Val Kilmer was the second actor to become the dark knight on the big screen after Michael Keaton. That’s just the big screen. Possibly no one, but that’s what Hollywood is giving us in 2022. On March 4, Robert Pattinson – the Twilight guy – takes his first trip to Gotham City in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Frank Miller’s Reagan Era comic about a middle-aged Batman that comes out of retirement to stop the increasing violence of Gotham City. Find out Bruce Wayne was Batman he had to become a superhero to know whaving Gotham City. Batman and Robin have been sent in and Robin has been captured. Also nicknamed as “the Boy Wonder,” Batman’s loyal sidekick Robin has been featured in many incarnations such as in the Teen Titans animation series, the 1997 Batman and Robin movie, various DC comic books, and the nostalgic campy Batman television show during the ’60s.

Once more battling traditional enemies like The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin and Catwoman, the overt racism was mostly toned down in the television version. However, Tim Burton didn’t want his Batman to be like that, which was why he chose the “average-looking” Keaton for the part. In Batman and Batman 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. So, while half of the League is just trying to get back to their Fifth Dimension counterparts and Superman is still stranded in darkness, Batman is being given the full VIP treatment. While still facially disfigured, they now preferred to engage in domestic acts of terrorism, with Heath Ledger’s iconic performance transforming the Joker into a mass-murdering psychopath. Bruce now as Batman chases after Bane and his mercenaries; however, he causes more problems with the police force opt to pursue him rather than the criminal as he was still the accused murderer of Harvey Dent. Probably giving his date some slight rage regret (getting overshadowed by Jaden Smith is one thing, but getting overshadowed by Jaden Smith dressed as Batman is next level), batman hellbat suit the 16-year-old opted to boycott typical suit standards and just peacock his way through the evening instead.

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. This was the outfit that Mego used when it released its Catwoman figure in 1974. Kids all over America were confused that this Catwoman looked nothing like the one that was appearing daily on their TV screens in reruns. Interestingly, this did help highlight the personas of the infamous villains that he faced in Batman Returns, notably Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s The Penguin. How would Batman train? 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, batman beyond cosplay as this adds a layer of mystery to his character. This is a nice homage to the nature of Batman’s changing suit appearance throughout the comics back then. Made by scanning the actors face then sculpting the life cast with a laser.

For fans of the Dark Knight that love reading his tales in DC Comics, there are just some elements of Keaton’s portrayal that set him apart from other Batman actors. Despite initial fan backlash, Keaton was regarded as one of the best Batman actors of all time. This may also explain why Batman hasn’t been as talkative in the recent comics compared to his other appearances. As fans would realize, it’s The Dark Knight Returns that 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. 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. The use of facial disfigurements seems to have been expanded, with scars as markers of trauma etched across the face of Andy Serkis’s Alfred (Batman’s butler) and the body of Pattinson’s Batman, and more substantial deformity marking the villainy of Colin Farrell’s Penguin. After director Andy Muschietti was brought on to helm the film, it was rescheduled for a June 2022 debut and was eventually pushed back to November 4 of that year as a response to the onset of the global pandemic.