Christian Bale reveals that he would only return to Batman if Christopher Nolan asked. The actor will make his MCU debut through Thor: Love and Thunder as Gorr the God Butcher, the primary villain of the narrative. This pits him against Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder, who returns to the franchise after the events of the Infinity Saga.

Before he joined the MCU, however, Bale already made a big splash in the comic book movie world through the The Dark Knight trilogy, playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. The critically acclaimed series of films was released from 2005-2012, with its middle installment, The Dark Knight, releasing in the same year as Marvel Studios' first movie project, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau's Iron Man. Since wrapping up his run as the Caped Crusader, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson have played the role on the big screen, but Bale's version remains a favorite. With Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman in Andy Muschietti's The Flash, there are understandably queries if there's a chance that Bale will put on the cape and the cowl again.

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Speaking exclusively with Screen Rant while doing the press junket for Thor: Love and Thunder, Bale addresses this question. According to the actor, no one has apparently brought up the idea of him reprising his DC role. Even if there have been offers, he makes it clear that the only reason he would revisit Batman is if Nolan asks him. Read Bale's answers below:

No. No one's ever mentioned it to me. No one's brought it up. [...] Occasionally people say to me, "Oh, I hear you were approached and offered all this." And I'm like, "That's news to me. No one's ever said that."

I had a pact with Chris Nolan. We said, "Hey, look. Let's make three films, if we're lucky enough to get to do that. And then let's walk away. Let's not linger too long." In my mind, it would be something if Chris Nolan ever said to himself, "You know what, I've got another story to tell." And if he wished to tell that story with me, I'd be in.

Christian Bale Batman Cropped

While Bale is open to returning as Batman, his condition is quite a tall order. Nolan is no longer actively involved in DC Films as Warner Bros. moves forward with the DCEU following Zack Snyder's stint. Given the specific situation that led to the return of Affleck and Keaton in The Flash, there's a much slimmer chance Bale will be reprising his role as the Caped Crusader in the DCEU for a cameo capacity. If anything, it does seem like he is more likely saying that he would only be back if Nolan is back at the helm for another Batman movie.

Then again, this doesn't mean that there's no chance that Bale will be in the DCEU, in some way. Warner Bros. is currently developing the DC multiverse, which paved the way for Keaton's return as the Caped Crusader. If Nolan decides to continue The Dark Knight trilogy's story, it could finally convince Bale to play Batman again, which would be quite the development for fans of his franchise.

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