DCEU Theory: How Michael Keaton’s Batman Returns In The Flash Movie

Michael Keaton's Batman can return in The Flash movie courtesy of the Multiverse, without contradicting his original two movies. After years of being stuck in Development Hell, DC Films is finally progressing with The Flash. The plot is apparently inspired by the famous Flashpoint tale from the comics, in which Barry Allen rewrites history in an attempt to save his mother's life. What's more, it seems The Flash will introduce the concept of the Multiverse to the DCEU.

In a surprising twist, the latest reports claim Michael Keaton is in talks to reprise the role of Batman. Keaton played the part of Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns. He was initially a controversial casting choice, but swiftly won fans over, and to this day many viewers consider him the definitive big-screen iteration of Batman. The news of Keaton's potential return is certainly unexpected, and understandably many viewers are wondering just how Keaton is going to come back given the DCEU already has its own version of Bruce Wayne, played by Ben Affleck.

Fortunately, it's really not too difficult to incorporate Michael Keaton's Batman into the DCEU. The key lies in the concept of the Multiverse - and, oddly enough, the Arrowverse prepared the way for this in its Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

The Multiverse Explains How Michael Keaton's Batman Returns

DC has bought into the Multiverse theory; the idea there are countless different alternate Earths, where history progressed differently. This is a traditional concept in the comics, where writers use it to allow them to create distinctive and unusual riffs on well-established heroes; think Gotham By Gaslight or Kingdom Come Superman. The Multiverse allows creative teams to tell stories that would otherwise never be told, where heroes turn into villains and zombie plagues sweep the globe. They're unconstrained by continuity, and thus give writers and artists a tremendous amount of freedom.

The foundation of DC's Multiverse was laid on the small screen, in the Arrowverse, with The Flash exploring countless different Earths. That culminated in Crisis on Infinite Earths, a blockbuster event that revealed all DC's films and TV shows are part of the same Multiverse. This includes the Tim Burton Batman movies, which are apparently set on Earth-89; Crisis gave a brief glimpse of the iconic Gotham landscape, with a familiar Bat-Signal in the sky and the unforgettable Danny Elfman theme tune. There had been rumors Keaton would actually cameo, but those turned out to be incorrect; there was, however, a brief appearance by Robert Wuhl, reprising a journalist from the 1989 Batman film. Later, an unexpected Ezra Miller cameo confirmed the DCEU is part of this Multiverse as well. With the benefit of hindsight, this looks to have been setup, because now the DCEU and the Burton movies are loosely connected - and Multiversal exploits are possible. This means that Burton's movies won't be disregarded but instead remain canon, just existing on a different Earth.

Michael Keaton's Batman Can Lead The DCEU's Heroes

Michael Keaton as Batman and Ezra Miller as Flash

Initial reports suggest that, in every single universe, Earth is home to an unusually high number of super-powered individuals. If this is the case, Keaton's Batman continued his vigilante career after Batman Returns, but went on to team up with other iconic superheroes. It's even likely he had his own version of the Justice League, and probably even a Flash as well. Somehow, perhaps through his interaction with these heroes, Batman discovered the secrets of the Multiverse and began traveling between the Earths. That neatly explains how he can arrive on the DCEU Earth, where he will reportedly serve a Nick Fury, mentor-type role.

The Age of Heroes has really only just begun in the DCEU, but Keaton's Batman would already be familiar with everybody concerned. He would know who the heroes are and just what they're capable of, better even than they do themselves; it's not hard to imagine him giving tips to a bewildered Barry Allen, helping him figure out how to manipulate the Speed Force. What's more, Batman would essentially have foreknowledge of the threats to come; the Justice League would be facing enemies who had emerged years ago on Earth-89 and who had been handily defeated. It's quite possible he'd be able to see straight through some Machiavellian schemes, simply because he remembered unraveling the same plots before.

Crisis On Infinite Earths Could Have Set Up Keaton's Batman

The Flash, Supergirl, Superman, Batwoman and the Atom in Crisis on Infinite Earths

The various Easter eggs in Crisis on Infinite Earths have essentially turned into explicit setup for the DCEU. The interesting question, though, is just how direct the setup could be. Earth-89 was one of the worlds affected by the Crisis, with the skies turning a blood-red before the planet was destroyed by antimatter waves. "I hope you're watching, big guy," Robert Wuhl's Alexander Knox said in his well-appreciated cameo. It's entirely possible Keaton's Batman was indeed watching, and that he learned of the Multiverse through the Crisis. Assuming Batman somehow retained a memory of the Crisis, he would have realized that Earths can be destroyed - and that changing timelines can be dangerous.

This knowledge would explain why Keaton's Batman would turn up in The Flash. In the comics, the Flashpoint story saw Barry Allen abuse his powers and create a new reality where history ran a little differently; he wasn't a speedster, there was no Justice League, and in a shocking twist Thomas Wayne was Batman rather than his son Bruce. Over the course of the arc, Barry learned his own attempt to rewrite his personal past had shattered reality. He was ultimately forced to make the agonizing decision to reset history by traveling back once again and allowing his mother to die at Reverse-Flash's hands. Flashpoint is one of the most famous Flash stories of all time, and in the DCEU it's reasonable to assume Barry's actions draw the attention of the Multiversal Batman. Keaton's Batman had never been interested in this reality before, because the timeline had not been damaged; now he sees it has been, he arrives in the DCEU in order to set matters right. With smart writing, Batman could well decide to stick around and become a major player in future DCEU movies.

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