Summary
- The Flash retcons Michael Keaton's Batman universe as an alternate DCEU timeline, with notable differences from the original films.
- Keaton's Batman retired after ending crime in Gotham and his Batcave and suits have undergone changes in The Flash.
- The Flash introduces sci-fi elements to Keaton's Batman story, including him fighting alongside metahumans and aliens.
The Flash makes several changes to Michael Keaton’s Batman, who returned to the big screen for the first time since Batman Returns. After starring in Batman (1989), Keaton reprised his role as the caped crusader three years later in Batman Returns. However, neither Tim Burton nor Michael Keaton returned for Batman 3, which eventually became Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Bruce Wayne’s story continued with Val Kilmer and George Clooney, but now The Flash revisits Keaton’s Batman with the help of the multiverse.
The Flash movie was loosely inspired by Flashpoint, with Barry creating an alternate reality after going back in time to save Nora Allen. While Batman existed in this new timeline, he is not the same Bruce Wayne Barry had known since Justice League. Instead of Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton is Batman in the universe Barry created. Here are the biggest changes made to Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne and the Tim Burton Batman movies in The Flash.
10 The Flash Retcons Keaton’s Batman Universe As An Alternate DCEU Timeline
Perhaps the biggest change The Flash made to Michael Keaton’s Batman universe was retconning it as an alternate DCEU timeline. The DCEU’s Barry specifically says that they created a “world with no metahumans” after going back in time. The world Keaton’s Batman exists in, at the least in The Flash, is very much the same as the DCEU – with a few differences. For example, instead of Kal-El, it is Kara Zor-El who arrived from Krypton. Likewise, Thomas Curry exists, but Aquaman does not. Even the Kryptonian invasion from Man of Steel happened in this alternate DCEU timeline.
If Keaton’s Batman in The Flash is supposed to be considered the same character from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, Tim Burton’s Batman universe was retroactively created by the DCEU’s Barry Allen. Such a drastic change to an established Batman franchise raises the question of whether Keaton’s Batman is even supposed to be the same character from the Tim Burton movies. That said, much about this Batman matches the character Keaton originally played in 1989 and 1992. Therefore, at least in of the DCEU canon, the Tim Burton Batman universe is an alternate DCEU timeline.
9 The Flash Reveals Keaton’s Batman Retired After Ending Crime In Gotham
The Flash establishes very early on that Michael Keaton’s Batman retired after ending crime in Gotham. The Flash director Andy Muschietti later added that the real reason Bruce stopped being Batman in this universe is that he killed a criminal in front of their son. It is unclear how long Batman has been away from the streets of Gotham City, but that universe’s Barry Allen ed seeing Batman on the news when he was a kid. Interestingly, Tim Burton’s Batman movies had a very timeless feel to them, so it is difficult to determine when they are supposed to take place, or how old Bruce Wayne is supposed to be.
8 Michael Keaton’s Batman Has Several New Suits In The Flash
Bruce Wayne had many copies of his standard Batsuit in Batman (1989). The same happened in Batman Returns, during which Bruce had several spares for his updated Bat-Suit. In The Flash, however, Bruce Wayne has several different Batsuits. The sequence in which Bruce decides whether he will suit up as Batman again reveals at least seven Batsuits, none of which had ever appeared in the Tim Burton movies. For example, one has a bluish color, another looks similar to the DCEU’s Knightmare Batman suit, etc. Keaton’s main Batsuit in The Flash was also slightly different from what he wore in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns.
7 Michael Keaton’s Batman Somehow Knows About Time Travel
One of the most curious things about The Flash’s approach to Batman is that Keaton’s Bruce Wayne somehow knew about time travel. Batman did not take too long to accept that Barry Allen was from an alternate future. In fact, Bruce helped the two Barry Allens understand how time travel works using a spaghetti analogy. While Batman is one of the smartest people in every version of the DC Universe, it was surprising to see Keaton’s Bruce explaining time travel to Barry Allen. Burton’s Batman movies were not necessarily realistic, but they never leaned too much into sci-fi as modern superhero films usually do.
6 Michael Keaton’s Batcave Is Different From Batman & Batman Returns
The Flash’s Batcave is significantly different from the one in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, which is curious given that it would be very difficult for Bruce to change that entire portion of his property. Simply, there was never a giant waterfall in Keaton’s Batcave. Not much is shown in the Batcave in the Burton Batman movies, but it is clear that there was not a waterfall in its entry or anywhere else. The Batcave in The Flash matches the one from Burton’s movies in many ways, but the waterfall was an unusual addition.
5 The Flash Places Keaton’s Batman Against Aliens & Metahumans
Apart from Batman Returns’ Selina Kyle oddly recovering from her fall, Tim Burton’s Batman movies were relatively realistic. There were not too many sci-fi elements, let alone fantastical elements like aliens or superpowers. Batman (1989) and Batman Returns may not have been as grounded as Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but they were more realistic than the DCEU. The Flash placed Keaton’s Batman in a very different scenario, with the caped crusader now encountering metahumans and aliens. Keaton’s Batman never got to interact with Superman or any other heroes in the original movies, whereas in The Flash he fought side by side with Supergirl and the Flashes against Kryptonians.
4 Keaton’s Batwing Is Much Faster In The Flash
The Batwing was among the coolest things from Batman (1989), especially the shot where it rises above the clouds. Burton’s Batwing was not in Batman Returns, and now the iconic vehicle finally made a comeback in The Flash. However, the Batwing was much faster in The Flash than it was in Batman (1989). Whereas Batman originally used the Batwing to keep up with the Joker’s men during the Gotham City parade, The Flash had the Batwing going up against Kryptonian’s ships. The Batwing could also match Supergirl’s velocity.
3 The Flash Makes Batman Forever Non-Canon To Keaton’s Batman Story
Whether Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin are supposed to be considered sequels to Tim Burton’s Batman movies is one of DC’s oldest canon mysteries. Continuity and timeline were not really that important when the Batman franchise went from Batman Returns to Batman Forever – it simply was a new Batman movie. However, Michael Gough’s Alfred and Pat Hingle’s Gordon returned for Batman Forever, suggesting it was supposed to be taken as a sequel to Batman Returns. Likewise, Batman Forever directly acknowledges the events of Batman Returns when Dr. Chase references Batman’s history with Catwoman. In other words, Val Kilmer’s Bruce was once the same as Michael Keaton’s.
By bringing Keaton’s Batman back in a very different context, The Flash makes Batman Forever non-canon to the Tim Burton Batman movies. For example, there is no mention of Dick Grayson or Barbara Wilson, and none of the Batsuits used in Batman Forever or Batman & Robin appear. The Batcave and the Batmobile are also different from anything that ever appeared in the Schumacher Batman movies. Lastly, George Clooney’s Batman appears in The Flash’s ending, meaning Batman & Robin happened somewhere else in the DC multiverse.
2 The Flash Ignores The Events Of Batman ‘89 Comics
Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies are not the only DC properties made non-canon to Keaton’s Batman story in The Flash. The Batman ‘89 comic book series, which began in 2021, revisited the world of Burton’s Batman movies with a story set shortly after Batman Forever. Batman ‘89 was inspired by unused concepts and storylines that would have been in Burton’s Batman 3, such as Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face or Selina Kyle returning. Batman ‘89 also gives Keaton’s Batman his Robin – original character Drake Winston. None of those elements are referenced in The Flash, whose script likely predates the release of Batman ‘89.
1 The Flash Ignores The Arrowverse’s Earth-89 Reveals
Tim Burton’s Batman movies received many alternate sequels in different continuities. In addition to Batman Forever and the Batman ‘89 comics, the Arrowverse also revisited the world from Batman and Batman Returns. In the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, which saw the return of Robert Wuhl as Batman’s Alexander Knox, a newspaper reveals that Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle got married on Earth-89. An obvious reference to Batman’s release date, the Arrowverse’s Earth-89 is supposed to be where the Burton Batman movies take place. The Flash ignores this reveal, and the movie’s multiverse rules are arguably different from how it works in the Arrowverse.
