Batman 1989’s most obvious weakness just cost him a fight with his DC Comics variant

The return of Batman, as played by Michael Keaton, sees a dream match take place in DC Comics this week, but one Batman’s stiff neck proved to be his downfall.

The Batman epic Mindbomb is well underway, pitting The Dark Knight against his toughest challenge yet: himself.

In the storyline, Batman’s twisted backup personality, The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, has asserted control of Batman’s body. While Zur-En-Arrh moves to kill The Joker once and for all, Batman is forced to fight with Zur-En-Arrh versions of Batmen from other worlds.

In essence, it’s an opportunity to have DC’s Batman fight versions of himself from other media. It means fans finally got Batman of the comics versus Michael Keaton’s prolific film Batman, but the fight may not have been what they wanted.

The Dark Knight just beat the Michael Keaton Batman by exploiting his stiff neck

In Batman #140, Batman is struggling to ward off multiple variants of himself in his mind. He manages to throw them off the scent by dragging them into the mind palace where he stores his memories.

With the various Zur-En-Arrhs separated, Batman fights them one-on-one. It’s honestly kind of a joy to behold, as he fights versions based on Adam West’s Batman ’66, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

But fans do finally get a showdown between the Batman of DC Comics and the 1989 film Batman, as played by Michael Keaton. It looks like Batman ’89 may get the upper hand with some acid rounds, but the comics Batman uses the sound tactical strategy of attacking from behind to win with one strong kick.

It’s an obvious riff on an age-old flaw with the design of the Keaton Batman the immobile neck of the suit’s cowl. Because of the thick foam rubber the suit is made of, Keaton’s Batman is unable to turn his head.

The limited movement proved beneficial at the time, as it opened the character up for a unique way of moving. It’s got a kind of graceful clunkiness that is endearing to fans but is nonetheless the butt of many jokes.

These days moving the head in a Batsuit is a non-issue for films, thankfully. While the original run remained the thick, movement-restricting design, the Batsuit of The Dark Knight used a two-piece design, while Ben Affleck’s Batman had built-in baffles that collapsed to allow movement.

Batman #140 is available now from DC Comics. For more Batman and comic book news, be sure to stay on Dexerto.

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