Why the DCU shouldn't merge with Batman

As DC Studios is preparing his first entry into his own cinematic universe with James Gunn's Superman released on July 11, 2025, audiences have often debated whether or not Robert Pattinson's Batman is from Matt Reeves's Batman should be retroactively added to the DCU as the franchise's ultimate version of Batman. Still, there are quite a few reasons why the DCU and The Batman Epic Crime Saga should remain separate.

Matt Reeves busy and private schedule with his work on Batman: Part 2set to film in the summer of 2025, should remain a separate idea, allowed to breathe outside of the potential stories that could come to the DCU. While some may want David Corenswet's Superman and Robert Pattinson's Batman to be the world's finest, here are some reasons not to merge the DCU with Batman.

6

Another chance for a high-tech Ninja Batman

A Batman more in line with comics and games over realism

Everyone loves Batman, and it seems everyone wants to play Batman. So far in live-action, it hasn't exactly been a bad portrayal, with each Batman drawing inspiration from different aspects of the 85-year-old character. As such, it's time to embrace the full comic book character of Batman, more specifically the type found in the beloved Batman Arkham game for his abundance of gadgets, fighting styles, costumes and villains.

If Batman were to join the DCU, audiences would have a harder time believing that Robert Pattinson's Batman can suddenly shed his emo persona to wear absurd sci-fi gear and fight assassins and other criminals all night without any sense of realism kicking in. can easily develop a new Batman that could be the most accurate yet.

5

It puts a time limit on Bruce Wayne as Batman

Robert Pattinson's age and projects could see him retire

When Batman: Part 2 hits theaters, Robert Pattinson turns 41, which is just 3 years younger than Ben Affleck when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out in 2016. Given that Ben Affleck was considered a badass Batman over a decade into his crime-fighting career, it makes it a little unbelievable that Pattinson is a Batman in his second year despite being close enough to the same age, which adds to further limitations to his abilities.

Firstly, Robert Pattinson might not want to dedicate his career to a cinematic universe and instead want to pursue other projects that interest him, such as Mickey 17 and the upcoming Christopher Nolan takes over The Odyssey. It feels pretty unfair and silly to keep Pattinson's schedule open for potential spin-offs and sequels to a Batman who deserves tons of interactions with members of the Justice League, Superman, and the Bat Family when it's clear those things aren't what drew him to play the character first.

4

The bat family needs its own space

Pattinson's Batman is just the beginning, while the DCU Batman has a whole family

With the DCU's announcement of The brave and the boldaudiences can expect an established Batman who already has a Bat-family. This means that the likes of Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake and more may well already be allies in Batman's war on crime, and the Bat-Family definitely deserves its chance to shine in live-action after almost exclusively treating Batman as a lone wolf.

Given the DCU's plans to introduce the Bat-Family, Robert Pattinson's version of Batman seems ill-suited to the task, as not only is this a Batman in his second year of crime-fighting, but he also doesn't seem like the kind of Caped Crusader that would love to fight crime with the Robins and Batgirls, and only randomly discovers he has a son so early in his career. Logically, that wouldn't make sense, even with an unfair time jump.

3

Two Batmen is something that audiences are okay with

Robert Pattinson deserves his separated Gritty Emo Batman

While The lightning (2023) may not have been a fan favorite, no one can deny the excitement created to see two iconic Batmen on screen (albeit not together). Given that the concepts of the multiverse and Elseworlds are common to today's general audience, it is completely believable and acceptable to have two separate Batman movies set in different universes.

Robert Pattinson deserves to continue playing his evolving, gritty and realistic Batman, while the DCU deserves a new Batman that can embrace and make these fantastical elements believable. The DCU shouldn't be afraid of continuity and confusing the public to force them to merge two universes that tonally clash and kind of violate the creative freedom of possibility.

2

DCU needs fantastic while Matt Reeves needs realism

It would remove the grounded elements of Matt Reeves' world

One of the greatest aspects of Batman's lore is his incredible cast of villains. Not only does Batman have one of the greatest enemies in fiction with the Joker, but he also has an incredible Rogues Gallery that deserves full attention in all of their awesome glory. The DCU needs these villains to come to life and really make the world feel grandiose and immersive, as characters like Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and beyond, simply wouldn't work without a level of realism and changes involved that betray what makes their characters unique in the first place.

Considering Matt Reeves' realistic approach to Batman to the point where he needs a squirrel suit to glide instead of just using his cape, it proves that attention to realism is the focus of The Batman Epic Crime Saga, and that's more than okay , but only gives even deeper reasons why the DCU should go out of their way to help separate the two.

1

Batman Epic Crime Saga should grow his personal stories

Individual stories for Penguin, Catwoman and more showcase a unique Gotham City

Some of the biggest aspects of Batman is its incredible character studies of Batman and his conflicted villains. His chemistry with Catwoman is top-notch, and learning more about the Penguin as Oswald Cobb in his own HBO series shows that The Batman Epic Crime Saga is more than just a three-part Batman trilogy and that Gotham City has room for all of these stories come to life.

While realism may prevent some fantastic villains from hitting the stage, a Gotham where psychopaths and a criminal underworld mix to create potential spin-offs for HBO, MAX and the big screen proves that The Batman Epic Crime Saga should stay in its own separate Gotham that isn't actively involved in a DCU, because it's hard to believe that Oswald Cobb is waving away from a Justice League when it's obvious that the series deserves grit and lace.