Throughout September, HBO GO celebrates Batman month by bringing his live-action movie adventures and animated full-length features to superhero fans across the country. As Gotham City’s self-appointed defender, Batman isn’t like most superheroes. In lieu of superpowers, Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego relies on human ingenuity, detective instincts, and cutting-edge technology to help him fight crime.
As seen throughout the Batman movies, the evolution of technology over the years has allowed The Caped Crusader to create and employ gadgets with increasing complexity and function. In the spirit of Batman Month, this list shines the Bat Signal on memorable Bat-Tech seen throughout the live-action Batman films, as well as reasons why they would be great for use in real life.
The Batmobile
From the very beginning, the Batmobile has been a fan-favorite gadget. Throughout the films, the Batmobile’s design has gone through considerable changes, with more gadgets and features incorporated to help keep Gotham safe.
The Batmobile designs seen in Tim Burton’s “Batman” and “Batman Returns” films featured an assortment of weapons and gadgets such as grappling hooks and voice-activated shields – features which would come in handy in the event of any unfortunate road situation.
On the other hand, starting from Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” the Batmobile began to sport a new look – having more in common with a tank than a regular car. Equal parts durable and menacing, with shores of jaw-dropping tech such as a getaway motorcycle, while the vehicle never officially carried the Batmobile title, the Tumbler effortlessly transports Batman across rivers, over rooftops, and even through walls.
Utility Belt
Batman’s utility belt has been a gadget staple from the moment Batman first graced movie screens. As simple as it may be, it holds many of Batman’s crimefighting essentials such as the iconic Batarang – making the utility belt one of the Dark Knight’s most important accessories.
For the movie “Batman Forever,” an extra safety feature was added to the belt’s utilitarian design. For the safekeeping of the belt’s contents, a taser was added to shock unwanted handlers – making anybody think twice about grabbing Batman’s personal belongings.
The Batsuit
From the flowing cape to the sturdy cowl, Batman would be unrecognizable without his trademark Batsuit. Offering both identity concealment and protection from physical injury, the image of Batman gliding through Gotham in his signature attire is more than enough to strike fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned of criminals.
The Batsuit introduced in the movie “Batman Begins” sports a few nifty features added to its design, most notably in the use of serrated fins placed on the suit’s gauntlets. While used in previous films to help defend against close-combat attacks, the movie introduced the idea of the fins being used as projectiles – helping give Batman the upper hand against attackers.
The Grapple Gun
First introduced in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” film, this rather simple gadget allowed for the caped crusader to swing from building to building with ease – very helpful for covering long distances. This was an effective spin on the grappling gadgets employed by Batman in the comics and became a staple in the movies to come.
The Bat Sonar
Since Batman’s big-screen debut decades ago, modern technology has grown leaps and bounds – slowly catching up with the brains of Bruce Wayne and his technologically inclined friends. As a result, the tech Batman has at his disposal has only become more increasingly advanced.
One of the coolest gadgets Batman has used in his crusade to keep Gotham safe is the use of sonar goggles. While tech-enhanced googles have been used in one form or another throughout the movies, the Bat-Sonar lenses proved to be extremely useful in “The Dark Knight” – where he used them to send out a high-frequency pulse to map out a hostile environment. He even scaled up the technology and applied it to the whole of Gotham, using it to flush out The Joker.
From live-action films to animated full-length features, stream or download “Batman” Movies on HBO GO.
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