Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in the pages of Detective Comics #27 in 1939, Batman has become a pop-culture phenomenon that has transcended the comic book page. The story of Bruce Wayne, a man shaped by the death of his parents in his pursuit of costumed crimefighting on the streets of Gotham, has become an iconic narrative that has lit up the cinema screen repeatedly. Initially making his live action debut in a pair of serial features in 1943 and 1949 respectively, played by Lewis Wilson in Batman and then Robert Lowery in Batman and Robin, the character would return to the big screen and the small screen at the same time in 1966. Adam West played the titular character in Batman: The Movie, and the three season show that ran between 1966 and 1968.
In the years since, the character has been played by Val Kilmer in 1995’s Batman Forever, George Clooney in 1997’s Batman and Robin, Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Ben Affleck across the DC Extended Universe series of films and Robert Pattinson in 2022’s The Batman. The character has also lit up the cinema screen in the animation field, appearing in the Lego Movie, Lego Batman Movie and Lego Movie 2, voiced by Will Arnett, and iconic voice actor Kevin Conroy in 1993’s Mask of the Phantasm, based on Batman: The Animated Series, and 2016’s The Killing Joke, based on the graphic novel of the same name.
Wide varieties of the character have appeared on the big screen across the years, based on differing takes on the character, from the comedic takes in West’s, Kilmer’s and Clooney’s take on the character, to the more grounded and serious takes on the character from Bale, Affleck and Pattinson. This latter takes on the iconic comic book character would not exist however without the release of easily the most influential take on the character, Tim Burton’s Batman, released in 1989. Starring Michael Keaton in the titular role, the film moved the needle in the public perception of the Dark Knight and launched the career of one of the most influential directors of the modern day. 1989’s Batman follows the early days of the caped crusader, inspired by the comics, The Dark Knight Returns and Year One by Frank Miller, and Alan Moore and Brian Bollard’s The Killing Joke, as the hero comes into conflict with his archnemesis, The Joker, played by Jack Nicholson.
Going into the release of Burton’s take on the Batman, the public perception of the character was shaped heavily by the television series that predated it in the 60s. The Adam West-starring show was based on the current era of the hero who had moved away from his darker routes and became more involved in sci-fi adventures, with his adventures becoming pulpier and more comedic. West’s show followed suit by focusing on the goofier side of the character, emphasising the costumed criminals, the gadgets, the relationship between Batman and his sidekick, Robin, played by Burt Ward, and going full forth with dance numbers, silly action and action balloons, The comics would soon jump back into serious adventures, with the release of graphic novels like The Dark Knight Returns and Year One, but the wider media stayed with the goofier side of the character, public perception continuing to be shaped by animated series like The New Adventures of Batman and Super Friends. The promise with Burton’s take on the character would be to return the character to his roots, the darker stories that Bob Kane and Bill Finger focused on when the character was first published would be focused upon again.
Tim Burton got the job directing the feature after the success of Beetlejuice in 1988 and was most well-known for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, a 1985 big budget comedy which served as the director’s directorial debut. Fan expectation was at a all time low when both director and star were announced for the film, with Keaton, at the time, being most well-known for his comedy roles, with fans clearly having flashbacks to the goofier take on the character that had predominated the culture zeitgeist in the last decade. The superhero genre had also recently returned to the world of camp and unpopularity, with Christopher Reeves’ tenure as Superman coming to an end, with the release of the critically panned Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Various versions of the Batman script were penned after the release of the initial Superman feature, with Warner Bros Pictures taking on the role of producers for the project.
Directors like Ivan Reitman, Joe Dante and Wes Craven were approached and thought of to helm the project, with a script being used by writer Tom Mankiewicz, which was rewritten at least 9 times during early production. Once Burton came on board the project, he hired comic book fan, Sam Hamm, to rewrite the script, believing the film to be too campy, and to trim the excessive amount of characters included in the various drafts, with characters like Silver St. Cloud, Dick Grayson, who would become Robin, and Rupert Thorne being removed from the script.
A dark route is what the film went for, initiating a new look and feel for Gotham City, one that emphasised the cities Gothic look, and formed a connection to the look of German Expressionist features. Famous for films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the movement was formed after the first World War, after the German government banned the release of foreign films in their film markets. The movement emphasised artist’s inner emotions and feelings over trying to match any sort of reality, rejecting cinematic realism with the movement highly influencing the future of gothic cinema. Sets were hyper expressive, made to look unnatural and not realistic, and that matches Gotham City in Burton’s feature, a city marked by gothic backdrops, contained in overwhelming darkness, but still home to skyscrapers and architecturally absurd buildings that create a contrast between the streets and the skyline. The German Expressionist movement would continue to be an influence on Burton throughout his career, notably in films like Sleepy Hollow in 1999, Edward Scissorhands in 1990, and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 2007.
Michael Keaton’s casting was controversial, but it is hard to argue against how wrong initial reactions to that casting would be. Keaton plays the version of Batman that the fans needed at the time, a dark and brooding hero, who creates an interesting dichotomy when compared to playboy Bruce Wayne. Like Reeve in his Superman outings, Keaton plays both characters differently but still emphasises a connection between the two whenever the perfectly formed mask of Bruce comes falling off. A controversial aspect of the character comes from his willingness to kill, he almost seems to love it in various sequences, with the character being famous to comic book fans as a willing unable to kill. However, if the film is wanting to strike back to the early days of the hero, basing itself off returning to the roots of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, then it is still accurate. The hero did indeed kill in his first appearances, brandishing a gun as a weapon of use. This killing nature of the character seems to be one that has stuck with most cinematic versions of the character, with only Clooney and Pattinson seeming to be the only ones unwilling to take a life.
The Joker debuted in the comics in 1940, initially designed as a one-off villain who would be killed in his debut in Batman #1. The character would soon become the most iconic villain in the rogue’s gallery of The Batman, known as his archnemesis. The character was initially depicted as a prankster character, one who was in line with the comedic side of the brand and soon turned into one more aligned with Nicholson’s depiction of the character, as a gangster costumed criminal. Years after the release of the 1989 film, the character would revert to a serial killer and frequently moves between each depiction of the character. Nicholson plays the character with a level of tension, he is scary but also funny, blending the world of the prankster and the gangster together perfectly. Nicholson accepted the role under strict guidelines, which gave him top billing, a portion of the film’s earnings and his own shooting schedule. The film would be controversial for some variations from the established Joker lore, with the film giving the character a new origin and identity.
Based on the Killing Joke graphic novel, the film depicts his vat of acid transformation, but removes his connection to the Red Hood Gang, in favour of making him the murderer of the Waynes, a role which was given to character Joe Chill in the comics. This change was controversial but adds a close connection to villain and hero for the film, exploring the trauma of Bruce Wayne in a way no other outside media had been able to yet. The inclusion of his name, Jack Napier, was an original idea for the film, and would be a name that would be reused across various other adaptations. Various other characters would appear across the film’s runtime from the comics, notably Vicki Vale, who debuted in the comics for Batman #49 during 1948, as the character’s love interest, who shared a lot in common with Lois Lane. Bruce’s butler, Alfred would also play a large role, played by Michael Gough, who would play the character four times consecutively until Batman and Robin, with the character debuting in the 1940 Batman serial. Billy Dee Williams also appears as Harvey Dent, seeding the promise of sequels with him becoming costumed criminal Two Face, which would eventually happen, but without Williams. The character debuted in the comics in Detective Comics #66 in 1942.
The success of the feature cannot be understated, with the year being marked by a ‘Batmania’, where over $750 million dollars of merchandise being sold about the character in response to the feature. The film grossed $411.6 million against a $48 million budget, marking a new franchise and the return of the superhero feature. A sequel was guaranteed, with Batman Returns debuting in cinemas in 1992. The film doubled down on the dark gothic atmosphere, a choice that alienated child-friendly audiences, with the film reflecting the character’s new mature focus. The film featured the debut of two classic Batman villains, with The Penguin, first appearing in Detective Comics #58 in 1941 and played by Danny DeVito here, and Catwoman, first appearing in Batman #1 in 1940, being the newest villains that Batman would have to face. The film was made with a higher level of control from Burton, with the film gaining a notable pushback from audiences after being marketed similarly to the previous film, falsely marketing a more sexual and violent feature as a child-friendly feature. The film was still a success at the box office, breaking various records, but fell short of the previous feature’s gross, only making $266.8 million.
Though, not as successful, the film would be equally as important to the character, with the series, Batman: The Animated Series being made off the back of the success of both features. The series, which would be followed by various other animated shows in the same universe featuring DC Comics characters, would become the posterchild for the popularity of the character, and the blueprint for how to adapt a comic character into animation. Danny Elfman’s fantastic score for Batman and Batman Returns would also live long past these two features, becoming known as essentially the score for the character, returning in use in Batman: The Animated Series, the Lego Batman games and 2017’s Justice League.
Batman’s cinematic history has forever relied upon reacting to the previous iteration of the character, as come the 2000s, Batman was once again a joke in the public consciousness after Batman Forever and Batman and Robin returned to the campy nature of the character. The negative perception to Batman Returns led to Joel Schumacher taking the director’s chair, with two films that acted as sequels, just without the main star returning, with the appearances of new Batman villains to the big screen, notably Two Face, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Mr Freeze and Bane. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy would return the character back to his gritty and dark roots, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman would act as a reaction to the negative perception of Ben Affleck’s tenure as The Dark Knight in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice League and 2017’s Justice League.
Batman commonly moves between perceptions, from goofy to serious, but that former version is always going to be rooted in Keaton and Burton’s take on the character. Forever the character is going to be connected to his gothic depictions, and the character proves his popularity in this form, with Keaton returning as the character in 2023’s The Flash.
Rhys Reviews 