The Flash Trailer Teases Michael Keaton's Brutal Batman (& DC Fans Aren't Ready)
DC's newly unveiled trailer for "The Flash" gave Michael Keaton Batman fans the vicious Dark Knight they've waited for. In the trailer, he does not hold back on any villain as he teams up with Ezra Miller's Barry Allen. Along with small details some missed in "The Flash" Super Bowl trailer, numerous scenes throughout the preview feature Keaton's Bruce Wayne fighting others in brutal fashion. One sure-to-be-legendary line from Keaton in particular shows off this Batman's ruthless side.
"What's the play? Batman, what do we do?" Barry asks, to which Keaton replies, "We try not to die."
The last time moviegoers got to see Keaton as Batman was in 1992's "Batman Returns," a film that many consider to be one of the darkest in DC's cinematic history and is full of things only adults notice. As people have been pointing out on social media, not every DC fan nowadays is attuned to Keaton's savage side.
'Nostalgia completely blinded people from how brutal Keaton's Batman was'
When it comes to dispatching rogues, Michael Keaton's Batman tossed the hero's "no kill" policy out the window in "Batman" and "Batman Returns." As Twitter user @bluboy43 puts it, Keaton was "a Batman who murdered almost all his villains and kills his enemies with zero remorse in the most brutal fashion."
By the looks of the official trailer for "The Flash," this is the type of Caped Crusader fans could be getting in the new movie. @cell0801 clocked how Keaton's Batman likely killed a character in the trailer when Batman lifts a man in the air and slams his body down viciously. Many others were surprised by the character's ferocity in the preview, despite him being notoriously cruel in the past.
"I was against bringing back this version [of Batman] because he kills," @cell0801 posted. "He will continue to kill in this film."
While some are shocked by the lengths this Batman will go, others remember how brutal Keaton was in this role decades earlier.
"Kinda funny how nostalgia completely blinded people from how brutal Keaton's Batman was," @blkgriot posted. @TheMetalWhovian shared this sentiment, specifically calling out fans "that shout 'Batman never kills!' while saying Michael Keaton's Batman is their favorite."
Meanwhile, others hope Keaton's Batman will have a change of heart in "The Flash." @RickRuiz424, for instance, is still excited over Keaton returning and hopes his Batman won't kill this time, claiming "Batman's way better when he has morals."
DC's "The Flash" is set for a June 16 release.