Michael Keaton’s Batman Suit For The Flash Revealed
After decades without a Michael Keaton Batman, we are getting a glimpse at the suit he will wear in the upcoming movie The Flash.
The San Diego Comic-Con is upon us, and with it, the anticipated reveals from upcoming movie and TV projects. The first may already be upon us, courtesy of DC Comics and publisher Jim Lee, and GamesRadar believes it could be a first look at Michael Keaton and the Batsuit he will be wearing for the films The Flash and Batgirl. In a tweet posted today on Jim Lee’s Twitter account, the legendary Batman artist revealed his artwork for the DC “swag bags” that will be available at Comic-Con. The artwork includes a number of DC characters as they appear in TV and film, including Batman in what appears to be the suit worn by Keaton in the classic 1989 Tim Burton film.
The art includes over 50 DC characters, with many depicted as they are seen in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which includes DC movies and TV series. Zachary Levi’s Shazam, Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, and Leslie Grace’s Batgirl are all distinctly seen, so it stands to reason the Batman we see here is indeed the Michael Keaton version we will see in the upcoming films. While extremely similar to the Batsuit we saw in Batman and Batman Returns (1992), there are some minor, subtle changes. The suit itself features some seams which could indicate armor or new tailoring of some sort, which would make sense, and it is closer in style to the current comic book version of Batman. The utility belt is slightly different, and it appears his forearm gauntlets have been upgraded. However, this could just be embellishment by Jim Lee, who draws his own version of the Caped Crusader. At the very least, fans should be relieved that DC is largely sticking to the original look Keaton had in those films. It also matches the brief glimpses we’ve seen of Keaton in the Batsuit on the set of Batgirl.
Oddly, while fan enthusiasm for the return of Michael Keaton is high, Warner Bros. seems to be downplaying him a bit, making him less prominent in the artwork than other actors and their characters. Of course, those actors have films coming out before The Flash, which makes sense, and yet, his placement to the side seems out of place. Even Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle is more prominently featured. And don’t even get us started on the placement of Superman, who is almost an afterthought in the background and depicted in his CW Superman and Lois look. The artwork also features Arrowverse characters like Grant Gustin’s Flash and Caity Lotz’s White Canary, as well as some characters from recent video games and animation. Even the League of Superpets, whose movie opens this month, are featured in the corner.
The reveal comes just as Warner Bros. Discovery, the newly-formed multimedia conglomerate that owns DC Entertainment, is changing the company’s presence at Comic-Con. After the pandemic shut down Comic Con in recent years, for the first time ever, there will be no DC booth on the show floor at Comic-Con, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There will be a number of panels for Warner Bros. Discovery projects, including HBO’s House of the Dragon and Netflix’s Sandman (who is seen in the artwork), but not for The Flash, since it opens in June of 2023. Although that could mean that Michael Keaton may not make an appearance, we could still see him a Flash trailer.
