10 Comic Book Films That Ignored The Source (That Fans Still Loved)
5. Batman (1989)
In 1989, Batman was in a state of flux. It had been a decade since Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams redefined the character during the Bronze Age of comics, and now Frank Miller was in the midst of changing the character yet again. The defining image of the character in the public eye was still connected to the 1960s TV show, leaving director Tim Burton a lot of room to negotiate his new interpretation for the big screen.
When news of Micheal Keaton being cast in the main role, fans were not happy to say the least. Little did they know at the time that, together with legendary Jack Nicholson’s superb Joker interpretation, the Tim Burton take on Batman would become one of the most beloved amongst the franchise.
His dark and theatrical take won the heart of many hardcore fans, winning them over even with the many big differences from the source material.
The general audience found that giving the Joker an actual name and an origin story, and making him the killer of Bruce Wayne's parents was a stroke of genius instead of a comic book profanity.
In short - it worked.