Last week we got the first details of the all-star cast and crew of the Superman: Red Son animated adaptation of the acclaimed titular Elseworlds storyline by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson that imagines what would happen if the Man of Steel landed not in the heartland of Kansas but in the Cold War era Soviet Union.
Among the cast is Roger Craig Smith as the voice of Batman who’s no stranger to the Dark Knight having played the character in previous projects such as the Batman: Arkham Origins video game and the Batman Ninja anime film.
On yesterday’s DC Daily episode on the DC Universe streaming platform, during an interview with Smith by host Hector Navarro, we got our first look at Russian Batman (or Batmankoff as he’s referred to in the comics storyline). Moreover, Smith revealed that he does in fact play Batman with a Russian accent that he hopes passes muster and promises the film will be “quite a ride.”
In the world of Superman: Red Son (categorized as Earth-30 in the DC Comics Multiverse), the parents of this version of Batman were dissidents gunned down by Pyotr Roslov (the Earth-30 version of Pete Ross). Vowing revenge, Batmankoff wages a one man war on Superman and his regime with the grit and determination embodied in any incarceration of the Caped Crusader.
Of course, one of the most distinct features of this Batman is his choice to wear a Russian fur-lined cap with ear flaps. Though a quintessential aspect of the Red Son Batman that has become a visual favorite for fans, artist Dave Johnson has said that not everyone warmed up to to this design. “I took a lot of crap from friends about this hat. But I still like the design. Russia is cold. Why can’t Batman have a warm hat?
