Image via DC Comics
When it comes to Batman’s vehicles, the Batmobile is by far the most recognized, both in the comics and other media. While most iterations of the vehicle portray it as a sleek performance car, the Riot Tank Batmobile marked a definitive change in how the Dark Knight got around Gotham.
Learn about Batman’s monster truck.
Introduced in The Dark Knight Returns, the Riot Tank Batmobile was originally developed by Batman to address widespread rioting in the city. That’s why it’s armed with rubber bullets instead of lethal arms.
However, it’s imposing size and massive turret that looks more like some mythical beast’s neck with a barrel at the end are obviously designed to intimidate and scatter those who aren’t afraid of the police.
As a tank, it of course has treads instead of wheels and is heavily armored, although we never see that thick shell challenged.
Instead, as Batman rolls into the Gotham city dump to take on the mutant threat, his foes are scattered before him. The tank’s prowess at causing chaos and sowing disarray among unruly crowds is quickly demonstrated.
Even though the Riot Tank Batmobile only makes a single appearance in the comics and is shown in a dream sequence in The New Batman Adventures cartoon series, it influenced the creation of one of the most well-known and controversial Batmobiles of all time: the Tumbler.
It’s easy to see how the hulking, imposing shape of the Riot Tank Batmobile influenced the tank-like Tumbler, even though the latter doesn’t have treads or a turret. But what’s even more interesting is to put the Riot Tank Batmobile next to another of Batman’s rides and realize its aesthetic was also heavily influenced by it.
That other vehicle is of course the muscle car-based Batmobile from The Batman. It’s not something you would notice unless looking at the two side-by-side, but the influence is there, obviously as a means of intimidation of the Dark Knight’s foes.
Images via DC Comics
