As you can tell from the title, this is article #3 in this series about the Batcave, as depicted in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring Ben Affleck as an older, more grizzled Batman. Thankfully for us fans, Ben Affleck will reprise his role as the Caped Crusader in the upcoming Flash movie, opening on June 16th, 2023.
If this is the first time you’ve found your way to the site, welcome! If you’d like to start with the first article in this series, you can follow this link and get the full story on this iteration of the cave – The Terrific Minimalism of Batman’s Batcave: A Look at Batfleck’s Batcave from BvS. I’ve been super busy this week training, taking care of some things around the house, and I’m trying to practice my instruments regularly again, so apologies that this article is coming out a little later than I intended. Without further ado let’s look at where Batman stores those wonderful toys of his.
Suit Up and Get That Batman Mentality
Although Batman traditionally abhors guns, (not so much with this iteration) he does have a great many tools and weapons at his disposal. The Batfleck version here has a small but capable armory located on the same level as the garage. The room remains partially open concept, for easy access, with a plain concrete floor and walls. Reaching towards the surface above, floats a modernist staircase that connects to the exit and lab.
Some of Batman’s most essential and identifiable items reside here on one of three walls. Attached to those walls are metal grid storage structures not unlike the tried-and-true pegboard, though these are more sophisticated and durable. You’ll notice several iterations of the grapnel gun, many of which feature a sculpted wooden handle, as well as an assortment of Batarangs, Batman’s version of a shuriken. I like the wooden handles as it implies a certain level of care and craftsmanship, though who’s (Bruce’s or Alfred’s?) I’m unsure of.
There are some canisters that are undoubtedly some version of a smoke grenade, as well as quite a few firearms. As Batman, Bruce doesn’t typically choose to use guns for their traditional purpose. However, it makes sense that he would still have an expert’s working knowledge of them. Batman is, after all, a master of weaponry of all sorts, and although he doesn’t tend to use these lethally, we get a hint at what he does use the sniper rifles for in the movie.
While assessing a gang of criminals he intends to follow, Batman is visible high atop a massive construction crane, observing the scene through his rifle’s scope. He fires a small tracking device that attaches to one of the criminal’s vehicles and uses it to follow them in a high speed car chase. This definitely makes me wonder what other ways in which Bruce might repurpose his firearms arsenal. Finally, on the wall facing a memorial case we can note a crossbow on the far left. It would’ve been nice to see this used in the movie!
A Reminder of the Batman Mindset
As with the utilitarian atmosphere of the training space, the memorial case in the armory offers us some insight into Bruce’s psyche. This is a tortured Batman. Bruce is no stranger to turning pain and loss into fuel. But here’s chosen to keep a tangible and dark reminder of what happens when he’s not at his best. One gets the feeling that this physical manifestation of one of Bruce’s greatest failures might be an even greater driving force than Batman’s general mission of protecting Gotham.
The case of course features the desecrated uniform of one of the former Robins, most likely murdered by the Joker. You’d expect this to be the uniform of Jason Todd, ala the comics, but the movie’s director Zack Snyder has stated that this is in fact the uniform of Dick Grayson, the first Robin. So, this universe doesn’t even have a Nightwing? DARK, man.
During the movie we see Bruce stop and look at Dick’s memorial case (and his implied failure at the hands of a common criminal). If we also take into account that his primary knowledge of Superman has been witnessing the vast destruction caused by the fighting Kryptonians, it starts to become clear what is driving Bruce’s current obsession with stopping Superman. This might be the thing he’s obsessed about the most in his entire life, save for his parents’ murder. In fact, whilst ruminating upon his legacy he tells Alfred, “This may be the only thing I do that matters”.
In the below GIF we see Bruce preparing to suit up. From the look on his face there really is no doubt that he is motivated, burning in fact with grim determination, and is ready to go to work. With the carefully curated array of gadgets and equipment housed here in the armory, he has just what he needs to perform his duties as the Dark Knight. But where did these highly specialized tools come from? That’s what we’re going to take a look at next time when we cover The Garage/Mechanical Section!
If you’d like to start this article series from the beginning you can click here to learn all about the design elements of the Batcave as well as learn about the high-tech crime lab. And if you’re interested in taking a look at where Batman forges his physique into Gotham’s most formidable weapon, take a look here. If you have any additional thoughts on Bruce’s armory or the Batcave in general, be sure to drop a comment down below. Thanks for reading and see you next time!
