The Flash Should've Had Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Batman Instead of Michael Keaton

While The Flash bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman was an exciting move for the nostalgia-loving crowd who adores the pair of Batman films he starred in 30 years ago, there is a better version of the story which could have been told in the film aiming to wrap of the tale of the DCEU. Launching in 2013 with Man of Steel, the DCEU introduced Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Morgan's character was the father to Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne, the man who went on to become the DCEU's Batman until James Gunn and Peter Safran's reboot of sorts recasts the role for Batman: The Brave and the Bold. For the sake of telling the best story in The Flash, Morgan should have become the Caped Crusader as Thomas Wayne.

The Flash loosely adapts a comic book by the name of Flashpoint. The 2011 comic from Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert uses the same story telling devices and overall themes at its core; Barry Allen wants to go back in time and save his mother from being murdered but in his attempt rewrites history and creates a chaotic new timeline. Much of the consequences for Barry's actions from the comics are absent and replaced with others in The Flash. For example, Wonder Woman and the Amazons were at war with Aquaman and Atlantis which could be a storyline removed for the sake of keeping the scale of The Flash much tighter (and presumably the budget, too). The Flash didn't suffer from removing the sprawling war storyline, though. It is the removal of the new timeline seeing Thomas Wayne become Batman after his son was murdered instead of him which was the big missed opportunity.

According to director Andy Muschietti, Keaton's Batman is a direct continuation of the character last seen in 1992's Batman Returns. Oddly enough, Muschietti's explanation for Keaton's Bruce Wayne being a continuation hinges on the world being the same when that is what looks most different as it is more in line with the look of the DCEU and, more specifically, 2013's Man of Steel settings than anything Burton created.  Michael Keaton reprised his role quite well and served the story just fine. He was seasoned and knowledgable, presumably having many more adventures in the years which have passed since we last saw him in the part. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Thomas Wayne as Batman would have been better, though. This would have fallen more in line with the comic. This is, of course, an element which shouldn't be a deciding factor when adapting these stories to film as the mediums call for creative liberties to be taken for the best story to be told in the new format. The Flash director Andy Muschietti told ComicBook.com, "just a literal interpretation of Flashpoint the comic would fall flat in my opinion, so we populated it with twists and turns to make the story a little more fun." The deciding factors should go both ways, changing elements to better serve the cinematic version of the story but also keeping threads which would help tell the best story and, in this case, Thomas Wayne's Batman is that best version.

Morgan's Thomas Wayne as Batman would have served the relationships and depth of the film more poignantly. This movie's Barry Allen has a relationship with Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne. According to the character's dialogue in a previous film, he doesn't have very many friends and Bruce was one of the people who helped him become a better hero. Losing the version of Bruce Wayne played by Affleck to another Bruce Wayne with a different face is tough for this Barry Allen. However, the weight of realizing he was now existing in a timeline where that Bruce Wayne was killed and his father had to cope with this and ultimately become Batman would have added an intriguing level of inner conflict for the character. How far was he willing to go to save his mom? Would he let his friend die as a child? It's a near impossible question which would have made The Flash better and I say this as someone who enjoyed the film!

Furthermore, if The Flash was always intended to be a "reset" for the DCEU as it segues into a more cohesive DC Universe, why not give a shred of what was used to a establish the universe any light of day in the end? Zack Snyder's casting of Morgan as Thomas Wayne was strategic, wanting a version of Thomas Wayne who was a "tough guy," when he was killed in front of his son. He didn't necessarily plan to have Morgan go on to become Batman in a Flashpoint adaptation but he has since agreed it, "could have been cool." Meanwhile, Morgan has been open about wanting the opportunity for years. Now, he's at work on The Walking Dead: Dead City after The Walking Dead wrapped up its run and took a role on The Boys. Given how strongly it seemed Morgan wanted to make a Batman story happen, it is easy to believe the actor would have made his schedule for the television shows work to give a few months, at most, to a movie like The Flash.

Keaton was great as Batman in The Flash, even if the character's ending felt unceremonious and abrupt. It certainly didn't seem to be handled as well as other nostalgic returns like Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which shined light on the character's history and brought more emotional depth, in the end. Yet, there can only be one grand return. Now, it has been reported that had The Flash been a success at the box office, Keaton would have starred in a Batman Beyond movie. Fans have wanted this film for decades! Yet, The Flash seems to have squandered the possibility and, if the film has not been killed completely, lessened what should have been a massive level of excitement for Keaton to finally put the suit back on.

The argument that Morgan playing Batman rather than Keaton would have sold less tickets would seem reasonable if The Flash was selling tickets in the first place. The film is not performing at the box office for a myriad of reasons. Morgan's Batman certainly would not have been some sort of box office savior but his role would have given The Flash some added depth while simultaneously preserving the return of Keaton's Batman in for more meaningful adventure which could have been more focused on him and the incredibly immersive world where Burton created for him.

Do you agree The Flash missed an opportunity to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan play Thomas Wayne as Batman in The Flash or are you happy with the return given to Michael Keaton with the part? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Twitter! The Flash is now playing in theaters.