Not only is The Batman one of the best movies featuring the Dark Knight, but it gives the character and his world a thorough cinematic reinvention. While Batman comics stories such as The Long Halloween and "Zero Year" clearly inspired the movie's story, there is a lesser-known comic book that inspired the movie the most.
Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank is in a similar camp as The Batman, as it also presents a bold new take on the hero that took fans out of their comfort zone. Beware of spoilers, as the similarities between The Batman and Batman: Earth One are undeniable.
Unlike the more grounded metropolises that the likes of Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder had to offer, the Gotham City in The Batman is far more heightened. Though the movie is grounded in reality, it feels much more comic book accurate, yet it still has realism to it.
This is something that the film shares with Earth One, as the comic's Gotham is more realistic than the one from the traditional comics, but if a giant crocodile man or massive clay monster started running around, it wouldn't look off. Both Gotham's also share a unique, more political form of corruption as opposed to the traditional, mob-based corruption from the mainline comics.
The political dealings of Thomas Wayne, the father of Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne, is a key part of The Batman. Before he was murdered, Thomas Wayne ran for mayor of Gotham City, and his moral failings and the infrastructures he set up that accidentally led to Gotham's downfall are important to the film.
While his morality in Earth One is less of a highlight, the Thomas Wayne that the comic present is also a flawed but good man who is running for mayor. Though he has no ties to any shady figures in Earth One, his mayoral campaign is an inspiration for The Batman.
While the traditional depiction of Martha Wayne was part of the Kane family, both The Batman and Earth One retcon this aspect of her character. In both stories, Martha is part of the Arkham family, who have been connected to the Waynes for centuries.
Both share a similar backstory as well, as Martha witnessed her mother murdering her father before taking her own life as a child. The film also implements a cover-up from the Arkham family to hide Martha's struggles with her mental health.
The Caped Crusade the movie presents is still a good fighter, something the movie's gorgeous cinematography shows off, but he isn't the silent predator fans would expect. His fighting style feels less polished, getting hit and shot multiple times during fights, with his attacks feeling extremely savage.
Similarly, Earth One presents a Batman with a more unvarnished style, often finding himself in over his head during tense situations. Though The Batman's batsuit has more protection, in both cases, both Batmans have the same amount of brutal unpolishedness.
In The Batman, The Batcave was once a prominent subway station. However, after being abandoned, it now serves as the location where Bruce Wayne investigates cases, continually works on The Batmobile, then listens to Nirvana songs.
While The Batcave is less of a man cave in Earth One, it has a very similar origin. In Earth One, Batman sets up shop in an abandoned subway station situated under Arkham Asylum, where he and his associates work to protect Gotham.
In many ways, The Batman is a horror movie, with The Riddler being cut from the same cloth as slashers like Jigsaw from Saw and Asami from Audition. While he is technically in the right, the brutal murders he commits somewhat invalidate that point.
This is something he shares in common with Earth One's Riddler, who much like the movie's take on the character, is a serial killer who goes after the corrupt elite of Gotham. That said, his motivations are less amiable in Earth One, as The Riddler is as corrupt and evil as the people he's murdering.
Paul Dano's take on The Riddler is a solid interpretation of the character, but it can't go without saying that this Riddler is quite different from the traditional version. Whereas the comic's Riddler ranges from criminal mastermind to mere annoyance, this Riddler remorseless serial killer who traps his victims in circuitous deathtraps.
Though his methods are more fantastical in Earth One, Riddler is equally as bloodthirsty and is equally as unafraid of ending innocent lives to prove his point. That said, both took cues from the Zodiac Killer.
Alfred Pennyworth, as played by Andy Serkis, doesn't get much screentime, he has some of the best quotes, with his more tense and less relationship with Bruce Wayne being a highlight of the film. Not only is this Alfred gruffer than the traditional take, but he also walks with a cane, something he shares with his Earth One counterpart.
Both versions are cynical combat veterans who are more vocal about Batman's crusade and have a more personal relationship with their surrogate sons. Earth One also explains why Alfred walks with a cane, as he lost his leg during the war and currently wears a prosthetic.
This isn't a fact that's on the screen but instead is showcased in the prequel novel Before The Batman, which details the life of Bruce Wayne before he donned the cape and cowl. In that novel, it's revealed that Alfred trained Bruce Wayne as opposed to him traveling the world to learn his skills.
In Earth One, the same thing happens, but with one key difference. Whereas The Batman shows that Alfred himself is a competent detective, the Alfred from Earth One is more of a blunt instrument, with Batman having to learn his detective skills from Jim Gordon.
At the end of The Batman, The World's Greatest Detective realizes his brutal campaign of vengeance is inspiring people in the wrong way, as people like The Riddler are putting people in danger and it's his fault. As "Something In The Way" plays in the background, Batman helps in the relief effort after the flooding of Gotham, choosing to become a symbol of hope rather than vengeance.
Though it's for a different reason, Earth One's Batman comes to a similar conclusion, as he realizes that to be truly effective, he has to forgo vengeance and become a hero for the people of Gotham City. At the beginning of both stories, he is an angry, violent man, but by the end of both stories, he learns to become a better Batman.
