| Bruce Wayne | |
|---|---|
| BurtonandSchumacher'sBatmanand DC Extended Universe character | |
.jpg) Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman inBatman Returns (1992) | |
| First appearance | Batman (1989) |
| Last appearance | The Flash (2023) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | |
| Portrayed by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Batman |
| Occupation |
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| Family |
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| Significantothers | |
| Children | Dick Grayson (surrogate son) |
| Home | Wayne Manor,Gotham City |
| Abilities |
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Bruce Wayne, better known by his vigilantesuperhero aliasBatman, is a fictional character who is featured as the main protagonist inWarner Bros.' initialBatman film series (1989–1997), and later as asupporting character in theDC Extended Universe (DCEU) filmThe Flash (2023). Based on theDC Comics character of thesame name, he was portrayed byMichael Keaton inTim Burton'sBatman (1989) andBatman Returns (1992), before being recast withVal Kilmer andGeorge Clooney inJoel Schumacher'sBatman Forever (1995) andBatman & Robin (1997) respectively. Both Keaton and Clooney reprised their roles inThe Flash, whichretroactively incorporates versions of them intotwo alternate timelines of the DCEU's continuity.[1] Keaton's portrayal of the character was critically acclaimed and influenced subsequent interpretations.[2]
As a child, Wayne went to see the musical filmFootlight Frenzy with his parents,Thomas andMartha, at the Monarch Theatre. As the Waynes walked downan alley, Thomas and Martha were shot and killed bymugger. The mugger prepared to kill Bruce, as well, asking the boy, "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"; the mugger'saccomplice entreats him to run from the police, however, so he spares Bruce's life. After this, he was raised byAlfred Pennyworth (Michael Gough), the family butler.
After decades of training, Wayne, who inherited his parents' wealth after their deaths, had his companyWayne Enterprises purchase equipment and built an advanced combat suit and theBatcave, a secret sophisticated lair underWayne Manor, and began fighting crime inGotham City as Batman (Keaton), who quickly becomes anurban legend that strikes fear in the hearts of Gotham's criminal element, especially after the death of gangster Johnny Gobbs, whose body was found drained of blood following an altercation with the vigilante. Publicly, Wayne poses as an eccentric playboy, throwing lavish fundraisers for the city and collecting rare art from around the world.
Wayne hosts a fundraiser atWayne Manor to help fund Gotham City's 200th Anniversary Parade, where he meets photographerVicki Vale (Kim Basinger). Wayne and Vicki soon fall in love. Wayne finds in reviewing the Manor's surveillance cameras that CommissionerJames Gordon (Pat Hingle), who left the party unexpectedly, has been summoned toAxis Chemicals to stop a break-in by Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson), crime lord Carl Grissom's (Jack Palance) right-hand man. As Batman, he fights Napier and his men, and during the fight, Napier falls into a vat of chemicals, transforming him into the insane, disfigured criminal mastermind theJoker.
On the 20th anniversary of his parents' murder, Wayne leaves lunch with Vicki, and witnesses the Joker killing one of Grissom's associates. As Batman, he discovers that the Joker has poisoned various consumer products with his Smylex toxin. Wayne is informed by Alfred that he has a date with Vale at the Flugelheim Museum. Wayne states he has no plans to meet Vale that day, and realizes that the meeting was set up by the Joker. After a battle with the Joker's men, Batman and Vicki return to the Batcave, where he reveals his investigation of Joker's lethal chemicals to Vale, giving her an antidote to publish. Wayne nearly reveals to Vale that he is Batman, but they are interrupted by the Joker, who asks Wayne, "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?" before shooting the stunned billionaire, who survives because he is wearing body armor. When the Joker publicly challenges Batman to fight him during the anniversary gala, Wayne recognizes him as the mugger who killed his parents. On that same night, Alfred allows Vicki to enter the Batcave, thus revealing his employer's secret identity.
At the anniversary parade, Batman intercepts the Joker's parade float, with which the Joker plans to kill thousands of people with his toxin, in hiscustomized, bat-shaped aircraft. After Batman foils his plan, the Joker shoots down the plane, and Batman pursues him and Vale into the cathedral, eventually finding them at the top level. Batman confronts the Joker over killing his parents, and gets into brutal hand-to-hand combat with the villain. As the Joker tries to escape on a helicopter, Batman uses his grappling gun to tie one of the cathedral's gargoyles to the Joker's leg; when the gargoyle breaks free from its foundations, the Joker falls to his death. In the aftermath, Batman gives theGotham City Police Department (GCPD) his own personalizedsignal as a way of contacting him for help.
A few months after the Joker's defeat, Wayne opens the Smylex Ward of the Gotham General Hospital to treat the survivors of the Joker's rampage, and installs Dr. Hugh Auslander in charge of the ward. One of the patients, Karlo Babic, awakens from a coma and unexpectedly escapes from the ward. Batman intercepts and fights him on a runaway bus, discovering that the Smylex has given Babic the ability to mold his face and change his voice into anything he pleases. Babic escapes and he is dubbedClayface by the media. Babic seeks a cure for his condition and goes to Auslander for help; Auslander has Babic pose as a resurrected Joker to spread mass panic through Gotham and distract them from Auslander's real plans, which only fuels Wayne's recurring nightmares about his last confrontation with the Joker. With anonymous clues sent by Norman Pinkus, Wayne eventually discovers that Auslander is actuallyHugo Strange, a rogue scientist who has been plotting for years to create a superior race known as "Monster Men", and the recipe for Smylex was derived from Strange's original formula. Batman fails to stop Strange from robbing Gotham Armsguard of the ingredients for his plan, but he manages to foil Strange's plot to transform Gotham's elite into Monster Men and hold the city to ransom. Batman and Clayface fight Strange and his men atop Gotham cathedral, which ends when Clayface damages Strange's brain by infecting him with his own poison. Strange is sent to Arkham Asylum for rehabilitation and later to Blackgate Penitentiary, while Clayface turns himself into the authorities in exchange for a cure for his condition.
With Independence Day approaching, Wayne's rival businessman Max Shreck proposes re-staging the bicentennial parade to become part of Gotham's elite while presenting himself as a descendant of Konrad Straub, one of Gotham's revolutionary war heroes, but his letter is exposed as a forgery. At the same time, the city becomes plagued with a series of killings orchestrated by different revolutionary groups such as the Aeterna Militia, and by sadistic archer William Matthew Stokowski. Wayne eventually manages to capture Stokowski but is stopped from catching the leader of Aeterna, Camille, by her mysterious guardian Henri Armand in a flying suit of armor. Wayne soon discovers that Gordon has been receiving hotline tips for years, but when Gordon refuses to disclose them due to privacy policies, he secretly steals them. After Stokowski is captured, Batman receives an invitation from Pinkus himself, who hides his identity under the alias "The Bookworm" and proposes that they work together to fight crime in Gotham, but Batman reveals that he actually solved most of the crimes without Pinkus's help and declines his offer. After a series of misfortunes, Pinkus joins Aeterna and becomes theRiddler, helping to plunge Gotham into chaos with riddles and false promises of prizes to keep the city occupied. During the unveiling of the police's new Tactical Response Vehicles (TRVs), Wayne is taken captive by Aeterna along with most of Gotham's elite. He discreetly manages to destroy most of Aeterna's vehicles with drones, but Stokowski and Armand, having joined Aeterna, foil his attempts and they are taken to Aeterna's secret forest base on the outskirts of the city, near Wayne Manor where Wayne had previously been working on a river exit from the Batcave. Pinkus recognizes Wayne and takes him aside, revealing that he identified Jack Napier and Joe Chill as those responsible for his parents' murder when he was just a boy. Wayne becomes enraged and attacks Pinkus for not telling the police, but Pinkus claims that he did inform the police but no action was taken. Wayne also recognizes Armand asCameron Van Cleer, the former CEO of Cleersky Aviation who committed suicide after his prototype was sabotaged and his company destroyed. Van Cleer reveals that he faked his death so his family would benefit from his insurance policy, which also failed. Wayne manages to escape to the Batcave, suit up and free some of the hostages, but fails to stop Pinkus and Camille from escaping. On the fourth of July, during celebrations that Pinkus has arranged and funded by Shreck, Batman learns that Camille is going to open fire on the Gotham citizenry and frame Mayor Borg and Governor Hester Hodge, and potentially unleash the remains of the Joker's Smylex poison. Batman foils the attack; Stokowski falls to his death and Batman disables Van Cleer's suit, having learned that Camille is his daughter Emily. Emily tries to kill her father for abandoning her but is wounded by his bulletproof suit. Van Cleer tries to fly her to a hospital but his suit malfunctions and explodes, killing them both. Batman also learns that Pinkus did send the letter to the police but it was secretly hidden by his mother Martina for protection, and he forgives Pinkus. They work together to destroy Emily's bombs but Pinkus is badly burned in the process. Batman takes him to the hospital to recover as a John Doe, and has a rehabilitated Babic pose as Pinkus to get the celebrating citizens to return home. Wayne later oversees the unveiling of Gotham's new public library, and is informed by Gordon that Chill is in custody, having turned himself in years ago.
During Gotham's Christmas celebrations, Batman discovers the Red Triangle Gang has interrupted the annual tree lighting ceremony. Despite managing to fight them off, he is too late to stop them from taking Shreck (Christopher Walken) hostage. The next day, a member of the gang kidnaps Mayor Jenkins's infant son, but the child is saved by thePenguin (Danny DeVito), a deformed mystery man who has lived in the sewers ever since his parents threw him into Gotham's reservoir. Though Penguin is immediately accepted by the public and allowed inside the Hall of Records to find his birth parents, Batman remains suspicious and discovers the Penguin may have once been a performer in the Red Triangle Circus and connected to a series of missing children cases. He deduces that the Penguin is the gang's leader and is planning something else, already knowing who his parents are.
Penguin becomes popular with the citizens of Gotham, and they discover his name is Oswald Cobblepot, with his parents having died years earlier. Meanwhile, Wayne meets with Shreck, who had been blackmailed into helping Oswald return to the surface, to contest his plans to build a new power plant. He meets Shreck's secretarySelina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), unaware that she is the masked vigilante Catwoman, who is planning to kill Shreck as revenge for trying to kill her when she discovered that his power plant would actually drain Gotham of its energy and leave the city at the mercy of the Shreck family.
With Shreck's backing, the Penguin officially announces his plans to run for Mayor of Gotham City. Soon afterward, Wayne and Kyle discover that Cobblepot attempted to frame Batman by kidnapping the Ice Princess (Cristi Conaway), who was to relight the tree, and leaving behind abatarang. While Batman investigates the kidnapping, the Red Triangle Gang sabotages theBatmobile to allow the Penguin remote control access. Batman finds the Ice Princess standing on the edge of a rooftop, but the Penguin arrives and startles the girl by opening one of his trick umbrellas and releasing a swarm of bats, which knocks her off the roof to her death. She lands on the button to light the tree, causing a mass swarm of bats to attack the onlookers. Batman is forced to flee, now the chief suspect in the murder.
Batman returns to the Batmobile, but the car, having been hacked by the Penguin, takes him on a destructive joyride, though Batman is able to disable the signal and escape. With Alfred's help, Batman hacks into the Gotham Plaza's speakers during one of the Penguin's speeches and plays a recording of the villain bragging about having manipulated the entire city, causing a backlash from the crowd. At Shreck's masked ball, Kyle tells Wayne her plans to kill Shreck, and the two deduce each other's secret identities. At that moment, the Penguin crashes through the floor of the room, announcing his plans to kill all of the first-born sons of Gotham and take Shreck hostage. Batman arrives and interrogates Penguin's right-hand man, learning of the Penguin's hideout underneath the Arctic World exhibit at the abandoned Gotham Zoo.
Batman discovers that the Penguin plans to massacre Gotham by sending his penguins to fire missiles at the city. With Pennyworth's help, Batman reprograms the penguins to fire upon the Penguin's hideout. Batman and Penguin fight until the Penguin falls into the toxic waters in the sewer; the mortally injured Penguin make a futile attempt to kill Batman before succumbing to his wounds. Batman attempts to stop Catwoman from killing Shreck and reveals his secret identity. Catwoman kills Shreck by kissing him with a Taser in her mouth before she mysteriously disappears. After the GCPD seizes the Penguin's destroyed lair, Wayne finds Kyle'sblack cat, Miss Kitty, in an alleyway, as a very much alive Catwoman watches him from a rooftop while the Bat Signal shines in the sky.
Gotham becomes entangled in a civil war between criminals dressed as clowns, and vigilantes dressed as Batman. District attorneyHarvey Dent holds Batman responsible for the crisis and vows to bring him down along with his fianceBarbara Gordon and Lt.Harvey Bullock. While patrolling Dent's childhood neighborhood, Burnside, Batman comes across another masked vigilante, who he later identifies as Drake Winston, going by the name "Robin". Wayne tracks Winston to his workplace, the Royal Autobody mechanic owned by Jerome Otis, Dent's childhood mentor, and offers to fund an education at Gotham University for all of Burnside's children. The Royal Autobody is later set on fire by Batman impersonators. Batman attempts to intervene but is intercepted by Catwoman. Dent attempts to save Drake from the building but he is knocked unconscious and his face badly scarred by acid. Batman saves both Dent and Drake and takes Dent to the hospital, but the accident drives Dent insane and he takes on the vigilante persona of "Two-Face", using a coin toss to decide his actions, and waging war on Gotham's elite and the police. Wayne later discovers that Winston is Robin and proposes that they work together with Catwoman to bring Two-Dace down. A series of attempts eventually lead to Gordon's murder and Batman himself being critically injured in a fire while rescuing Winston; the fire damages Batman's cowl and reveals his face as Wayne's. Two-Face takes a photo and later confronts Wayne in the Batcave, where he attempts to use it to blackmail Wayne into becoming his enforcer. Before Wayne can answer, a scuffle ensues and Two-Face falls to his death, Catwoman severing the rope Two-Face was hanging onto. Wayne subsequently severs his ties with Selina, revealing that he had actually switched Dent's coin with one that had two heads.
While the previous films are used as a backstory, Batman's origin is expanded with more details. After his parents' wake, Bruce finds his father's diary. During a storm, he ran away with the diary and falls into a cave filled with bats on the family grounds.
Batman (Kilmer) is called to stop the gangsterTwo-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) from robbing the Second Bank of Gotham, with help from Gordon and psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), who becomes instantly attracted to him. Two-Face was once Gotham's District Attorney, Harvey Dent, before a criminal scarred half of his face with acid, for which he blames Batman. The Dark Knight stops Two-Face from robbing the bank, but Two-Face escapes.
The next day, Bruce Wayne visits Wayne Enterprises and becomes acquainted with Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), an employee who is obsessed with him. Nygma has developed the Box, a machine capable of transmitting television signals directly into the human brain. He asks Wayne to fund his invention, but Wayne turns him down, believing the science behind the Box "raises too many questions." Seeking revenge, Nygma reinvents himself as"the Riddler" and allies himself with Two-Face in a plot to destroy both Batman and Bruce Wayne, whom Nygma has discovered are one and the same.
During a charity circus performance, Wayne witnesses Two-Face attack and murder a family of acrobats dubbed the Flying Graysons, leaving their youngest son,Dick (Chris O'Donnell), an orphan. Feeling a kinship with Dick, Wayne takes him in as his ward. Dick soon discovers Wayne's secret identity and asks Wayne to take him on as his crimefighting partner so he can kill Two-Face and avenge his family. Wayne, who still feels responsible for his parents' deaths, refuses, not wanting to be responsible for another lost life. Meanwhile, Wayne soon starts a romantic relationship with Meridian, who tries to help him move on from the trauma of his parents' deaths. Wayne decides to abandon his war on crime and lead a normal life with her. Before he can tell her, however, Riddler and Two-Face attack Wayne Manor, take Meridian hostage and destroy the Batcave. Batman tracks the villainous duo to their hideout, with help from Dick, whom he has finally accepted as his crimefighting partner,Robin.
Two-Face and the Riddler take Meridian and Robin hostage, setting a trap that would force Batman to choose between saving one life or the other. Instead, Batman destroys the Box, driving the Riddler insane, and saves Meridan and Robin. Two-Face corners them at gunpoint, and while flipping his coin to decide their fates, Batman throws a handful of coins at him, causing him to fall to his death, avenging Dick's family. Wayne accepts that he is both Batman and Bruce Wayne, and that he fights crime because hechooses to, not because hehas to.
The new villainMr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) surfaces and commits a string of diamond thefts, catching the attention of Batman (Clooney) and Robin. After Freeze freezes but spares Robin in order to escape, Wayne chastises Dick, who has begun to chafe under Wayne's leadership. Wayne deduces that Freeze is Dr. Victor Fries, whose wife,Nora, is suffering from MacGregor's syndrome and was placed in cryogenic sleep until Freeze finds a cure. In his prior research, Fries accidentally fell backwards into a tank of modified liquid nitrogen, rendering him unable to survive outside of a subzero environment. In order to lure Freeze in, Wayne hosts a charity ball auctioning off the Wayne family diamonds with himself and Dick attending as Batman and Robin, leading to an ensuing battle and Freeze's capture. Wayne and Grayson become acquainted with Dr. Pamela Isley, who is secretly themetahuman ecoterroristPoison Ivy, and who seduces Robin and allies with Freeze, breaking him out ofArkham Asylum. Ivy then unplugs Nora's life support and convinces Freeze that Batman is responsible.
Alfred's niece Barbara Wilson (Alicia Silverstone) comes to visit Wayne Manor, at about the same time that Wayne discovers that Alfred is dying of McGregor's Syndrome. She soon discovers the Batcave, and becomesBatgirl. Batman and Robin reluctantly allow her to help them defeat Freeze and Ivy, who are trying to turn Gotham City into a giantpolar ice cap with a giant freeze ray that Freeze invented. Batgirl defeats Ivy, and the three head to the observatory to stop Freeze. Robin and Batgirl defeat Ivy's minionBane (Robert Swenson) while Batman faces and subdues Freeze, redirecting the telescope's satellites to reflect sunlight to thaw Gotham, but Freeze detonates several bombs that he had placed around the freeze ray, destroying it. Nevertheless, Robin and Batgirl are still able to thaw the city. Batman reveals to a defeated Freeze that Nora is still alive, having been rescued in time.
Batman appeals to Freeze's humanity and asks him for the cure to MacGregor's syndrome's early stages to save Pennyworth. Freeze provides him with the cure and returns to Arkham to torment Ivy, his new cellmate, while Pennyworth makes a full recovery and reunites with Wayne, Grayson, and Barbara.
Barry Allen / The Flash (Ezra Miller) travels back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, and accidentally lands ten years back in an alternate 2013, where various events prior to the date of his mother's murder have changed, and an older Wayne (Keaton) has retired as Batman and lives as a recluse in Wayne Manor, after having stopped "all crime" in Gotham. He encounters Barry, who has broken into the manor, as well asa younger Barry from his timeline that has just gained powers that were accidentally transferred to him by the older Barry. Wayne theorizes that the Flash has tangled multiple universes into one (thus placing him in this universe), and the older Barry explains thatGeneral Zod (Michael Shannon) and his army are preparing to invade Earth[a] and that they must findSuperman to help them defeat Zod. Wayne declines and leaves them.
The two Barrys break into the Batcave and use the computer to try and locate Superman. After seeing the older Barry working to find him, Wayne changes his mind and comes out of retirement to help the Barrys find Superman, who they believe is being held at a military site inSiberia. The group travels to Siberia to rescue Superman, but instead find his cousinKara Zor-El (Sasha Calle). They return to the manor with Kara, who leaves to find Zod. Wayne helps the older Barry recreate the incident that granted him his powers. Barry is struck by lightning, but before Wayne can activate it again, the circuits of the machine fry. Kara returns and flies Barry into the sky to be struck again, and he successfully regains his powers.
Wayne, the Barrys, and Kara form this timeline'sJustice League to fight Zod's forces in a desert. Kara is killed by Zod and Wayne dies after being unable to eject himself out of the Batwing which crashes into a Kryptonian ship. The Barrys attempt to go back in time to ensure both Wayne and Kara live, but fail. After confrontinga dark alternate self, Barry goes back once again and allows his mother's death to occur, unraveling the universes and preventing Zod's successful invasion.
After returning to his original timeline, the older Barry's father is proven innocent of the murder of his wife, and that reality's Bruce Wayne calls Allen to congratulate him. When he arrives to the courthouse, Wayne (Clooney) looks different thanthe one Allen knows (Ben Affleck), as he slightly altered the timeline on his way back to createevidence that proved his father's innocence.
Multiple actors were considered for the role of Batman during production. InTom Mankiewicz's original script whichGhostbusters directorIvan Reitman was attached to, actorBill Murray was considered for the role in a script that featuredEddie Murphy asDick Grayson / Robin.Gremlins directorJoe Dante was attached to the project as well at one point. The script was intended as a comedy, but was altered significantly afterTim Burton's involvement.Mel Gibson,Kevin Costner,Charlie Sheen,Tom Selleck,Harrison Ford,Pierce Brosnan,Ray Liotta,Willem Dafoe,Alec Baldwin,Kurt Russell,Patrick Swayze,John Travolta,Richard Gere,Kyle MacLachlan,Michael Biehn,Dennis Quaid,Bruce Willis,Steven Seagal, andJean-Claude Van Damme were all considered for the role.[3][4][5][6][7] Eventually, producerJon Peters suggestedMichael Keaton, claiming he had the right "edgy, tormented quality" for the role, and based his argument on Keaton's dramatic performance in the filmClean and Sober. At the time, Keaton was primarily known for comedic parts inMr. Mom andBeetlejuice, the latter also being directed by Burton.[8][9][10] Keaton's casting as the character caused an uproar from fans of the character, who claimed Keaton was too comedic and too short for the role.[11] Over 50,000 recorded protest letters were sent toWarner Bros. offices, and the casting was questioned by screenwriterSam Hamm, producerMichael Uslan and even Batman co-creatorBob Kane.[12][13][14][15]
While Keaton decided not to reprise the role of Batman for the third film,Tim Burton was still involved as producer and pushedJohnny Depp to replace Keaton,[16] beforeVal Kilmer got the role.[17] Kilmer decided not to return and was replaced byGeorge Clooney for the fourth film,[18] with directorJoel Schumacher feeling that Clooney could provide a lighter interpretation of the character than Keaton and Kilmer.[19]
TheBatsuit worn by Keaton was designed by costume designerBob Ringwood. Ringwood turned down the opportunity to work onJames Bond filmLicence to Kill to work onBatman. Ringwood stated that designing the Batsuit was difficult, claiming "the image of Batman in the comics is this huge, big six-foot-four hunk with a dimpled chin. Michael Keaton is a guy with average build. The problem was to make somebody who was average-sized and ordinary-looking into this bigger-than-life creature."[20] ProducerJon Peters had requested for the Batsuit to feature aNike product-placement, but was shot down by Burton and Ringwood, feeling that it would not be intimidating.[21] 28 latex designs of the suit were made, as well as 25 different capes and 6 different heads.[22] It was decided the use of spandex as in the comics and previous adaptations would not be intimidating enough, so the character was given black armor pieces.
The Batsuit was upgraded forBatman Returns, using more flexible foam latex, as well as a more traditional chest emblem. The updated Batsuit also featured a zipper to allow for urination in between takes and an updated plated armor torso that did not resemble sculpted muscles.[23] Keaton still had difficulty hearing but found the neck movement much less restrictive than with the first costume. Due to the second costume's much thinner cowl with increased flexibility, a greater range of head-turning was allowed but could still leave gaps folding away from the cheek. The infamous "Bat-Turn" movement became an iconic part of the character's body language despite not truly needing to depend upon it, contrary to speculation from contemporary pundits. The wardrobe department spent seven weeks sculptingBatman Forever costumes on his body cast, preceding under the assumption that he would be returning. The addition of nipples and an enlargedcodpiece to the Batsuit and Robin's costume inBatman & Robin was the subject of ridicule and criticism.[24]
Keaton's Batman was referenced in theArrowverse television crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths".[27] This series establishes the universe in whichBatman (1989) andBatman Returns (1992) exist as "Earth-89", withRobert Wuhl, who portrayed Alexander Knox inBatman, reprising his role for the series for acameo appearance.[28][29] In the crossover, Bruce Wayne / Batman is mentioned as having captured the Joker (despite his apparent death) and married Selina Kyle / Catwoman.
The suit from Tim Burton's firstBatman film was added as an alternate skin toBatman: Arkham Knight during a free update in August 2015.
The suit from Tim Burton's firstBatman film was added as a costume forBatman inMultiversus as part of an 85th anniversary celebration for the character.
A comic adaptation of Tim Burton'sBatman titledBatman: The Official Comic Adaptation of the Warner Bros Motion Picture was released in June 1989. Longtime Batman editor at DCDennis O'Neil adapted the screenplay, with art provided byJerry Ordway.
A comic adaptation forBatman Returns titledBatman Returns: The Official Comic Adaptation of the Warner Bros Motion Picture was released in June 1992. The story was once again adapted by Dennis O' Neil, with pencils provided bySteve Erwin and inked embellishments byJosé Luis García-López. Many of the illustrations García-López did for the film's style guide were re-purposed for the comic adaptation.
A comic continuation that was to chronicle the events of Tim Burton's failed third Batman film titledBatman '89 was submitted toDC Comics written by Joe Quinones and Kath Leth in March 2016. The run was inspired by DC's recent comic runBatman '66, which was a continuation of the1966 television series starringAdam West andBurt Ward.[30] The story was to be a direct sequel to Burton's Batman films, with visual allusions to Michael Keaton as Batman,Billy Dee Williams (who portrayed a pre-disfigurement Harvey Dent inBatman) as Two-Face,Marlon Wayans as Robin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, andRobin Williams as The Riddler. The story would also introduce iterations ofBarbara Gordon,Poison Ivy andHarley Quinn into the story'sfictional universe.[31] However, the comic run was initially rejected by DC.[32][33][34]
In February 2021, it was confirmed that DC would in fact be proceeding to develop a comic continuation of Burton'sBatman films, withSam Hamm returning to write the script while Joe Quinones provides the comic's art.[35]
On April 11, 2024, it was announced that a new novel,Batman: Resurrection, set in the Tim BurtonBatman universe would be written by authorJohn Jackson Miller. The book serves as a direct sequel toBatman (1989) and is set between the events of the 1989 film and its sequel,Batman Returns (1992), and deals primarily with the aftermath of the Joker's rampage while the remnants of his Smylex formula brings Batman into conflict with two new foes in the form ofKarlo Babić and Dr.Hugo Strange. The book was released on October 15, 2024.[36]
A sequel toBatman: Resurrection, titledBatman: Revolution, was revealed by Miller following the former's release and is scheduled for release on October 28, 2025[37]
Michael Keaton's portrayal as Batman was seen as hugely influential towards further adaptations of the character.[38] Keaton's portrayal inspired the portrayal byKevin Conroy inBatman: The Animated Series. As the first version of the character to carry a grapple device with a motorized reel, as well a cape that can harden and transform into a hang-glider, these concepts would become highly influential for most contemporary appearances of the character.[39] Keaton's grim, monosyllabic persona in-costume has been paid tribute to throughout multiple adaptations of the character, including video game appearances and homages.
This adaptation of the character was also seen as the first to change their voice while in costume as Batman, something which future actorsKevin Conroy,Ben Affleck andChristian Bale would also add to their interpretations.[40] Michael Keaton's portrayal of the character appears onAFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains at #46 on the heroes side, whileJack Nicholson's portrayal asThe Joker ranked 45th on the villains side.[41][42]
Due to his involvement in the film, Michael Keaton's role in the filmBirdman directed byAlejandro G. Iñárritu has been compared to Keaton's own experiences as Batman. Many people have come to the conclusion that the film is a reflection of Michael Keaton's life post-Batman, as the film itself focuses on Riggan Thompson, a struggling, aging actor who is best known for having played a winged superhero earlier in his career.
When Iñárritu contacted Keaton about taking the role of Riggan, Keaton asked him if he was making fun of him for playing Batman.[43] Despite comparisons between Riggan and Keaton and many people believing that the role was taken by the actor to let out frustration at the role, Keaton has claimed that he loves talking about his time as Batman, and is extremely grateful for the role.[44][45][46]
Keaton was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for his performance inBirdman, his first-ever nomination, and this helped him gain the villainous role ofAdrian Toomes / Vulture in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmSpider-Man: Homecoming (2017).[47]
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