The few teasers that have been shown for The Batman depict a lot of action that establishes the movie's tone and atmosphere. The Batman's cinematography emphasizes that Batman will be tested as a detective as well as a combatant, though the combat that is portrayed so far looks authentically choreographed and more white-knuckled than previous iterations.
It is unclear if The Batman's director, Matt Reeves, has taken any influence from Batman: Arkham's freeflow combat design, but either way they are ripe for comparisons. Indeed, Rocksteady Studios' seminal Batman franchise has established many mechanics and features that now seem inseparable from future intepretations of the character. When looked at side-to-side, The Batman's combat is seemingly comparable to the combat in Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham games.
How The Batman's Combat Compares to Batman: Arkham
There are many visual similarities between how Robert Pattinson's Batman encounters enemies and how Rocksteady's does, particularly with counter animations that allow players to parry attacks. The Batman's fighting style seems less concerned with precise punches or martial arts mastery, and more focused on efficiently taking out multiple enemies at once by whatever means necessary. This is echoed in Batman: Arkham titles where players have 10 or more enemies to stave off, though it is unlikely they will all attack at the same time.
Batman is seen shoving enemies into one another, for example, and confiscating melee weapons to use against them. Batman: Arkham games emulate this same maneuver via enemies who take swings at Batman with a baseball bat, as Batman will sometimes get an animation that has him taking the bat and beating the enemy if players counter. The Batman's second trailer shows this same concept in what appears to be a nightclub as Batman clears through enemies in order to reach Colin Farrell's Penguin.
In The Batman's newest trailer drop today, another fight scene offers a blink-and-miss-it shot where Batman sweep-kicks two enemies. Further, a single-cut shot of Batman against multiple assailants armed with sniper rifles is shown, during which Pattinson's Batman strikes and disarms the nearest gunman with one of the rifles before using it to incapacitate a second gunman. The Batman seems to feature a lot of weapon-based takedowns similar to active combo finishers in the Batman: Arkham titles.
The Batman's original teaser showcased the brutal beatdown of a face-painted individual that evokes the same sensation as the Batman: Arkham series' cape-stun beatdown mechanic, in which Batman effectively lands several strikes on a defenseless enemy. Both Batman interpretations show that the Caped Crusader can be merciless as he dispatches many enemies in Gotham City on a nightly basis, but there are also some differences between the two that give one an advantage over the other.
Rocksteady's Batman gets gunned down quickly by armed enemies if spotted, leaving him vulnerable in many circumstances. Batman: Arkham players must approach situations with more tact and survey the area to determine whether or not they should apply stealth. However, Pattinson's Batman relies upon ballistics-resistant body armor to protect him from gunfire as he wades into battle to take on foes with hand-to-hand combat.
One significant difference between Matt Reeves' Batman and Rocksteady's Batman with regard to combat is their use of gadgets. Reeves' Batman is more inexperienced and early into his career than Rocksteady's, so it makes sense if he does not have an inventory of creative trinkets such as Batman: Arkham's explosive gel or remote electrical charge. A wrist-mounted taser is seen in The Batman subduing one face-painted individual, but it seems as though The Batman's combat gadgetry will be rudimentary at best.
The Batman is set to arrive in theaters March 4, 2022.