If you look closely, it’s more than just a bat emblem like we’re used to seeing. The bat seems to be made of something metal embedded in his chest plate, but no one can seem to decide what it’s made from.
Theory #1: The Gun That Killed Bruce Wayne’s Parents
The going theory is that the bat symbol is made from the gun that killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. If that is indeed the case, then the idea probably came from last year’s Detective Comics #1000, which featured a short story by Kevin Smith and Jim Lee that showed Bruce tracking down the gun that killed his parents, buying it from a Gotham City pawn shop, and melting it down into an armored chest plate for his suit, so he can use the metal that hurt him as a child to protect him as a man.
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Obviously Pattinson’s Batsuit doesn’t have that same metal plate, but if the symbol is made from that gun, then his reasoning in the movie may be the same as in the comic.
That said, it’s hard to make out which parts of the gun are where, but that may be because he split it in half and chopped it up to fit it into the shape of a bat.
Theory #2: It’s a Pair of Knives
Then again, perhaps it’s hard to make out which parts of the gun are where because… it’s not a gun. Instead, we may be looking at a pair of custom-made Bat-knives, or just some really sharp Batarangs. The giveaway that these may be knives comes from the little clips.
Guns don’t have those clips but they are a common feature on knives.
Theory #3: It’s Both!
The third possibility combines both of our theories into one. What if Batman took the gun that killed his parents and carved it into a pair of gnarly Batarangs that he keeps stocked in his chest plate so he can access them at a moment’s notice in a fight to mess up some bad guys? Given that they do look rather knife-like, perhaps Pattinson’s Batman will use Batarangs that are essentially throwing knives.
Regardless of what material the bat symbol is made of and it’s ultimate purpose, it is cool that Matt Reeves has put a new spin on this iconic element of the Batsuit in order to give audiences something fresh. Usually the bat symbol is just there for cosmetic reasons but now it may have profound symbolic meaning for the Dark Knight or at least provide a practical function beyond looking neat.
What do you think is the deal with the chest symbol? Let us know down below in the comments.
And be sure to check out our full analysis of the Batsuit where we identify its many comic book influences.
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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.