The Batman is set to arrive in theaters in less than a month, and marketing is in full swing for the much-anticipated movie. Robert Pattinson, who is playing a younger, angrier version of the character, recently shed light on Batman’s efforts to rid Gotham City of crime. In The Batman, the titular vigilante is not really seen as a hero by the people of Gotham, and Pattinson attributes it to Batman’s rage and lack of experience.

Speaking to GQ, Pattinson explained how his interpretation of Batman is vastly different from the previous ones and how it will play out in the upcoming movie. Notably, Bruce Wayne isn’t a rich playboy (yet), which is one of his distinctive traits in the comics. Instead, he is an emotionally stunted loner who is still reeling from the trauma of watching his parents’ murder. Moreover, his efforts to rid Gotham City of crime don’t initially pay off.

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While this has been reiterated many times before, Pattinson also revealed that things get worse after Batman’s arrival, which is probably what triggers the Riddler to take matters into his own hands. Pattinson even refers to Batman as a monster, citing the train platform scene where he brutally assaults several goons.

“He doesn’t have a playboy persona at all, so he’s kind of a weirdo as Bruce and a weirdo as Batman, and I kept thinking there’s a more nihilistic slant to it. ’Cause, normally, in all the other movies, Bruce goes away, trains, and returns to Gotham, believing in himself, thinking, I’m gonna change things here. But in this, it’s sort of implied that he’s had a bit of a breakdown. But this thing he’s doing, it’s not even working.”

“It’s two years into it, and the crime has gotten worse since Bruce started being Batman. The people of Gotham think that he’s just another symptom of how shit everything is. There’s this scene where he’s beating everyone up on this train platform, and I just love that there’s a bit in the script where the guy he’s saving is also just like: Ahh! It’s worse! You’re either being mugged by some gang members, or a monster comes and, like, fucking beats everybody up! The guy has no idea that Batman’s come to save him. It just looks like this werewolf.”

The Batman is One of The Most Anticipated Movies of The Year

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Robert Pattinson is headlining The Batman, taking over from Ben Affleck, who vacated the role for personal reasons. Although Robert Pattinson has some terrific movies on his resume—The Lighthouse, Good Time, Tenet—it is Twilight he is best known for. And since that franchise isn’t particularly held in high esteem, Pattinson’s casting as Batman in 2019 was met with vehement criticism on the Internet. However, his recent movies and The Batman promos have done a great job of validating him as the best candidate for the role.

The hype is at an all-time high, and The Batman is looking at a massive opening weekend, on par with pre-pandemic era estimates. Grounded, gritty, and long (almost 3 hours), The Batman promises an atypical outing for the caped crusader. Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman also stars Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as The Penguin.

The Batman will be released worldwide on March 4, 2022.