Of allBatmanportrayals, it’sMichael Keatonthat perhaps set the bar when it comes to the darker, grittier versions of the Dark Knight prior to his modern depictions. It’s 1989’sBatmanand 1992’sBatman Returnsthat showed viewers it’s possible for a darker, Gothic version of Batman roaming the streets of crime-ridden Gotham before the campier and more humorousBatmanfilms of the 90s.
RELATED:DC: Things Only Comic Readers Noticed About Ben Affleck’s Batman
However, there’s more to Michael Keaton’s Batman portrayal than meets the eye. For fans of the Dark Knight that love reading his tales inDC Comics, there are just some elements of Keaton’s portrayal that set him apart from other Batman actors.
10An Enigma Through And Through
One of the best ways Batman is depicted through Gotham is through his status as an urban legend, and this is somethingBatmanpopularizes. When the film begins, reporter Alexander Knox is heckled by his colleagues as they didn’t believe “the Batman” exists. In fact, one of the artists there handed him a drawing of a “bat-man,” which was a bat that wore a suit. Interestingly enough, fans that look at the drawing closely would see a signature from “Bob Kane,” which is actually Batman’s co-creator!
Aside from that, it’s such a refreshing sight back then to see that Batman was portrayed as an urban legend in his own film, as this adds a layer of mystery to his character. This was unlike the comics around the time of his origin, which eventually depicted a more humorous character.
9Not As Bulky As Tradition Demanded
Fans who love Batman might notice that his modern depictions would almost always show him as someone with almost just as many muscles as Superman. As such, some would expect Batman in a film to appear as jacked as his comic book counterpart. However, Tim Burton didn’t want his Batman to be like that, which waswhy he chose the “average-looking” Keaton for the part.
According to an old interview, Burton said there’s no reason for a jacked-up person to wear a Batsuit if they already had that body. For Burton, the point of wearing a Batsuit - to have that Batman persona - is to show that Bruce Wayne had problems that he wanted to resolve. Thankfully, this kind of casting was correct. Despite initial fan backlash,Keaton was regarded as one of the best Batman actorsof all time.
8A Darker Batman, Courtesy Of The Dark Knight
When Michael Keaton saw theBatmanscript for the first time, his only exposure to the Caped Crusader was from the William Dozier series, which admittedly featured a more humorous version of Batman. It’s only after reading the original script and realizing its vision that Michael Keaton accepted the role.
To prepare for his outing as Batman, Keaton read the hitDark Knight Returnsseries from Frank Miller, which featured a much darker take on Batman. As fans would realize, it’sTheDark Knight Returnsthat would set the tone for a much more serious Batman in the comics, and it’s this take on Batman that made Keaton’s portrayal quite dark compared to Val Kilmer and George Clooney.
7The First Batman To Change Voices During Missions
Fans of the Dark Knight somehow imagine a deep or raspy voice whenever he talks, which adds to the entire mystery behind his character. However, it’s actually Michael Keaton’s portrayal that made Batman’s voice change a tradition throughout his portrayals.
RELATED:Marvel vs. DC: Things You Might Not Know About The ’90s Miniseries
InBatmanandBatman Returns, Keaton gave himself a lower register while in costume as Batman, particularly because he believed using the same voice would give the identity of Batman to whoever interacted with him and Bruce Wayne. This voice change may haveinfluenced Christian Bale and his interpretation of Batmanin the Nolanverse, this time giving Batman a gruffer voice.
6Less Means More Mystery
When fans compareBatmanandBatman Returns, they might notice that Batman had fewer lines in the latter film compared to the former. This wasactually a personal decision made by Keaton, who believed fewer lines would make Batman a much more enigmatic character.
Interestingly, this did help highlight the personas of the infamous villains that he faced inBatman Returns, notablyMichelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s The Penguin. This may also explain why Batman hasn’t been as talkative in the recent comics compared to his other appearances.
5The First Batman To Use The Grapple Gun
Back in the comics, Batman’s primary mode of inter-building transportation came in the form of the Batrope or even the Batarangs with a rope attached to them. More advanced versions included the Harpoon Rifle (The Dark Knight Returns), but none as sophisticated as the modern Grapple Gun.
Interestingly enough, it’s Michael Keaton’s Batman that would make the Grapple Gun a staple in the Dark Knight’s arsenal. It’s after its popularity in theBatmanandBatman Returnsthat artists and creators would consider using the Grapple Gun in the comics.
4No Thanks To The Spandex
Fans who watchBatmanfilms might notice a key difference between the comics counterparts and the movies - the lack of extremely tight suits. WhereasBatmanin the comics more or less had a suit resembling spandex, Tim Burton opted out of the spandex while creating bothBatmanandBatman Returns. This resulted in the latex and rubber muscled suits that Batman wore in the films.
RELATED:First Batman Video Games (In Chronological Order)
In fact, designer Bob Ringwood was said to use over 200 comics issues as aninspiration to design the new suit. It’s said that Ringwood came up with 28 variations of the original foam latex designs, alongside 25 cape looks and six different cowl designs. Of course, the suit did come with its inconveniences, particularly movement restrictions that forced Keaton to make sharp shoulder turns - known to fans as the “Bat-Turn.”
3Wore Latex, And Then Foam Rubber
It’s a tradition amongBatmanfilms for the Batsuit to change appearances, both to represent upgrades and mark an iconic appearance for that particular film. In the case of Tim Burton’sBatmanandBatman Returns, the Batsuit fits both criteria. This is a nice homage to the nature of Batman’s changing suit appearance throughout the comics back then.
Behind the scenes, the original Batsuit fromBatmanfeatured latex and muscle-sculpting in an effort to transform the average build of Keaton into a muscle house. Unfortunately, this did make it much harder for him to move. Thankfully, costume designer Bob Ringwood upgraded the suit’s design inBatman Returns, this time using foam rubber. This design choice sacrificed muscle sculpting in favor of mobility, something that allowed Michael Keaton to showcase Batman’s martial arts prowess much more efficiently.
2The Beginning Of The Mono-Black Suit
Thanks to Tim Burton’s stylistic changes, bothBatmanandBatman Returnsshowcased Batman wearing an all-black suit for the first time. This color scheme cemented his Dark Knight persona and definitelybecame more intimidating to his foes. Interestingly, this color scheme choice reverberated throughout the fanbase and even extended to the comics.
When Bane broke Batman’s back in the “Knightfall” storyline, Batman took a leave of absence to recuperate, retrain, and reassess his capabilities as the Dark Knight. As such, by the time he makes a return in the “Troika” storyline, Batman dons an all-black suit with upgraded gadgets, which is most likely inspired by the Keaton Batsuits.
1A Legacy That Extended To The Comics
One of the best gifts of Keaton’s Batman to the fanbase was how a lot of its elements were slowly integrated into the modern Batman mythos. A notable part of this was thevery design of the Batsuit, wherein some of its elements got retained to Batman’s portrayal in the comics.
Influences of the Burton Batsuit in newer Batman media included the cowl. Additionally, the 2010 Batsuit from the “Batman Incorporated” comics looked at the Burton Batsuit as an inspiration, alongside the Nolanverse’s bulkier rendition of the suit.
