“No guns, no killing!”
That’s what Batman (Christian Bale) yells at Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) in “The Dark Knight Rises,” and it’s something that’s become a cardinal rule of the character for decades now.
Constant fans will often point out that the original comic book iteration of the character regularly carried a firearm, like most olde timey Mystery Men of his day. But as the character grew and changed, writers began to accept that the boy who watched his parents gunned down in front of him would grow up to be a man firmly against killing, and by guns in particular.
But when it comes to the Batmobile? Well, that’s an entirely different story, and one that’s continued to the reveal of the vehicle from “Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice” earlier today (September 11).
“Batman” and “Batman Returns”
Okay, remember that no gun rule? Throw it out the bat-window. Not only does Tim Burton’s Batmobile have guns, it’s got hardcore weapons that fire something far more lethal than rubber bullets: two M1919 Browning machine guns that pop out from flaps in the fender.
“Batman Forever”
Taking a break from high impact weaponry, “Batman Forever” mostly played around with grappling hooks and jumps, rather than guns.
“Batman & Robin”
Like the rest of the movie, Joel Schumacher’s sequel to “Batman Forever” delved into excess when it came to weapons, from rocket launchers to bombs. No guns, so we sort of get around the rule – but no one would look at this Batmobile and say it was, “ice to meet you.”
“The Dark Knight Trilogy”
Warner Bros.
Though Christopher Nolan’s Batmobile is never called by that name, the Tumbler (and Batpod and Batplane) all start out as heavy, military grade weaponry. As such, they come packed with guns, explosives, and weapons of all kinds. That said, Batman never used them to expressly shoot at a person, instead taking his aggression out on walls.
Oh, and for those of you who argue that the bullets he was firing were non-lethal, rubber bullets: Selina Kyle fires them at Bane in “Dark Knight Rises,” and they straight up kill him. So there you go.
“Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice”
Zack Snyder
Though we have yet to see exactly how the guns work in the newest iteration of the Batmobile (maybe they’re confetti cannons?), they’re certainly the most prominent placement of weapons in the history of the Batmobile. Whereas most of the time Batman hides his guns, here they’re front and center.
So does that mean that Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight will be a little more lax on the “no guns” rule, too? Will he say, “You know what, Clark gets to snap necks, lemme get in on that action?” Maybe the movie will involve them driving around in the Batmobile, gunning down civilians and laughing, laughing oh such laughing.
Or maybe they’re T-shirt cannons.
“Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice” blasts its way into theaters on March 25, 2016.
Alex Zalben
Writer/Editor at MTV News. You can follow him on Twitter, but not in real life because that would be weird.
No Comments