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Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Michael Keaton’s Batman is one of the most beloved iterations of Gotham City’s fearsome vigilante, and he’s about to make an official return in a brand-new “direct sequel” to Tim Burton’s 1989 film.
In fact, there are several different versions of Batman returning in separate outings, but let’s be honest — Keaton is the one we care about the most.
While it’s impossible to say Keaton’s Batman is the favorite considering he’s been followed by Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy), Ben Affleck (the DC Universe/DCU), and Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Keaton’s portrayal does seem to resonate most with long-standing Batman fans.
Those fans most likely grew up watching Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), which wasn’t just the first time the Dark Knight ventured into gritty territory on the silver screen — it was also the first gritty mainstream superhero movie, period.
Related: Michael Keaton’s New ‘Batman’ (1989) Series Explained
But Keaton’s Bat of Gotham is very charming, too. Sure, he’s been superseded by some beefcakes since 1992’s Batman Returns (Bale, Affleck — pretty much all the aforementioned successors), but, as such, the Beetlejuice star’s depiction is also perhaps the most believable.
Fortunately, we’ve seen him kick butt on the big screen on three occasions — in Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), and last year’s DC movie The Flash (2023), opposite Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (Sasha Calle).
Now, a new fan-made trailer from YouTube channel KH Studio imagines Michael Keaton’s Batman re-entering the DC Multiverse following his dimension-hopping escapades in the 2023 crossover extravaganza. And it’s called “Batman 3: Multiverse of Madness”, a play on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Watch it below:
Related: Batman: Every Returning Version of the Dark Knight Explained
The trailer utilizes footage from Batman (1989), Batman Returns, The Flash, and even Joker (2019), teasing the DC Multiverse movie The Flash could have been. Unlike many fan-made trailers, however, this one feels oddly convincing and fairly well put-together.
But don’t let the fact that this trailer is fan-made leave you thinking you’ll never see Michael Keaton’s Batman return in an official capacity ever again. In fact, as the 1989 film turns 35 years old this year, you can expect to see him back in the fold in all sorts of different ways.
Related: Michael Keaton’s Batman History Explained as Official “Burton-Verse” Sequel Looms
While the chances of seeing his version of the Caped Crusader return to the silver screen are incredibly slim at best when you consider the The Flash‘s terrible box office performance ($271.3M worldwide over its $200–220M budget), he will be returning in an official “direct sequel” to Tim Burton’s beloved 1989 film.
Penned by Star Wars author John Jackson Miller, “Batman: Resurrection” (2024) will follow Batman (1989) in the aftermath of The Joker’s death, reintroducing characters such as Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, and even characters from Batman Returns.
There’s also a new series of Funk Pops that have been released to celebrate Batman (1989) and the iconic crime-fighter’s 85th anniversary (this year marks 85 years since his debut in “Detective Comics #27”, which was released in 1939).
In celebration of Burton’s film, Michael Keaton’s Batman will also appear on a variant cover for the upcoming DC Comics story “Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Issue 30 (2024)”.
Meanwhile, the “Batman ’89” comic book series, which features the likenesses of all the actors from the two Tim Burton films, continues with a second series titled “Echoes”.
But will Keaton himself ever reprise his role as Gotham’s Dark Knight?
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely. Technically speaking, he slipped back into the cape and cowl on two occasions in recent years — before The Flash, he filmed the DC movie Batgirl, which was famously scrapped by Warner Bros. Discovery in August, last year.
Here’s to hoping “Batman: Resurrection” will be the real sequel Batman (1989) needs. Either way, we’re pretty sure fans will “go nuts” for it.
Would you like to see Michael Keaton’s Batman return in another DC movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!