How can Keaton, Pattinson, and Affleck all be Batman? The DCEU’s three Dark Knights explained

After Warner Bros.’s Comic-Con presentation failed to set them alight, DC fans belatedly got an exciting bit of news this week thanks to Ben Affleck being confirmed to return as Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Snyderverse loyalists are ecstatic to have the Justice League star restored to the franchise, especially when it looked like his days in the cowl were numbered, what with two other iterations of the Dark Knight swooping across cinema screens.

Robert Pattinson obviously made his debut as the Dark Knight in this past March’s The Batman and there’s a ton of buzz around Michael Keaton reprising his role as the Batman of the Burtonverse in next year’s The Flash. This means that, come the end of 2023, we’ll have had three cinematic incarnations of the character on the big screen in the space of just two years. Four if you count Keanu Reeves’ animated version in DC League of Super-Pets.

But how can there be three Batmen defending Gotham in the DCEU all at the same time? Let’s take a look…

Ben Affleck is the DCEU’s OG Batman

First of all, anyone who’s kept up with the DC movie universe over the past decade doesn’t need an explainer on how Affleck fits into the picture. As introduced in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batfleck is the resident Caped Crusader of the DCEU. Last seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Affleck has already shot a cameo for The Flash movie.

With that Ezra Miller vehicle already set to introduce Keaton back into the fold (more on that later), many assumed that The Flash would be the final time Affleck played the part, but clearly we were mistaken, as he’s teaming up with fellow Leaguer Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) for Lost Kingdom.

As for how this is possible, then, it’s worth remembering that ⁠— due to various delays and slate reshuffling ⁠— Aquaman 2 is due to arrive sooner than The Flash, coming next March. So any reality-altering fallout that may occur in the Scarlet Speedster’s solo film will not have occurred yet in the timeline. It’s currently unclear if there’s a window for Affleck to appear post-Flash.

Robert Pattinson is the Bruce of The Batman universe

The Batman famously began life as a spinoff venture for Affleck’s portrayal, but it was retooled as a standalone franchise once director Matt Reeves came aboard and hired Robert Pattinson. Much like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker has no correlation with Jared Leto’s, Pattinson and Affleck’s Batmen are not related as The Batman universe ⁠— dubbed the Batverse ⁠— operates in its own continuity separate from the DCEU.

As we saw in The Batman, Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne dwells in a very stripped-back version of the DC world that doesn’t seem to be home to other superheroes, similar to the grounded vibe Christopher Nolan cultivated in The Dark Knight trilogy. Having said that, there is the opportunity to introduce new versions as the Batverse expands with The Batman 2 and various other spinoffs.

So, in short, Affleck and Pattinson’s Bats can co-exist because they occupy different Earths in the multiverse.

Michael Keaton will emerge from the multiverse

But here’s where things get more complicated. The Flash film will see Michael Keaton hop back into the Batmobile over 20 years after last playing the role in 1992’s Batman Returns. His grand comeback is believed to be facilitated by the multiversal nature of the movie’s storyline.

In a loose adaptation of Flashpoint, Barry Allen will go back in time to avert his mother’s murder when he was a child. This will play havoc with history, however, resulting in realities colliding and Keaton’s Bruce now dwelling in the DCEU. This universal reboot will also bring Sasha Calle’s Supergirl into the fold, too.

Keaton is already set to reprise his role in this winter’s HBO Max original Batgirl, opposite Leslie Grace’s Barbara Gordon, so it seems likely that Barry’s changes to the timeline will be permanent, potentially meaning that Affleck has been erased from the canon and Keaton is the new Batman of the DCEU going forward.

Fans aren’t the only one confused by the situation, though, as Batgirl directors Adil el Arbi and Bilall Fallah have admitted they don’t get how Keaton fits into the picture either, teasing that their movie exists in a “spaghetti of multiverses.” So it looks like we’ll have to wait until The Flash races onto screens next July to understand the full picture.