The Flash’s “Crime-Free Gotham” Secretly Gives Batman Returns A Tragic Ending

The Flash and its depiction of Michael Keaton’s Batman secretly gives Batman Returns a far sadder ending. As the movie intended to soft reboot the DCEU into the DCU, all the while balancing the plots of two versions of the Flash, three versions of Batman, and Supergirl in one fell swoop, it was perhaps inevitable that some storylines in The Flash would get significantly more coverage than others. The challenge this posed is especially potent after factoring in the time that the film also had to dedicate to the multiversal elements of its story, such as The Flash‘s controversial cameo scene.