Michael Keaton As Batman
With Batman being arguably the most iconic and beloved comic book character of all time, it only makes sense that every single actor cast as The Dark Knight is going to be the subject of the hatred for many fans. But the worst (until Affleck) was Michael Keaton. In the days before internet message boards and blogs were at the prominence that they are today, fans were absolutely furious about Keaton being cast in Tim Burton’s Batman, with some even going as far as to petition against the casting choice.
Those furious fanboys had their reasons alright. Keaton was too small, not fit enough, and looked nothing like Bruce Wayne. But boy did the critics ever eat their words when the actor came soaring in, brutally beating all the the baddies and letting the Joker know that if he wants to get nuts then, “Come on! Let’s get nuts!”
When Warner Bros. wanted to change the direction of the franchise, Keaton wasn’t having any of it and departed the role, despite being offered over $15 million to come back. Fans were as dismayed that he wouldn’t return as they were when he was offered the part. In fact, some of those very same petitioning fans were asking for Keaton to show up in Batman V Superman, hoping for him to reprise the role in a Dark Knight Returns storyline.
I can assure you, Keaton isn’t any fitter than he was 20 years ago, and he certainly hasn’t gotten any taller, so he must’ve done an alright job as Batman for fans to still want him back.