Yesterday, a series of Instagram photos were leaked from the set of Batman V. Superman: Sunshine V. Lollipops, revealing new, iPhone-blurry shots of the Batmobile. Previously seen only in grayscale, Zack Snyder-shadowy teaser images, these unofficial photos uncovered some details—including the Batmobile’s actual color, which remains a dusty, depressing gray even in the daytime. It also unveiled a pair of gull-wing doors that should make entering and exiting easier for Ben Affleck’s exhausted Batman. From certain angles, they also made it look like Bugs Bunny.
Naturally, that last bit would not stand at Warner Bros., which has built barbed-wire “NO JOKES” barricades separating its Looney Tunes division from its very serious comic-book department. And so Snyder quickly tweeted out his own, “real” photo at the Batmobile, which answers the question of whether a car can look angry.
Most notably, this “real,” really pissed-off Batmobile has what appears to be a rotating machine gun turret mounted on its hood. This suggests that Batman—whose stance on using guns has vacillated between his portrayals in the movies and the comics—has decided in his old, weary age to say fuck it, guns are easier than punching people. It’s also in line with comic-book moviemakers Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer and their general aversion to comic books, what with all their established “rules” and “character traits.” In a world where Superman kills, Batman may as well have some guns. It’s all a real time-saver.
Besides, like the rest of the car and its twisted metal construction, it mirrors the impenetrable armor of angst and sadness that cloaks Batman in every aspect of his tormented life—which is so depressing, he can’t even be bothered to find a decent garage to park it in. This Batmobile’s engine runs on combustible rage. Its crankcase is lubricated with tears. Those blinkers signal all the turns it should have taken, but now never will. The seats recline into the fetal position. The tires kick themselves. Tool’s Undertow is permanently stuck in the CD player.
Objects in its mirrors may be closer to darkness than they appear.