Was Michael Keaton tough enough to play Batman?

[GothamAlleys]

Just wondering, where did you get the height of comic book Batman from?

[Seantastic]

With Keaton it didn't seem all about his physique or his ability, this was the reason he got the job.  It was about the look, and man did Keaton's Batman have the right look, imagine seeing him in a dark alley.
Plus the fighting style in 89, but Returns moreso, was a lot more simple and effective, he kicked ass and it was that simple.  He didn't do all these spin kicks and jumping all over the place, and stealth crap, he walked straight-up and brought the pain.

[Silver Nemesis]

Here's an interesting retrospective on Keaton's career in which he briefly mentions the physical aspect of the Batman role. It also features some cool behind-the-scenes footage from Batman and Batman Returns.

[Kingdjack4500]

Exactly. It's about the image. It's a grown man dressed up as a bat. Insane, right?

If you're getting thrashed by that, you're not thinking about their height. You run.

I don't think people that had to confront Bruce Lee stopped for once to think about his height and build, they had more serious matters to think about. 

yeah the usa wanted to do inferior chinese roles