Val Kilmer Wants to Return as Batman

With multiverse stories opening the doors to bring back actors from every famous super hero franchise to have been a part of Hollywood history, Val Kilmer wants to suit up as Batman one more time. Kilmer, who recently reprised his role as Iceman in the hugely successful Top Gun: Maverick, is one of few actors who have had the chance to play one of the most iconic characters in comic book history. With Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, and Robert Pattinson all currently playing Batman in live-action films, Kilmer has officially tossed his hat into the ring for a return. 

IGN‘s Jim Vejvoda recently conducted an interview with Kilmer via e-mail in promotion of Top Gun: Maverick‘s release. The Q&A was carried out via e-mail, with Vejvoda bring the answers to Twitter. Vejvoda asked, “Specifically, we now have multiple universes in comic book movies where actors who’ve played Batman or Spider-Man in the past team up with the current actor playing the role. Would you have any interest in playing Batman/Bruce Wayne again even in a cameo?”

“Yea, please,” Kilmer responded. The DC movie franchise is up for a big multiverse story when The Flash hits theaters next year, with multiple versions of the titular hero due to appear along with Ben Affleck’s take on Batman from Batman v. Superman and Justice League and Michael Keaton suiting up again for the first time since Batman Returns which released 30 years ago in 1992. Pattinson is portraying the Caped Crusader in a separate saga which takes place in a whole new universe with a new canon. See the tweet with Kilmer’s Q&A from IGN‘s Vejvoda below.

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Wanting a return to Batman is not something everyone who has played the part wants. There are Batman alum like George Clooney who don’t see a need to ever revisit the DC Comics gig. “I feel like Batman died with me,” Clooney told ComicBook.com in 2017. “As you can imagine, don’t you guys feel the same way? Let me just point this out, I wore a rubber suit and giant rubber nipples, and I still have a career.” 

Then, there is The Dark Knight trilogy star Christian Bale who would only return to Batman under one condition. “Nobody reaches out to me or they keep me like a mushroom, keep me in the dark and feed me sh-t,” Bale told ComicBook.com in July of 2022. “For me, that would be a matter of Chris Nolan, if he ever decided to do it again and if he chose to come my way again, then yeah, I would consider it because that was always our pact between each other is we would just stick to it. We said we would only ever make three. And then I said to myself, and I’d only ever make it with Chris.”

Kilmer portrayed Batman in Batman Forever back in 1995. The film did not spawn a sequel with Kilmer in the role. There don’t seem to be any plans to bring him back for a cameo or bigger role right now. Would you like to see him suited up once more? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Twitter. Top Gun: Maverick is available now for digital downloads.