Michael Keaton Says MCU Wouldn’t Exist Without Legendary DC Director

In a recent interview, Keaton was very demure about his own success, realizing that it was him starring in the 1989 film Batman that made him into the megastar that he is today. At the time, the casting decision made serious waves because Keaton was known for films like Mr. Mom, so he didn’t really meet most audience’s expectations for the role of a comic book action hero.

Keaton noted how the director “was doubted and questioned,” but the success of that movie helped pave the way for the MCU and the DCEU: “there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton.”

If you’re a younger fan of superhero cinema, then Keaton’s claim may seem like a very bold one, but it makes perfect sense to those of us who watched the world’s reaction to Batman in real time.

The movie went beyond being simply a box office success ($411.6 million against a budget of only $48 million) to become a true pop culture phenomenon that created the modern superhero blockbuster even as it re-envisioned Batman as a serious figure (something necessary after the success and influence of the 1966 Adam West series). 

The movie went on to spawn a sequel and inspire the designs of Batman: The Animated Series; in turn, that show led to a universe of connected cartoon shows, so Tim Burton helped inspire the DCAU (DC Animated Universe), which was arguably an early precursor to the MCU.

However, the director’s greatest influence on the future Marvel Cinematic Universe may have simply been revealing how much superhero cinema could appeal to children and adults alike.

While the original Superman film held a similar dual appeal, the failure of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was so bad that we didn’t see another Man of Steel movie for 19 years. The success of Tim Burton’s Batman made superhero movies seem relevant again because it captivated audiences of all ages, something that the MCU definitely took notes on.

That’s why the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe is one that can support both kid-friendly fare like The Avengers and hard R-rated films like Deadpool & Wolverine.

In short, Tim Burton proved that audiences were ready for stylish superhero cinema and that studios could make big money by investing in them. He also proved that unexpected casting choices could pay off in the best ways, something echoed by Marvel later on when they cast then-controversial star Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.

Finally, the success of Burton’s films compared to the relative failure of Joel Schumacher’s Batman sequels proved that these tights and flights films are only as good as the creative talent behind them.

DC fanboys might be annoyed at Michael Keaton’s comments, but in this case, the best Batman knows best: without Tim Burton reinventing the superhero blockbuster in 1989, we might have never had an MCU in 2008 (or ever). The director proved that audiences will always show up when you have a great story to tell and perfectly cast actors like Michael Keaton to tell it with.

And given how much Deadpool & Wolverine is killing it at the box office right now, that’s a lesson that Marvel continues to learn from.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter