How Batman ’89 Reveals the Lost History of Michael Keaton’s Batman

The Flash is notable for being the first DC movie in over 30 years to feature Michael Keaton in the role of Batman. The movie reintroduces Keaton’s Bruce Wayne as an aged shell of his former self, living a lonely existence in Wayne Manor until the two versions of Barry Allen coax him out of retirement to save the world.

Clearly, a lot happened to Keaton’s Bruce in between the events of Batman Returns and The Flash. The latter may only allude to the tragedies that befell Batman during those lost years, but fans have another outlet. The comic book series Batman ‘89 tells a brand new story utilizing many of the elements that would have made it into Tim Burton’s planned third Batman movie, from the introduction of Robin to the return of Catwoman to Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face. The series is even written by Batman and Batman Returns screenwriter Sam Hamm.   

If you’re curious to know what happened in this lost Burtonverse adventure, read on for a full breakdown of Batman ‘89. Just beware of spoilers for Batman ‘89 and The Flash ahead!

The Continuity of Batman ‘89

Batman ‘89 acts as an alternate sequel to Batman Returns, ignoring the events of both 1995’s Batman Forever and 1997’s Batman & Robin. That approach is in keeping with how The Flash handles Burton and Joel Schumacher’s respective movies. Thanks to the George Clooney cameo at the end of the movie, we know that Batman & Robin is part of an alternate timeline, and we assume the same holds true for Batman Forever, too. 

According to artist Joe Quinones, Batman ‘89 takes place in the mid-’90s, putting it roughly three years after the events of Batman Returns. This is reflected in the way Quinones draws Bruce as a slightly older hero with graying temples. However, despite the passage of time, the architecture and tone of Gotham City are still directly channeling the work of designer Anton Furst from the original film.   

DC has since established that the worlds of both Batman ‘89 and Superman ‘78 (a similar series built around Christopher Reeve’s Superman) are set in the same world, Earth-789. However, the two characters have yet to cross paths in a comic, and The Flash instead treats Reeves’ Superman as living in a separate branch of the multiverse.

An Older Bruce Wayne

As mentioned, Batman ‘89 features a visibly older version of Keaton’s Bruce. By this point in the Burtonverse timeline, Batman is beginning to feel the weight of the job and grapples with the knowledge that he’s not always strong or fast enough to save everyone. It doesn’t help that his relationship with the GCPD is strained at best. Though he continues to work closely with Commissioner Gordon, many on the force and in the city government are tired of vigilantes operating outside of the law.

Making matters even worse is that Gotham is swept up in gang violence, as the Joker Gang (inspired by the group seen in Batman Beyond) wages war on a group of fanatical Batman copycats (a la The Dark Knight Returns). Amusingly enough, the Joker Gang leader is modeled after Prince’s appearance in the music video for “Batdance.”

Keaton’s Batman experiences his first real failure on the job during the course of this story. He confronts a thief whom he discovers stole food to feed their family. By this point, the National Guard has been called in to help hunt Batman, and they open fire on the Caped Crusader and wind up killing the thief. Bruce returns to the Batcave wracked with guilt.

Even though he ultimately saves the day, Batman ‘89 ends its run on a somewhat ambiguous note for the Dark Knight. When he sees the Bat-Signal once again shining in the city, Bruce takes out Harvey Dent’s coin and flips it to decide whether or not he’ll go out on patrol.  

Billy Dee Williams’ Two-Face

With Batman ‘89 ignoring the events of Batman Forever, that frees the book to deliver its own take on Harvey Dent’s tragic downfall. Here, Dent is modeled on actor Billy Dee Williams rather than Tommy Lee Jones.

As the story opens, Dent is shown to be a charismatic District Attorney whose career is on the rise. The book offers insight into his childhood in the Burnside slums and his relationship with auto body shop owner Jerome Otis. Dent is also engaged to Barbara Gordon, who in this universe is a GCPD sergeant tasked with hunting down Batman (and whose appearance is modeled after a young Winona Ryder). Dent’s career is given an even greater boost after he delivers an impassioned speech denouncing the National Guard’s use of violence.

However, tragedy strikes when a group of Bat-vigilantes attack Otis’ garage. When Dent attempts to rescue mechanic-turned-vigilante Drake Winston, he’s knocked out near a pile of batteries and his face is scarred by leaking acid. 

Dent awakens in the hospital, horribly disfigured and suffering a psychotic break that causes him to become obsessed with his disfigured coin and the power of random chance. As Two-Face, Dent recruits the Joker Gang and begins waging war on the GCPD. He ultimately shoots and kills Commissioner Gordon and steals documents implicating many of Gotham’s most wealthy and powerful in the “Lincoln Job,” a scam involving the staged robbery of $31 million. To illustrate the power he now holds over them, Two-Face kills mobster Carmine Falcone.

Having discovered Batman’s secret identity, Two-Face even attempts to blackmail Bruce Wayne into becoming his personal enforcer. The two have their final showdown in the Batcave, with Bruce leaving it up to Dent’s coin to decide Bruce’s fate. But instead, it’s Catwoman who determines the ultimate outcome of that showdown. 

Catwoman Returns

Batman ‘89 follows up on the final scene of Batman Returns by bringing Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle back into the picture. Batman and Catwoman immediately rekindle their romance, though it quickly becomes clear that Selina Kyle has deeper motives for returning to Gotham. She’s carrying out her own investigation into the Lincoln Job, and she criticizes Bruce for allowing the criminals responsible to evade the law.

Catwoman even briefly resumes her civilian life as Selina Kyle in order to infiltrate Barbara Gordon’s office and steal GCPD computer files. She later interferes in Barbara’s attempt to arrest Dent, as her real goal is to expose the politicians and gangsters responsible for the Lincoln Job.

Despite their heartfelt reunion, a rift forms between Batman and Catwoman when Selina intervenes to save Bruce from Two-Face. Even as Two-Face flips his coin to choose between killing Bruce or working with him to save Gotham, Catwoman cuts down Batman’s giant penny trophy and causes Dent to fall to his death. Bruce is irate, revealing he had secretly rigged the toss and switched Two-Face’s coin for a non-disfigured version. Bruce is forced to accept that Selina can never be reformed, and their romance comes to a swift end.

Though rejected by Bruce, Selina does forge a new alliance with the grieving Barbara Gordon. She mails a package to Barbara containing evidence of Batman’s secret identity and an offer to team up to bring down those behind the Lincoln Job. The series ends on an open note here, not revealing what Barbara chooses to do with this information or whether this may lead to her becoming Batgirl in a future sequel.  

Drake Winston: Robin

Bat-fans may know that Marlon Wayans was cast as Robin in Batman Returns, though the character was ultimately cut from the script during preproduction. Had Tim Burton stuck around to direct a third Batman movie, it’s likely Wayans’ Robin would’ve appeared. Much like with Williams’ Two-Face, Batman ‘89 offers a taste of what might have been.

The Wayans-inspired Robin in this series isn’t Dick Grayson, but a new character named Drake Winston. Drake is a mechanic at Otis’ garage and a budding vigilante himself. The Robin moniker comes when a civilian mistakenly accuses Drake of “robbin’” a store.

Drake has legitimate grievances against both Bruce Wayne and Batman, the former for his family’s role in a forced buyout of the Winston family’s automotive company and the latter for failing to be the protector the residents of Burnside need. Even so, Drake meets with Bruce at Wayne Manor and, after confirming his suspicions about Batman’s secret identity, he proposes a team-up.

Robin becomes instrumental in Batman’s quest to bring Two-Face to justice. Batman even gives him a newly designed Bat-Cycle. Drake is temporarily taken out of action when Dent frames him for Otis’ murder, but Bruce is able to clear his name and cement the Batman/Robin partnership. But we may never know how long that partnership ultimately lasts, as Drake isn’t acknowledged in The Flash.

And that’s where the series leaves readers in its final issue. Obviously, Batman ‘89 doesn’t address every loose end and unanswered question about the Burtonverse. There are still roughly two decades separating the events of the comic and the altered 2013 timeline seen in The Flash. Still, the comic offers some valuable insight into Keaton’s character in the years immediately following Batman Returns and some hints as to why Bruce ultimately hangs up the cape and cowl. With any luck, the release of The Flash will allow DC to commission a sequel that explores even more of the untold history of the Burtonverse.

For more on The Flash, check out IGN’s full breakdown of the movie’s ending and post-credits scene, and brush up on all the DC cameos in the movie.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.