by Reiko G.
In Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the Wayne family moves from their mansion to what is called Wayne Tower, a Gothic-inspired building. Many associate Gothic with the more modern concept of goth–an aesthetic primarily consisting of black and mournful themes. So the obvious reason for the gothic style Wayne Tower would be because Matt Reeves’ Batman is known for being the ‘emo’ Batman. However, Gothic Architecture’s origins aren't ‘emo’ or ‘goth’ at all; there's a much deeper reason for this design choice.
Gothic architecture’s origins are closely tied to European politics in the Late Middle Ages. It was a way for Louis VI of France to portray himself as a leader that was uplifting the community, which was necessary because they were coming out of the Black Plague. Despite the connotation of the modern interpretation of Gothic, the architectural style was meant to represent hope and light. This contrasted Gothic architecture’s predecessor, Romanesque architecture, which primarily aimed to guilt the viewer into being devout –not uplifting the community in times of distress. By stepping into a gothic church, the viewer was to be transported into a heaven-like place. One of Gothic architecture’s main goals was to replace as much of the wall as possible with windows to allow as much light into the church as possible. Light was seen as a literal manifestation of god, thus allowing the viewer to be surrounded by the light of god within the church. It was important for the churches to reflect a more positive outlook on the world in times of constant suffering in the community.
One of The Batman’s main themes is renewal. At its core, Gothic architecture is all about renewing the old to make it modern and better serve the present times. It’s implied Thomas Wayne begins the renewal program and moves the family into the Wayne Tower around the same time. It's quite a contrast between the two homes and that's no accident. Thomas Wayne was trying to reform the city and that's no exception for him and his family. Although Thomas Wayne wanted to renew the city, Gotham’s political system remained corrupt. The Riddler even critiques the system for having the two richest families be the main people in control of Gotham. The Gothic tower pays homage to the French monarchy of the Late Middle Ages, to further critique the corruption within the system. Thomas Wayne on the surface was seen as someone that would help the people but still reached this point through his family lineage and money. Bruce is constantly haunted by his father’s shadow and the tower is just one of those shadows left behind. The Riddler uses the “sins of his father” to expose the Wayne family and persistently reminds him of this.
Even on a surface level, the Gothic-style tower gives so much insight into Bruce Wayne as a character. As pointed out before, Gothic architecture was designed to let an abundance of light into its interior. This is quite the contrast to Batman’s dark, brooding character. Matt Reeves’ depiction of Batman strays from the path of previous Batman generations by omitting Bruce Wayne’s playboy persona. However, the bold, elaborate Gothic-styled Wayne Tower shows a sliver of that side of him and what he could be like. He is not seen in the tower often but when he is, he reflects a sense of uncomfortableness and looks out of place. He shows such a distaste for the light inside and even squints at bright light being let in, putting on sunglasses to avoid it. Batman is primarily, if not exclusively, seen in the shadows and the Gothic style of his home really helps to emphasize that aspect of his character.
Although Gothic architecture is often coined for being very moody it’s quite the opposite. To the untrained eye, it may look very brooding but the intentions behind its design were meant to have the opposite effect. It’s a perfect fit for Batman’s home because although he doesn’t have a playboy persona to hide his identity, his home along with the Wayne name completely opposes Batman’s aesthetic and creates the perfect disguise. It's the ideal architectural style to both shows the political situation of Gotham and the Waynes and highlights Batman’s character.
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