Michael Keaton’s Batcave returns in The Flash thanks to the multiverse, yet the first The Flash teaser trailer shown at DC Fandome 2021 hints at it being a different Batcave from the Tim Burton movies. While DC’s plans for the multiverse may have changed considering that DC Studios has found its head creative executive in James Gunn, The Flash is still set to dive into the vastness of the DC multiverse. In addition to Ben Affleck’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, The Flash will see Michael Keaton as Batman from another universe, which many are assuming to be Tim Burton's Batman universe.

Designating a number or code for each live-action universe in the DC multiverse can be tricky. For example, both CW’s Stargirl and Matt Reeves’ The Batman have been said to be on “Earth-2”, though it’s clear that they are not in the same universe. As such, it is difficult to say whether The Flash will refer to Michael Keaton’s Batman universe as “Earth-89” like CW’s Crises on Infinite Earths did. In fact, it is too soon to say for certain that Michael Keaton is playing the exact same Batman he played in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). For example, the Batcave shown in The Flash’s teaser trailer features a waterfall – which did not exist in Burton’s Batcave. This could in turn be a wider hint about the complex nature of DC's multiverse, making it dangerous to make any assumptions about where The Flash's Batcave actually is.

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The Flash's Wayne Manor Is Like Burton's - Why Is The Batcave Different?

The Wayne Manor in The Flash

Curiously, the Wayne Manor shown in The Flash’s teaser trailer looks exactly like the one from the Tim Burton Batman movies. Therefore, it is surprising that the Batcave looks so different. Granted, most of the Batcave shots in Batman and Batman Returns were very limited in what they revealed about the set, yet it is clear that there was never a waterfall in the Batcave. There was, however, a waterfall in Christopher Nolan’s Batcave as seen in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises. Considering how Nolan's Batman films nailed what a realistic, modern Batman would look like, The Flash’s Batcave may be borrowing from Nolan’s and the comics in order to update Keaton’s Batman.

The Batcave Waterfall Hints At A Different Batman, But Which One?

Batman and the Batcave in The Flash

There is also the possibility Michael Keaton’s Batman in The Flash is simply not the same one from Tim Burton movies. Although that could make things more complicated regarding Burton’s Batman continuity, which has already received two different sequels in the Joel Schumacher Batman movies and the Batman ’89 comics, it could also make it easier for Keaton’s Batman to be integrated into a larger DC universe. For example, in this potential alternate Michael Keaton Batman universe, other DC heroes could have existed for decades – which did not seem to be the case during Batman and Batman Returns. Still, the possibility of Keaton’s Batman having a new, updated Batcave cannot be ruled out.

Given many versions of “Earth-89” already exist – the Tim Burton movies, the Joel Schumacher Batman sequels, the CW’s multiverse, and the Batman ’89 comics – it would be no surprise if The Flash revealed a new, slightly different version of Michael Keaton’s Batman universe. It is also important to remember that Keaton was supposed to star as Batman in the now-canceled Batgirl movie, meaning that Keaton’s Batman may somehow be integrated with the DCEU following the events of The Flash. Therefore, even if Keaton is playing the same Batman from the Tim Burton movies, the context behind the character promises to be very different – especially if Keaton continues to play Batman in the DCEU.

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