While fans of Michael Keaton’s Batman are still processing the news that Warner Bros. is looking to ask him to join the DCEU, we’ve now learned that the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” could’ve featured his return earlier this year.
“Crisis” marked the biggest crossover event in the history of television by cramming in as many DC cameos into the plot as possible. Even the story itself essentially had more than five years of buildup, with the producers relentlessly teasing fans ever since the first episode of The Flash premiered back in 2014. But apart from bringing back the likes of Brandon Routh and Tom Welling in their respective roles as Superman, the five-hour special also included a lot of fresh cameos from different Earths, including one where Kevin Conroy played the Kingdom Come Dark Knight. However, it would seem that The CW originally envisioned Michael Keaton for the role.
As part of Crisis on Infinite Earths: Paragons Rising, a deluxe hardcover that includes script pages, pencil art and stories from the Crisis’ 100-Page Giant issues, we have new concept art by Andy Poon that depicts Michael Keaton in Conroy’s suit. While the image itself is blurred, Marc Guggenheim has apparently confirmed that they never approached Keaton for the role, and Poon was just playing around with the idea until Conroy signed on for the part.
Check it out for yourself below:
As fans might remember, a photograph of Keaton’s Bruce Wayne was seen on the set of “Crisis,” but the version that made it to the small screens replaced it with a drawing of the Caped Crusader which eerily resembled his costume from the 1989 and 1991 Batman movies. Additionally, with Robert Wuhl’s Alexander Knox appearing briefly during one of the cameo sequences, The CW has all but confirmed that Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight is a thing in their multiverse.
And seeing as how Ezra Miller also appeared in “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” it’s safe to say that WB’s plan to reintroduce Keaton in The Flash makes much more sense now.