Every Batman Actor in ‘The Flash’ Movie
One of the things that we know about ‘The Flash’ is that it brings in different versions of different characters due to how Barry Allen messed up with the entire timeline of the multiverse. That means that even Batman, one of the most beloved heroes in the world of DC, wasn’t spared from this. And that’s because multiple different Batman actors were featured in ‘The Flash.’
We know that Batman has seen his fair share of actors because this character has long been one of the biggest names in the history of DC. In that regard, a lot of people have had the privilege to portray The Dark Knight both in live-action movies and shows and in animated series. But while every Batman actor wasn’t going to be in ‘The Flash,’ we know there were a few in this movie. That said, let’s look at every Batman actor in ‘The Flash.’
How many Batman actors are there in ‘The Flash?’
Batman has seen his fair share of actors throughout his history as a character. His live-action portrayal dates back all the way to the 1940s, when he was one of the first comic book characters to see a live-action portrayal. Because ‘The Flash’ is a movie that sort of explores the multiverse concept and how time travel can affect the timeline, it became clear in the trailer that multiple actors would play the role of the Caped Crusader. But how many Batman actors were there in ‘The Flash?’
Even though it was rumored that at least six Batman actors were going to make an appearance, the fact is that there were only three that were clearly shown in the movie. The trailers already teased two of the Batman actors, but the third one was one of the most surprising out of the three different Batman actors that appeared in the movie.
Every Batman actor in ‘The Flash’
Ben Affleck
It was a no-brainer that Ben Affleck’s Batman was going to be in ‘The Flash’ because both he and the DCEU Barry Allen belong in the same timeline and universe. Of course, Affleck has been playing the character since ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and was recently replaced by Robert Pattinson in the standalone ‘The Batman’ movie. Nevertheless, he returned as Bruce Wayne in ‘The Flash’ as this is probably his final run as the Dark Knight.
Ben Affleck’s Batman was seen in many scenes early in the movie because he called Barry Allen to ask for assistance regarding a situation in Gotham City. He returned a few scenes later to talk to Barry about the dangers of his newfound ability to travel through time. Affleck’s Batman was never seen after talking to Barry about how their childhood traumas helped change the way they viewed the world.
Michael Keaton
The legendary Michael Keaton finally returned to the DC film universe when he took on the role of the Batman of the altered timeline. Some people were speculating that he would play Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne, who was the Batman of the altered timeline of the ‘Flashpoint’ storyline. Of course, Keaton is already quite old and was perfect for the role of Thomas Wayne.
But Keaton reprised the same Batman role in the Tim Burton Batman movies released in 1989 and 1992. Both of these films are often considered two of the best Batman movies ever due to Burton’s dark and gritty approach. Of course, Keaton played his role to perfection in those movies. Keaton’s Batman played the role of a mentor and ally to Barry Allen in the events of ‘The Flash’ as he showcased that he still had a lot left in him despite being already quite old.
George Clooney
George Clooney played the role of Bruce Wayne in the 1997 Batman & Robin movie, which isn’t exactly great but is still somewhat memorable to many kids growing up in the 90s. While Clooney wasn’t a bad Bruce Wayne and Batman, he was merely working on the assets that he was given. As such, he isn’t one of the most memorable actors to play the role of Batman, even though he made a cameo appearance in ‘The Flash.’
After Barry Allen seemingly fixed the timeline by allowing his mother to die, he went back to the past by altering one tiny detail, which was the placement of the can of tomatoes on the shelves in the grocery store so that the security cameras could confirm that Barry’s father was actually there. In the present timeline, Barry could see his father’s lawyer confirming that he was indeed in the grocery store thanks to the digitally enhanced camera footage from Wayne Enterprises.
Bruce called Barry, who was happy enough to talk to the Bruce Wayne he was familiar with after spending some time with Keaton’s Batman. Wayne’s luxurious car rolled in as reporters flocked to the scene. But instead of Affleck’s Batman appearing, it was George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne appearing as it was clear that the minor change Barry did in the past affected the identity of his timeline’s Batman.
Adam West
Adam West is one of the most iconic Batman actors of all time because he was one of the people that made the character so popular in the Batman TV show that was released in the 60s. While this show was more of a sitcom, it allowed households all over the world to get to know the Caped Crusader outside the world of comic books.
Of course, Adam West’s Batman made a cameo in ‘The Flash’ but not in the same way as the other Batmen. Instead, he appeared in a scene wherein different timelines all over the multiverse were starting to clash with one another. An old clip of West’s Batman TV show was one of the scenes included in the climax of the movie when different universes started to collide with one another.
Why are there many Batman versions in ‘The Flash?’
It was never properly explained why there are many versions of Batman in ‘The Flash.’ But Keaton’s Bruce Wayne explained to Barry that changing a certain point in a timeline would affect the entire timeline and allow entire universes to appear. In that regard, we can presume that different universes have different versions of Bruce Wayne.
This was something that Barry talked about to Aquaman in the post-credits scene of ‘The Flash.’ In that scene, he talked about how Batman somehow changes in every single timeline, as Arthur Curry was drunk the entire time.
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