In “The Flash” Michael Keaton agreed to play Batman again 31 years after his last film and apparently, the character has continued to fight crime in Gotham all these years.
The film starring Ezra Miller finds Barry Allen/Flash going back in time to the day his mother died, but in his attempt to save her he changes the future and returns to a time where there are no metahumans.
Furthermore, in this new timeline there is no Ben Affleck’s Batman either, but the Dark Knight is the one from Michael Keaton’s 1989 and 1992 films.
In this continuity it appears that since the events of ‘Batman Returns’ (1992) Keaton’s Bruce Wayne has continued his crusade against crime, until shortly before the Flash’s arrival in his reality.
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‘The Flash’: Michael Keaton’s Batman Suits Reveal His Story Behind His Movies
In the TV trailer shared during Super Bowl LVII, there’s a scene where you can see an old Bruce Wayne with long hair standing in front of some bookcases that serve as the entrance to the Batcave.
Barry and his variant from this continuity go to Wayne Manor to ask for Batman’s help and before he agrees to don the bat cape again, there is a scene showing 7 different costumes.
The suits give an idea of what this Batman has been up to for 31 years, as in the center is the new one he uses in ‘The Flash’, to his left is the one from ‘Batman’ (1989) when he fought the Joker and on the right the one from the 1992 sequel.
However, the other 4 suits have never been seen before and hint at the adventures Batman has had since battling Catwoman and defeating Danny DeVito’s Penguin.
Keaton didn’t make another Batman movie, and the ones that followed are in another universe, but in 2021 DC and writer Sam Hamm published some comics called “Batman ’89” that expand the story of that version.
In them, Batman fights in Gotham against gangs who have adopted the image of the Joker and others who dress up as the Dark Knight, while Harvey Dent tries to unmask the real hoodlum.
In the story, an accident transforms Harvey Dent into Two-Face and he becomes sick of power, bribing politicians and murdering mob boss Carmine Falcone.
Batman, Catwoman, and Drake Winston stop Two-Face, but Selina kills him, causing Bruce to end their relationship. In the end, a package arrives at Barbara Gordon, Dent’s widow, containing Batman’s identity.
In the comics, Batman remains a vigilante of the city and it is implied that he will go on to more adventures over the years, as shown by his costumes in “The Flash.”
Plus, even though “Batgirl” was canceled, the leaked plot of the movie involved Keaton back as Batman, so at least in this universe it’s known that well into his old age he continued to fight crime.
‘The Flash’: Michael Keaton’s 7 Batman Suits Explained
On the left of the image, Batman’s suit has a pair of pistols on the sides and has more gray tones than black. Taking to Twitter, the film’s costume designer, Chris Weston, explained his inspiration for this suit.
The artist revealed that it was his suggestion to make the suits in gray tones as a tribute to the original colors of the comics, to place the Batman symbol from the 1966 series and that the weapons of the suit are grappling hooks to climb buildings.