Michael Keaton Batman In The Flash Gets The Best Look Yet, See The Awesome Photo

Michael Keaton is maskless as Batman in a new image from The Flash.

By Robert Scucci | Updated

michael keaton batman

It’s been a very long time since Michael Keaton has portrayed Batman on the silver screen, but for those who feel that he’s the superior incarnation of the Dark Knight, you’re in for a treat. By now, it’s no mystery that Michael Keaton’s Batman will make an appearance in the upcoming Flash film this June, and Rolling Stone’s coverage earlier this year confirmed everything we could have ever hoped for. What’s more, a photo recently surfaced on Reddit, showing an unmasked Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman that we didn’t get to see in DC’s The Flash trailer.

michael keaton batman

For those of you who are too young to remember Michael Keaton‘s Batman, he was once an unlikely candidate for the role, but has gone down in history, to many, as the most iconic iteration of Batman. And though it’s been decades since fighting off the Joker (Jack Nicholson), Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), and the Penguin (Danny DeVito), Keaton looks like he’s back at home in the bat-suit, sporting his signature sardonic grin in the promotional photo for The Flash.

To say that we’re excited for the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman would be a massive understatement. For a moment, we thought he would never return to the role, and his role in 2014’s Birdman felt like confirmation. The self-referential plot line of Birdman showed us that Michael Keaton, and his Riggan Thomson character, were tired of living in the shadow of their blockbuster superhero past, but it seems to us that Keaton has found a compelling enough reason to reprise his role for The Flash.

The Flash trailer shows us Ezra Miller’s Flash running into Michael Keaton’s Batman in an alternate reality, and of course, Keaton utters his famous phrase “I’m Batman” when he reveals himself. It’s crazy to think that this iconic line was improvised in 1989’s Batman and still has so much staying power.

Originally, Keaton was supposed to say “I am Vengeance,” or “I am the night,” but in a complete slip of the tongue, he spoke the phrase that has gone down in history as one of Batman’s most iconic moments. So it’s only fitting that in The Flash, the OG Batman brings back one of his most memorable lines. Ben Affleck will also be seeing some screen time as the Caped Crusader, so we can only hope that some warp in the time continuum will show both versions of Batman crossing paths.

As The Flash crosses timelines and brings us back to the good old days of Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Batman, we should not get too attached. Though Keaton has stated that he was enthusiastic about reprising the role due to the storytelling, it may just be a one-off for the Founder star.

The Flash will see its CinemaCon debut on April 25, but will see its wide release on June 16. For those of you who long for the days of Michael Keaton’s Batman, your time has finally come!