“Aztec Batman”: a superhero with a pre-Hispanic identity

“My inner child is happy,” says Horacio García Rojas, the voice of a new version of “Batman,” excitedly, minutes before embarking on his trip to participate in the San Diego Comic-Con.

The actor from “Morenita” and “La Carga,” along with producer José Carlos García de Letona and director Juan Meza León, officially presented the film “Batman Azteca: Clash of Empires” yesterday after six years of work .

The film is set during Hernán Cortés' arrival in Tenochtitlán . It follows Yohualli Coatl , a young man who, while still recovering from the death of his mother, suffers the loss of his father, Chief Toltecatzin , murdered in cold blood by the conquistador Hernán Cortés. Just when it seems his world is coming to an end, he stumbles upon a forgotten temple of Titicatzin (the bat god of the Aztecs), beginning his own adventure.

"What the character does is want to be the best warrior. He's a man of values, ethical, who goes through all the necessary processes and understands that revenge isn't what matters, but justice is. The first 15 minutes, we see him as a young boy, then the transition comes, as we witness his entire training," García Rojas reveals.

The cast also includes Omar Chaparro, who plays Yoka, a Joker emulator, and Spaniard Álvaro Morte ("Money Heist"), who plays Cortés.

“Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires” is not the first initiative to be made outside the traditional superhero spectrum, as in 2018 the Japanese made the animated film “Batman Ninja.”

The 2D film was produced with the professional guidance of historian Alejandro Díaz Barriga. The Templo Mayor will be seen in all its splendor, utilizing rigorous research and a degree of creativity.

“There are also historical moments, where, for example, you see Cortés in Cholula and we understand that almost an entire town was murdered, and that it wasn't necessarily a warlike event. Putting it on screen is interesting because it allows those who don't know what happened to understand it. There's a whole search for the visual; the pyramids will be seen full of color, as they really were, and not the grays we see now,” he emphasizes.

"If you continue to think about the Bruce Wayne myth, but it's set in Mexico, and that allows us to revisit our identity, our pre-Hispanic past, and see what we can be proud of," the actor adds.

The film is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Particular Crowd, along with the national production company Ánima Estudios, creator of the saga of legends and Chatrone (“The Book of Life”).

“ Batman Azteca: Clash of Empires” will hit theaters on September 18, the month in which Batman Day is celebrated.

With information from El Universal

Profile - Horacio García Rojas

A graduate of CasAzul and the "Theater of the Body" diploma, Horacio has worked as a performing artist in theater, film, and television. The same year he completed his studies in Dramatic Arts, he participated in his first film: "Julia," alongside Tilda Swinton, and directed by Erick Zonca, winner of the Camera d'Or at Cannes. A year later, he filmed his first leading role alongside Ignacio López Tarso and Maya Zapata in "Morenita, el escándalo," directed by Alan Jonsson. Throughout his career, Horacio has shared the stage with internationally renowned actresses and actors such as Oscar Isaac, Andy García, Brendan Fraser, Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Clint Eastwood , who also directed him in the 2021 film "Cry Macho."

In television and series, her leading roles in the Netflix original series "Diablero," "SOZ: Soldados o Zombies," and "La Reina del Sur" stand out. At the end of 2024, she was part of the main cast of two of the most successful series of the year: "Las Azules," the first Apple TV+ original series in Mexico, and "Accidente," one of Netflix's most-streamed series of the year.

This year sees the premiere of HBO's dark fantasy series "Coyotl" alongside Alejandro Speitzer and Paulina Gaitán. He will also voice a familiar hero in the new version of "Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires," DC Comics' first Latin American co-production with HBO Max and Ánima Studios.

CT