Summary
- The Flash missed an important opportunity to crossover multiple versions of Batman, which would have been more memorable than special visual effects.
- Mr. Lee’s poster shows a multiverse adventure starring various Batman actors, including Keaton, Affleck, Pattinson, Kilmer and Clooney.
- The failure to bring Keaton and Affleck’s Batman characters together in The Flash is disappointing, and DC is unlikely to explore the multiverse on the big screen for a while.
The Spider-Verse fan art poster puts multiple live versions of Batman together to show what it would be like if Bruce Wayne met his doppelgängers. The multiverse continues to be one of the most frequently used concepts in the superhero film and TV genre. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is at the center of the Multiverse saga, and this summer’s The Flash explored alternate realities for the DCEU.
One of the main characters of The Flash was the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman, whose presence was caused by Barry Allen’s time travel, with Ben Affleck’s version replacing him in this new reality. For Keaton, The Flash marked the first (and likely last) time he reprized the role since playing Batman in Tim Burton’s films.
Mr. Lee recently shared an image of the Dark Knight traveling into the multiverse, teaming up with different versions of himself. The poster features Keaton, Affleck, and versions of the DC icon played by Robert Pattinson, Val Kilmer and George Clooney.
How The Flash Missed an Opportunity to Create a Batman Crossover
As stunning as Mr. Lee’s work is, it highlights one of The Flash’s biggest missed opportunities. While audiences have seen characters like Superman meet alternate versions of themselves and different versions of the Scarlet Speedster team up in the Arrowverse, Batman has never had a story like that. Even though The Flash is ultimately a story about Barry Allen, the DCEU film managed to feature not one, but three Batman actors.
Considering that The Flash will likely be the last time Affleck plays Batman, it would be a great opportunity for his character to cross paths with another version of himself, especially one as iconic as Keaton. Having Keaton and Affleck appear on screen would likely have had a greater impact than the controversial VFX special appearances, and would have given two generations of DC viewers something much more memorable. The fact that The Flash failed to do this and instead included an appearance by Clooney, who is widely considered the least favorite live-action Batman, makes the film an even bigger disappointment.
Now that DC Studios is working and developing its new DC Universe, time will tell if another similar multiverse opportunity will be in James Gunn’s plans. While Gunn has plans for Batman in the DC Universe, the focus will be on getting him to work in the new saga. At this point, it’s safe to say that The Flash will likely be the last time DC explores the multiverse on the big screen for quite some time.
Source: Mr. Lee/Instagram
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