10 Cool Scenes Cut From Tim Burton's Batman Movies
The world wasn't ready for Kiefer Sutherland's Robin.
They may not have aged well, but the lasting impact Tim Burton’s Batman movies have had on the genre is still being felt. They returned Batman to his dark roots and proved it was possible to do a comic book movie that took itself seriously. They reinvented the character and his villains for a whole new generation and, in many ways, the movies are responsible for the comic book movie age we now live in.
The road to making both films was a famously tricky one, and Burton himself often talks about the nightmarish production of the original. Both movies went through numerous script drafts and concepts that were scrapped including potential villains, subplots and plot twists. Some of these ideas would eventually be recycled for later Batman movies, including Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
In an age where most blockbusters cram too many characters and subplots into one movie it’s refreshing Burton trimmed a lot of fat, though there’s no denying some of these abandoned scenes sounds pretty cool.
10. Robin's Origin - Batman
Poor Robin hasn’t had a great time on the big screen. Tim Burton ignored him for two movies, he was terminally uncool in the Schumacher movies and Nolan's trilogy ended before he could don the suit.
Warner Bros toyed with introducing Robin in the original, only to realise they could save him for a later movie. His origin scene was due to take place after the Joker “kills” Bruce in Vicki Vale’s apartment. Batman jumps on a policeman’s horse and gives chase to the Joker, and they eventually pass through a circus performance by The Flying Graysons. A stick of dynamite later Robin's parents are dead, and he attacks the Joker’s van, causing it to crash.
Kiefer Sutherland was approached for the role, and while it might have been cool the film ultimately didn’t need it. Plus, if it was revealed Joker created both Batman and Robin, fans would have probably revolted in the cinemas.