Michael Keaton is reportedly in talks to return to   his iconicBatmanrole inThe Flash , which   could be a misunderstanding for theDCEU . News thatKeaton could be appear as   Bruce Wayne / Batman in the coming Flash moviehas sparked a moving ridge of inflammation among fans of Tim Burton ’s late-80s / early-90s Batman movies . The return of what many consider the okay on - CRT screen Batman also promises to be a major boon for DC , which has struggled to compete with Marvel in recent years .

account suggest the stager actor will seem , and peradventure co - asterisk inThe Flashwhen it arrives in 2022 . The film is said to be a reworking of Geoff Johns ' classic comic book storylineFlashpoint , which saw The Flash travelling back in time to economize his mother ’s life , inadvertently create an alternate universe in the process . It ’s this substitute universe thatKeaton ’s Batmanis said to live inThe Flash , with Ezra Miller ’s Flash reportedly discovering the senesce hero 30 years after the events of 1992’sBatman Returns .

relate : Arrowverse Crisis Already Set Up Michael Keaton ’s DCEU Batman Return

Comic book art: batman by arkham asylum

And while the retort of Keaton ’s iconic Batman is an exciting scene , there ’s the potential for it   to be a stumble . away from Tim Burton ’s Batman movies being singular visions that have endured for their stylised take on the Dark Knight ,   get the star of those beloved movies back could simply be an exercise in pandering to fan nostalgia . Thereturn of Keaton ’s Batmanafter 30 years would certainly be a   big   upshot   guaranteed to   get audiences to movie theaters ( if that ’s still a thing in two years prison term ) . But unless his return serves a echt purpose for the DCEU going ahead , it runs the risk of tarnishing what is a relatively pristine legacy for Keaton ’s take on the character .

As Hollywood has become wise to nostalgia as a means of making box office gain , movies have increasingly trust on this jolly easy fix to maintain collection . Just expect at the numerous time viewers have been plow to   a CGI untested Arnold Schwarzenegger in the   post - T2Terminator sequels – one of which , Terminator Genisys , even renovate the entire opening scenes of the originalTerminatorand is still turn over the most perplexing and unsuccessful reboot attack . EvenDark Fatewrangling back Linda Hamilton , the original Sarah Connor , could n’t save the most recent Terminator sequel .

It ’s fair to at least hope then , that Keaton ’s return to DC does n’t follow a similarly hollow pattern . Thus far , there ’s tenuous reports thatKeaton ’s Batman will fill a kind of Nick Fury mentorrole for other zep in the DCEU , which would certainly make for an interesting and original moral force going forward , and give Keaton ’s Batman a reason to exist within the forward-looking DC cosmos . But not only is this all yet to be confirm , it seems like a foreign theatrical role for a Bruce Wayne well   known for his brooding lone wolf demeanor .

Comic book art: Batman faces the four Robins: Nightwing Dick Grayson, Red Hood Jason Todd, Red Robin Tim Drake, and Robin Damian Wayne.

Related : Why Keaton ’s Batman Is In DCEU ’s Flash Movie ( & Not Affleck Or Pattinson )

What ’s more , Keaton ’s Batman exercise so well because he belong to in the hyper - gothic human beings of theBurton - era Batman picture . The gloomy whole step that permeated much ofBatman'89 , and saturatedReturnsmight well be re - creatable byFlashdirector   Andrés Muschietti , but there ’s no doubtfulness her would do well to at least consult Burton before convey such an iconic depiction of Gotham back for the 21st century . In 1989 , Keaton establish critics wrong and win sceptical devotee over with his functioning in the firstBatmanmovie . HopefullyThe Flashwon’t unmake any of that telling legacy .

More : What Michael Keaton ’s Batman Return Means For The DCEU

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Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne in Batman Returns alongside Ezra Miller’s Flash in Justice League

Ezra Miller as The Flash and Michael Keaton as Batman

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