The Cowl

"Batman Begins" Production Notes Unlike the Batsuits from previous films, the new design allows the actor portraying Batman to turn his head. In the other films, Batman has to turn his entire torso to look to the left or right.

Batman replaced the traditional helmet that accompanies the Nomax Suit with his distinctive cowl, which does more than simply add to his daunting appearance.

Batman's cowl is sculpted from an impact-resistant, graphite-composite exterior. There is also bullet-proof Kevlar plating that shields sections of Batman's head and protects it from small-arms fire. Bundled into the "ears" of the cowl are high-gain microphones and a radio antenna. The radio antenna allows Batman to monitor police and emergency-services radio frequencies so that he can always be "first on the scene."

Courtesy Warner Bros.; Photo: David James The design of Batman's cowl is a balance of form and function.

The microphones in the ears are combined with special earpieces in the cowl that give Batman superior hearing in the field. The microphones can also be used to amplify Batman's voice and broadcast it through a discreet speaker in the suit. This is what gives Batman's voice that distinctive, disembodied and unearthly sound.

"Batman Begins" Production Notes During production, actor Christian Bale had one consistent assessment of the Batsuit: "It's hot, dark and sweaty and it gives me a headache." Costumers had this put on their crew t-shirts. Bale explains how he used that discomfort to his advantage: "It induced headaches and would send me into a foul mood after a half an hour ... I used the pain as fuel for the character's anger ... you become a beast in that suit."