Summary
- Brandon Routh’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman come together in new fan art, imagining a shared appearance in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
- Keaton’s Batman didn’t actually appear in the crossover due to cost constraints, but the Arrowverse still cleverly honored his Batman movies.
- The Arrowverse made a quick visit to Earth-89, establishing it as Keaton’s Batman universe, and included a cameo by Robert Wuhl reprising his role from the 1989 film.
Brandon Routh’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman join forces in a new DCEU crossover fan art. DC’s live-action legacy has had some of its most interesting years over the last decade, primarily through the Arrowverse. In 2019, The CW’s superhero franchise did its own rendition of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which celebrated DC TV and movies which included various cameos from past live-action projects.
One of the most beloved Crisis on Infinite Earths cameo appearances was Routh, who got to play Superman again after his run in 2006 through Superman Returns. While it has been nearly five years since the Arrowverse crossover aired, fans are still imagining how the event could have turned out with other DC cameos.
Skull101Ify recently put Keaton’s Batman and Routh’s Superman together in new fan art, imagining how it would have looked if the Dark Knight appeared in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Since Routh’s Man of Steel is meant to be the same version of Christopher Reeve’s character, this would be the closest fans could get to seeing the Batman and Superman of the 1980s together in live-action.
How Arrowverse’s Crisis On Infinite Earths Honored Keaton’s Batman Movies
As ambitious as it would have been to try to get Keaton’s Batman in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it would have never happened, as his cameo would have been one of the most expensive ones. Even though he never showed up, Crisis on Infinite Earths still honored Keaton’s Batman movies in a few neat ways. Before his appearance in The Flash movie, the Arrowverse crossover made a quick visit to Earth-89, establishing that as the world of Keaton’s franchise.
During the Earth-89 scene, the footage showed Gotham City several years after the events of Tim Burton’s Batman movies. While the Caped Crusader wasn’t present, a familiar face did pop up, as Robert Wuhl reprised the role of Alexander Knox from Keaton’s first Batman film in 1989. While the skies were turning red, Knox was seen reading a Gotham City Gazette paper with the headline “Batman Captures Joker” while the iconic Batman theme song was playing in the background.
Even though it would have been huge if Keaton’s Batman showed up, the creative team behind Crisis on Infinite Earths deserves props for finding a short, but memorable way to include his universe. It was also a major deal at the time for the Arrowverse to have this much interaction with the DC movies. Fans can always relive Keaton’s entire Batman legacy through his solo films and his DCEU appearance in The Flash, both on home media or through streaming.
Source: Skull101Ify/Instagram
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