The Flash is just weeks away from its highly anticipated release. The film races into theaters in June and Warner Brothers is sparing no expense in the marketing department. A ton of new posters, trailers, and images have already been released just this week. However, to continue the Bat-mania, Sideshow Collectibles has unveiled their newest Michael Keaton Batman Hot Toy figure based on his long-awaited return in The Flash.
The new movie-accurate figure gives DC fans the best look yet at Keaton’s new updated modern Batsuit for The Flash. His classic yellow Bat symbol is intact, but as we’ve seen in all the trailers, Keaton’s cowl is now separate from the hero’s cape. No longer is this Dark Knight literally ripping off his mask to reveal his secret identity in dramatic fashion. This figure also gives us a great look at Keaton’s new utility belt. While it’s sad the belt is no longer yellow, the new silver accents pop off the black bodysuit nicely. There’s a lot of great textured detail in the suit itself that makes it very reminiscent of Tim Burton’s original Batsuit designs.
However, the crown Bat-jewel here is the Keaton head sculpt. Sideshow is no stranger to Keaton Batman figures, but they’ve outdone themselves with this latest sculpt. It gets every unique feature of Keaton down to an uncanny degree and his Batman also comes with a ton of Bat gadgets to make any fan of the character go nuts with glee. These include the line launcher, Batarang with rope, ninja wheels, remote, bomb timer, and an LED light-up display stand with the Batman logo. In addition, the figure comes with interchangeable faceplates, two head sculpts, and a rolling eyeball system. If you order the First Edition, the figure comes with an added Batcowl with a stand.
Why Has Michael Keaton’s Batman Returned?
The reason Keaton’s Batman has returned is that Barry Allen aka The Flash went back in time to save his mother’s life. However, in doing so, Flash accidentally creates an alternate timeline where Keaton replaces Ben Affleck’s version of The Caped Crusader, there are no meta-humans, Zod won the battle in Man of Steel, and Supergirl took the place of Superman. The Flash must team up with a younger version of himself, Batman, and Supergirl in order to save the timeline. That’s an epic-sounding story on its own, but Keaton simply returning to the cape and cowl after 30 years away has been enough to get long-time DC fans excited about this multiverse adventure.
When Does The Flash Release?
The Flash releases in theaters on June 16, 2023. However, there will be special early IMAX screenings for the film held across the United States on June 12. Tickets are on sale and, while fans anxiously wait, you can pre-order Keaton’s latest Batman Hot Toy on Sideshow’s website. This is the first figure in a new Flash line, so hopefully we’re getting both film versions of The Scarlet Speedster, Supergirl, and Affleck’s Batman in the near future.