matt Reeves’ Batman is not part of this new universe. However, DC and Warner Bros. are moving forward with the second part of Reeves’ Batman series, which, as widely reported, is expected to release around 2027. This means the next Batman movie will take some time before it sees the light of day.”
For now, the question of whether Pattinson’s Batman will join the DCU remains unanswered, but both Gunn and Reeves seem open to exploring the possibility when the time is right.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Sylus from Love and Deepspace.
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