The Batman universe has always been teeming with moral ambiguity. How much authority does Batman have the right to wield in his pursuit of justice? As a vigilante operating outside of the law, his moral code which separates him from the myriad mobsters and villains he pursues so relentlessly is frequently pushed to the limit.
With Matt Reeves's upcoming entry, The Batman, it can be argued there’s never been a social climate where the caped crusader was under more scrutiny. With that in mind, it's reassuring that Reeves was so successful at exploring moral quandaries in the two Planet Of The Apes movies he helmed.
Taking the reins in the midst of a trilogy can be a difficult task. Yet, with Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Reeves managed to elevate the stakes considerably from the movie's predecessor by obfuscating the morality of both the apes and the humans as they attempt to survive and protect their own kind. While the apes are thriving, the humans are withering. As the two societies cross paths for the first time in two years, a panic-stricken human shoots one of the apes, forcing any further interaction between the groups to be fraught with tension - leading to one of the best war movies ever made. The apes ruminate on how to respond, with one eye on self-preservation and another on an act of aggression.
The apes' leader Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, decides to sleep on it - but not before the quick conversation with Koba. While Caesar had seen a better side of humanity, Koba had been tortured, teased, and tormented. Koba urges him to show strength, with which he concurs. When they confront humanity, hundreds of apes arrive bearing spears and other weapons - a traditionally human demonstration of power. However, the true show of strength is Caeser returning a lost backpack to the humans, a sign of compassion in the face of aggression.
Reeves consistently asks, can the apes escape the trappings and influence of human nature who have imprisoned, tortured, and performed tests upon them for years? Can they rise above the primal need to fight with their newfound intelligence? Similar to Batman, while Caesar adheres to a sense of human morality, there is no such hold over his rival Koba who bears the scars of "human work", and the conflict between the two would-be brothers is compelling throughout. With neither side's motivations explicitly wrong, both make mistakes. If Pattinson's Batman follows suit, it'll be all the more relatable.
The strain on their relationship is exasperated by the desperate human group's need to restore a dam in ape territory in order to produce energy. Lead by Malcolm, whose desire to protect his family drives his need to restore power as their colony's resources near exhaustion.
While he poses little threat to the apes, there is a substantial number in their group who see restoring power as a means to reclaim their past and are preparing to arm themselves as Malcolm and the others attempt to restore the dam. That both sides find themselves on the verge of self-destruction as a result of fear ultimately speaks to the negative nature of humanity which influences both sides' drive to survive, co-existence never feels like it has much of a chance.
When Caesar and the apes return in War For The Planet Of The Apes, Reeves provides a fresh take on a well-trodden Batman theme: vengeance. As the human race nears extinction from the Simian flu virus, it regresses into a more primal state - with many losing the ability to communicate vocally. In contrast, the apes' intelligence surges as a result of the same infection, imbuing them with more humanity than their foes.
After a compelling opening sequence, the wife and child of their charismatic leader are killed by soldiers. From here, the movie examines how Caesar buckles under the weight of the primal compulsion for vengeance. Having previously demonstrated immense patience, compassion, and restraint, Caesar struggles to maintain a grip on his vision for the future of the apes without his family.
Though there has only been one trailer for The Batman so far, it seems likely that vengeance will once again be synonymous with Batman. As he confronts a gang, one unfortunate member asks "what the hell are you supposed to be?" before being dealt a severe beating by Batman who replies, "I'm vengeance." Perhaps seeing a billionaire vigilante mercilessly beat petty criminals has the potential to be a little more jarring in the current political climate than in previous years.
The discourse surrounding Batman’s “billionaire superpower” has reached such levels of cultural saturation that it became a meta-joke in Zack Snyder’s recent Justice League recut. So too has his affiliation with the police, albeit Gotham PD isn't exactly famed for having a clean slate. But this plays to Reeves' strengths, allowing him to tease out a story from morally grey areas.
Rather than see Batman using his infamous detective skills, the onscreen version is often reduced to a weapon that is able to flout the typical rules and regulations which constrain police in their pursuit of the villains. It can then be inferred that were the obstacle of the law removed, police would see similar success in apprehending criminals. Instead, in Reeves' upcoming movie, Batman is going to have to rely on his intellect if he is to conquer The Riddler - if the movie does the character justice. That said, Batman will still exist outside of the law and is likely to be drawn into morally compromising situations by his opponent akin to a game of chess, and there are previous suggestions of him abandoning his code. It presents the exact kind of challenge to Batman's morality that Reeves is likely to thrive under if his record with the Apes franchise is anything to go by.
In both Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and War For The Planet Of The Apes, director Matt Reeves granted a layer of emotional complexity. Drawn from moral ambiguity, Reeves masterfully tackled themes that are pertinent to the core of the Batman universe. His upcoming movie, The Batman has the potential to find explore new ground as both a superhero movie and a part of the Batman universe.
The Batman will be in cinemas on March 4th, 2022.