A new sneak peek at DC Studios’ The Flash featured a scruffy-bearded version of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne.
After 30 years away from the role Keaton’s take on Batman is back in the spotlight, as he is set to help Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen save the Multiverse in the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo movie of the franchise.
In the lead-up to the super-powered blockbuster, fans have gotten a few glimpses of Keaton’s Caped Crusader. The iconic hero popped up in a number of trailers, exploring his Bat Cave, taking down baddies, and even getting a recognizable line or two off along the way.
However, one look from Keaton’s Bruce that the general public has not seen is the reported longer-haired and bearded version of the character that will be present in the film.
A Scruffy Batman in The Flash
Audiences got their first look at the scruffy bearded Bruce Wayne (played by Michael Keaton) thanks to a new clip from The Flash.
The sequence sees Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen approaching Keaton’s retired hero for help, seeking out the alternate dimension he finds himself in’s Superman.
Seeing as Keaton’s Bruce has not been Batman for quite some time, he has somewhat let himself go, growing out his long gray hair along with an unkempt beard.
In this alternate DC universe, Batman has not been needed as “Gotham [is now] one of the safest cities in the world,” a stark contrast to the way the city looked back in Keaton’s original two Batman films.
This scruffy look was originally teased out of CinemaCon in which journalists in attendance described a scene where Batman “donning long grayed hair and a beard standing in front of seven Batsuits” was seen, but that had not been shown to the general public until now.
The full clip can be seen below:
Getting Bruce Wayne Back in Action
While Michael Keaton’s involvement in The Flash as his iconic DC hero has been known for quite some time, the inclusion of this Batman enjoying retirement is something of an interesting inclusion.
In a similar way to Christian Bale’s version of Bruce in The Dark Knight Rises, Keaton’s character has let himself go a bit in the time since Gotham City needed his Caped Crusader.
This long-haired look is a direct reference by the Flash filmmakers of the time that has passed since Keaton last was in the suit, sort of telling audiences, “Hey look, even Batman gets old.”
But, as has been seen elsewhere in The Flash marketing, Keaton will not be keeping the pseudo-Santa Claus look for long.
Once truly becoming aware of the threat the likes of Michael Shannon’s General Zod are posing, Keaton’s Batman will likely work himself back into fighting shape and cut his hair down to what has been seen in the other trailers for the film.
While some may have speculated The Flash was going to see Keaton (along with Miller’s Scarlet Speedster) recruiting a team of Multiversal heroes, it seems to be the other way around with Barry being the one doing the recruiting of this super-powered veteran.
The Flash is set to race into theaters on Friday, June 16.
