Being a Batman fan often feels like being stuck in a never-ending group chat. With two different Batmen set to appear in upcoming DC movies, the debates are endless—white eyes or no? Yellow utility belt? Oval or no oval on the chest? Everyone has opinions, most of them about the suit. But if you ask James Gunn, the mastermind behind the First Chapter of the DCU and beyond, none of that really matters—and honestly, I’m with him.
Gunn recently appeared on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast (uploaded to their YouTube channel), where he was asked about how he’s approaching the world’s greatest detective in the upcoming The Brave and the Bold. The Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker got real about what does—and doesn’t—matter to him when it comes to bringing the Caped Crusader to life. In his words:
There’s a religious aspect to so much of this stuff that’s very uncomfortable. Should Batman have white eyes? That’s a big subject of conversation… And it’s like, ‘Guys, that’s really what matters?’ But those are the things they care about. Should his utility belt be yellow? Should he have the yellow crest around the bat?
He’s not wrong. For decades, Dark Knight discourse has been dominated by surface-level preferences. Rarely does conversation touch what actually makes the character resonate. The Caped Crusader isn’t iconic because of a color palette, but because he represents, in most iterations, a man pushed to the edge, and who channels pain into purpose. That doesn’t rise or fall based on the shape of his cowl, or its color.
And Gunn gets that. He added:
None of those things are important to me. What matters is the character and the story, and I think that we have a really really good story now for what's happening with Batman.
That’s the kind of mindset I want from the man with the keys to the castle to the recently launched DC Universe, following Superman’s 2025 movie schedule. Because let’s be real—we’ve seen just about every cinematic version of the Batsuit imaginable. Armor, spandex, plated Kevlar… and yes, even the infamous nipple suit. We’ve had grizzled, emo, campy, and even LEGO Batman—who, honestly, is still one of the best on-screen takes. But the version that actually sticks? It’s the one with a story that hits.
In the interview, which you can watch below in full, he even gives shout-outs to more off-the-wall characters like Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound. The guy knows his deep character lore, and I love to hear it.
What I love most about The Suicide Squad filmmaker’s comments is his unfiltered love for Gotham’s protector. He’s respectful when discussing Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy. Still, when he speaks about the cowl-wearing crusader, there’s a different energy—like this is the character he’s been waiting to get his hands on. He doesn’t just reference the brooding icon; he shows reverence for “every” era of the character—even giving a nod to the bright-colored, alien-fighting, campy 1950s iteration of the character.
It’s worth noting that The Brave and the Bold animated series drew heavily from that version and still managed to deliver stories packed with heart and depth. Could Gunn’s The Brave and the Bold lean into that brighter aesthetic? Maybe. But if it does, I trust he’ll do it for the right reasons—and as a fan, that has me seriously hyped.
The Brave and the Bold doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, but according to James Gunn, the script is in great shape and he’s happy with where it’s headed. In the meantime, the next time we’ll see the Dark Knight on the big screen will be in Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II, the darker, brooding version set in DC’s Elseworlds timeline—hitting theaters October 1, 2027.
