The DC franchise is in a state of flux in 2023, with upcoming films like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Shazam and the Fury of the Gods, and more all coming out this year. However, their place in the future of the franchise remains deeply uncertain.
Another of these films is The Flash, which was set to be the title to reboot the DCEU and send it into the future. However, it appears as if The Flash will be nothing more than a standalone adventure, perhaps even an epilogue to this version of DC’s cinematic universe. What was previously a soft reboot essentially now seems like a film that will mean nothing to the wider story going forward, particularly as the rumors of James Gunn’s DCU being a full reboot continue to gain traction. Michael Keaton’s Batman is set to be a main hero in The Flash and was going to be introduced as the Caped Crusader of the DC Universe going forward. However, it seems as if there’s virtually no chance that Keaton will be returning for more after The Flash, particularly with Batgirl’s cancellation, which ultimately means that DC has wasted his potential as a returning Batman.
Michael Keaton first appeared as Batman in 1989 alongside Jack Nicholson’s Joker, in a film that was a cultural phenomenon upon release. There were toys, movie tie-ins, and overall excitement that generated so much buzz for the movie. People were skeptical of Keaton’s casting as the hero, but those concerns were largely put away after the release of his first film, where he excelled as an eccentric, unique Bruce Wayne and Batman. Keaton then came back for Batman Returns, which received even better reviews, but that was his final appearance as the famous comic book hero. He opted not to return after Tim Burton was replaced by Joel Schumacher as the new director, along with a task from the studio to make the next film more kid-friendly.
Keaton went on to do great things in the years since, and even joined the Marvel franchise, but now he’s back as Batman once again. To many, Keaton is still the definitive version of the character in live action, such is the accuracy of his portrayal to the comic book source material. Even as his films took some liberties story-wise, such as the reveal that the Joker killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, the atmosphere and the character himself were both very well done.
All of that makes Keaton’s return such an exciting one. Even if it is just a one time thing, such as (potentially) Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in No Way Home, it still feels like a new adventure with an old hero, even if it’s just for one last time. However, many fans have found it hard to get excited about his return now, especially that it is a one time thing and he will not continue beyond the upcoming film. Fans were promised Keaton as a full-time Batman once again, but now that he’s coming back for just one film, and an outing that will have no relevance going forward, it all feels a little flat and lifeless, and unfortunately so.
This isn’t helped by the issues surrounding the film’s star, Ezra Miller, who has had their fair share of legal issues in the past few years. It seems unlikely they will return as the character going forward, regardless of a reboot or not, which only adds to the questions many fans have been asking, which is one pondering why they should care about a film that is essentially in this limbo time period, with no real connections to the future of the franchise.
Stand-alone superhero films can be successful, and incredibly so. The Batman, Joker, Logan, and more are all prime examples of more isolated comic book outings becoming excellent films, and received incredibly well both critically and with fans. Michael Keaton’s Batman return feeling wasted isn’t that he’s being put into a standalone film, but instead that he is in a movie that was not planned to be. All things considered, The Flash was set to be the opposite of a standalone, and was positioned as beginning of a new era of the franchise. Now that it’s not going to be part of a new universe or era going forward, Keaton’s feels like a distinct lack of planning, along with some frustrating reversal of decisions.
DC still have a lot of new projects coming in 2023, though. As stated, Shazam and the Fury of the Gods is up next, which is then followed by The Flash, which comes out in June. The Aquaman sequel, which could be the last time Jason Momoa appears as the underwater superhero, is set to arrive in December. Another Batman actor, Ben Affleck, was at one point confirmed to appear in that film, but it seems he’s another iteration of the Dark Knight that is getting the short end of the stick as DC reboots yet again.
