Batman Begins (2005)

To achieve this distinct look and feel, the team invented their own fabric – a parachute nylon that was electrostatically flocked to achieve a velvety finish. The flocking is a British Ministry of Defense-approved process that is employed when minimum night vision detection is required. It is used on London police force helmets, and it was their technicians who ended up teaching the production team how to flock the cape fabric.  The flocking is achieved by running a static electric charge underneath the material, which has been brushed with glue. Fine hairs are then dropped onto the fabric, which they cling to, attracted by the charge. “It’s like when you were a kid and you combed your hair to make it stand on end,” costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard describes. “It’s the same thing, except we use 60,000 volts to hold it in place.”

The cowl, Batman’s distinctive mask and head covering, also presented a challenge to the designers. In previous incarnations, the cowl restricted the actor’s movement so that he would have to turn his entire torso instead of just his neck when he wanted to look around – inevitably, it looked quite awkward. 

Hemming worked with Nolan and sculptor Julian Murray to devise a way to make the cowl thin enough to permit movement and supple enough to prevent it from wrinkling up when Bale turned his head. The result is a sleek, almost panther-like silhouette that allowed for natural movement. “I love the sensitivity of the cowl,” says Hemming. “You can almost feel the workings of his face underneath it.” 

“The cowl itself is very expressive,” adds Churchyard. “This is a man who has angst and that really shows through the mask – rather than concealing his emotions, it actually reveals his character.” 

In the film, the cowl boasts many features that make it a practical tool as well as an intimidating disguise – crafted with an impact-resistant graphite-composite exterior, there’s a Kevlar panel that shields Batman’s head from small caliber weapons fire; high-gain stereo microphones are concealed in the ears, allowing Batman to eavesdrop on distant conversations through walls or magnify his voice to formidable volume via a hidden loudspeaker; and a radio antenna in the earpiece that allows him to monitor police band and emergency response channels.

While the suit may have been more supple and allowed more movement than previous versions in prior Batman films, it was by no means comfortable, and during filming, Bale had to wear it for hours at a stretch. It took three people to suit Bale up every day. Overheating was a major concern, and at times Bale wore a “cool suit,” which had tiny plastic tubes running through the inside of the body, similar to what high-altitude pilots and astronauts use as a cooling system.

“I put it on as much as possible so that I could really get a feel for it and get the moves and the presence of the Batsuit correct,” says Bale. “Naturally, after six months of filming, I had a kind of a love-hate relationship with the thing. It induced headaches and would send me into a foul mood after half an hour. But I wasn’t going to be some little acting ninny who says I can’t deal with it anymore, take it off. I used the pain as fuel for the character’s anger. Batman’s meant to be fierce, and you become a beast in that suit, as Batman should be – not a man in a suit, but a different creature.” 

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