Despite not being gifted with super human powers or abilities, Batman is just as, if not more, important than the other members of the Justice League. What he lacks in powers he makes up for with his brilliant mind, seemingly infinite resources and high-tech gadgets.
Just as Bruce Wayne says to Barry Allen in the Justice League trailer, his superpowers is that he’s rich. And much like how Batman footed the bill in the animated series Justice League with the Watchtower, so too will Affleck’s Batman in the DCEU.
As we saw in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the credits scene of Suicide Squad, Bruce Wayne now knows there are other meta humans in the world. With his renewed faith in humanity after Superman’s death, Bruce is going to recruit these super powered beings to help protect the Earth from the looming threat Lex Luthor said was coming after his time in the crashed Kryptonian ship. Affleck says this about Batman forming the team:
“He brings them to the Batcave and lets them in on the central conflict of the story, who the enemy is. There’s a little bit of a Magnificent Seven aspect to it.”
To help his newly assembled team of heroes, Batman is bringing in his biggest and shiniest new toy to help transport the team: the Flying Fox. Designer Patrick Tatopoulos had this to say regarding Batman’s newest vehicle:
“You can put three Batmobiles in the lower part of it. I didn’t want to do a sleek airplane; it needed to feel like an extremely avant-garde classic. With the maneuverability of a jet – but it can actually carry things. The bottom part of the jet is a huge cargo bay, which the Batmobile sits in. The second floor is like a cultural center, with computer terminals. The third story is the cockpit. Whatever floor you are on, you can see (the other) two stories.”
Much like with the Watchtower, the DCEU version of Batman is supplying the team with a headquarters that can house them, transport them to where they need to be and hold their arsenal of weaponry and technology. Here is concept art for the Flying Fox:
Justice League
Flying Fox Concept Art
Several cool things to point out about this photo, besides the Flying Fox itself. Batman is, as by his nature, alone and separated from the rest of the team. Also, the team is gathered around a conference table and all in uniform. Will we actually get to see a debate/conversation among the League members while in uniform at the table?
Zack Snyder has said in the past he thought the idea of adults having dialogue in their superhero costumes seemed silly, but maybe he, or even Whedon’s influence, decided it was best for this film.
A fun fact about the name Flying Fox. It is the name that the Megachiroptera, or fruit bat, is also known as, which are the largest bats in the world. Very fitting name for Batman’s massive, aerial vehicle.
What do you think of the Justice League’s new vehicle (headquarters?) courtesy of our dear Dark Knight? Let us know!
Justice League is in theaters November 17th.