A
Justice League movie has been rumored for years, and the success of Marvel's Avengers helped prompt DC to get things moving. But in this case, only one preexisting movie was used as a starting point: Zack Snyder's
Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill. Christopher Nolan's trilogy remains self-contained, and Ben Affleck became the new Batman for 2016's
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
As with previous movies, a new Batman meant a new Batmobile. The car that debuted in
BvS was a low, flat machine officially spec'ed at 20' (6m) long, 12' (3.7m) wide, and weighing in at 7,000 lbs (3,175kg). Unlike
the Tumbler, this is not a repurposed bit of Wayne technology, but a specially-built machine to serve as Batman's ultimate ground vehicle (though individual bits of high-end Wayne tech have found their way into its design). It's primary weapon is a twin .50 caliber retractable machine gun turret, with other weapons including harpoons, spiked coils, chemical irritants, a charged surface, and sonic repellent. Additional weapons can also be fitted to the car on an as-needed basis. For defense, this Batmobile is fully armored with both passive and active anti-ballistics systems in addition to its stealth capabilities, electronic and physical countermeasures, smokescreen, and a scatter shield. Further enhancing its capabilities, it has night vision mode, sonar, toxin scan, and various surveillance options. To allow maximum flexibility in its duties, the suspension can be adjusted for street and off-road driving.
On creating the car, production designer Patrick Tatopoulos said his goal was to return the Batmobile to a "gothic, classic look." He wanted to bring back the long hood and flat canopy of
Anton Furst's design, and give the car something similar to Batman's flowing cape. Director Zack Snyder suggested making the Batmobile look used and scarred, as a way of suggesting its long history before the events of
Dawn of Justice.
DoJ added a new scuff when the Batmobile sideswiped Superman, who subsequently tore off the canopies for a face-to-face with Batman. Despite the extensive damage, the Batmobile easily made it back to the cave and returned to the screen for
Suicide Squad with another planned appearance in the upcoming
Justice League.