Hear Me Out: Michael Keaton's Return For The Flash Was Awesome, And Not Just Because He's Batman
SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains crucial plot details from the latest DC movie, The Flash — especially regarding Michael Keaton’s role as Batman — so, unless you have experienced this epic return, proceed as cautiously as the Dark Knight would as you read through it.
If there is one topic that best defines my career as a professional pop culture fan or — if we are being completely honest here — my reputation as a proud, full-blooded nerd, it is Batman, who is the hero of many of the greatest superhero movies ever made. In my opinion, of course. So, it probably goes without saying that I was very interested in seeing The Flash and for no greater reason than to witness the triumphant return of Michael Keaton in the cape and cowl after more than 30 years. Well, I am happy to say that, in my eyes, a triumphant return it was, indeed.
The beloved actor — who went on to poke fun at his days playing the Dark Knight in two of the best Tim Burton movies with his Academy Award-nominated role in 2014’s Birdman and later join the MCU as one of the best cinematic Spider-Man villains, the Vulture — was the one live-action Batman actor I looked up to the most when I was growing up.
Therefore, Keaton’s reprisal of the role in Andy Muschietti’s DC Multiverse-spanning adventure was already a dream come true in concept and only more fulfilling by its delicately and lovingly designed execution, as far as I am concerned. To better understand why I believe this new superhero movie featuring Ezra Miller’s speedster in the spotlight also deserves to be called one of the best new Batman movies, read on.
We’ve Never Seen Keaton Fight Like This
As much as I adore Keaton’s tenure as Batman and the iconic moments that were bred from it, I cannot say that I have ever found the portrayal particularly perfect (but does such a thing exist, really?). To be more specific, the one element of the earlier live-action Batman movies — namely 1989’s Batman and Batman Returns from 1992 — that tends to bother me the most is the Dark Knight’s fighting style, which I would describe as a combination of effective blocking and sheer luck. Well, it appears that this Bruce Wayne has been able to brush up on his martial arts in the last few decades.
“Effective blocking and sheer luck” is certainly not how I would describe Keaton’s fighting style in The Flash, which I would actually liken more to Ben Affleck’s brutal brawler (which gave him an edge above Christian Bale when I compared the two iterations years ago). As we see when he confronts the intruding Barrys in his kitchen, when he takes out a whole fleet of Russian prison guards when rescuing Supergirl (Sasha Calle), and when taking on General Zod’s (Michael Shannon) army, Keaton’s Wayne has adopted a more animalistic approach to his physical combat methods that — while clearly achieved with help from CGI and still resulting in a few breaches of the no-kill rule — is a much-needed, much-welcome, and truly exhilarating wonder to behold. Yet, that is far form the only new shade to this iteration that I admire.
Keaton Adds New Layers To His Portrayal
Among the most essential reasons why Keaton’s Batman remains one of the most beloved and influential onscreen iterations yet is his pristine understanding of the character’s psychological flaws and his soft-spoken demeanor, going as far as removing much of his original dialogue from the Batman Returns script. The clever and methodical approach helped keep the vigilante appropriately mysterious and, therefore, more intriguing and practically leaving the audience wanting to know more about him. The Flash does provide us with more to know about this iteration and in ways that do not tarnish his appeal, but, actually, make him more appealing.
Bruce Wayne is, initially, depicted here as an aging recluse who lost his sense of purpose in a finally safe Gotham, but the Barry’s offer him the chance to be a hero again, which he accepts with a new sense of vigor. Their meeting also gives Keaton’s character an opportunity to take on the role of a mentor for the first time — since we never saw him team up with a Robin of his own — and, during one of their heart-to-hearts, address the loss of his parents and its effect on him in ways his films never deeply explored. Avoiding a soulless, uninspired retread of the same characterization is one thing, but the endearing ways that The Flash reinvents this portrayal is remarkable.
It Lets Keaton's Batman Interact With Other DC Heroes
Not only do Keaton’s Batman movies take place in a world in which there is no Robin — as a result of him turning down a third installment — but one in which no other superheroes even exist. This, of course, is a foreign concept to today’s era of shared universes and Multiverse movies (both of which The Flash is an extension of). By taking advantage of the chance to have Keaton’s Wayne team up with another costumed vigilante for a change, the film garners some pretty cool results if you ask me.
I have already touched on why I found Wayne’s relationship with the Barrys on a personal level compelling, but not yet commented on their dynamic as a team, which mostly consisted of the speedsters’ hilarious, slack-jawed reactions to seeing the 70-year-old badass before them in action. Not to mention, seeing Keaton involved in some form of the Justice League and even calling out the iconic alliance by name was certainly exciting. I also imagine there are many fans who would have loved to see him team-up (or even face off against) Christopher Reeve’s Superman (which, technically, happened in a comic book once), but joining forces with Calle’s wonderful portrayal of Supergirl makes for a really cool version of “World’s Finest,” as far as I am concerned.
It Gives This Version Of The Character Closure
Like we established above, Keaton’s Batman tenure only lasted two movies due to his disinterest in Joel Schuamcher’s vision for the sequels, paving the way for Val Kilmer to take over in 1995 for Batman Forever, followed by George Clooney in 1997’s Batman & Robin. Thus — and I think I speak for many other BatFans — we never saw a truly deserving and complete arc for this iteration on the big screen, at least (since an in-universe comic book series would later be developed). However, I think that The Flash finally gives us that chance and makes it work wonderfully.
The Flash is as much a movie about Barry Allen’s redemption (or correction of an Earth-shattering mistake, more accurately) as it is about Bruce Wayne’s resurrection as a hero and path to re-earn that title by, ultimately, sacrificing himself in an effort to save, not just the city he calls home, but the planet. Even though Barry and his younger counterpart would make multiple attempts to prevent his death via time travel, the speedster hopelessly admits to Wayne as he dies in his arms that there is no way of bringing him back, to which the vigilante assures him that he “already did.” I cannot think of a more fitting and emotional finale to such a beloved version of an iconic character.
All The Great Easter Eggs
Of course, The Flash takes so many more opportunities to honor its Batty star, and in more fun and lighter ways, too. For instance, we get the reprisal of Danny Elfman’s score — which I still rank as the greatest Batman movie theme music — and a brief appearance of his car — which I still rank as the greatest Batmobile in live-action cinema yet.
It was also very amusing — and, admittedly, invigorating — to hear Keaton recite some of his best Batman quotes, such as “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.” However, my favorite Batman moment in The Flash — and favorite scene from the movie as a whole, honestly — is a subtle recreation of an iconic moment from Batman ’89 when the Caped Crusader stops his Batwing right in front of the moon, recreating his unmistakable logo.
While it may not be Batman’s movie, I think we can all agree that The Flash should be counted among the best live-action Batman movies yet by miraculously managing to bring Keaton back to the role in a bigger and, almost, better way than ever before. If this truly is the last we shall see of the actor in the role, I would be satisfied.
