Summary
- Christian Bale’s iteration of Batman has not appeared in any DC projects since the Dark Knight trilogy ended in 2012.
- Including Bale’s Batman in a multiversal world would clash with the grounded tone that made the Dark Knight films successful.
- Bale’s Batman received a proper ending in The Dark Knight Rises, making it unnecessary for him to reappear as a crime-fighter. DC properties have wisely left his version unexplored.
A great deal of DC projects of late have dealt with the idea of cameos from the wider DC Universe, yet one specific iteration of Batman has been thankfully left absent. In recent years, the idea of the multiverse has exploded into live-action popularity for franchises like the MCU and DCEU. While the multiverse has been a common theme in both DC and Marvel Comics for decades, it is only in the last few years that live-action properties have begun exploring the concept to a fuller extent.
This has naturally led to many cameos from different franchises under the DC banner being utilized. The Arrowverse on the CW did this to an extent, even crossing over Grant Gustin’s Flash with Ezra Miller’s theatrical version. Miller’s solo movie The Flash then included several DC cameos in a multiverse-centric plot. Despite this abundance of DC appearances in varying franchises though, one iteration of Batman has been left unexplored in a move that is undoubtedly for the best.
Christian Bale’s Batman Still Hasn’t Had A DC Cameo
The version of Gotham’s Caped Crusader in question is Christian Bale’s Batman, who has not appeared outside the Dark Knight trilogy since it ended in 2012. Many assumed that Bale would appear in The Flash given that film’s focus on multiversal elements. Not just that, but the film already featured three different versions of Batman through Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, and a surprise cameo from George Clooney.
Bale, however, was absent from the film. Outside the DCEU, none of the DC’s other cameo-filled exploits have featured Bale’s Batman either. While it would be fantastic to see Bale don the cowl again, there is also no denying that this version of the character is best left unexplored for several reasons.
A Bale Batman Cameo Risks Ruining What Made The Dark Knight Trilogy Great
A cameo from Bale’s Batman in any franchise would be a bad idea, primarily due to the fact that it would risk tarnishing what made the Dark Knight trilogy one of the best in comic book movie history. The movies of the Dark Knight trilogy remain three of the greatest in the superhero genre largely due to the more grounded tone Christopher Nolan crafted those films with. The world created around Bale’s Batman is mostly absent of fantastical elements that come with an iteration like the DCEU’s Batman. Introducing Bale into a multiversal world would therefore clash with this tone that made the Dark Knight films work so well.
Additionally, Bale’s Batman received an actual ending with The Dark Knight Rises, with the character moving away from crime fighting and passing the baton down to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Robin. Due to this, it would not make sense for Bale to reappear further in his career as a crime-fighter as he left that behind. Characters like Keaton’s Batman did not receive an ending like this, meaning his appearance in The Flash, for example, mostly worked. As such, Bale’s Batman is undeniably best left unexplored, something DC properties of late have thankfully seemed to understand.