Batman Returns redefined what comic book movie villains should be
By Mark Lynch
The antagonists in Batman Returns are the blueprint for what comic book movie villains should be.
Batman has been at the center of the comic book movie scene for decades now. One of the most consistent movie headliners, the Caped Crusader hasn’t looked back since Michael Keaton brought him to life in Tim Burton’s revolutionary 1989 classic Batman.
Few expected Michael Keaton to be as good as he was in the film but he ended up delivering one of the very best portrayals of Batman of all time – one that many still consider the greatest to this very day.
But it isn’t just the Caped Crusader that brings people to the movies. His villains have a huge part to play in each of his movies’ successes (and failures). Keaton and Burton’s 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, showed us all just how important villains are to the Dark Knight. This writer will go as far as to say they helped redefine what it means to be a comic book villain.
On that note, let’s celebrate Batman Day by breaking down Batman Returns‘ three antagonists and looking at how they became the measuring point for villains in all comic book movies – especially those with more than one antagonist.