Christian Bale Thought This Part Of His Batsuit Was Impractical
Batman is one of the most known and popular superheroes on the planet, and the Batsuit is amongst the most iconic super suits. This is a suit that strikes fear in the hearts of superstitious cowardly criminals, a symbol that inspires hope even amongst the citizens of the worst city in the world.
Across the 83-year history of the Batman, there have been many variations on the Batsuit, with each artist bringing their own take on what makes the Bat and evolving the character with the times. The same applies to the live-action movies, which have seen some wild variations over the years, and where no two actors have shared the same Batsuit.
Despite wildly different costumes and takes on the character, it seems there are some commonalities. Indeed, if there is one thing all batman actors can agree on, it is that the bat-suit is bat-uncomfortable. Don't believe us? Just ask Michael Keaton or Christian Bale.
At least it wasn't hockey pads
Christian Bale took on the difficult job of making people like Batman again after the disappointment that was "Batman & Robin," turning the character from campy and colorful to gritty and grounded. His Batmobile went from sleek car to a tank, and the iconic Batsuit became body armor.
But as realistic as the new Batsuit was, it wasn't necessarily practical. Speaking to the Chicago Tribune, Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale described how uncomfortable the suit was during practical fight scenes, not because of the lack of neck movement (an issue with Keaton's Batsuit), but because of the cape:
"Let me say whichever superhero first came up with the idea of wearing a cape, he wasn't really onto anything good. The number of times I'm treading on that damn thing ... or I throw a punch and it ends up covering my whole head. It's really not practical [for a superhero]. I wouldn't do it myself. I'm wearing a cape every damn day. ... I personally wouldn't choose to don that."
With how physical a superhero Batman is — given that his lack of powers force him to engage in a lot of hand combat — the Batsuit needs to be practical. Whether it's for clown-fighting or for getting his back broken by Bane, Batman needs to be able to move around, and a cape that can easily wrap around the vigilante's body certainly gets in the way.
Should have listened to Edna Mode
Of course, none of this would be a problem if Batman (and every other hero) would just listen to Edna Mode from "The Incredibles." The fashion designer famously explained why capes are impractical, and even life-threatening.
In a hilarious montage from the 2004 Academy Award-winning film, Mode explains the long history of superheroes who have been killed because of their capes. Those ugly things can get strapped to rockets, or jet turbines, or express elevators, or even tornadoes.
Now, does that mean Batman should get rid of the cape? Probably not, but it does mean costume designers have a tricky time having to balance the iconic imagery of the suit while making it practical for a film shoot. "Batman v Superman" director Zack Snyder worked around this by making his Batman's cape CGI for many fight scenes, so perhaps that is a solution.