The 2021 movie season is almost officially over and that means it is time to look towards all the highly anticipated releases of next year. One of those releases isMatt Reeve’sThe Batmanwhich will featureRobert Pattinsonas the title caped crusader. A new teaser released by DC Comics Japan may have just put more gas on our Riddler fan theory fire.
While the 90 second teaser mainly consists of repurposed footage and dialogue, the small glimpses of new shots and plot details will have fans reworking their bat-centric conspiracy wall. The first new shot comes with a scene involving a look ofPaul Dano’s Riddler in civilian clothes talking toAlex Fern’s Commissioner Savage with the new line of dialogue by Riddler stating, “I’m here to unmask the truth about this city”, setting the stage of the deep corruption in Gotham’s justice system.
The theme of corruption has been a staple for Batman, especially in his early career stories, and with things like the return of the “blind eye” line that we have heard in countless marketing materials, The Dark Knight appears to have his hands full in that department.
RELATED:‘The Batman’ Has Finished Scoring, Reveals Composer Michael GiacchinoThis takes us to our next new shot that appears to be in the same sequence where a car drives into a building to apparently take out Bruce Wayne. The new blink and you will miss it moment comes as Bruce looks up after the car rams through and he sees a mysterious figure on a high balcony clouded in darkness by the intense lighting. All guesses lead us to believe that this is Riddler showing his dominance over the city and its so called power. This is further exemplified by the final new piece of dialogue which is an extension of a line previously heard in themain trailer. The final line of the teaser is, “I’ve been trying to reach you…”, but with the added ending words of “Bruce Wayne” sending a somber chill in the air. With a new shot of Batman unmasking completing this added detail, this leads us to so many new questions.
Does Riddler know who Batman is? Is this just misdirection to distract us from the bigger picture? And how is Bruce and his parents involved? The Wayne Family’s connection to the city’s corruption has been hinted at ever since the first teaser trailer dropped last year which is very reminiscent of other Batman stories like TellTale’s Batman games. However, the rabbit whole that Bruce finds himself in keeps getting bigger and bigger with each new bit of footage.
With haunting laughter ending off the trailer, which is presumably Riddler or maybe a hint at something much darker and clownish, there are just too many questions when it pertains to the endgame of this film’s plot.The Batman’s story, despite the two trailers, has been shrouded in mystery for what seems like forever now. With rumors ofmultiple cutsof the film being tested out with a mystery character’s inclusion, this next detective story in Gotham keeps getting more shrouded in compelling intrigue by the day. We will all put the pieces together whenThe Batmanfinally hits exclusively in theaters on June 13, 2025 and you may view the full new teaser down below.
