why don't we ever see the detective side of Batman in the movies ?

[2britishnerdz]

i would really love to see DC inject the detective aspect of Batman within there up and coming movies as it would add more interest and complete the persona of Batman .

[Osiris-Rex]

i would really love to see DC inject the detective aspect of Batman within there up and coming movies as it would add more interest and complete the persona of Batman .

Interesting question. About the only time we did was in the 1966 Batman movie, and to a lesser extent the 1989 Batman movie and some in Batman Returns. Now about the only detective work Bruce Wayne
does is on Gotham. Now they just want an action hero that looks good in a costume. I guess the producers think that having Batman think is boring.

[The Darknight Detective]

The funny thing is that the Adam West Batman is easily the best detective of all of the live-action Bats.

[ZeroBG82]

i would really love to see DC inject the detective aspect of Batman within there up and coming movies as it would add more interest and complete the persona of Batman .

If I had to guess? Because the suits think that the audience wants action, not quiet segments of investigative practice.

More pragmatically, there's the question of how you show Bruce being a detective on film. Most of the really good "detective" stories on tv/film, that actually focus on the solving of the crime and the method thereof, are either heavily narrated, or involve a sidekick/coworker for the detective to explain their thought process to. Batman is the consummate loner and isn't really known for talking to anybody. Which doesn't mean it couldn't be done, obviously. But you'd need some creative film-making. Which seems unlikely coming from a major studio, honestly. They're kind of the play-it-safe by definition crowd.

Alternatively, you could trust the audience to follow the mystery without narrative guides, but then you're likely to see a "mystery" so dumbed down that it makes Batman look like an idiot. The sword has both edges, as it were.

[Doctor Know]

The Dark Knight had the most Batman playing a detective, with the fragmented bullet scene.

As to why it's not done more, I suspect for the same reasons Superman being an investigative reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, isn't explored more in his films. It's not the attraction for the films, so it's cut or played lip service to.

[Jim Kelly]

I think it's just because Hollywood is locked into this formula, but I think a detective Batman would yield a far better story--one that would please more people. Given the number of movies that are detective thrillers, it's not like Hollywood writers don't know how to do those stories. There are lots of loner detectives that still manage to explain their thought process within the movie.

[codystarbuck]

How many regular detective movies do you see these days? At best, you get forensic stories or profilers. There is very little in the way of traditional detective stories, anymore (apart from tv, and most of that is in the UK). Batman is seen as an action hero, so that is where they write it. Heck, the comics haven't exactly been big on mysteries and detection in recent years, compared to the past. You don't see as many writers who know how to plot a good mystery. In the 70s and before, Detective Comics was usually the home for Batman mysteries, while Batman had more of the action/adventure stuff. not always; but, that was often the formula. Batman the Animated Series was the best place to see Batman doing detective work, on tv or film.

[LordMikel]

In Batman the Animated series I thought they had one of the best "Detective" scenes. Bruce Wayne was at a party and there were various con men there. He identified them, because he is Batman, and had to stop them as Bruce. Typically by stopping their con although I think he did punch two of them out. But it would be a very easy scene to put into a movie.

[BishopsJuice91]

They do just not as much because well it's a action movie and people aren't going to pay to see batsman be a detective the whole movie. They showed it in TDK trilogy...

[codystarbuck]

They do just not as much because well it's a action movie and people aren't going to pay to see batsman be a detective the whole movie. They showed it in TDK trilogy...

That's debatable; though there was far more detection than in the previous attempts, for sure.

[Jim Kelly]

I don't think you see Bruce in costume in the movies as much as you do in the comic books. They want us to see the actor, so they give Bruce more scenes out of costume. The in-costume stuff is a lot of stunt work and technical effects. For the actor to show his craft, it's better to have scenes with unmasked Bruce. And that's the opeining for showing him doing detection and interacting with other people (like Alfred).

It may be on television, but the SHERLOCK TV movies make detection look cinematic--they're hardly boring.

[Flyattractor]

Does Batman even fight crime in the comics anymore?

[Iron_Legion87]

Yea that's one thing that has disappointed me about the recent live action Batman movies is that he isn't much of a detective. In the Nolan movies there is literally only ONE scene of him doing detective work in all three movies and that is in The Dark Knight. In Batman VS Superman he does a little bit of detective work but it's not much. I hope some movie finally showcases his detective side and show people why he is considered the world's greatest detective.

[titanfan]

We hardly even see it in the comics! So many times it's happens off panel or we just get one or two panels of him contemplatively looking at clues.

[Iron_Legion87]

We hardly even see it in the comics! So many times it's happens off panel or we just get one or two panels of him contemplatively looking at clues.

LOL that is true.