Batman’s Fate (SPOILERS)

[Silver Nemesis]

On the table when Bruce walks over it to attack the two Barrys there is a Gotham City Pizzas box. Without Alfred he's eating easy to prepare meals or junk food that's either delivered or heated up in a microwave. "I'll cancel the pizzas."

I missed that detail. Keaton's Bruce probably doesn't even know how to operate a dishwasher. He was clearly a mess without Alfred to look after him, and I'm now starting to think he was serious when he told Vicki he didn't recognise his own dining room. He's like a savant, so wrapped up in his work down in the cave that he doesn't know how to function on a normal day-to-day social or domestic level. On the one hand he's brilliant enough to hack into the Kremlin computer system and uncover top secret data on crashed UFOs, but on the other hand he doesn't know that vichyssoise is served cold.

It reminds me of Watson's description of Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet:

"His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it."

Holmes is an expert in fields relevant to his crime fighting, but laughably ignorant of subjects outside of it. Similarly Keaton's Bruce is an expert at chemistry, engineering, computer science, hacking, psychology, profiling, criminology, etc, but seems severely challenged when it comes to looking after himself.

At first I thought it was a shame they didn't reference Gough's Alfred more heavily in The Flash – perhaps in the form of a portrait – but in a way, by showing how Bruce struggles without him, the film makes a touching point about just how important the old butler was in his life. Perhaps Alfred was the one keeping 'Bruce Wayne' alive, and without him all that remains is Batman.

Taking down a crime cartel is easy for Bruce. But ironing his own clothes? That's a challenge.

[BatmanFurst]

I'm still unclear on his ultimate fate. I get that within the world shown in the film the earth is doomed no matter what. However, the way I see it is that Keaton's Batman was pulled into it after Barry changed the timeline. However, if my theory is correct, once Barry fixed what he did does that send Keaton back to his original timeline?

There are a couple lines from Keaton that lead me to believe that that isn't his ultimate fate. When they're in Wayne Manor Keaton states that Zod coming to earth is a result of what Barry did, and as he's dying a second time his response to Barry saving him is "Not this time, but maybe some other time." I think they intentionally leave it ambiguous.

But taking his death in this movie at face value, a characteristic from the Burton films that I'm happy was carried over was his lack of fear. In Siberia he immediately takes charge of the situation, diving head first into danger when the two Barry's are cornered, and being the first one to enter Supergirl's pod when the two Barry's are hesitant. And again in the final battle he engages the Kryptonian gun ships and takes on the largest Kryptonian he can find once he ejects from the Batwing. So I did appreciate how that was portrayed.

[The Joker]

I'm still unclear on his ultimate fate. I get that within the world shown in the film the earth is doomed no matter what. However, the way I see it is that Keaton's Batman was pulled into it after Barry changed the timeline. However, if my theory is correct, once Barry fixed what he did does that send Keaton back to his original timeline?

That's one way of looking at it. Another option, is that Keaton's Batman in "The Flash" is a variant. Possibly even 98-98% accurate to what a pristine and pure Burtonverse Batman untouched by timeline shenanigans would have been like at this stage, but a variant nevertheless.

Course, Keaton's Batman could have been pulled into this timeline, where this new reality being the accepted reality with Keaton none the wiser, and was indeed sent back to the Burtonverse following Barry's realization of what he's doing during the multiverse scene... It would have been nice, following the decision to go with the Clooney ending route, to have had even a quick cameo of Keaton's Batman, with a decidedly Burton/Furst Gotham in the background during the multiverse scene. Just to indicate Keaton's Batman Continues back at home.

There are a couple lines from Keaton that lead me to believe that that isn't his ultimate fate. When they're in Wayne Manor Keaton states that Zod coming to earth is a result of what Barry did, and as he's dying a second time his response to Barry saving him is "Not this time, but maybe some other time." I think they intentionally leave it ambiguous.

True. I think that line, as originally intended, would have played into Keaton reappearing again in the original ending for "The Flash", along with Sasha Calle's Supergirl. Interested to know what the dialogue was for that scene to say the least.

But taking his death in this movie at face value, a characteristic from the Burton films that I'm happy was carried over was his lack of fear. In Siberia he immediately takes charge of the situation, diving head first into danger when the two Barry's are cornered, and being the first one to enter Supergirl's pod when the two Barry's are hesitant. And again in the final battle he engages the Kryptonian gun ships and takes on the largest Kryptonian he can find once he ejects from the Batwing. So I did appreciate how that was portrayed.

Agreed. It was very much David vs Goliath when Keaton's Batman took the fight to Nam-Ek, and he showed absolutely no fear in doing so.

[The Dark Knight]

When they're in Wayne Manor Keaton states that Zod coming to earth is a result of what Barry did, and as he's dying a second time his response to Barry saving him is "Not this time, but maybe some other time."

Come to think of it, that's also the phrase Brucefleck uses when saying goodbye to Barry. I admit that's a nice touch across the timelines.

[Gotham Knight]

When they're in Wayne Manor Keaton states that Zod coming to earth is a result of what Barry did, and as he's dying a second time his response to Barry saving him is "Not this time, but maybe some other time."

Come to think of it, that's also the phrase Brucefleck uses when saying goodbye to Barry. I admit that's a nice touch across the timelines.

That's also definitely meant to telegraph his reappearance at the end of the film. That time, I suspect, they do walk off together with Supergirl.

[The Dark Knight]

But taking his death in this movie at face value, a characteristic from the Burton films that I'm happy was carried over was his lack of fear. In Siberia he immediately takes charge of the situation, diving head first into danger when the two Barry's are cornered, and being the first one to enter Supergirl's pod when the two Barry's are hesitant. And again in the final battle he engages the Kryptonian gun ships and takes on the largest Kryptonian he can find once he ejects from the Batwing. So I did appreciate how that was portrayed.

I've been thinking about this. Batman is all about preparation and evening the odds to ensure victory. But if he knew he was going to die against overpowered foes he would still suit up and go into battle. He can't choose who his opponents are. Zod and the Krypronians are going to terraform the Earth and everyone is going to die. He will take down some of their equipment but he isn't going to win. It's the same thing if a knife wielding bandit threatens your girlfriend. You're likely going to get stabbed and bleed out but as a man you can't run away. I don't believe the Burton Batman would ever meet such threats in his timeline but it's comforting to know what he'd be willing to do.