In the Batman comics, Lucius Fox is the man that makes The Dark Knight’s gadgets. Fans unfamiliar with the comics famously know this character either from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy played by Morgan Freeman or the hit Fox series Gotham, where Chris Chalk played the inventor. While iterations of Batman’s partner have been scarce on-screen before Nolan’s work, Lucius has always been instrumental to Batman’s success. He is not just the creator of all his high-tech tools and vehicles, but he also runs Wayne Enterprises while Bruce Wayne spends his time fighting crime.
The Batman was released in theaters earlier this month, but Lucius was nowhere to be seen in the film. He wasn’t even mentioned. While the character was never introduced in cinema before the Batman Begins in 2005, it’s interesting to think that a man this important would not be utilized in the dark world of Bruce Wayne. So, where was Lucius Fox?
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Why Was Lucius Fox Absent From The Batman?
A straightforward explanation for the genius’s absence from The Batman may be that Bruce hasn’t met him yet. At the time in the film, the young billionaire had been fighting crime as Batman for only two years, and though The Batman is not an origin story, it’s still very early in his career. Looking at his Bat Cave and gear, one might detect a bit of an amateur’s flair, indicating that he’s sourced and set up his equipment on his own. Past incarnations of The Dark Knight show high-tech weaponry, supercomputers, and out-of-this-world vehicles. In contrast, Matt Reeves’ Batman looks to be using things he could order online and driving around in a car he’s tuned up himself. If and when Lucius comes into the fray, the films will likely see considerable upgrades to Batman’s tools, turning him more into the Caped Crusader that most fans would be more familiar with.
Another possible reason for Lucius’s absence could just be a decision Matt Reeves made to try and distance his trilogy from Christopher Nolan’s, as theorized by Screen Rant. The Batman is a different film entirely. Reeves’ picture is a noir mystery that focuses on conflict with The Riddler and Wayne’s darker and angrier personality. In addition, Nolan’s films put a lot of focus on Batman’s gadgets, whereas Reeves’ Batman focuses on the man on a more human level. So, perhaps it didn’t make sense for Fox to be in the film for anything besides upgrading Bruce’s suit and equipment.
Will Lucius Fox Appear in The Batman Sequel?
Warner Bros.
It could be that Matt Reeves may take a 007 approach with Batman’s Q by using this first film to show Batman from his more humble roots before introducing the man who makes his trademark toys. This would be like how Daniel Craig’s first two Bond films — Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace — showed a modern-day spy using guns and basic resources before Q started arming him with exploding watches and cars with machine guns. Also, as Bruce Wayne becomes more active as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, it will be hard to manage an entire company and his nightlife at the same time. Lucius Fox is historically more than Wayne’s supplier, he also runs the company when Bruce is busy putting away bad guys. One could say that Lucius is responsible for maintaining the vast wealth that finances the world’s greatest detective. Indeed, despite the character not being portrayed before Nolan, Lucius is essential to Batman’s success in the field. Whether the character will appear in subsequent films hasn’t been confirmed, but fans would love to see Batman’s lesser-mentioned business partner in Reeves’ universe.
