While very little is known about the DCU's Batman, fans have already begun speculating about his design. One particular feature of interest has been Batman's eyes.
In the comics and animated adaptations, Batman's eyes are obscured by white eye covers as part of his cowl. However, this detail has not been included in the live-action Batman movies, with exception of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, in which Christian Bale's Batman briefly uses white lenses attached to his cowl that allow him to see through the wall. With the announcement that a new DCU Batman will be appearing on the big screen as part of James Gunn's plans for the new phase of DC movies and television shows, some fans are hoping for a break in this trend.
In a Reddit thread on the subreddit r/DC_Cinematic, fans gave their opinions on the next live-action Batman making use of expressive, moving eye lenses like those seen on characters like Deadpool and Spider-Man. User u/MaveRickMarvels expressed their support saying, "This might be something they should seriously consider to keep things new and refreshing (in terms of visual appearance and aesthetic). We’ve had so many different live-action Batman looks. More comic book features like the white eyes in a more fantastical & upbeat universe could help the DCU Bats stand out better among the others, especially when there’s another relevant Batman that's more dark and grounded in realism." Others that supported this design change referenced characters like The Mandalorian and Darth Vader, stating that even though both characters have completely obscured faces, both characters have still left an impact and connected with audiences.
While the support for this design change was overwhelming, some fans weren't sure. Some simply didn't think that live-action iterations of Batman looked good with white moving eyes, while others weren't a fan of the design of any live-action character. Regarding the design of Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, user u/loserys wrote, "I feel like Deadpool works primarily because he's an exaggerated comedic character. Those movies still take off the mask whenever things slow down and Ryan Reynolds has to do some real acting instead."
With no cast or release date announcements, it's clear that the DCU's next Batman is still in its formative stages. Perhaps fan feedback will be taken into account, much like it has in other recent movies like Sonic the Hedgehog. Or, perhaps this Batman will continue the tradition of applying thick layers of eyeliner before facing the criminals of Gotham City. Either way, the Caped Crusader will undoubtedly feature some unique design element to distinguish him from the many version of Batman that came before.
The Batman is available on HBO Max.
Source: DC_Cinematic/Reddit