6 Ways Tim Burton's Batman Changed Everything

6. The Batsuit Precedent

Visual effects prevented Christopher Reeve's Superman costume from being totally blue, but it is undeniably the Superman of the comics. Batman would be a different story. In comics, his costume had changed wildly from time to time, yet even that failed to prepare audiences for the all-black bat suit insisted upon by Tim Burton, designed by Bob Ringwood and worn by Michael Keaton.

With its inflexible cowl, Nike boots, and a cape designed after a cafeteria table, Batman's duds were as sculpted as they were sewn. Besides Keaton, it took two stuntmen and a ballet dancer to make it look good on film. This began a trend towards latex and leather based superhero costumes rendered mostly in black or muted colours.

Despite criticism, the suit is just one of the film's more obvious and lasting innovations, with Tim Burton's directives having been as much about function as aesthetics. The black gives Batman obvious stealth at night while its hardness protects the human hero from many blows. For Batman Begins in 2005, director Christopher Nolan did a lot of new things, but chose to keep the suit black throughout The Dark Knight Trilogy; Burton's reasoning held.

Next year's Batman V Superman shows a Batman suit which more resembles those in most comics, but that shouldn't halt the ongoing influence of Keaton's suit.