Batman Actor Michael Keaton Hasn’t Watched DC or Marvel Movies

Michael Keaton may be Batman, but the actor doesn’t see Batman. In a new interview, the 70-year-old Dopesick star opened up about why he’s never watched an “entire version” of any DC or Marvel movie. Keaton played the Dark Knight in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, a role he will reprise in next summer’s The Flash, as well as Marvel villain The Vulture in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Sony spinoff film Morbius. Speaking to Variety, Keaton explained he’s too busy to watch anything — even if he appears as part of its cast. 

“I know people don’t believe this, that I’ve never seen an entire version of any of those [Batman] movies — any Marvel movie, any other. And I don’t say that I don’t watch that because I’m highbrow — trust me! It’s not that,” Keaton said. “It’s just that there’s very little things I watch. I start watching something, and think it is great and I watch three episodes, but I have other sh-t to do!”

Keaton made time for The Flash, which also stars Ezra Miller as the titular scarlet speedster and Ben Affleck as the Batman of the DC Extended Universe, because the script was “actually really good. So I thought, why not? It’s cool to drop in and I’m curious to see if I can pull it off.”

Reprising his role as a 30-years-older Bruce Wayne “seemed like fun,” Keaton said of why he’s donning the cape and cowl again in The Flash.”I was curious what it would be like after this many years. Not so much me doing it — obviously, some of that — but I was just curious about it, weirdly, socially. This whole thing is gigantic. They have their entirely own world. So, I like to look at it as an outsider, thinking ‘Holy moly!’”

Keaton’s Batman returns in Batgirl, where he plays the mentor of younger caped crusader Barbara Gordon (Leslie Grace). The actor admitted to being confused over the various iterations of Batman over the past three decades, with actors like Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson stepping into the cape and cowl. 

When Variety pointed out how Bruce Wayne/Batman has changed over the years, Keaton replied with a smirk: “Not mine.” The Flash is scheduled to open in theaters on June 23, 2023.