One of Batman’s unique features as a comic book superhero is his white eyes, and that is something fans have rarely seen in all of the film adaptations. In fact, Ben Affleck’s version of the character was the only one to sport the night vision lenses.
Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton avoided the white eyes for a specific reason. The actor’s iteration of the Caped Crusader is one of the more popular ones and a truly beloved version.
Michael Keaton Explains Why His Batman Did Not Sport White Eyes
Michael Keaton’s Batman kept the costume as faithful to the comic book material as possible, although he chose to skip the white eyes feature that comes with the suit for one personal reason. It came off as controversial, but the actor defended that “you express yourself through your eyes.”
The actor’s creative decision to not wear the white eyes was followed by the succeeding stars who portrayed Batman in films. What the makeup artists did was to cover the skin around the eyes with black color to seamlessly blend with the cowl.
Interestingly, Ben Affleck’s version was the only one that used the white eyes feature during his intense fight with Henry Cavill’s Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, only the armored suit has the symbolic feature; his regular costume is just like the rest.
It remains a mystery whether Robert Pattinson’s Batman would copy the same move. The 2022 film did not have it as well, but Matt Reeves’ interpretation of the character and the controversial heavy eye makeup had its own reasons. The director tells Esquire:
“You can’t wear a cowl and not wear that. All of the Batmen wear that. I just loved the idea of taking off [the mask] and under that, there’s the sweating and the dripping and the whole theatricality of becoming this character.”
It seems unlikely that Pattinson would wear the white eyes, although it is not completely impossible since Affleck managed to incorporate it in his armored suit. Perhaps it would depend on the situation and whether the story calls for it. But, as Keaton has previously explained, the eyes are the windows to the soul.
What’s The Purpose Of Batman’s White Eyes?
The white eyes in the upgraded cowl serve a very essential role than just striking fear into the hearts of the criminals. It aids in the character’s crime-fighting career because it has x-ray vision, inferred vision, sonar vision, and a whole bunch of other sight-modifying features. It is a utility more than an aesthetic statement.
The decision to change the costume is still an artistic choice since the hero is already an established figure in pop culture and media. Whatever new details they put in the costume are just an added bonus. Even with an obscure face, the character always leaves a strong impact on the viewers.
Still, it would be cool to see the Caped Crusader wear the white eyes even for just a few scenes. Hopefully, fans will learn in the near future what James Gunn has planned for the upcoming The Brave and the Bold film.
