What if Batman were a Marvel Movie?
The juggernaut success of Marvel's Cinematic Universe is pretty much impossible to ignore, collectively having grossed more than $3.5 Billion at the box office as of Spring 2016. And instead of slowing down, the upcoming (at the time of writing this) outing, Captain America: Civil War is poised to put all other box office hopeful success stories at a stand-still and take control of ticket prices.
Marvel is huge.
And yet, fans, around the time of the second Avengers film, seem to be catching on to the predictable formula pumped out twice a year by everyone's favorite Marvel heroes. Currently, an opening day gross at an estimated $80 Million, largely electric fan reactions and more merchandising products than there were rubble and tears in Metropolis post-Man Of Steel prove that fans are ready for change. You can also look at the overwhelming popularity of DC's Suicide Squad trailers online, hinting at a new and perhaps even wider bubble of success towards the darker, villain-filled mania of this year's second entry to DC's blooming shared universe.
Fans are reacting particularly positively, you'll notice, towards the new incarnation of Batman, played by "Batfleck", Ben Affleck, the oldest actor to date to be cast in a live-action performance as The Caped Crusader.
We were all there nearly two years ago when news of Affleck's casting was bouncing around the internet, causing ripple effects of chaos and anger everywhere it went. Talk of boycott, questions of director Zack Snyder's judgment, even a petition to remove Affleck from the cast were among fan's responses to their beloved Dark Knight's ever-growing legacy being entrusted to ...the man who gave us 2003's Daredevil.
Few were impressed.
But news of Affleck's commitment to training for his new-found role the very day of his casting helped calm a few Batfans. Others became more level-headed when set and personal photos began to surface, showing off a naturally faithful iteration of Bruce Wayne. And just as suddenly as the Bat of Gotham appears and disappears, the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer appeared for all to see, being met with much excitement and steadfast commitment to showing up to the big screens to show support for Batman (and Superman, of course). Fans will witness the film and it will sink in and have it's (likely lengthy) time in the spring sun. We will get a mix of old and new, familiar and surprising in Batman v Superman.
But what if it were a film intended to give fans the same old Bat, in a much different world? How would Batman fit into the MCU? Would his presence be a Stark or Rogers-like leadership, a Punisher-esque dark, lone wolf appearance, maybe even an anti-hero along the lines of Deadpool?
Interested yet? Try and picture the one and only Batman being beckoned to aide in Team Stark or Team Cap's respective missions. Or joining the world's finest mutants in the fight against the devastating Apocalypse. (*Shout-out to Logan Wayne/Dark Claw, a classic mash-up). Or, better yet, think of what could happen if Marvel writers tackled Batman's famous backstory; perhaps an orchestrated plane crash plotted by a young Joker, a villain with a potentially clear backstory of his own in a movie intended to fit into the MCU. The parents of a long-time love interest could be the saviors to take in young Bruce Wayne, providing him with the affection he needs after his tragedy, supporting him when fights in school to protect the bullied end in training of his mind and body. We might see Bruce Wayne recruited into the Avengers Initiative after years of walking the streets, day and night, patrolling Gotham's sunny streets with intensity and ferocity.
And imagine what might come from Marvel's take on Gotham; perhaps a sunny beach city found under siege by creatures from a darker realm, searching for the brain of a battleship with unlimited and devastating potential, threatening the entire Earth. Undoubtedly, a Batman movie brought to us by Marvel would mean a lighter tone, more humor to keep the families and younger audiences coming back, and likely a bigger sense of cooperation amongst those with super abilities. We saw in The Dark Knight, (2008) Batman binding and warning a small group of like-minded vigilantes not to "help" the Caped Crusader. We saw a reluctance to trust Selina Kyle in the 2012 sequel, The Dark Knight Rises. This is not to say that Batman can't or won't work in a team. Of course, the beloved Justice League franchise proves his willingness to co-exist. But agreeing to join a team is not quite the same as a structured universe of shared and frequently collaborating superheroes. The way Marvel sets up their Universe would put Batman in a much different pattern of operating if he was expected to receive and give help to and from his super-buddies.
He would need their help if the Joker were, likely, a slick and immortal being with a killer accent. The Penguin would be a mutated animal lover bent on revenge against abusers. Bane could have been killed in a luchador wrestling match, but come back to life when a loved one used dark magic to heal him, only to find he now lives to punish.
Marvel and DC, especially in terms of their movies, are two completely different beasts. Batman's home, is in the often darker realm of Gotham proper, "...a city so corrupt that we (the League of Shadows) have infiltrated every level of it's infrastructure." -Batman Begins. Bruce Wayne is a one of a kind character, just like Batman is a one of a kind hero brought to life by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. While a crossover event on film between DC's best and Marvel's top contenders would be truly epic, for now we revel in The Bat's world.