15 Bravest Creative Decisions In Comic Book Movie History

4. Michael Keaton As Batman - Batman

Unless you're of a certain age, you probably won't remember the backlash that followed the casting of Michael Keaton as Batman for Tim Burton's 1989 movie. Archived articles such as this give us a clear picture of just why nobody could take the actor seriously as one of comic lore's quintessential superheroes: fresh off working with Burton on his quirky comedy Beetlejuice and sporting a "less-than-heroic chin", many just couldn't see the relatively ordinary-looking Keaton as nailing the tortured complexity of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Did It Work? Absolutely. Many automatically defer to Christian Bale as being the best Batman simply because he got the best pick of the movies, but Keaton is easily up to par as well, delivering a stoic, thoughtful and restrained rendition of the character even as Burton layered on the camp and outlandishness. As with a few cases on this list, it's proof that even when a casting decision seems totally insane, it's best to keep an open mind, at least until a trailer shows up.