- "In Gotham at least, the Batman's brand of justice has seen mixed results. Successes attributed to the shadowy crusader - whose so-called "Batmobile" roars through the near-empty streets in the middle of the night are difficult to verify. Only fueling the current controversy is seemingly endless parade of theatrical villains, who seemingly emerged on the scene in response to the Batman's presence."
- ―Ron Troupe[src]
The Batmobile was Batman's personal automotive vehicle and primary mode of transportation. It came complete with an array of weapons and gadgets, and is dark and armored.
History[]
Development[]
Early into his vigilante career as the Batman, Bruce Wayne realized that he needed a specialized vehicle of some kind to aid in his one-man war on the crime of Gotham City. Bruce began designing and later fabricating his own personalized custom-built pursuit and capture vehicle in the depths of his Batcave over a number of years. Using the latest prototype military-grade hardware and technology, most of which was developed by Wayne Enterprises, Bruce created an imposing hybrid monster of a car to use to prowl the streets of Gotham City.[1]
Intercepting Joker and Harley Quinn[]
At some point prior to the Black Zero Event, Batman drove the Batmobile to intercept the Joker and Harley Quinn in the Smiley Car in Gotham City, intent on bringing them in for the murder of Monster T. He activated the autonomous control and leapt from the Batmobile onto the Smiley Car. Enraged, Quinn tried to shoot Batman off the roof of the car, but to no avail, due to the Dark Knight's bulletproof suit. The Joker decided to drive the Smiley Car into the bay, escaping but leaving Quinn to be arrested by Batman. He then brought her back to the Batmobile where he took her to the Belle Reve penitentiary.[2]
Investigating Aesop[]
Two weeks after the Black Zero event, an alarm was detected at WayneTech. Batman hurried over to the facility, bringing the Batmobile with him. He identified the intruder as Rory Greeley but was unable to stop his escape. Alfred forwarded all available information about the boy to the Batmobile, allowing Batman to access the info and discover that Babrius Aesop was the actual mastermind behind the break-in. He then travelled to Arkham Asylum, where he interviewed the patient, Jackalope, to get more info. After getting what he needed, he headed back to the Batmobile.
Batman then drove to the Gotham Gimbals factory, parking the vehicle across the street from the structure. He faced opposition from Babrius Aesop and his drones. After defeating the scientist, Batman dragged him to the Batmobile and sped off towards Arkham Asylum, returning the scientist to the facility's custody. Batman then sped off into the night to patrol Gotham's streets once more.[3]
Chasing Knyazev[]
Two years after the Black Zero Event, Alfred Pennyworth can be seen working on the vehicle in the Batcave while talking with Bruce. At this point in time, the Batmobile had been modified to sport twin machine guns at the front of the vehicle, with the turret control built on top of his former protégé Robin's seat. As Anatoli Knyazev and his men were about to escort the Kryptonite nugget from the port of Gotham City to LexCorp Industries headquarters, Batman appeared in the Batmobile and charged the convoy. The Batmobile crashed into a car, hurling it into a portable trailer. Batman then fired his harpoon launcher at the car and dragged it behind him, slamming it into walls and barriers. After chasing down an enemy vehicle, he detached the harpoon and let the car crash onto another.
As the Batmobile was catching up to the convoy, a truck fired at the Batmobile. Unfazed, Batman fired his own guns back, eventually destroying the truck. The Batmobile continued to chase after the convoy until he was diverted by an exploding tanker truck.
The Batmobile blasts an explosive tanker truck
The Batmobile maneuvered its way around warehouses and landed on top of the convoy, crashing through the roof and through several docked boats. Nevertheless, Batman continued to chase after the convoy, deploying flares to ward off homing missiles. Suddenly, he turned a corner to find Superman standing in his way. The Batmobile collided with Superman, careened out of control and crashed into a nearby gas station. Superman remained steady, and ripped the doors off the vehicle to confront the vigilante directly as Batman stood up in defiance.
Superman and Batman stand atop the crashed Batmobile.
Standing on top of the damaged vehicle, Superman warned Bruce Wayne to cease his activities as Batman or suffer consequences. Angered, Batman replied Superman would bleed as he flew away. Afterwards, Batman drove the damaged Batmobile back to the cave.[4]
Upgrades[]
After Superman's death and the upcoming threat of Steppenwolf and his forces became ever more apparent, Alfred added additional upgrades that boosted the Batmobile's defensive capabilities considerably. During this time the vehicle was kept in the Wayne Aerospace Hangar.[5]
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Second Invasion of Earth[]
When the Justice League arrived in the Batcave, Barry looked around by idolizing it and hopped into the Batmobile.
As the League were ready to fly the Flying Fox to Pozharnov, Batman brought the Batmobile inside the aircraft.[6]
During the battle, Bruce utilized the upgraded weaponry to mow down legions of parademons and missiles to clear a path directly to Steppenwolf's base. The Batmobile was later destroyed by a Parademon mounted gun blast, sending it smashing into another squad of Parademons while Bruce escaped via ejector seat.
Legacy[]
About a year after its destruction, Batman fan Freddy Freeman was known to have a sketchbook where he drew up a fantasy scenario involving the Batmobile. It involved Billy Batson's superhero form stealing the Batmobile from Batman as he was getting dressed up, humorously dragging Batman along as he attempted to retrieve the Batmobile from Billy, who in turn uses the Batmobile to impress Wonder Woman and take her as a date to the prom. Freddy also played out parts of this scenario on the toy Batmobile and Batman action figures that he owned.[7]
Resurrection[]
The Batmobile was either restored, rebuilt, or replaced as it could now be seen sitting within the Batcave once more. While Flash was practicing his skills in the cave, he accidentally overturned the Batmobile, forcing him to apologize to Bruce and attempting to excuse it by stating that the Batmobile was already in rough shape previously.[8]
Alternate versions[]
Flashpoint Timeline[]
Creation and Abandonment[]
After becoming the vigilante known as Batman, Bruce Wayne would create a ground vehicle that would help him fight crime in Gotham City, which he would call the Batmobile. At some point, Barry Allen would see the vehicle on the news. After presumably turning Gotham one of the safest cities on the planet, Bruce would cover the vehicle in a large black tarp, remaining this way for many years afterwards inside the Batcave.[9]
Found by Young Barry[]
- "I used to see this on the news when I was a kid!"
- ―Barry Allen[src]
Barry shocked by the Batmobile.
In 2013, following the arrival of both younger and older versions of Barry Allen however, the young Barry had yelled out to his older self "Is this what I think it is?", before taking off the dusty and dirty tarp from the car. Barry then yells that he saw it on the news when he was a kid. He would then proceed to open the cockpit and actually sleep in it until his older self woke him up and caused him to vacate the vehicle.[9]
Capabilities[]
Earth-1[]
The Batmobile is an armored tactical assault vehicle that has the ability to raise or lower its suspension, depending on its combat or navigational situations. It also has a miniature jet engine afterburner to provide a quick thrust in pursuits and jumps. The exterior body is completely bulletproof and can easily withstand sustained gunfire from miniguns. The Batmobile is measured at 20 ft. (6.1 meters) long and 12 ft. (3.7 meters) wide at the rear. The vehicle weighs in at 7,000 lbs and is estimated to reach up to 205 mph.
The interior and controls are modeled after aircraft fighter cockpit, even having ejector seats, promoting utilitarian function over aesthetic design, with a number of buttons and switches available to toggle the many functions of the vehicle. The passenger side is retrofitted to function as a miniature armory, storing backup grapple guns, batarangs, smoke grenades, and a grenade launcher.
The Batmobile is equipped with a gimbal-mounted machine gun on its front section and a harpoon launcher in the rear, capable of dragging a truck behind it with ease. It is also equipped with missile racks and flare countermeasures to counter incoming homing missiles. The Batmobile is also capable of autonomous control, should Batman ever need to leave the Batmobile (as seen when he leapt onto the Smiley Car). An electric current runs along the vehicle's exterior plating, able to shock and incapacitate those unlucky enough to get too close.
After the death of Superman and the acknowledgment of his vision, Batman began upgrading his arsenal and vehicles to face the upcoming threat of Steppenwolf and his forces. The Batmobile is outfitted to have more machine guns with high caliber bullets, able to kill Parademons with minimum effort (as seen when Batman was defending himself from a Parademon with the Batmobile's armaments). Batman would also remove the door on the passenger side of the vehicle, previously used by his protege Robin, as well as add heavier plating able to withstand greater damage. He also equipped missile launchers on the front hood, powerful enough to blast large holes in buildings and a large cannon (reminiscent of those on actual tanks) that can take down an entire building in one shot.
Previously stored in the Batcave, the Batmobile can be loaded into the newly constructed Flying Fox for transport with the rest of the Justice League.[6]
Flashpoint Timeline[]
Not much is known about the capabilities of this version of the Batmobile other than that the top deck is openable and that it has two seats.[9] It is possible that it has similar weapons or attributes to those of the Earth-1 Batmobile.
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Concept artwork[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Merchandise[]
Trivia[]
- The design of the Batmobile is notably inspired by Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher's Batmobile and the Christopher Nolan's Tumbler. The sleekness of the design is a call back to the Burton-era version, while it's tactical quality and functional approach is an obvious inspiration from Nolan's tank-esque Tumbler from the Dark Knight trilogy.
- 6th live-action appearance of the Batmobile.
- Interestingly, the Flying Fox is modeled after the Batmobile from the Batman: The Animated Series cartoon.
- Even though the Batmobile was destroyed in Justice League/Zack Snyder's Justice League, it makes an appearance in The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive 1, back in the Batcave, good as new.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Initial plans for the Justice League sequels included a "Fury Road-inspired Batmobile" that Batman was using during the Knightmare era.[10]
References[]
- ↑ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Tech Manual
- ↑ Suicide Squad
- ↑ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Cross Fire
- ↑ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- ↑ Justice League VR: The Complete Experience
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Justice League
- ↑ Shazam!
- ↑ The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Flash
- ↑ Zack Snyder's Storyboards
