For many Batman fans, Michael Keaton was their first hero to don the cowl and title of the Caped Crusader. Michael Keaton played Batman twice, for both Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) Yet, thanks to the time travel hijinks of Barry Allen, Michael Keaton’s Batman returns for The Flash (2023).
The return of Michael Keaton as Batman in The Flash has many fans excited for a multitude of reasons. It’s great to see the multiverse collide in The Flash, and now with three movies with Michael Keaton as Batman, it’s the perfect time to look at some of his most iconic Batman quotes.
8 “I Don’t Call Myself Super Batman”
When audiences first meet Michael Keaton’s Batman in The Flash, he is less of a Caped Crusader, and more of a Big Lebowski. Walking around in a sweater and flip-flops, Bruce Wayne has retired after fighting crime in a bat-suit for decades.
Bruce shares a plate of spaghetti with the two Barry Allens, where Barry from the original DCEU timeline tells Bruce about Superman. It’s fun to hear Michael Keaton’s Batman talk about Superman, and insult the name, declaring that he would never call himself “Super Batman”.
7 “How Much Do You Weigh?”
Batman certainly knows the questions that every woman wants to be asked. His awkwardness and calmness always help to relieve tension, especially when it’s such an absurd comment that looks even sillier coming from a guy dressed as a giant bat.
Batman asks Vicki Vale how much she weighs to best calculate their trajectory, but he also asks it again in The Flash to the Barry Allens and Supergirl. It’s a fun callback, but the line from the original 1989 Batman movie still holds up as funny.
6 “Eat Floor. High Fibre.”
In a fight with Catwoman, Batman quickly retorts with an enjoyable quip, telling Catwoman to “Eat floor” as he throws her toward the ground. It’s not like Batman to dish out an insult, especially in the middle of a fight, but it’s what gave Michael Keaton’s Batman such a rock-and-roll charisma.
What’s even better about this line is how he finishes it off with “high fiber.” As if he has to justify why Catwoman should eat the floor. It’s easily one of the best Batman quotes from Batman Returns and is the perfect comeback to Catwoman who commented about how she hasn’t been fed yet.
5 “I Want You To Tell All Your Friends About Me.”
In Batman’s first appearance in Batman, he grabs a poor and unsuspecting criminal and holds him over the edge by the scruff of his shirt. The fear in the criminal’s eyes, and the calmness of Batman, perfectly bring this scene together, especially when Batman calmly asks the thug to do him a favor.
It’s a great introduction to Batman, and it shows that his crusade to rid Gotham City of crime has only just begun, and this criminal is the first to know and spread the word that a man dressed as a bat is going to be the biggest thorn in their side.
4 “Want Some Help?”
It’s always great to see Michael Keaton suited and booted as Batman, and he has plenty of great lines in The Flash. One scene in particular has the character in the Batcave, looking over to the two Barry Allens and Supergirl, where he asks them with a smirk on his face: “Want some help?”
It shows just what kind of superhero Batman is. He doesn’t care that he isn’t a Kryptonian or a meta-human, he’s Batman, and he will happily wage war with the Kryptonian forces of General Zod, armed with his tactical mind, gadgets and a smile.
3 “Excuse Me. Have You Ever Danced With The Devil In The Pale Moonlight?”
Repeating a line used by The Joker earlier in the film, Batman asks the Clown Prince of Crime, rather politely, “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” right before he punches him in the face. It’s part of the climax of Batman, and the confrontation between the iconic nemesis of Joker and Batman comes to a close with this scene.
It’s always great to see the ever-talkative Joker eat his own words, especially when they come out of the mouth of his nemesis, and are finished not with a full-stop, but a fist to his face. It was a great line from the Joker, but hearing it from Batman is all the more impactful.
2 “You Wanna Get Nuts? Come On! Let’s Get Nuts.”
When Bruce enters Vicki Vale’s apartment to find the Joker and his goons already inside, he can’t exactly give away the fact that he is Batman. So, instead, he picks up a fireplace poker, frantically hitting it on a vase before shouting “You wanna get nuts? Come on! Let’s get nuts!”
Batman even repeats the line in The Flash, decades later, where he prepares to get himself involved in a Kryptonian invasion, a mess that Batman alone can’t exactly beat, considering his lack of heat-vision and super strength, but since when has unreasonable odds ever stopped the Dark Knight?
1 “I’m Batman.”
There is no line more iconic than “I’m Batman”. It doesn’t matter who says it, or where it comes from, the line itself is a part of Batman legend. Michael Keaton certainly loves to say it, and from its first debut in Batman to its potential last in The Flash, “I’m Batman” is one that can’t be heard without audiences at least breaking into a smile.
The way Michael Keaton says the line with such power makes audiences remember exactly what he is, and who he is, and nobody can take it away, both in and out of the cowl. Michael Keaton is a large part of Batman’s legacy, and this line serves as a part of that legacy.