The Flash: Michael Keaton Returning as Batman-
Today’s biggest news update has been nothing but the fact that Michael Keaton, the first Batman to make us fall in love with the idea of Batman on the big screen, is now coming back to play the Bat. The Flash producer, Barbara Muschietti (director Andy Muschietti’s wife) teased that we will be getting a big news about The Flash real soon. She also confirmed that Cyborg will have a role to play in the movie. But now, we’ve got a new report about Michael Keaton returning to DC after 29 years.
According to The Wrap, Keaton is in early talks to return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DCEU. Things are not set in stone just yet, but we’ve got the confirmation that if it will happen, then Keaton will be reprising the same version of Bruce Wayne that he played in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). In fact, it has been stated that his appearance will also retcon Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), which were supposedly a part of Keaton’s franchise as well. So technically Kilmer & Clooney’s Batman we will now be written out of The Batman continuity and we will be seeing Keaton’s 30 years after Batman returns.
Anyway, what’s interesting is that Keaton’s return won’t just be a one off. THR reporter Borys Kit further stated that he’d be in for multiple movies and play a similar role to Nick Fury in the MCU. Is that supposed to solve the Batman problem in the DCEU? Probably. Probably not. We’ll see about that. But it has already been stated that after The Flash, Keaton’s Batman will appear in the Batgirl movie that WB is developing. That film should also take place in the DCEU itself.
As of now, we can only guess how Keaton’s Bruce Wayne will be transitioned into The Flash. We have to keep in mind that since Keaton would be 70 years old when The Flash comes out, his Bruce Wayne would also be around the same age. Hence, we might not actually be seeing him suit up as Batman. He does suit up as the Vulture in the MCU, but that suit is technologically powered, and Keaton’s face is mostly covered. Meaning, that role is not as physically draining as Batman’s role would be. Hence, Keaton would probably just show up as Bruce Wayne and help Barry fix the Flashpoint problem.
After all, he will be coming in because of the Flashpoint event that Barry creates by saving his mother in the past. Andy Muschietti teased that the coming Flashpoint will be very different from what we’ve seen in the past. So, we assume that it will be different by the ways of the Multiverse. Meaning, Barry running back in time could cause a rift in the Multiverse. That rift could either suck Keaton’s Bruce Wayne into the DCEU. Or since Keaton’s Batman is quite experienced, he might have seen the implications of Flashpoint on his Earth. He would have experienced how Flashpoint destroyed (or almost destroyed) his Earth and another one in the Multiverse. So, having seen another rift in the Multiverse, Keaton’s Bruce might voluntarily jump into it, arriving on the DCEU Earth to help Barry save not 1, but 2 Earths. Let’s wait and see how things go.
For now, the fans are excited that Michael Keaton is coming back in the role we all loved him in, almost 3 decades ago. It doesn’t fully cure the wound that we’ve suffered by the loss of Ben Affleck. But it certainly helps knowing that WB is completely giving into the idea of the Multiverse which was set up by the Arrowverse. Let’s see what other interesting stories WB could tell with Keaton’s Bruce Wayne, if he is indeed going to stay for the long haul.
The Flash arrives on June 3, 2022.
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