Keaton’s Batman Achieved Real Mainstream Success Like None Before
WhenBatmanwas announced, it sent comic book fans everywhere into overdrive. These days, with the internet at one’s disposal, it’s easy to get information on new films and their production status. But back in the late 1980s? It was a real hassle.
People flew private planes over production areas in the UK just to catch a glimpse of Michael Keaton in the costume, and thousands of letters were sent to DC Comics in protest of Keaton’s casting.
However, when the film released, it garnered huge acclaim and was a box office hit. It took in $411 million (just over $800 million in today’s dollars) against a budget of approximately $100 million. In an era before billion-dollar movies, that was a massive success.
Batmanwas the first superhero movie to show film executives that a dark tone and gothic feel could appeal to a wider audience, meaning they didn’t have to stick to Adam West’s campy version of Batman.
The fact that modern superhero films likeLoganandThe Dark Knighttrilogy can be as dark as they are? That’s all thanks to Tim Burton and Michael Keaton for the ground they broke in 1989.
Related:The best Batman movies (animated and live-action)
Keaton’s Batman Proved That There Was a Market for Superhero Movies
Batmandidn’t just prove that there could be a darker kind of superhero movie—it proved that there was a huge market of people who wanted to see superheroes brought to life on the big screen.
While theBatmanseries may have gone off the rails after Burton and Keaton left, it left a legacy that stood as proof to younger producers (like Marvel’s Kevin Feige) that the world was ready for realistic portrayals of superheroes in feature-length movies.
Indeed, the amazing success of superhero movies over the past few decades has vindicated both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton in the direction they took (and in Keaton’s controversial casting).
Related:The best Tim Burton movies
When Tony Stark clicked his fingers and wiped out Thanos and his army in one of the greatest cinematic scenes of all time, remember that was only possible because of the pioneering work of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton inBatmanandBatman Returns.
Tim Burton’s film was the first of its kind. It had a dark and gritty tone that was wrapped up in a cold and gothic world—one that was full of freakish characters and twisted morality.
Micheal Keaton’s Performance as Batman Is Legendary and Iconic
When fans found out that comedic actor Michael Keaton was the one cast to be Batman in a movie for the first time since the 1960s, they were NOT happy. Warner Brothers was flooded with complaint letters demanding that they reconsider.
And Michael Keaton proved them all wrong. To this day, among comic book fans, Michael Keaton isn’t just one of the best Batmans—he’s THE one and only Batman.
No other actor understood the darkness within Bruce Wayne like Keaton did. He played the duality of the character to absolute perfection, encapsulating both the bumbling Bruce Wayne and the broken mentality of his inner Batman.
Keaton’s upcoming role inThe Flash(2022) will see him return to the character for the first time since 1992’sBatman Returns, and fans are already celebrating how they’ll be able to see him define the character yet again—only this time, it will be in old age.
Keaton’s commanding performance inBatmanandBatman Returnswas the blueprint for all later actors who took on serious depictions of superheroes, including Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Jackman, Josh Brolin, Christian Bale, and the rest.
Watch Michael Keaton’s Batman Now
If you’re a fan of superhero movies and you’ve never seen Michael Keaton as Batman, you owe it to yourself to make that the next film to watch on your list—not just because it’s historic and iconic, but simply because it’s a solid film worth watching.
Read next:The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie’s legacy (and why it still holds up)
