How THE BATMAN Can Still Fit Into the DCEU

Fans are highly anticipated the Dark Knight’s cinematic return in The Batman. This time, Robert Pattinson dons the cape and cowl, under the direction of Matt Reeves. The film promises to explore a younger Batman, who explores his detective skills and goes up against several of his classic foes. There is one key thing that fans have wondered, though. How does the movie fit into the greater DC movie universe, if at all?

The Batman was intended to be Ben Affleck’s solo outing, before dropping out as director and eventually star. During that time, Reeves has created his own story that resulted in a new cast and a standalone story. The director did say that the film will definitely take place in the DC Universe despite being standalone. However, that was in 2017, and he has spent a couple years writing the script, so there’s the possibility that things have changed.

Regardless, we have ideas on how The Batman can fit into the overall DCU…

A Prequel

The exact time period of The Batman is unconfirmed. Reeves has hinted at a modern-day setting, while rumors have suggested a 1990s period and set photos have hinted at the 2000s. If Reeves opts to make the movie a period piece of sorts, it can easily be a prequel to the modern-day DCU. Ben Affleck’s Batman had operated for 20 years, so there’s plenty of wiggle room to explore a younger Caped Crusader in this continuity. Obviously, however, if The Batman does take place in the present, then continuity wouldn’t match up. Unless…

Ignore Justice League (At Least)

After the failure of Justice League, Warner Bros. is likely going to ignore it altogether in future films. But will it be to the point where it’s erased from continuity altogether? It would certainly give Reeves more room to play in a modern-day setting. Additionally, the fact that Jeffrey Wright is playing Commissioner Gordon – last played by J.K. Simmons – in The Batman was one thing that made fans question the continuity. Removing the film from canon would make things easier. Heck, they can even remove Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from canon and make The Batman a hard reboot for the character within the DCU. How can they do that, though?

A Post-Flashpoint World

The Flash movie may actually be happening, and if it does, it’s expected to adapt the Flashpoint comic. Basically, Barry Allen travels through time to save his mother’s life, only for significant timeline changes to occur. Rumors have suggested that the movie will do the same, and among the changes will be Zack Snyder’s DC movies being removed from canon. Not only that, but The Batman will now be in continuity. There’s no word if there’s any truth to that, but if so, that wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.

It Doesn’t

Those are just some ideas, however, and there’s one more that we need to consider. Perhaps The Batman does not fit into the DC movie universe at all, and it never will. It wouldn’t be shocking, either. Warner Bros. has de-emphasized continuity between movies, allowing filmmakers to have more creative freedom. The studio has even allowed Joker, an Oscar-winning movie that has nothing to do with others and has gone on to gross over $1 billion. Maybe The Batman will go the same route?

Above all, no matter what happens, The Batman‘s place in the DC movie timeline (or lack thereof) isn’t the most important thing. What matters is that Matt Reeves gets to tell the Batman story he wants to tell, with complete creative freedom. That has been a winning formula for DC (and movies in general) so far; the studio shouldn’t force continuity and risk making a cheaper product. As long as Reeves makes the movie he wants, we’re good. And sure, putting it in the DCU brings in some bonus points, but it’s not essential to making a good movie.