Batman's Mask In The Flash Does Something Amazing (But Deadpool Did It First)
From appearance to appearance in the DC Extended Universe, Ben Affleck's Batman dons a handful of different suits. He has a pretty standard black and gray one, a more tactical one with goggles and armor pieces, and during the dream sequences in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and Zack Snyder's cut of "Justice League," he wears one with cargo pants, a duster, and other post-apocalyptic additions. For director Andy Muschietti's "The Flash," he wears a rather odd new suit that seems to have armor plates and buckles on the outside, covering a gray and blue-black color scheme.
While this suit has proven a bit divisive among Batman fans for its messy look, most seem to agree that one of the abilities of its cowl is undeniably cool. As pointed out by Twitter user @CanWeGetToast, as Batman attacks Al Falcone (Luke Brandon Field) during their high-speed chase through the streets of Gotham City, he scowls at the driver of Falcone's car. When he does so, the brow of his cowl actually furrows with his brow — something no other live-action Batsuit has been shown to do over the years.
This was a great move overall, giving Affleck's Batman more expression than before through his cowl. Hopefully, other Batman adaptations like Muschietti's "The Brave and the Bold" will keep this trend alive. After all, emotive masks have worked wonders for other heroes at the movies, such as the first one to pull it off: Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).
Superhero movies need more expressive masks
Working under a superhero mask in a comic book film comes with its share of drawbacks. Not only is your face obscured quite often — a negative many Marvel Cinematic Universe productions have avoided by having its heroes take their masks off as often as possible — but it's harder to convey genuine emotion, especially through the eyes. In 2016, the Ryan Reynolds-led "Deadpool" took note of this and gave the title character's mask expressive eyes. This choice both honors the ever-changing eyes of his comic mask and makes Reynolds' performances in "Deadpool" and "Deadpool 2" truly come to life.
A mere few months later, another famously masked Marvel hero got the emotive eye treatment. Tom Holland's take on Spider-Man swung into the MCU via "Captain America: Civil War," donning a mask with moving eye lenses. This detail has carried on throughout Spidey's MCU appearances as he's changed from suit to suit. It's such a small tweak overall, but through these examples and Ben Affleck's Batman in "The Flash," it's clear that giving superhero masks some expressive touches is a net positive. It comes into play in a range of scenarios and can benefit characters of the serious and comedic variety alike.
Though moviegoers only get a brief glimpse of Batman's emotive cowl in "The Flash," the response toward it has certainly been positive. One can only hope that more masks like it pop up in upcoming superhero movies.