The DC Universe is already closer to making one Batman suit dream a reality for the franchise than I ever expected it would. The DCU timeline reimagining DC’s hero roster has meant many major decisions have already had to be made for the franchise, including how certain powers, backstories, and – of course – suits will be depicted.
DC is home to some of the most iconic supersuits of all time, though adaptations of these suits have historically ranged from sublime to subpar. As such, the DCU’s upcoming movie adaptations of things like Batman’s suit are focal matters for fans – especially when it comes to the teases that the DCU’s Batman costume may adapt one much-discussed concept.
Giving Batman’s DCU Movie Suit White Lenses Has Been A Long-Term Franchise Dream
The concept of Batman’s movie suits having white lenses – reflecting the comics, wherein the hero is commonly depicted with all-white eyes when having donned the costume – has been an ongoing topic for years. Prior to the DCU’s announcement, fans have called for almost every movie’s Batman suit to have white lenses, though only some have answered the call.
The white lens look has been used in prior movies, but only decidedly sparingly. For example, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice used brief sH๏τs of the Caped Crusader’s lenses lighting up to show the suit’s capabilities being used, and The Dark Knight similarly used a white lens light to denote him using the suit’s tech to track his enemies.
As such, we’ve yet to see a live-action suit that goes all in on the white lens look, though we’ve certainly seen evidence it can work for Batman with his costume. Similarly, the success of heroes like ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool in live-action movies – who also use the white eye lens look in their own suits – reinforces its potential.
Given this backdrop, the matter of whether the DC Universe will adapt Batman’s white lenses – and how it will do so, if this ends up transpiring in even a limited capacity – are naturally key talking points when it comes to DCU’s Dark Knight.
This makes it all the more interesting that what the DCU has shown us thus far suggests it will adapt them in some form – both because of what we’ve seen of Batman himself thus far, and because of another key DCU hero.
The DCU’s Approach To White Suit Lenses Bodes Well For Its Batman
While we’ve yet to see the DCU Batman in live-action, the franchise has provided its fair share of teases about how it will handle the white lens matter. First and foremost, we’ve already gotten a DCU character who uses white lenses in live-action, thanks to the release of the 2025 Superman movie.
In the film, Mister Terrific also has his own Batman-esque white lens moment, with the look appearing when the hero uses his mask to analyze Lex Luthor’s tech. Notably, this moment looks good in the DCU movie, while also mirroring an aspect of Terrific’s own suit design in the comics.
The brief glimpse we’ve gotten of Batman in the DC Universe thus far also seems to suggest the DCU will be leaning into the white lens angle to some degree. In the scene quickly showing Batman in Creature Commandos‘s Doctor Phosphorus backstory, a flash of lightning shows the hero with white eyes, implying the suit will take this approach.
That said, it’s worth keeping in mind that animated depictions will likely not always end up totally reflecting the DCU’s live-action designs, meaning this backdrop still doesn’t make things definite just yet. Indeed, it seems that Creature Commandos‘s Batman cameo comes before the DCU has solidified their Batman suit plans, leaving things more up in the air.
Why It’d Make Sense For The DCU’s Batman Suit To Get White Lenses
Prior releases have demonstrated how the white lenses can work in short-term circumstances when it comes to Batman’s suit. Ultimately, it seems like this could be easy for the DCU to replicate, and could denote Batman using many of his varied abilities without having to nod to things in dialogue or via other more direct means.
This could also be a key way to address the nuances of the DCU’s Batman suit in a world where it appears the hero will have had and honed his costume over the course of several years. Adding a way to signal a more advanced Batsuit would seem par for the course, and the white lenses are one easy way to do so.
It does also seem possible for the DCU to adapt the lenses more permanently – be that having a mode that keeps the lenses “on”, or through them remaining this way consistently. Mister Terrific’s suit demonstrated a way to do this, since it showed a very light pupil in the lens that allowed audiences to see where the hero was looking.
Currently, while work on The Brave & The Bold is underway, our first look at DCU’s Batman still seems to be some time off. However, this does mean those involved have plenty of time to work on the franchise’s batsuit design, and to test whether concepts like the white lenses can work for this version of the character.
Batman
- Created by
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Bob Kane, Bill Finger
- First Film
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Batman
- Latest Film
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The Batman
- Upcoming Films
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The Batman Part II
- First TV Show
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Batman (1966)
- Latest TV Show
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Batman: The Brave and the Bold