The Real Reason Batman Walks So Slowly In The Batman
The following article contains spoilers for "The Batman."
There are many things "The Batman" gets right about its titular character. The Caped Crusader begins the film as a terrifying creature of the night, instilling fear into the hearts of criminals and everyday citizens alike. However, he realizes he needs to be more than that by the end of the movie. He needs to be a symbol of hope as much as fear.
Another aspect the film does exceptionally well is establishing Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) as the world's greatest detective, as he's often referred to in the comics. He walks slowly around crime scenes, taking in every detail. And when he receives his first card from Riddler (Paul Dano), he's able to solve the riddle fairly quickly. He's met his intellectual match, but before he can bring Riddler to justice, he'll go through the physical and emotional wringer to realize what he needs to become to stop him.
It's unlike any other Batman film that's come before, and some of the changes to the character and setting have some fans scratching their heads. One of the most significant changes involves the speed at which Batman enters a crime scene, as many have noted he walks exceptionally slowly entering a room.
Batman walks slowly to record everything
At nearly three hours in length, there are plenty of details in "The Batman" to take in. One such point is how slowly Batman saunters, which has caused quite a stir on social media, particularly Reddit. However, many fans have chimed in with their own theories as to why this Batman is slower than what we've seen on the big screen before. Redditor u/beyond9thousand posts a meme reading, "Batman in this movie walks slowly when entering crime scenes so that his lens can record and identify details with greater clarity."
One of the newest gadgets Batman sports in the new movie is a pair of high-tech contact lenses that record everything the user looks at. It allows Bruce Wayne to review the footage at a later time so that he can better focus on small details he and the cops may have missed the first time around. He also gives the lenses to Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) at one point so that he can look at the clientele deep within Penguin's (Colin Farrell) club. In fact, u/beyond9thousand makes a great connection, stating, "This is also shown canonically when he requests Selina to move around a bit slower as he's tracking everyone's face inside the lounge."
Of course, others suggest the slow walking goes even deeper, as u/Adventurous-Stuff-82 writes, "It also makes him seem even more inhuman and unnatural lends to his terror hero status." Both explanations ring true, and it just goes to show the level of detail director Matt Reeves went into crafting a realistic world.
Contact lenses aren't the only new gadget Batman has
Throughout his existence, Batman has always sported an array of gadgets to help him out of a bind. He may not have superpowers per se, but he has plenty of help in other ways. From shark repellant spray to bat-sonar that allows him to see through walls, Batman has seemingly done it all. In "The Batman," he has a few familiar gadgets, such as the gauntlet on his wrist, but there are some new items, as well, that assist him when he needs them most.
Arguably, the most important gadget he has at his disposal outside of the contact lenses is the liquid he injects himself with during the final battle with Riddler's henchmen. It's never established what precisely the substance is. Some believe it was a mere adrenaline shot Batman uses whenever he's too beaten and bruised to continue on his own. Others think it was a variation of Bane's Venom, either establishing that Bane already exists in this universe or that he could potentially come up down the road. One of the people in the latter category is Redditor u/brandon_b38: "I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed the serum. I think they're setting up for Bane. His reaction to it was very reminiscent of how Bane would react."
It's far from the only gadget Batman utilizes throughout the film. While much of his gear has been seen in other iterations of the character, "The Batman" adds some intriguing wrinkles here and there to make the machines more practical to this particular version. For instance, Batman has seemingly always had a grappling gun, and so does the one in "The Batman." However, this version springs out of his arm for quick and easy access.
Perhaps another reason why Batman walks slowly is due to all the gear he has to carry around with him.