Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires—Why was the color blue banned from the movie?

Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires, the DC animated film, reimagines Batman's origins. Instead of the bleak streets of Gotham, it places its vigilante protagonist within the Aztec empire.

The upcoming movie offers a different interpretation of the Caped Warrior. He is not trying to get rid of the criminals from his city but to seek revenge against those who killed his father as they invade the empire. Much like Bruce Wayne, he is also a privileged man who learns from his masters to get into the battlefield and fight against injustice. Despite these familiar dramatic beats, the movie makes a small change in its visual palette.

According to an interview with Screenrant, the creative team didn't use the color blue in the film for the garbs. Some might wonder: why so? The reason Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires couldn’t use blue was due to its cultural significance as a hue reserved for deities. They wanted to be faithful to the details specific to the Mesoamerican culture as they recreated the historical region.

Let's find out what the creative team said about this creative decision.

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Why did the Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires team not use the blue color?

Producer Aaron Berger shed light on this topic during his conversation with Screenrant. He said,

"The essence of it came through the letters from Cortez back to Spain, describing what they saw, because much of that has already been destroyed. And we were very conscious of doing the things that were necessary to convey [the culture] in the most accurate light possible. Jose Carlos likes to talk about why we couldn't use the color blue, because that was reserved for deities. So, you won't see people wearing blue garb in Tenochtitlan and the rest of it."

Berger and his creative team understood that it marks a change from many Batman-related projects from DC, where blue is one of the prominent colors. In line with this, he told Screenrant,

"The artists, both there and throughout the rest of Latin America, were so inspired by having the opportunity to tell part of their story. Even if it's dressed in DC, the DC part becomes universal, and then [there's] the specificity of the Mexican culture. By using a historical consultant, it makes it even more universal, because now everybody can see and imagine themselves in these characters."

It's a seemingly minor detail that viewers may not consciously notice. However, it can still affect their viewing experience of the movie. Let's find out what the color blue means in Mexican culture.

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What does blue represent in Mexican culture?

Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires, the forthcoming Mexican-American superhero film, is helmed by Mexican writer-director Juan Meza-León. He was joined by a talented cast and crew, who passionately worked on a chapter that adapts the classic Batman tale with a lore rooted in their history. It's also why they reportedly didn't use blue in the attire.

Looking back at the history of the region, Aaron Berger's comments ring true. The color blue was associated with Huitzilopochtli, known as the god of the south, sun, and war. The pigment was reserved to portray someone divine. To bring in this culturally specific detail, the team behind Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires consulted experts in the field. In line with this, Berger said,

"We worked with a premier cultural advisor from Mexico City, and he is one of the preeminent professors on Aztec culture. And we integrated [that information] not just in the narrative, because we wanted to stay true to the historical facts, but in terms of creating the visuals that Juan and Jose Carlos and the team at Ánima did in terms of recreating Tenochtitlan and making it a living city as opposed to the ruins that we visit."

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More details about Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires

The animated film features a stellar voice cast of actors such as Horacio Garcia Rojas, Álvaro Morte, José Carlos Illanes, Omar Chaparro, Raymond Cruz, and more. Ernie Altbacker has written the script for this film based on the classic DC characters, backed by Ánima, Chatrone, and Warner Bros. Animation.

As established earlier, it is steeped in the details of prehistoric culture. Still, the team ensured that it had the essence of the caped vigilante. That's why the protagonist, Yohualli, is also a privileged man who takes it upon himself to fight the villains of his world. Despite the changes, it is expected to be an equally immersive experience that takes a leaf from the classic DC story and presents it through a bold reimagining.

It will be bold, vivid, and as thrilling as any other Batman project. Fans can soon watch it on HBO Max.

Aztec Batman: Clash of the Empires is scheduled to be released on September 18, 2025, on HBO Max and in Mexican theaters.

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Also read: Here are the times live-action Batman movies have broken the “no-kill rule”