Batman is a character that requires little introduction. With perhaps one of the most iconic rogues galleries in comic books, the character has a rich and varied mythology that resonates with more people than any other character, making him one of the flagship IPs that DC must get right more than not.
Be it a story about him or the characters he has directly influenced, they are often marked with gritty reality, making them appealing to audiences that want a traditional superhero story with a little bit of bite in it.
Matt Reeves, with his The Batman, was able to deliver to fans another version of Batman, one that was very well-received by audiences at large. However, the philosophy that Reeves adopted for Batman might also expose a key weakness for another upcoming Batman-adjacent film, an Elseworlds tale.
Joker: Folie à Deux might be in trouble
Matt Reeves, talking during DC Fandome 2020, talked about what made his Batman so important, hitting the nail on the head when it came to recognizing what made his version of the character so well-loved. He said:
“He is a very alive character, and to me, to tell a version of Batman, where it wasn’t about how he became Batman, but about the early days about how he is Batman, and he is so far from being perfect, and see him becoming what we know about him.”
Given the fact that Batman is a character that thrives on pathos and struggle and the grim reality of the life that he has chosen, a film like Joker: Folie à Deux, which is supposed to be a musical, might not land well with audiences, given how much of a far cry it seems from even it’s own first movie, which was about the tortured existence of Joker before he was broken by society.
DC’s over-reliance on Batman might be getting a little frustrating
Lately, it seems as if DC has only two properties that it can rely on: Batman and the Justice League. DC has been focusing on churning out a lot of Batman content, which might leave a very sour taste in the mouths of fans of other heroes that the comics giant should find a way to do justice to.
Be it Elseworlds in the comics or films, an overwhelming majority of stories are about Batman and Batman adjacent characters, while other characters fall off the wayside. Perhaps the company will shift its focus come the DCU, which will finally give a slew of characters to shine, giving audiences the ability to make their own perceptions about characters that DC has failed to focus on.
