MovieChat Forums > The Batman (2022) Discussion > What do you think of the jaw / mouth hol...

What do you think of the jaw / mouth hole in Batman costume

posted 3 years ago by actionkamen (23176)
25 replies | jump to latest

One of the most persplexing scene was when a bomb goes off in front of Batman's face and his jaw comes out pristine.

Why does Batman need this jaw hole anyway?

The scene would be more realistic if Batman wears fully closed cowl / helmet (Iron-Man style.) I think Nolan chose to make the hole as small as possible because of the possibility of disrepancy in scenes like this. But still, there is a hole which would make an explosion hurt his mouth area, lips and teeth.

What do you think if Batman doesn't have a hole for his mouth? Is it too iconic to remove? Or it would make it more realistic?

[–] mikethemartian (6783) 3 years ago

Not having full face protection would appear to be his Achilles Heel but it is just part of the tradition of the Batsuit.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Curiously, RoboCop also does that.

[–] ATG6 (3000) 3 years ago

It's also a target for gunfire. He should at least use eyeblack on his chin, or grow a beard, so it's not such an obvious target.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Heh. He would look like Batman in Scarecrow's hallucination in Batman Begins.

[–] diagoro (490) 3 years ago

He did pull his arms up to shield his face just before the blast. Enough to cover the gap?

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

His arm would be pushed violently by the blast right into his mouth.

I think in that particular scene they could just tone down the explosion instead. I mean, a small "pop" in the neck at that range would effectively still kill the victim and render Batman unconscious anyway. Just without the huge pushback and a flaming ball of fire.

Or probably it's just an artistic license. To make it more "exciting" and "actiony." For a superhero movie, I really don't blame them.

Anyhow, do you think the mouth hole is too iconic to remove? Or do you think a fullface helmet is fine / acceptable on a Batman design?

[–] diagoro (490) 3 years ago

They should keep the mask as is, far too iconic to change. Would be like making Superman wear a green suit. Besides, it allowed us to easier gauges what he's saying, or the wisp of an emotion....and no way he's kissing Cat Woman with the full mask!

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

They removed the red underwear that was also considered iconic to classic Superman design.

When I was a kid, we boys would wear underwear over our pajamas and a blanket as capes to be Superman. It was integral to the Superman's quintessence. Still, it was deleted.

Superman dons black suits a few times.

Batman colors were also changed from the original blue and grey into what now standard, variety of all-black designs.

Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man kissing MJ was one of the most memorable scene in the history of comicbook movies. And he had a full-face mask.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

it allowed us to easier gauges what he's saying, or the wisp of an emotion

This I agree.

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 3 years ago

I think it's artistic licence. It's action movie stuff. It's like when they get shot in the shoulder and don't bleed out from a severed artery. Too many moments like that would throw me out of a movie, even an action flick, but I can only think of two points in The Batman that went there (for me). One was the explosion, the other was Batman colliding with the wall while gliding.

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 3 years ago

I think it would be more realistic without the mouth hole, but I think it's just accepted that it's part of his costume. It's part of the "look". That look can change a lot, I suppose, but the cowl shape is sorta part of his visuals. You could make it larger or smaller, for instance, but not remove it. Maybe you could.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me. Yeah, it makes him vulnerable and it makes him (slightly) easier to identify, but I dig the look, so I'll excuse it.

[–] samoanjoes (57071) 3 years ago

If it was covered he would be about 98% covered from head to toe. He needs to breathe.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Just make a nostril hole instead.

[–] samoanjoes (57071) 3 years ago

The human body needs more than that.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Racing drivers wear fullface helmets all the time.

[–] samoanjoes (57071) 3 years ago

There is a gap in the helmet big enough. The body needs room to allow the pores on its skin to breathe.

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 3 years ago

It could be retractable. He was already ditching the cowl between skirmishes, so he could have a piece that closed off during fights and he could open it up after those brief moments of exertion. Or it could be a mesh material that could stop a certain amount of attacks but allow air movement. Or it could be some kind of modified gas-mask/ filter system so he could breathe just fine.

I like the classic Batman look, but there are ways it could work practically (outside of the less-satisfactory answer about "it looks cool")

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

Retractable / removable mouth guard piece is a great idea!

Affleck's Batman wears goggles (and a brown coat) too. Still looked like Batman to me.

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 3 years ago

Yeah, they can bend "the look" a lot. I have a lot of Elseworlds comics with Batman in them and it's always fun seeing how they mess with the costume to fit the new aesthetic (steampunk, medieval, er... Citizen Kane...)

And movies change costumes because what works on the page (skin-tight spandex) doesn't work on screen without looking odd. A lot of older comics have Batman in bright blue, but it wouldn't work on screen. He can look intimidating in it on a page: https://static2.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Batman-confronts-Man-Bat-in-DC-Comics..jpeg?q=50&fit=crop&w=963&h=481&dpr=1.5

But that wouldn't look good on screen, so they change it to look "more accurate" even though it's less accurate.

Superhero movie costume design is weird.

I think they could do a closed-cowl Batman on screen and make it work, but I don't mind it as-is. I'll give them that much suspension of disbelief.

[–] samoanjoes (57071) 3 years ago

Not a bad idea, but the way it is now doesn't bother me.

[–] Ace_Spade (9577) 3 years ago

It doesn't bother me, either. If they were to do the full mask, it could work, but yeah, I don't mind the classic look.

[–] Heisenberg (6730) 3 years ago

1 it is a comic book for children about a guy dressed as a bat.
It is unrealistic and silly anyway, like ironman.

2 all the other stuff he does would have him injured or killed too, like fighting, getting shot at, falling from anything higher than 3 m.

3 he has 3 holes in his mask. The blast woud injure his mouth but would gravely hurt his eyes, possibly making him blind with such heat and instant pressure hitting his unprotected eyes. So the mouth hole is the lesser problem.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 3 years ago

The eyes are protected by Batcontacts™ probably made by Alfred the Not Dad.

[–] Heisenberg (6730) 3 years ago

Batcontacts are only there to record shitty video.
Even if they offred some protection, the pressure would still hit them and damage the eyes.
Also, they cover only the iris, the rest of the eye is still exposed.
He did not even lose his eyelashes from that blast. Great scene....

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77577) 3 years ago

That explosion really should have killed him, he was thrown 30 feet by that blast!!!

I like The Batman cowl and really enjoyed the movie (I watched it 3 times this week!)

It’s just a great costume, mask and cape and I like how it’s bullet-proof!
Batman got shot at least 9 times and that suit was on point,
It just looks really cool but yeah, I guess if we were Billionaire vigilantes we’d cover our faces more lol

The Batmobile was really badass in this movie too, it was not a big silly CGI Tank but low to the ground, sleek and supercharged

And not to go off on a tangent but this Paul Dano guy should get way more work, he’s really good