How Michael Keaton’s Batman Went From Flop to Phenomenon

It’s 1988, and the new Batman has just been announced. There’s no internet, because it’s 1988, so I’m hearing this news on the corner of 12th Street and Broadway at Manhattan’s comic-book mecca of the time, Forbidden Planet.
But the thing is, people are pissed. Michael Keaton? Mr. Mom?! How could this guy be Batman?!
But it wasn’t just the fans. The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story in November of that year questioning the casting of Keaton as Batman. That in turn spurred on even more media speculation about the choices being made on this multi-million dollar movie.
And then there were the petitions and the letter-writing campaigns where fans are said to have pleaded with Warner Bros. to get rid of Keaton and change the course of the DC film - some reports say there were 50,000 letters written!
The role of Batman is so huge now, as is Keaton’s part in making the character the big-screen legend that he is, that it’s hard to conceptualize today what a shock his casting was in 1988. But at the time, the actor was mostly known for his comedic roles like Mr. Mom.
Of course, the echos of Tim Burton’s Batman still influence the superhero movie genre to this day, even as Keaton himself returns to the role for The Flash some 31 years after being away. But it’s easy to forget now that when he first donned the cowl and eyeliner, there were a ton of fans who couldn’t handle the notion of Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, the Clean and Sober guy, and so on playing Batman. And for better or worse, it would be a trend that would continue with pretty much every Batman since, from Christian Bale to Ben Affleck to Robert Pattinson (and even Val Kilmer and George Clooney if you dig deep enough).
So let’s look back at the inauspicious debut of Michael Keaton’s Batman, and how his Dark Knight would go on to soar all the same, paving the way for the big-screen dominance of the character ever since.
#IGN #Movies #Batman

[@TheTransitmtl]

Literally no one actually watched the video before saying "it was never a flop"

[@plasticweapon]

well, don't lie.

[@user-pt8mu9wg3i]

My thoughts exactly

[@omt4293]

The funny thing, he’s 71 years old. And his work in The Flash as Batman is arguably his best work as Batman. He was incredible in The Flash.

[@ReecytheRapper]

his “best work” is crazy 😂

[@omt4293]

@@ReecytheRapper well considering he hasn’t really lost a step! Ok his best work was ‘89…happy?🤣

[@ReecytheRapper]

@@omt4293 yes 😂

[@omt4293]

@@ReecytheRapper lol alright! 😁

[@ieuanrichards8840]

Yeah looks like your never too old to be a superhero even for Michael keaton batman

[@JoshuaBallinger]

christopher reeves vs Michael Keaton Batman VS Superman was the masterpiece we never got!

[@BruddaJakka]

It was never a flop. Both movies did very well. He only left the role because Burton wasn't going to be coming back to direct.

[@JamesJome123]

Michael Keatons situation kinda got repeated with Robert, everyone was saying he was gonna be awful because he was in Twilight.

[@jeahavvalentin980]

​@@JamesJome123 Actually they were right about Robert Pattinson being the worst batman ever but were dead wrong about Michael Keaton's Iconic Batman role

[@HunterHartley14]

@@jeahavvalentin980 why do you think roberts the worst. no hate just wondering

[@dislexicpotato641]

@@jeahavvalentin980 Robert pattinson's portrayal is the most comics accurate to date.

[@JamesJome123]

@@jeahavvalentin980 well, Roberts doesn’t kill people or use guns, I’m looking at you Michael and Ben

[@pastorsson1052]

He never was a flop. His version of Batman will always be my favorite.

[@Downphoenix]

Yeah but they’re talking about the backlash before they saw the movie for themselves. This is one of those times where the fans were wrong.

[@andymc96]

Doesn't make it a flop though, just a click bait title.

[@AdamAddictL]

@@andymc96Yea..lGN needs to *DO BETTER*

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

​​​@@andymc96Reading comprehension skills. "From flop to phenomenon." Did you watch the video? Lmao

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

Ign clickbaiting.😂

[@1977TA]

Keaton's Batman was never a flop. Anyone alive during the Bat mania summer of '89 will tell you the movie did more than exceed expectations. The title of this video should be "How The casting of Michael Keaton as Batman Went From Hated To Accepted"

[@blutomindpretzel1735]

let's be honest, we're all going to see the Flash just for Keaton's return as Bats. He's the man

[@AdamAddictL]

Amen!!!! 😂😂😂👍👍👍

[@dreamrestore213]

You can tell people who comment on the title before they watch the video.

[@onlyone23km]

55 million at the box office when it should’ve gotten 70. What a tragedy. We let this man down!

[@sunnybearbuds]

Preach it.

[@YoureNotBatman]

Heck yeah!

[@jordanellis3615]

It was never a flop it’s a classic and he’s always been my favorite Batman🦇

[@Downphoenix]

This movie kind of is the reason we have comic book movies today as well as a reason why Keaton is one of my favorite actors. Tough to say if Comic Book movies would have ever been taken seriously without this and Keaton probably would have likely been a typecasted actor without this movie.

[@herrlogan17]

The perfect fit for Batman costume and hilarious abstracted multimilionaire...It was perfect combination for me. Batman Returns is the pinnacle of batman comics for me. The cast is simply brilliant.

[@EnragedMollusk]

Michael Keaton will always be my Batman.

[@Darthadios]

Still the best Batman, and one of those rare superhero movies which is not childish and completely ridiculous.

[@Amanojaku8]

Batman Returns ends with him defeating an army of bazooka carrying penguins....

[@_Cetarial]

A man dressed as a bat isn’t ridiculous?

[@AdamAddictL]

@@Amanojaku8STILL one of the BEST Batman movies

[@kidrobot.]

nice try

[@kylesawkon4074]

It was childish and ridiculous but still a movie for adults

[@nullvoid2001]

Jack Nicholson as the joker was always the best.

[@Chad_Billington]

Keaton and Conroy are the goats

[@kabal28]

Never a flop. He's still my true Batman

[@iracloniger6052]

Never a flop always a phenomenon!!!!

[@Wingedspace22]

Flop??? He’s like one of the best Batman ever!!

[@omegajackson]

There was lines around the movie theater twice when the first Michael Keaton batman. That is far from a flop

[@elliswhitworth]

the best one in my eyes and tim burton did a great job. love that gothic style.

[@arturovillalobos336]

Batman back then become more agressive (being able to kill and get killed), he was more dark using leather suit and even more sensual somehow, Kim Basinger put a spark in the mix.

[@bowlsem7]

People were skeptical when Keaton was cast, but the movie and his role was never a flop. It was a blockbuster.

[@distinguishedblues3761]

Flop? Never. His two films were legit especially for that era.

[@laentidaddesconocida]

Michael Keaton will be The Batman forever! There are certain actors or actresses that absorb the hero/heroine to perfection. A few examples below: Christopher Reeves as Superman. Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. Robert Downey Jr. as the Iron Man. Frank Castle as the Punisher.

[@Ironcabbit]

You mean: Jon Bernthal as The Punisher

[@amiciprocul8501]

1988 seems like a lifetime away now 😮

[@dmtmediabrothers]

35 years

[@amazo88]

Keaton, Affleck, and Pattinson all made people pissed for being casted. like, it is becoming a pattern.

[@MrPatrichon]

Back in '89, we went to see the Batmobile exhibited in a shopping mall. The line-up was so long we decided to turn our backs and go watch the movie in a theater instead. At the time, we had only watched it in a drive-in, which was a very bad idea because the movie was way too dark and we realized, when we watched it in a proper theater, that we had missed the most part... and also that it actually was an amazing movie. Both Keaton and Nicholson knocked it way out of the park.

[@MrMetallidude]

We all have a favorite and Keaton is permanently mine.

[@steveafanador6441]

Keaton is the ONLY Batman.

[@jeahavvalentin980]

Facts 💯

[@Gummo22]

Clean and Sober is an awesome movie. Keaton alway made sense to me even as an comic reading 8yo. Beetlejuice = Batman. It should not have been a big leap.

[@GBglide]

"Clean and Sober" is proof Keaton can play anything.

[@PhilMoskowitz]

There most certainly was an internet back then, and it was fairly popular. There were also BBSes (Bulletin Board Systems) and services such as America Online and Prodigy. These were the very kind social communications geeks latched on to discusses movies, tv shows, comicbooks, science, etc.

[@dfletcher532]

Since when did ANYONE said that Michael Keaton's version was a flop??

[@kanukki84]

Keaton and Affleck are Best batmen.

[@arasuishere]

We need his Batman story more.. Andy kills it with Keaton Batman in The Flash.

[@eye-saacthegalaxyeye4567]

He's not a version of batman HE IS BATMAN

[@thomasgoree7976]

Absolutely

[@goodnesswhy]

Ahem. Kevin Conroy?

[@AdamAddictL]

@@goodnesswhyBest Batman to NOT wear the suit 😭😭

[@stevensales4731]

I've always thought he was the very best batman and not a flop

[@philippefrancisco8633]

He was never a flop to begin with

[@jacktodd3439]

Those pre internet days were better than todays world, I'll tell you that.

[@archilpandey]

Now fans value his portrayal again after the flash

[@joojoobears2617]

There was always a darkness to Batman ever since the first appearance in 1939. When discussing the darkness of Batman with other media sources and other franchises after Batman's theatrical success, you should have mentioned prior influences such as Frank Miller's Dark Knight in the 80s for example. The Watchmen is another prime example of darker tone in comics in the 80s as well. Instead, the viewer might believe Tim Burton's Batman is somehow the origins of the darker version of Batman and other superheroes in general.

[@TheJustUsLeague]

Michael Keaton .... best batman ever. Robert Pattinson .... still not sold.

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

That moment it could've been Bill Murray as Batman if Burton and Keaton hadn't decided to take Batman in the direction it took.

[@luckyrockmore2796]

or Prince who did the soundtrack

[@stanley26red]

Keaton Batman worked bacause he was the best Batman for Nicolson's Joker.

[@jayfroggy]

No one gonna mention his role in the critically acclaimed Birdman which was a homage to Batman which at the time no one saw him returning

[@ChristianThueringer]

great documentary and fan Service

[@54raynor]

At no point was Michael Keaton ever considered a flop as Batman. There was backlash to his casting, but those tune completely changed after the first movie.

[@jglg7238]

Batman returns has the best batmobile in any movie, also it's a true comic style batman that follows the comic books

[@VicharB]

Keaton's' return as Batman in Flash was awesome, idea and execution, even though his Batman was ok, though it is not him but rather the production and cinematography that made it bad. Nolan's' Batman is gem till date for me. Flash, it was ok, 7/10 max.

[@alangreenway6695]

You have to look at the casting with the time it came out. Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy, and Michael J Fox all had huge action roles after coming from TV and comedy. The 80’s Batman films are bleaker vision than the 60’s TV show, but there is an undercurrent of dark humour that runs through the films that requires comic timing and facial expression under that mask.

[@playerone2629]

Loved the thumbnail🤣

[@vintageoriginallegit]

Never a flop reported the video for misleading

[@billyin4c274]

Keaton’s Batman was never a flop.

[@RONI_RRS]

Those early young footages of Michael keaton as Tv actor is hilariuos 👌😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 So glad that they've brought him back 🙏 It wud be his ultimate redemption as 🦇 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@Saiyan_Assassin9]

Never a flop wtf

[@Crbennettx]

He is Adrian Toombs

[@kendrickcalles5981]

A flop? I’ve never heard anyone refer to his Batman as a flop. Until this…

[@Dooncat]

michael keaton has perfect voice and mouth . mouth is really important in batman when he wear it only mouth and eyes is visible

[@williamblake831]

It was a banger out of the gate. Lol

[@LuiCambio]

Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Robert Patterson were the best choices that was made for BruceWayne/Batman

[@prince21781]

Keaton has been the best bat man to date. Nuff said

[@EricToro-ef4hr]

it was never a flop on the first view of the film it was a surprisingly. A huge hit at the box office anybody that was raised in the eighties know this. Michael Keaton became the next Batman after many hated the idea. that Michael Keaton was going to play batman, but he pulled off. Awesome

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

IGN hates batman movies.😂

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

Lol, what? Not sure who did the research for this video but the hype for the 1989 Batman movie was insane. It was never even close to being a flop. For those of us who lived through it, revisionist history videos like this make no sense.

[@lea-rw5cb]

Keaton actually revolutionised Batman before that it was really a comedy show.

[@Tiyong55]

FLOP?! HE WENT FROM ICON TO A LEGEND.

[@bradywitt8206]

Great video

[@Stablemable2]

Johnny Depp would have been a cool Batman too, post Keaton.

[@rimmynerd5746]

What's flop? The film was successful!!!

[@rondoughhowell6442]

Well who ever said that Keaton Batman was or is a Flop must be a Dark Knight lover

[@RONI_RRS]

What a CLASSIC ❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥❤‍🔥

[@dmtmediabrothers]

How was it a flop? It was huge and set the super hero standard for years

[@davecurry5604]

That bat logo was money back then.

[@ESTYMANAGRANIATV]

3:58 Jay-Z ''Hard Knock Life'' :)

[@jonathankinney14]

Yall smoking crack!! Keaton ain't never been a flop💯

[@askjeevescosby2928]

12:30 the first kid to ever say rad.

[@Zeluth]

C;ean and Sober still resonates.

[@LEXRAPS]

That Thumbnail tho lol

[@BlackMask1980]

Is IGN on something Michael Keaton's batman was one of the best batman movies ever made

[@coreyprince-qr5ho]

Keaton stole the show in The Flash old but not obsolete

[@sunnybearbuds]

Too bad we couldn't combine Keaton and Ledger somehow...omg...🤩

[@ThatOneGuyFromSchool]

Feel like it's only a "phenomenon" because of its goofiness And memeability

[@XBX4LFE]

Oh IGN. Batman was never a flop it was the hottest movie of 89.

[@mattmisanthropy.]

*Keaton was the best Batman. Burton was the best director. Anyone that disagrees is wrong.* *It really goes to show - Don't listen to the media.*

[@MrKingvenom77]

Where's the flop part? Could have titled it From Mr. Mom to Dark Knight

[@space_wanderer_]

*_Жаль, что 3-ю часть не снял Т.Бёртон с М.Китоном..((_*

[@joshnizzle]

Always be my Batman

[@serrothrotciv4244]

Its not a flop tho....this happens with every batman and suoerman and star wars and spiderman and everything

[@darthrhonda1348]

Never was a flop

[@andreveach7520]

They should have STOPPED when Keaton 'left'; until Bale came around

[@civilwarfare101]

Boy this video is just proof enough that being antagonistic towards any form of media before they come out is just a waste of time and effort.

[@NateIsCorrupt]

Love Keaton Batman

[@bigloc3442]

Haha multiplicity was a great Keaton movie too lol classic.

[@sibitsabat]

Hey Steve! 😂😂

[@victorruiz9044]

You can't be the best batman with that smile and those psycho looks.

[@Kliffy77]

Best Batman ever.

[@rustybroomhandle]

"There’s no internet, because it’s 1988" ?? Geddoff me lawn ya dang yoofs!

[@SmooveShotta]

Lol so even back then they were petitioning to have actors removed for the littlest reason. 😭 no matter the generation ppl are the same

[@Alucard_ashie]

The bat brow,!!!

[@davecurry5604]

Mannnnn the shark 🦈 at the 10.50 mark holy crap batman smh 😢😮😅 and if a shark had your leg like that 😳 you would be finished.

[@RichardGarza-zo9mo]

It's great to see Michael play Batman one last time in The Flash. He's Batman.

[@franklingoodwin]

His Batman was a flop? You might want to look at the box office takings for both Batman movies he was in lol. Batman 1989 was at the time the fifth biggest grossing movie of all time

[@mattyzigzag]

IGN reaching yet again. Keaton’s Batman is beloved