Small Details Only True Fans Noticed In The Batman Trailer

DC FanDome treated fans to plenty of teasers and news, but the most exciting reveal was "The Batman" trailer. It offers a much better look at what to expect from Matt Reeves' take on the DC Universe, as well as showing more of Robert Pattinson's brutal approach to crime fighting as the Caped Crusader. The footage we've seen so far gives us a much scrappier, ferocious Batman than many people were expecting; it also leans heavily into the noir, detective aspect of the character. (Fun fact: DC actually stands for "Detective Comics," so for many longtime fans of the character, this feels like a restoration.)

The Dark Knight isn't the only figure to stand in the spotlight of course, as the trailer shows off Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman as well as Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin. However, the focus is kept on whatever it is Paul Dano's Riddler has in store for Gotham City. He's clearly targeting the corrupt institutions of Gotham, and that somehow ties back to Batman himself — but the trailer is careful to keep the villain shrouded in mystery. He's everywhere and nowhere, and that's perhaps the most important revelation of the trailer.

With all that context in mind, here are some of the small details from the FanDome trailer for "The Batman" that you might have missed.

The trailer kicks things off with a S.W.A.T. team and Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) arresting the Riddler in a coffee shop on a dreary Gotham night. He leaves behind his trademark calling card in the form of a question mark milk pattern in his coffee (somebody get this guy a job as a baristo) — but we never actually see Dano's face when he's arrested. The trailer purposefully obscures the villain, and later footage only shows him wearing a mas, when a news report pops up on a TV screen, featuring one of the Riddler's live-streams.

Even when the Riddler is about to be interrogated by Batman, the screen lifts up showing the villain in a prison uniform. Just as the trailer is about to show his full look — it cuts away. Maybe there's something unique about Dano's take on the character that Warner Bros. is saving for a later trailer or poster, whether that's some kind of facial disfigurement, a scar, or even a tattoo. It's also entirely possible that this is a bait-and-switch. After all, what's scarier than a twisted psychopath who looks completely normal? 

It'd be surprising if the film only ever shows us the Riddler when he's wearing the mask (which is apparently a US Military Extreme Cold Weather mask). Whatever Warner Bros. is hiding, it's definitely having the intended effect of turning up the intrigue.

After the trailer's suspense-filled opening, we see a moody shot of a group of gang members sitting together on a train before Batman beats them all to a bloody pulp in a ruined building. They look eerily reminiscent of the goons in the Joker's gang, who all wear face paint to emulate the Clown Prince of Crime. Although it's worth noting that they're not wearing true clown make-up, the imagery is certainly evocative of Joker's gang. So does this mean a version of the Joker exists in this version of the DC Universe?

Perhaps he's already an established villain, or maybe he's just waiting in the wings. Either way, the goons definitely look like they're tied to Gotham's supervillain population. We know that "The Batman" will not take place in the same universe as Todd Phillips' "Joker" — so the chances of seeing Joaquin Phoenix pop up in a gritty cameo are basically zero. That doesn't mean that some version of the Joker doesn't exist in Reeves' Gotham, however. "The Batman" is already starting to feel a little stuffed, so it would take a lot of narrative muscle to shoehorn in another S-tier villain, but that doesn't mean Joker isn't out there somewhere, waiting in the wings for a sequel.

Holy Bat-Signal, Batman! Another eerie shot in the trailer shows the new version of the Bat-Signal lighting up the Gotham skyline, with Commissioner Gordon calling for Batman's assistance. The fact that someone has built the light and Gordon is operating it suggests that Batman has been working alongside Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department for quite some time at the outset of the film. Given how hands-on Bruce and Alfred (Andy Serkis) seem to be with their equipment, it's most likely they built it together. It's a notable shot, because it seems to set up a Gotham law enforcement paradigm in which Batman is already working hand-in-hand with the Gotham police, not always a given in the Batman mythology.

In fact, the first trailer already confirmed that Batman is well-known to the police, as he's seen stepping into the crime scene with the duct-taped victim among all the detectives and officers. Then again, we also see a number of officers chasing him in this new trailer just before he leaps from a skyscraper, so whatever formal arrangement Batman has worked out with the Commish at this point, we're guessing he doesn't always keep his vigilante work on the up-and-up.

Like a recently returned super-spy, you can't have a Batman movie without a great suit and awesome accessories for him to save the day in. Even compared to the many iterations of the Caped Crusader we've seen onscreen over the years, this one looks to be extra lethal thanks to the fancy gadgets he's packing. The most noticeable factor with Pattinson's threads, though, is just how DIY it all feels, but in the best way possible. Pattinson's Bruce has clearly been hard at work to transform himself into an unstoppable vigilante.

From the trailer's brief glimpses of Batman in action, we can see that this suit has some serious stopping power. He's as bulletproof as Luke Cage, and he's rocking an electrified gauntlet, to boot. He also appears to be wearing a squirrel suit rather than the traditional Bat-Cape, a feature that notably allows him to evade the aforementioned GCPD. 

It all adds up to a deadly set of threads, one that ensures this take on the bat is one you really don't want to mess with.

That song you hear is yet another rendition of Nirvana's "Something in the Way." Slowed down from the original version that was part of the band's iconic 1991 album "Nevermind," the remix amplifies the dark and foreboding tone that Reeves seems to be nailing for his iteration of Batman. Fans will no-doubt recognize the track from the first "The Batman" teaser, though it's been nipped a tucked a bit for this rollout. Hey, if it ain't broke?

The song isn't the only not-so-merry tune to accompany the new trailer, of course. Like the initial teaser that was released, Michael Giacchino's theme for this Batman takes over toward the end, and it marries perfectly with the Nirvana song. Following Giacchino's incredible work with Matt Reeves on both "Dawn" and "War for the Planet of the Apes," it's no surprise he's killing it yet again. This is one score that's going to slap like a bat-gloved Bruce Wayne.