With Michael Keaton’s Batman set to have a major role in The Flash, it looks as though the Burtonverse’s Dark Knight will have a lot in common with the MCU’s Iron Man. Reprising his role to help Barry Allen’s Flash after he inadvertently breaks the multiverse, Keaton’s return will reveal new insights into Batman’s history following the two Batman films directed by Tim Burton. As a result, the first trailer for The Flash looks to confirm some major similarities with Marvel’s Tony Stark.
Despite having 1989’s Batman and the subsequent Batman Returns in 1992, Keaton’s Batman never received a definitive ending for his arc or career as Val Kilmer and George Clooney took on the mantle in the future Batman movies directed by Joel Schumacher. As a result, The Flash provides a unique opportunity to reveal the fate of Keaton’s Batman and what happened to him in the years that followed his encounters with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny Devito’s Penguin. Likewise, one reveal in particular suggests Keaton’s Bruce Wayne is as inventive as Marvel’s Armored Avenger.
Keaton’s Multiple Batman Suits Make Him Like Iron Man
As seen in the first trailer for The Flash, seven different Batman costumes can be seen on display in the Batcave. Each one has different variations such as extra holsters for grapple guns, goggles on the cowl, different colors, and more. It certainly looks as though Keaton’s Batman customized different suits for different scenarios following Batman Returns, something the Dark Knight of the original comics has also done such as integrating cold-resistant technology to fight Mr. Freeze or mechanized power armor to fight the likes of Bane (and even Superman).
However, Bruce Wayne’s inventive creation of multiple suits also resembles the MCU’s Iron Man who had over 40 different armors at one point. Having a surplus of suits suggests that Keaton’s Batman was constantly tinkering, wanting his tech and resources to make him the best he could be in his crusade to fight the criminals of Gotham. Just like Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, the desire to keep upgrading may come from a shared need to overcompensate in the absence of inherent superpowers.
Why Keaton’s Batman Being Like Iron Man Makes Sense
Keaton’s Batman having this shared trait with the MCU’s Iron Man makes plenty of sense. After all, they’re both eccentric rich geniuses who use their skills, resources, and tech to make up for their lack of extraordinary abilities. It stands to reason that Keaton’s Batman would also have multiple suits, creating a new facet of the classic Dark Knight to be explored when The Flash releases in theaters on June 16th.
