Batman: Every Michael Keaton DC movie ranked from worst to best

Michael Keaton is regarded as one of the very best Batman actors. With his return in The Flash, how do all of his Batman movies stack up to one another?

Michael Keaton made his triumphant return to his most iconic role in 2023’s The Flash. Yes, he brought Batman back for the first time in 30 years, teaming up with the Scarlet Speedster and Supergirl in a movie that introduced the concept of the multiverse to the DC Extended Universe.

Keaton, of course, first portrayed the role of the legendary DC Comics superhero in 1989’s Batman. Directed by Tim Burton, the film received positive reviews and it is widely regarded as the first modern day comic book movie, being a pivotal piece of history for the genre. Keaton then reprised the role in 1992’s Batman Returns, which was a much more Burton-esque movie.

He did not return for 1995’s Batman Forever, which saw the franchise pivot in a much lighter direction, but that didn’t stop comic book and movie fans from appreciating his iconic performance as the character and longing for the day that he might return to the role.

Batman returned, alright, in The Flash. It was supposed to be part of a larger presence in the DCEU before James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reset for their new DC Universe changed those plans. Nevertheless, seeing Keaton back as the Dark Knight was a great experience – one that made so many of us DC fans feel very reflective.

On that note, let’s look back at the legend’s Batman movies and rank them.