One particular thing that goes on in every fan’s head is, “how the Batmobile is going to look”. Are they going to keep its campy and natural appearance from the TV series? Will it be comical? Or tactical? That is why so many were intrigued when The Tumbler first opened its doors on the screen!
Batmobile is the fictional car owned by the superhero Batman himself, housed in the Batcave. The Batmobiles are heavily armoured tactical assault vehicles customized on another level. These vehicles first appeared in Detective Comics, displayed as an ordinary-looking car. The appearance of the Batmobiles changed with the course of the movies and the franchise. One famous Batmobile that everyone is in love with is The Tumbler. So if you are bubbling with curiosity as to what makes this Tumbler so popular, read on!
Batman has various cars in his possession. Although the first car of Batman had not earned the name ‘Batmobile’ back then, it was a red two-door coupe in 1939. But when Jerry Robinson put his effort to make the car look better, only from that moment it becomes a car to be properly called the Batmobile. Over time, writers and designers have presented Batman in different looks. And along with his changed looks, it didn’t take long for his guzzlers to change too!
The real-time Batmobile first made its appearance in the 1943 Batman movie short by Columbia. Being a low-budgeted movie, a 1939 series Cadillac 75 Convertible was presented as the Batmobile. When the top was up, it was a Batmobile, and if the top was down, it was Bruce Wayne’s car. Every generation is pretty much acquainted with the live-action Batmobile, and for the Gen-Z, the Batmobile is The Tumbler.
Here you will get to learn some interesting facts about Tumbler that you have never heard before.
The Pace Car in NASCAR
In 2005, for the first time in NASCAR history, a NASCAR race made its first appearance on screen in a movie. When the movie Batman Begins took place on Father’s day weekend, a Chevrolet SSR led the way for the race cars onto the track, and that SSR was the Tumbler. Since then, the duties of the pace car have been fulfilled by the SSR, with the appearance of the Batman itself.
The idea that changed history
Very few Batfans know that the design of the Tumbler started with a playdoh model presented by Christopher Nolan. According to Nolan, he and Nathan then continued to mix the models to create a new look for the chariot. They went on with the idea that they needed to be intimidating and fast. Later Chris combined a Lamborghini and Hummer, which may have sounded weird, but what came after it is the brilliant design that was too good.
It’s called Batmobile? Not quite.
If you don’t know, this is the only “Batmobile” that is not to be called Batmobile in any of Batman’s movies. Frankly speaking, you can have the Batmobiles from 1966, 1989, 1995 and 1997 and then poof, the Tumbler in 2005! The Dark Knight trilogy is set entirely on reality, so the name Tumbler suited it better as it wasn’t directly made by Bruce Wayne but by the Wayne conglomerate. Still, wondering why the Tumbler? Well, guess you need to re-watch the masterpiece again!
The fibreglass body
It all makes sense now. When the Tumbler got shot in the movie, it deflected the shots or its “armour” deflected them. To get that scene perfect, some special effects were used to make the illusion. And guess what, it looked perfect onscreen! The fibreglass body was a good idea as that made the car strong enough to jump around and also easily repairable in case anything happened.
Christian Bale wanted to keep it
The actor got behind the wheel during some scenes, and his shots were only about getting in and out of it. In the behind-the-scenes clip, Bale felt the coolest job was not being the Batman himself but being the stuntman who drives that. Then he asked Nolan if he could keep the guzzler, and the answer was sadly, no. Even though Bale speaks of the moment jokingly but deep down, it’s quite sure that he would love to have one to play around in. After all, he was the Dark Knight, and the right belongs to him!
Conclusion
It is indeed true that the design of the Batmobile reflects its aesthetics. One generation proudly presented the vintage cars, while the Gen-Z feels amazed by its modern avatar! Bat fans simply cannot get enough of this marvel!
Keyword: 5 Secrets About The 'Tumbler' Batmobile