New book, The Art of The Batman, has officially debunked fan theories that Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight made use of Venom, the source of Bane’s powers in the DC comics.
Towards the end of The Batman, as Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader faces off against followers of the Riddler, he finds himself on the back foot, knocked to the ground by his adversaries. In order to reclaim the advantage, Batman takes a vial of green liquid from his utility belt and injects himself with it. As the effects take hold, he jumps back up and ferociously beats his attacker. Many fans had believed the substance to be Bane’s Venom compound, but it has now been confirmed that the liquid is simply adrenaline.
The Art of The Batman explores the concept art behind director Matt Reeves’ reimagining of Batman and Gotham City. One of the images featured in the book shows the capsule Batman takes from his belt in the scene. The caption attached to the image states that if “he himself or somebody might need an adrenaline shot” then the capsule could deliver “a shot of adrenaline straight into the system.” The concept art even features the word “Epinephrine” (an alternative term for adrenaline) printed on the side of the capsule, making it clear this is not Bane’s Venom.
Given The Batman‘s grounded and more realistic interpretation of Batman’s world and the equipment he uses, it’s not surprising that the filmmakers would opt for a more plausible emergency-use shot, rather than Venom, which grants its users superhuman strength. While they could have devised a more realistic version of Venom, making it fit into The Batman‘s world would likely have meant making it so close to an adrenaline shot that there would have been little point even calling it Venom. In the comics, Venom is also a dangerously addictive substance, so it is unlikely the Dark Knight would choose to use it in a situation where a simple adrenaline shot would work just as well.
Here is the synopsis for The Batman:
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as the titular hero and Bruce Wayne, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, with Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and Barry Keoghan as The Joker.
The Batman is now available to own digitally and streaming exclusively on HBO Max, with physical media dropping on May 24. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of Matt Reeves’ franchise and Robert Pattinson’s Batman, and subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: The Art of The Batman