Batman recently made his first official DCU appearance in Creature Commandos, at a time in which the Caped Crusader’s two movies, The Batman 2 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold seem to be stalling behind the scenes.
Could that mean there’s turmoil behind the scenes? And what does that mean for Batman’s future in the DCU?
The Batman Confronts The Penguin in The Batman – YouTube, Warner Bros. Pictures
Batman has been a pivotal figure in DC Comics and cinema for decades, and he remains at the heart of the new DCU helmed by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Fans recently got their first (albeit shadowy) glimpse of the new DCU Batman in the animated series Creature Commandos, and social media went wild dissecting every possible detail about his design. However, James Gunn has emphasized repeatedly that nothing is set in stone yet.
At the same time, major live-action projects like The Batman 2 and Batman: The Brave and the Bold appear to be in flux, raising questions about what shape Batman’s cinematic future will truly take.
Batman in Creature Commandos and Gunn’s Comments
This week’s episode of Creature Commandos provided an origin story for Dr. Phosphorous, set in Gotham City.
After losing his family, Phosphorous gained radioactive skeletal powers, sought vengeance on local mobsters, and eventually became one himself. It’s here we catch our first cameo of “DCU Batman” in an extremely brief rooftop appearance. He subdues Phosphorous, who is then sent to Belle Reve.
Spoilers for Creature Commandos!
A better look at DCU’s Batman!!
Longer cape, white lenses and trunks.
I can’t wait to see this in live-action they are cooking pic.twitter.com/STtIeXyc2B— Dark Monarch (@The_DarkMonarch) January 2, 2025
Though fans immediately started analyzing every pixel of this cameo, James Gunn clarified that the design was purposely made “generic.”
According to Gunn, the team originally had a more detailed Batman cameo, but he wasn’t ready to lock in specific visual details this early—especially with Batman: The Brave and the Bold still far off.
Gunn explained to Rotten Tomatoes:
“When they first gave it to me we saw a lot more Batman and I was saying, ‘I am not ready to commit to that, I’m not ready to commit to that, I’m not ready to commit to that!’ So I was just like, ‘More silhouette! More silhouette! More silhouette!’”
James Gunn speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
He went on to stress that this cameo’s main purpose was simply to confirm Batman’s existence within the DCU timeline and hint at the fact that he’s already a known hero:
“I think it’s a great way to show that Batman does exist. He already exists in this universe just like when we come to the Superman movie we see that Superman already exists. He’s already known by the people in Metropolis. We don’t need to hear the origin story again. So yeah, that’s just a way to introduce that Batman is a part of this universe, he’s an important part of this universe, and he has an impact on it, including defeating pretty dangerous, scary, people like Phosphorus, who’s pretty tough.”
Superman grimacing by a Stagg Industries sign in the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman – YouTube, DC
In an intriguing aside, Gunn confirmed that this Batman will eventually share screen time with the DCU’s Man of Steel.
“This is the DCU Batman,” he said. “Listen I gotta tell you, I just love Batman. I love him. I’ve loved him since I was a little kid. He’s one of my favorite characters. I’ve gone on the record in the past when I was at Marvel saying my favorite character is Batman. I love him and we’re going to do great things with him. He’s the most popular superhero in the world and I can’t wait for people to see more of him, along with Superman, and together.”
Is Batman: The Brave and the Bold Still Happening?
Despite Batman making his first official DCU appearance, there’s still a cloud of uncertainty hovering over how he’ll be integrated into the DCU.
The Batman 2 (starring Robert Pattinson) and Batman: The Brave and the Bold are both currently in production. Each focuses on a different version of Bruce Wayne. Despite having substantial lead times, neither film is reported to have a completed script yet, adding to fan confusion. If Batman is such an integral part of the DC Universe, why isn’t his movie a priority for Gunn and the DC creative team?
A screenshot from Batman: Arkham City – Game of the Year Edition (2012), Rocksteady Studios
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Further complicating matters, The Batman 2 was recently delayed an entire year to October 2027.
Under the new DC Studios banner, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is meant to fit squarely within Gunn’s unified DCU. In contrast, The Batman 2 remains an Elseworlds project—an alternate continuity not meant to intersect with the main DCU storyline.
However, we know that Warner Bros. is a reactionary studio. This is the company that made a dark gritty brooding Superman in the failed Snyderverse because Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy performed exceptionally well. Because Batman worked and Batman was a dark gritty super hero, the overwhelming feeling within WB was that all super heroes should be dark and gritty.
This was what I affectionately refer to as a freaking stupid idea.
The current Warner Bros. Discovery leadership is different, with David Zaslav taking over as the company’s top executive, but the lack of movement on either Batman project just seems to scream classic WB studio interference.
So, why now?
Colin Farrell as The Penguin in The Batman – YouTube, Warner Bros. Pictures
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The HBO series The Penguin, also set within The Batman universe, has garnered a lot of positive buzz. It was exceptionally well reviewed and generated a lot of interest on Max. So, is it possible that WB studio executives could be trying to fold Robert Pattinson’s Batman into the primary DCU to capitalize on the strong reception of his universe? Would that then mean plans for Batman: The Brave and The Bold (which was going to explore Batman’s relationship with his son Damien Wayne) could be scrapped?
To be clear, there has been no official statement from WBD or James Gunn confirming such a change. This theory remains pure speculation and opinion at this point, fueled by behind-the-scenes shifts, project delays, and historical precedent.
Batman and Catwoman in The Batman – YouTube, Warner Bros. Pictures
While the cameo in Creature Commandos confirms Batman is already an established hero in James Gunn’s DCU, there’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding his big-screen future.
Will Batman: The Brave and the Bold move forward as originally planned, or will Robert Pattinson’s portrayal ultimately become the definitive Batman for the DCU? Sound off in the comments below and let us know your thoughts.
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Does Robert Pattinson really want to sign up for how many untold amount of sequels and spinoffs?
I was a massive Batman fan, but I hit the apathy stage. I haven’t seen the latest movies and series and thankfully haven’t played the latest games. I’ll stick with Batman TAS, Beyond and the Arkham Trilogy (2 of which are great games).
I still like Batman. It just happens to be Batman from around 2015 and all years prior.