Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is unlike any take on the Caped Crusader seen before. Set in the city of Tenochтιтlan during the later days of the Aztec Empire, the story follows Yohualli Coatl, a young Batman who, in a rare move for the franchise, has no connection to Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. Instead, Yohualli’s origins stem from the invasion of Spanish conquistadors, one of which kills his father and sets him on a path toward justice–or revenge.
The animated film is a collaboration between DC and the Mexican animation company Ánima Estudios, and was directed by Juan Meza-Leon. Horacio García Rojas plays Batman, and Raymond Cruz plays Yoka, the film’s iteration of the Joker. But Batman’s most iconic foe isn’t the only rogue being reinterpreted for the film, as Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will feature a number of Batman’s best villains, reimagined for its unique time period.
ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier interviewed Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires stars Horacio García Rojas and Raymond Cruz, director Juan Meza-Leon, and producers Jose Carlos de Letona and Aaron Berger about their new take on the classic hero. The cast and creatives discussed how this film is unlike any other Batman movie, especially in how it reinterprets characters through actual Aztec mythology and using real-world events. They also previewed some of the villains in the film including none other than the conquistador Hernán Cortés.
Why Aztec Culture Was The Perfect Fit For A Batman Story
Aztec Batman Is “Based On Real History”
Aztec Batman aren’t two words anyone is accustomed to hearing together, a fact that even the film’s director acknowledged. “Just those two words together–Batman Azteca–[have] so much power,” Juan Meza-Leon said. “It just knocks you on your ʙuтт. So when I was approached by Ánima and Chatrone about it, and when they told me the idea, I immediately said yes. I mean, that just sounds like a fantastic project.”
And it’s not a gimmick. “We saw the opportunity to tell a story of Batman that’s very unique to us,” said producer Jose Carlos de Letona. “There are very factual things going on in the movie that were based on real history.” It’s still Batman, he acknowledged–“Obviously, there are fantastical elements and we try to unite those two ideas in the best way possible,”–but it’s a take on the character inhabiting a real city and drawing from real Aztec tradition.
Juan Meza-Leon explained further, saying, “Growing up … learning about the Aztec culture at school and everything–that was our own mythology. Having the opportunity to combine those two worlds and come up with something original and new that has nothing to do with the Wayne part of the story of Batman–that was the thing that allowed it to be adaptable in so many ways because it is such a human character.”
Although this Batman is very much human–”He does go through a lot of human emotions: tragedy, loss, anger, the need for justice, [and] the search for vengeance” –Meza-Leon revealed that he and writer Ernie Altbacker came up with a story that allowed them to “mix both the fantastical elements of the Batman mythology and some historical moments that happened during the conquest.”
“Batman has a little bit of supernatural mysticism to him,” Meza-Leon continued, “[and] the Aztec culture is loaded with that. The combination was [made] easier, even so, [with] the idea of a bat warrior based on [a] deity. They did have a bat god both in the Mayan culture and the Aztec culture. So that was the perfect little crack in the window to jump in there and create a whole possibility–a whole world based on a warrior that dons the mantle of the bat.”
Batman Is Given New Life Through A Cultural Lens
“This Is The Representation That We Want”
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires is a big deal, especially for star Horacio García Rojas. “My inner boy … wants to see this kind of show,” he said. “[He’d get] to sit with my parents and ask them, “Where [do] we come from? Why [do I] look like I look? Where are my roots?” And this is a great way [to do that] because, if you watch the movie, it fits [perfectly.]”
“It’s a really important thing for Latin America and for the culture. This is the representation that we want.”
Rojas continued, saying, “We don’t want to be tokens in big productions. We want representation with our own context and our own stories to meet the fantastic world with our own world that [is] also fantastic.”
Speaking more specifically about what his take on Batman will be like, Rojas revealed that “it’s a young Batman. We’re going to see a really young Batman [taking his] first steps as a superhero. And, at the beginning, his path is through vengeance. He wants revenge, but at some point he understands that justice is the best way.”
The biggest way this character is different than any Gotham City hero is that “it’s Mesoamerica, so we are really connected with Mother Earth,” Rojas said. “Poison Ivy is there, but it’s not just Poison Ivy. It’s something bigger–something that represents Mother Earth. So, I think that’s changed with Batman. He’s related to the animals. He’s related to the jaguars, he’s related [to] the forest, and we try to integrate everything in his voice.”
Some elements, like Batman’s tech savvy, will stay consistent, at least in a way. “There’s a new technology that came from the other part of the sea,” Rojas added, “and he’s trying to understand the powder. He’s trying to understand how they work the metal [and], at the same time, mix it with the obsidiana. That’s why he’s really powerful. He understands [how] to mix both parts: the old part and the new part.”
Aztec Batman’s Joker Is More Than Just A Villian
“It Is A Very Tragic Story”
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will feature Batman’s tried-and-true nemesis The Joker but, as with Batman, you can expect a different version of the character. “He doesn’t start off as the Joker,” said voice actor Raymond Cruz. “He starts off under certain circumstances [that] influence, mentally [and] emotionally, where he ends up. And [living] within the Aztec rituals–the things that they believed in, like the sacrifice–all of this painted his mental picture.”
“When I looked at the story, I saw tragedy. And it is a very tragic story.”
Cruz suggested that the Joker’s turn to evil is a direct result of the conquistadors’ landing. “There’s a lot of tragedy in the Aztec story with the invasion of the Spanish Empire,” he said, adding, “When they came in and decided they wanted to steal the gold and ravage the kingdom, all of that lends itself to tragedy. [We] take the character from [being] an enriched person–he was a high priest and advisor to Montezuma–and have him fall from grace and have to deal with that.”
Director Juan Meza-Leon revealed that the Joker’s reaction to the conquistadors’ arrival will contrast with Batman’s in a way that brings out the movie’s themes. “This is the story of these two great human characters,” he said, “human beings that go through a tragedy. Each one makes a decision, either ‘I’m going to do whatever it is that I can within my power so that nobody suffers,’ or, ‘I’m going to do whatever it is in my power so that everybody suffers like me.’
“One decides to take that tragedy and become something great. One decides to take that tragedy and [bring] everybody down with them.”
How Classic Villains Will Be Re-Imagined In Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires
Featuring Colonizer Hernán Cortés As Two-Face
Judging by the number of villains revealed to be in Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires, the film is very much aiming to make the most of its spin on the Batman mythos. “We’ve got Two-Face, we have Joker, we have Catwoman–or Jaguar-woman–[and] Poison Ivy,” Meza-Leon said, “and each of those had to be reinterpreted with the imagery and the spirit of the Aztec culture.”
“We have a Catwoman,” Meza-Leon shared, “but there’s no cats. There were jaguar warriors, so now we have a female version of a jaguar warrior. She’s an essential character in teaching our young Yohualli Coatl how to fight at night. Because that was a little detail [about] the Aztec culture. They didn’t fight at night because they were not protected by the sun god, so you needed a warrior that can fight at night.”
The most interesting choice, however, may be Hernán Cortés as Two-Face. “The reason why Cortés fit the character so well,” Meza-Leon said, “is because of that duality. You come with a friendly face, a friendly smile, [like] you have the wellbeing for everybody [in mind,] and then you turn around and completely do the opposite. So that’s a Two-Face, right? [It] fits perfectly within the story.”
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires will be released on HBO Max on September 18.
Check out our other SDCC 2025 interviews here:
- Red Sonja
- Alien: Earth
- Solar Opposites
- The Toxic Avenger
- For All Mankind & Star City
- The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ: Daryl Dixon
- The Mighty Nein & Vox Machina Season 4
Source: Screen Rant Plus
