DCEU Reboot Theory Reveals 4 Michael Keaton Batman History Changes
The DCEU will have a new Batman by the end of The Flash, with Ben Affleck’s version being replaced by Michael Keaton, with several potential changes to his history in the new DCEU timeline. Ben Affleck’s iteration of the Dark Knight is a comic-accurate and generally well-received take on the famous DC Comics character, though Affleck’s tenure will reportedly end with the upcoming The Flash film. Michael Keaton, who played Batman in the genre-changing Batman and Batman Returns, will not only reprise his role in The Flash but also replace Affleck as the DCEU’s Caped Crusader following Barry Allen’s timeline and multiverse-spanning adventure. With this new Batman comes the potential for four major changes to his history, melding elements of both the Tim Burton universe (Earth-89) and the mainstream DCEU continuity.
Ben Affleck’s Batman is the most comic-accurate cinematic version of the Dark Knight, taking inspiration from darker modern Batman comics, such as Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, yet retaining (after a near-turn to villainy) the altruism and sense of hope that the mainstream versions of Batman are best-known for. A defining characteristic of Affleck’s Batman is that he mourns the loss of his adopted son, Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Robin, and his grief was a major factor in his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice character arc. Michael Keaton’s Batman notably killed many criminals in the Burton films, but this was never incorporated into his characterization quite like Affleck’s version. For Affleck, breaking his most famous moral rule from the comics (and later restoring it) shows how close he’d come to turning into the sort of criminal that terrorizes Gotham City.
Related: The Most Comic-Accurate Batman
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