“The Batman” is now playing in theaters nationwide and currently streaming on HBO Max, and the new film from co-writer and director Matt Reeves introduces a brand new take on the titular DC character and his famous rogues gallery.
Below we’ve assembled a complete (and spoiler-free) cast and character guide to the film, so you can keep straight who plays who — and whose faces may be returning in future franchise installments.
Batman/Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson)
The brooding Batman (and boy does he brood) is brought to you by none other than Robert Pattinson. As Bruce Wayne he is the loneliest billionaire orphan in Gotham, who is keen on aggressive eyeliner and very emotional journaling. (His parents are mercifully killed off screen this time, long before the movie starts, don’t worry.) As Batman, Pattinson is even darker and more emotionally complex, as he is drafted into a macabre plot engineered by the Riddler (Paul Dano) involving the systematic murder of members of Gotham’s upper echelons. As the plot thickens, Batman realizes that Bruce Wayne might end up a target and the Wayne family is integral to the killer’s machinations. If that weren’t complicated enough, he’s also falling for Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) aka Catwoman, and has to go up against the Penguin (Colin Farrell) and mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Pattinson is following in the big bat-boots of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck.
Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz)
Following in the big screen cat-footsteps of Michelle Pfieffer and Anne Hathaway, Zoë Kravitz puts on the catsuit as Selina Kyle, a small-time burglar and employee of mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). She comes into Batman’s orbit when she tries to steal back a pivotal piece of evidence related to the Riddler killings. But is Catwoman friend or foe? And will the Riddler uncover secrets from her past too?
Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin (Colin Farrell)
Waddle this way! An unrecognizable Colin Farrell stars as Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin, an enforcer for Falcone who operates out of the club where Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) works. This is the first time the famous Bat-villain has appeared onscreen since Tim Burton’s beautiful, brutal “Batman Returns” back in 1992, where he was more of a ghastly monster (played by a note-perfect Danny De Vito). Farrell’s Penguin is less of a monster, more of a low-level leg-breaker with visions of villainous grandiosity. He also gets to take part in the movie’s big car chase.
The Riddler (Paul Dano)
Riddle me this, riddle me that, the Riddler is here to antagonize the Bat. The last time the Riddler was on the big screen, he was played by Jim Carrey in a performance that can comfortably be called over-the-top. But instead of green leotards and flashing neon, this new Riddler is a serial killer modeled loosely after the Zodiac. Paul Dano’s Riddler is targeting Gotham politicians and members of the city’s elite class. He threatens to uncover toxic secrets and bring the entire structure crashing down … that is, unless Batman stops him first.
District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard)
As part of Gotham’s political and social elite, Gil Colson (played by Peter Sarsgaard, whose wife Maggie Gyllenhaal appeared in “The Dark Knight”) finds himself a potential target of the Riddler’s murderous provocations. Colson also frequents the mob-owned club where Selena Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) works. He also seems to partake in the mysterious drug known as “drops” (they’re “Looper”-like eyedrop drugs). So, all in all, not the best character traits to have in a public official.
Carmine Falcone (John Turturro)
A powerful mob boss in the Gotham underworld, the character was introduced in “Batman” #405 during the influential “Year One” storyline by writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli. He was previously portrayed by Tom Wilkinson in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins.” In “The Batman” he is a more mysterious figure, central to the lives of several characters, including Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) and the Penguin (Colin Farrell), both of whom work for him. As the Riddler starts to unmask the hidden history of Gotham, connections between Falcone and other characters might also come to light, shaking the very fabric of Gotham society … That is, unless Batman stops the Riddler first.
James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)
Batman trusts few people, but one of the people he does trust is Commissioner Gordon, who was first introduced into the comic book continuity in 1939. (More recently in the comics, after Batman’s apparent death – he was actually traveling on a cosmic voyage through time and space – Gordon assumed the mantle of Batman, wearing a very cool robotic suit that was later nicknamed “Rookie.”) Played in various movies by Pat Hingle, Gary Oldman, and most recently J.K. Simmons, Gordon is a resolute straight arrow in a precinct full of bad apples (to mix metaphors). Batman’s distrust of the Gotham PD is even more pronounced in “The Batman,” and his partnership with Gordon is double underlined. One of the highlights of the movie is watching Batman show up to crime scenes and watching how the other officers react to him. Still, he knows that in the sea of vipers that is the Gotham police department, Gordon is on his side.
Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis)
What would a Batman movie be without an appearance by his faithful butler Alfred? The character, who has been memorably played over the years on the big screen by Michael Gough, Michael Caine, and most recently Jeremy Irons, is this time essayed by actor and motion capture trailblazer Andy Serkis. Serkis’ Alfred is leaner, meaner, and more involved in Bruce Wayne’s detective work, aiding in his quest to unmask the Riddler’s identity. (Also, it’s 100% Serkis, no computer-generated chicanery is involved.) Of course, with Bruce Wayne part of an echelon of Gotham society the Riddler is railing against, that means Alfred could find himself in the crosshairs too.
