Saying that the Batmobile has gone through an evolutionary process is something of an understatement since it went from looking like a regular car with a bubble top to a sleek and almost predatory low-rider that can reach speeds that would blow the original away. From the 60s to the current era, the car has become an icon that simply goes with the character. In 2005 however, it became an absolute tank, something that had several hidden surprises for its enemies and enough armor covering it that one might think that most weapons wouldn’t stand a chance of penetrating it. Of course, that would be presumptuous since in the movies and in the comics Batman’s enemies have usually found a way around his tech, including his vehicles. The capabilities of the Batmobile have changed obviously, but one similar thing between all of them is that each vehicle has been loaded with weapons and a few other surprises that enemies aren’t usually expecting. As far as vehicles go it’s one of the most recognized and one of the most feared in any comic book story, and for good reason. Few other ground-based vehicles that aren’t able to change into large and very violent robots are able to boast the kind of armament that the Batmobile typically does, and to be fair it’s still only effective against lower-level metahumans and common criminals more often than not since anyone too powerful can likely neutralize the vehicle, as Superman showed in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Superman ripped open the Batmobile like a tin can, a feat that would likely take many of Batman’s enemies more time and effort to accomplish.
It still manages to do the job when it’s needed, but it’s become slightly less useful through the years as Batman has taken to relying on other vehicles as well that all have the word ‘bat’ in them because….he’s Batman. Some of the vehicles have been kind of interesting, but usually have very specific uses since otherwise, they’re not all that helpful. The Batmobile is also far less able to be used as an everyday vehicle since even Bruce Wayne couldn’t possibly explain this one away, apart from maybe telling people that he and Batman were very good friends. It sounds a lot cheesier than it did in my head. But when one factors in just how much the Batmobile would cost it does feel likely that Bruce Wayne would be one of the only people in the world that could buy it without batting an eye. It’d be interesting to do a run-down of just how many cars Wayne owns and how many it would take to equal the Batmobile in cost, though considering Bruce’s tastes in expensive items it might not take as many as a person might think. As we already learned, the only real superpower that Batman has is that he’s obscenely rich, to the point that he can buy out a bank when he needs to in order to keep the bank from foreclosing on Martha Kent’s home. What a guy.
Getting past that, the Batmobile is more or less a fancy, weaponized car that does serve a purpose since more than once it’s managed to inspire some sort of emotion in the dark knight’s enemies and has also gotten him out of a tight spot on occasion. Plus, with the continued evolution of the vehicle, one can’t help but think that what worked back in the 60s would almost feel comical today, which could be why those that have seen the car in The Batman trailer with Robert Pattinson might be hoping that it features more than what we’re seeing. It does look kind of impressive since it goes back to a much simpler design that’s easier to blend in with regular traffic, kind of, but it’s also easy to wonder just how many gadgets and weapons might be tucked away within the confines of the car since as anyone knows the Batmobile has usually been optimized for battle and isn’t exactly known for being a roomy ride with a lot of space on the inside. One thing that’s nice to see change in a big way was the rear tail fin since from an aesthetic point of view it might make a lot of sense, but apart from being theatric and possibly serving a purpose at one point it just really didn’t appear to do much for the look in the last couple of decades.
The rolling tank look was a bit much to deal with since it really took away from the overall look of the traditional Batmobile, but then again Nolan wanted a bit more realism in his movie and this wasn’t the only change he made. With Batfleck the design changed again to something that people could recognize, but it kept the tank look in part. With Pattinson’s ride, it’s going to be interesting to see how everything works out.
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