How One Of Batman 1989"s Oldest Costume Complaints Got Solved 25 Years Later

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Decades after the release of 1989’s Batman, one early complaint about Batman’s costume was subtly resolved. Following its release, 1989"s Batman immediately became a classic, remaining a favorite among viewers even after being succeeded by a multitude of new actors and continuities - but it was, infamously, the subject of controversy in the lead-up to its release. The casting of Michael Keaton as Batman (known primarily as a comedic actor) and the announcement of Tim Burton (also known for comedies) as director led potential viewers to fear that the film would not take its source material seriously.
These fears also extended to the Batman costume itself, which was a major departure from the Batman suit in the comics at the time. Rather than being a simple gray and blue outfit, Keaton’s Batman suit was comprised of heavy armor, and its black color scheme was only broken up by the yellow of its chest emblem and utility belt (which featured no pouches). Of course, viewers would quickly fall in love with the film’s casting, direction, and costume upon its release, but 2023’s DCEU film The Flash would retroactively “fix” the early complaints about Keaton’s suit, in a way.
The Flash's Gray & Blue Batsuit Explained

The Flash sees the Barry Allen of the main DCEU timeline accidentally create a new timeline that overlaps with the events of 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman. Upon being convinced by the pre-Flashpoint Barry Allen to don the Batman cape and cowl once more, Keaton’s Bruce Wayne unveils a secret collection of Batman suits, which include his new primary suit, the previous suits from the Burton films, two specialized suits, and two early costumes that precede his 1989 armor. One of the early Batman costumes is a gray and blue suit.
The suit that precedes Keaton’s gray and blue costume appears to be a prototype Batsuit that closely resembles Batman’s costume in his 1939 Detective Comics debut.
The arrangement of Batman’s suits implies that he used two suits before donning the familiar 1989 costume, with the second outfit being a highly comic-accurate recreation of Batman’s costume from the late pre-Crisis era. While still seemingly armored, the body of the suit is light gray, the cape and cowl are noticeably dark blue, and the belt includes pouches. What this means is – at least in the DCEU’s Flashpoint timeline – Michael Keaton’s Batman did canonically wear a comic-accurate Batman suit before the events of 1989’s Batman.
Batman's Suit Collection May Sever The Flash's Connection To Other Burton Batman Stories

Although Batman’s suit collection in The Flash includes excellent easter eggs, it seems to confirm that the DCEU’s Flashpoint timeline does not overlap with other Burton Batman media. The Batman ’89 comics – which share a timeline with John Jackson Miller’s novel Batman: Resurrection and the upcoming Batman: Revolution – give Batman new primary suits after the events of Returns, yet none are shown in the Batsuit collection in The Flash. 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns overlap with several timelines, and it seems clear that the DCEU’s Flashpoint universe does not coincide with ’89 and Resurrection.