Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Michael Keaton’s Batman remains the most popular iteration of the Dark Knight to have ever graced the silver screen. The same goes for the world he inhabits – a quasi-gothic depiction of one of comic books’ most iconic cities, courtesy of visionary filmmaker Tim Burton.
Following Batman (1989), both creator and actor reunited for 1992’s Batman Returns, but after that film, Burton left the director’s chair warm for Joel Schumacher, who would helm Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), and Keaton hung up the cape for the late Val Kilmer, who would then pass the torch onto George Clooney.
Fast forward over two decades, and audiences have seen three other actors take up the mantle of the Caped Crusader in live-action film: Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy; Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the wider DCEU; and Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022).
However, unbeknownst to many fans – even Keaton fans, for that matter – the “Burtonverse”, as it’s now dubbed, has continued quietly in the shadows.
In 2021, DC Comics released “Batman ’89: Shadows”, a comic book series that’s entirely canon with Burton’s two films. It got a follow-up titled “Batman ’89: Echoes” in 2023, which, like its predecessor, takes place after the events of the 1992 sequel, Batman Returns.
And last year, the universe established in the beloved 1989 film continued in print media, this time in the form of a novel from John Jackson Miller.
“Batman: Resurrection” takes place in the aftermath of that first film, pitting Keaton’s Dark Knight against Clayface for the first time. Now, Penguin Random House has just published “Batman: Revolution”, also written by John Jackson Miller.
“Revolution” also predates Batman Returns and sees Bruce Wayne go up against the Burtonverse’s version of Riddler, not to be confused with the version played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever – those films are not canon with the first two, at least not anymore.
Not only do the “Batman ‘89” comics and Miller’s two books pretend like those two follow-ups don’t exist, but the DCEU Multiverse film The Flash (2023) suggests that Schumacher’s entries are Multiversal variants or “offshoots” of some kind.
Related: Goodbye, Michael Keaton — Actor Recast in New ‘Batman’ (1989) Sequel
Speaking of The Flash, that was Keaton’s latest appearance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Following a decades-long hiatus, the actor returned to the role, appearing opposite Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen and Sasha Calle’s Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, in a dimension-toting adventure that disappointed both critically and financially and ultimately contributed towards the demise of the DCEU.
Nevertheless, fans got to see Keaton back in the role, and he’s easily one of the best parts of an otherwise messy superhero flick.
But it’s easy to forget that The Flash wasn’t his only reprisal as Batman – he also filmed scenes for Batgirl, the DC film that Warner Bros. Discovery famously threw on the scrapheap back in August 2022. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and starring Leslie Grace in the title role, with Keaton returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman, the film was never released to the public and it was reported at the time that it would never see the light of day in any way, shape, or form. Well, that might have just changed.
According to some recent comments from one of the film’s actors, Batgirl may yet get some sort of public screening, whether that’s in theaters or on streaming. In an interview with The Direct, actor Jacob Scipio said, “”I got the chance to watch it [Batgirl], and it was a phenomenal film. Man, I’m really sad the world never got to see it. But you know, you never know. You never know.”
He then added, “”It was great that they saved [Coyote V. Acme]. So there’s always hope. Hollywood’s a funny place, and I think if enough people want it, it can happen.”
As unlikely as it may seem, let’s cast our minds back to the DCEU’s Justice League, which tanked in 2017 under Joss Whedon but was resurrected and retooled by the original director Zack Snyder in 2021 following the massive #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign.
In other words, never say never. For now, Burton/Keaton fans will have to make do with tie-in media, but so far it’s been excellent. Miller’s novels perfectly bridge the gap between the films, while the “’89” comic books explore uncharted territory beyond the 1992 sequel.
“Batman: Revolution” is out now.
Are you familiar with Michael Keaton’s Batman history away from the screen? Let us know in the comments below!