James Gunn Rips “Big Fans” Over Worries About Having Two Different Batmen

Some people have been unable to get their head around two different Batman stories being played out on screen at the same time. However, like anyone with a reasonable attention span, Gunn has shared that he does not see it being a problem, and it isn’t “causing anybody grief.” In an extensive interview on the Phase Hero podcast, Gunn said:

“Yeah, but sometimes. But is it causing anybody grief in any way? I think it was the same thing. I think that people are really starting to learn about stuff like that. One of the weirdest things for me is that big fans are often like, ‘Well, listen, I understand this, but normies will never understand this. Casuals will never understand this.’ But the truth is, guys, that you’re the ones that don’t understand.

The casuals always understand. You can say, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s changed Peacemaker, there was some Justice League [characters that] were in that. Now it’s Justice Gang.’ And regular people who just like TV shows are like, ‘Oh, okay. That’s weird.” And then they’re done. But the people who really focus on this stuff, they’re in our bubble. And the people in our bubble think that everyone outside of that bubble is too stupid to understand nuance. And it is just totally not the case.”

Matt Reeves’ Batman or James Gunn’s Batman, Is That a Question?

When The Batman debuted in cinemas in 2022, the grim, grounded take on the Dark Knight was not for everyone, but it also became one of the highest grossing Batman movies ever. For context, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises broke the $1 billion barrier, Batman Begins only earned $356 million worldwide as the first movie of the trilogy. The Batman, Matt Reeves’ first of a proposed three-movie run, ended its theatrical run at $772 million.

Some complained that the darkest of Dark Knight movies was too much of a brooding noir than the flashy superhero outings Batman has received in the past. For this reason, having James Gunn’s DCU version of Batman – who is likely to come with all the comic book flair you could ask for – running alongside Robert Pattinson’s version makes perfect sense to capture all sides of the Batman fandom. Provided Batfleck fans can get past the same Snyderverse idolization that has plagued the release of Superman, of course.

Both The Batman and The Brave and the Bold are potentially being released in 2027, which gives plenty of time for those who have issues with two Batmen appearing on screen simultaneously to accept the rare occurrence. It also opens up a unique head-to-head battle for Batman supremacy in the 2027 box office chart. Holy bat dilemma indeed.