There are hundreds of different ways that artists have visually chosen to portray Batman over the eight decades and change since his creation. Fans have seen quite a bit of Matt Reeves's upcoming take on the character, and have raised some interesting questions about a fascinating detail of the new batsuit; the iconic bat symbol in the center of the chestpiece.
The Batman's take on the batsuit is credited to costume designers David Crossman and Glyn Dillon, both of whom have a ton of experience and worked on huge films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Reeves's take on the character is set to be Wayne early in his vigilante career, dealing with insomnia and his own demons as he seeks vengeance for his murdered parents.
Much has already been made about the presentation of The Batman. It has staked its flag clearly in the newest apex of the Batman universe's unending march into brutal gritty realism. Its apparent main villain is a version of The Riddler, here recast as essentially Gotham's Zodiac Killer, and its main hero is a tortured billionaire taking out his trauma on the ills of the world. This has, incidentally, been the stated goal of most Batman films. Burton's Batman pushed the franchise from its silly roots into gothic macabre, Nolan grounded it in realistic geopolitical woes and now Reeves is set to delve into psychological thriller starring the man dressed as a bat. In accordance with these goals, Batman has changed his appearance in each of these iterations to fit the world that he is thrust into. This Batman's suit features a new version of the symbol in his chest, neither the black over yellow of Burton, nor the thick black accenting of Nolan, but a segmented, metal design that resembles a piece of something else entirely.
As the movie is not out yet, it is not entirely clear what Reeves's batsuit's central chest piece is, but many fans have been able to wager a guess based on one specific comic. Released on the 80th anniversary of the character Detective Comics #1000 was an anthology that contained a story written by cult director Kevin Smith. This story, entitled "Manufacture For Use," sees Bruce Wayne investigate an underground pawn shop that sells the abandoned weaponry of captured supervillains. From this illicit dealer, Wayne acquires the gun that Joe Chill used to murder his mother and father. Wayne then melts the gun down, beats it into a plate of armor, and uses it as the centerpiece of his iconic batsuit. This is some powerful symbolism, taking the weapon that ruined his life and making it his most vital defense as he seeks justice. The look of Reeves version of this item does resemble the disassembled fragments of a handgun.
This is certainly not confirmed, no statement has been made by the filmmakers on the subject and none of the trailers have confirmed or denied this detail. In fact, in the comic, the gun is not used to make the symbol, it's used to forge a small square of metal armor which is then slid into that particular area of the suit, like the plate in a bulletproof vest. Subsequently, the comic version of this concept does not look like this new iteration, it looks just like the large bat icon that has always been present. Another suggestion for the design suggests that it may be a pair of collapsed Batarangs, and that suggestion seems reasonable. But given the darkness of Reeves's Gotham, the focus on trauma and ill-adjusted take on the Caped Crusader, and the unique focus on this piece of armor, the theory definitely holds weight.
Batman has always been a very psychologically dynamic character. Fans have heaped praise upon the character's themes and the intricate interaction of the secondary cast with the hero's very particular psyche. Batman is a man who seeks to enforce justice because he is a victim of injustice, a man who had everything taken away from him by someone who chose to do wrong. This quest is noble, but, when looked at in a different light, is a never-ending search for vengeance against an immutable foe. The darkest take on Batman is recasting his idealistic quest to save others from the fate he suffered is to reduce that hopeful self-sacrifice down to self-destructive survivor's guilt. This has the negative effect of making Batman less of a hero and more of a vigilante. The Batman began shooting under the working title Vengeance.
It is, of course, an interesting idea for a story to focus on a maladjusted orphan violently fighting crime to battle the demons in his own conscious, but it doesn't have to be the only Batman story. Making the symbol of Batman the weapon that killed his parents is perhaps the most direct symbolism that a story could embrace to communicate a central theme of grief, pain, and vengeance that could create a powerful story. Even if its power is used to hurt, rather than to help.