How do you solve a problem like the Batman?

I commented in my review of Justice League that the movie has a terrible power imbalance problem, and this article (which has SPOILERS) extends on that to note that the DCEU in general has a terrible problem with Batman in particular. Perhaps because of too many Frank Miller Dark Knight re-readings (yes, looking at you, Zack Snyder), Ben Affleck’s Batman [1] does exactly the flashiest but least useful thing as Batman: strength training and buying / building bigger and flashier vehicles in order to compete with metahumans like Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Superman, and the various cosmic monsters they’re fighting. And that’s a prescription for failure, both for the character and for the use of the character in the DCEU movies.

Batman, from a comics perspective, has four advantages:

1. Superb Training, letting him take out any mook he runs into and survive any more powerful foe. This isn’t just being a bruiser; it’s being a more effective fighter.
2. A Keenly Analytical Mind, letting him be the detective who susses out ever clue and who knows all the hidden information, the strategist whose long game is always five steps ahead of everyone else (including the villain), and the tactician who can respond to abrupt changes of circumstance both in and out of battle.
3. Masterful Psychology, letting him half-win most battles before they are fought, through intimidation, fear, bluff, and timely reveals of himself or information or other forces he’s put into play.
4. Indomitable Will, letting him parlay his strategic sense and his ability to survive into eventual victory, and victory as often as not on his own terms, without compromising aspects like being unwilling to kill.

His 5th advantage, massive disposable income (and the only one that gets flagged in the JL movie, repeatedly) is nice, but only as valuable as the first four. I mean, Tony Stark has gobs of money, too, but who would you most want on your side (or most fear being on the other side)?

It’s those four attributes that make Batman one of the DC “Trinity,” capable of standing alongside Superman and Wonder Woman. And none of them are on display in JL or in BvS, just a brooding, bloodied bruiser with expensive weapons that get immediately torn apart.

There’s a new non-Affleck Batman movie on DC’s schedule, and plenty of indication that this particular Batman won’t be returning for future DCEU engagements. So here’s a chance for WB/DC to fix this problem, before they do serious damage to an incredible character.

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[1] I keep calling him the Ben Affleck Batman, though it’s unclear to what degree the actor should take credit/blame for all this. This is, though, clearly also the Zack Snyder Batman.

Justice League proves that the DC Extended Universe doesn’t know what to do with Batman
The villains and fights keep getting bigger. And that hurts Batman the most.

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