Captain Comics: Is Michael Keaton back in the role of Batman? | Entertainment

The comics industry has just started to deliver again, and already the Comics Teletype is overheating. Here are the main stories:

ITEM: Dark Mr. Mom is back? There have been many happy conversations on many comic book sites recently that Michael Keaton may return to play Batman in the 2022 film Flash. Earlier, it was said that “Flash” was canceled due to the alleged misconduct of his star Ezra Miller. But this film has been killed and revived more times than Dracula, so anything is possible. And one thing that seems more than possible, even plausible, is that “Flash” (if that happens) will rely heavily on the multiverse.

The idea that is being talked about is that Keaton would be Batman from a parallel universe – let’s call it Earth 1989 for Tim Burton’s “Batman” – which is obviously much older and more experienced than the regular version, and may appear in multiple DC Films Extended Universe as a kind of connective tissue.

If Keaton does sign the contract, he will probably be some kind of advisor figure. But perhaps not, since “Old Batman” is a major player in at least two famous DC Comics parallel world stories:

– In the 1986 film The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller (“300”, “Sin City”) imagines a more brutal, cynical, 60-year-old Dark Knight for the future Gotham, who is out of control. The scene of the fight against Superman in “DKR” was more or less adapted for “Batman vs. Superman”. And the evil old Bruce Wayne, who was seen in the series The CW “Crisis in the Infinite Lands” (played by Kevin Conroy), is considered a version of “The Dark Knight Returns”.

– In “Flashpoint” 2011 Barry Allen goes back in time to prevent Reverse Flash from killing his mother. This idea was superficially explored in the TV show “Flash”, but in the comics, Allen’s action creates a new chronicle, where, among other things, Bruce Wayne dies in Crime Alley, and his father becomes Batman. Note: In this story Thomas Wayne is not a very good guy.

So while Kitan’s Gotham Guardian may become a wise teacher for the young heroes at DCEU, it is also possible that he will become a threat.

ITEM: Threat or threat? J. K. Simmons, who played J. John Jameson in the Spider-Man trilogy with Toby Maguire, is the only character from this set of films to have moved into the Marvel cinematic universe, playing the same character in Spider-Man: Far Away. From home. And he didn’t finish.

“There’s another appearance of JJJ,” Simmons told SiriusXM radio, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “and I heard there’s another plan. So hopefully JJJ will continue now and forever.”

Simmons was great as a lousy, confident and aggressive Daily Bugle publisher, and really looked up to his role. Unfortunately, JJJ’s branded haircut was missing from the movie “Far from Home,” and Simmons showed off his own, naturally, hairless scalp.

This is very bad. But I will take JJJ Simmons any way I can.

ITEM: Hard-Writing Hero: Famous comic book writer Danny O’Neill died at home on June 11 from natural causes. He was 81 years old.

O’Neill started working at Marvel Comics in the 60s, but in 1970 he left a memorable mark in the industry. After moving to the District of Columbia and appointing a “Green Lantern” that sells poorly, he added a Green Arrow (which he just updated to the “Justice League of America”) to play a liberal Greek choir to get the Emerald Gladiator to start asking questions about social issues. These stories about the Green Lantern / Green Arrow, sometimes referred to as “Traveling Heroes,” were shocking in an era when DC superheroes were almost equally apolitical and devoid of persons.

O’Neill is also credited with returning Batman to his roots, received by critics of the “Question,” as well as creating or co-creating a host of characters, including Ras al-Ghula.

O’Neill has inspired generations of readers and writers. It will be missing.

But he will not be forgotten. Especially since virtually every TV show or movie Bat-TV runs in “O’Neill” and frequent employee of Danny (Neil) “Adams” as street names. It’s almost a tradition, so stay tuned.

ITEM: All genres, all the time: it’s been a brutal couple of months for fans of the television and film genre, and many fans ’favorites have been cut and / or postponed due to the pandemic. And for a while it looked like there was no relief, as all The CW superhero shows have been postponed until January, and most of the movies have been postponed to next year.

But here, the next six weeks bring relief. Not only that, “Agents of SHIELD”, “Snowpiercer” and “Stargirl” in the middle of the season, they are joined by:

– “NOS4S2” (AMC, June 21): Zachary Quint as Charlie Manx, a vampire who feeds on the souls of children. TV villains aren’t getting any more horrible.

– “Fatal Patrol” (DC Universe / HBO Max, June 25): shows a team of freaks fighting the same strange threats as they are.

– “Dark” (Netflix, June 27): this top German science fiction production combines time travel, horror and melodrama.

– “Old Guard” (Netflix, July 10): based on the title Image Comics, this film stars mercenaries who are secretly immortal. Their leader is Andy (Charlize Theron), originally known as Andromache of Scythia.

– Umbrella Academy (Netflix, July 31): Our estranged but lovely family has failed to save the world in its first season. Thanks to the forces of the Five they get a second chance.

– “The Boys” (Amazon Prime): What if the Justice League was selfish, petty and arrogant and only pretended to be heroic? Well, superhero hater Billy Butcher (Carl Urban) will be trying to put an end to them, that’s what. Season 2 is expected by the end of July.

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(Contact Captain Comics by email (capncomics@aol.com) on its website: captaincomics.ning.com

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© 2020 Andrew A. Smith

Visit his website at comicsroundtable.com.)

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