Hot Toys DX09 - BATMAN - Batman (Michael Keaton) - Specs & Pics

[Cocoboloboy]

Getting back to the figure, I'm curious how the plate-on-a-stick (behind the batarang) is going to attach to his arm/hand, as there doesn't appear to be anything on the opposite end to connect it.

I'm guesssing it just slides into a slot or under something since it's so thin. Either that or they didn't have the round piece on it yet, like the thing that HT Spidey uses for his webs.

 

[karamazov80]

All I can say in response to diFabio's post is:

There's your insane Batman right there. Enjoy!

 

[SSC EX Hunter]

I'm nervous with this one guys. If it leaks Ima probably cry...I mean let's remember here they couldn't get one stinking batman DK suit fixed...

 

[draekus]

True but I don't think his Batman is as psychologically damaged or driven as he should be. I have no problem with it, because I like the Burton and Nolan interpretations for different reasons, but there are a few things I'd change with the Nolan version, whereas, with the Burton version, I'd just leave it alone. (I'm talking the characterization of Batman himself, not all of the film).

It kind of bothers me that the Bale Batman is driven by ideals and legacies, and isn't too keen on actually being Batman. It's always "my father built this, Gotham needs that" and it just comes across as preachy nonsense. This interpretation of Bruce always seems to want to hang up the cowl and cape, live a normal life and I guess I just don't really like that. To me, Bruce's persona changes the night his parents are brutally murdered in a dark alley, not from falling into a well and being afraid of opera shows or getting slapped and lectured by Katie Holmes about "justice".

Batman shouldn't be a temporary gig for Bruce Wayne, Batman isn't some pill that will magically cure the crime in Gotham and he sure isn't some savior pseudo-martyr.

I love the line "a guy that dresses up as a bat clearly has issues" and that disgusted expression he makes afterward (like, ____ these rich snobs, I am the ____ing Batman) but unfortunately that's really all we get. Just a hint of "psychological problems". For the most part the Bale/Nolan/Batman is a sane guy. He dresses up for effect, not because he desires to but because he feels he has to "for da city". Batman is a thing to Bruce Wayne, a tool, a device in these modern films. He even refers to it as a monster in the third person instead of actually BECOMING Batman.

Now, I realize that's one interpretation, and I do enjoy it but I prefer the '89 version myself. To me the Batman/Bruce Wayne character is dark and brooding, an outcast. He's not a sane guy because his parents were gunned down in front of him. He fights crime because his parents were murdered and he hasn't and will never recover from it. His ideals and view of justice IS Batman, that's why he created it. Batman isn't a mask, it's who Bruce Wayne is. He has no friends, he wants no friends. His only ally is Alfred. He doesn't care if he has a life other than Batman and would rather patrol the mean streets instead of helping fund a Harvey Dent political rally. He refers to himself in the first person, not third because he IS Batman.

To sum it up, my favorite interpretation of Batman is one that subconsciously desires Gotham to still be filled with crime just so he has a function in society. To me, that's pretty complex ____. Much better than becoming a symbol to inspire a city to take the reigns so he doesn't have to fight crime anymore. Batman should have a sickly, obsessive mind about eradicating crime, that's his mission.

_____y, moral ___ that makes long speeches about cleaning the city while beating up punks < Stone cold, ________ vigilante that doesn't say a word but communicates through appearance alone, knows the city is a festering wound that will never heal, and will fight it anyway.

Don't witness your parents getting gunned down at the age of 8 folks.

Well said! Thus why I still like the 89' Batman. It was an awesome take on the character, but more importantly it paved the way for super hero movies to come.

Personally, I like the Nolan films better for all the reasons you stated. I'm just glad we were lucky enough to get both takes on the character on the big screen.

 

[thenammagazine]

All I can say in response to diFabio's post is:

There's your insane Batman right there. Enjoy!

I really wish HT or maybe Sideshow would put out some West Batman 1/6.

 

[DiFabio]

All I can say in response to diFabio's post is:

There's your insane Batman right there. Enjoy!

Nah, he wouldn't even throw the bomb in with ducks.

 

[MarfMaster]

True but I don't think his Batman is as psychologically damaged or driven as he should be. I have no problem with it, because I like the Burton and Nolan interpretations for different reasons, but there are a few things I'd change with the Nolan version, whereas, with the Burton version, I'd just leave it alone. (I'm talking the characterization of Batman himself, not all of the film. The Burton films problems, especially in the plot department).

It kind of bothers me that the Bale Batman is driven by ideals and legacies, and isn't too keen on actually being Batman. It's always "my father built this, Gotham needs that" and it just comes across as preachy nonsense. The Bale interpretation of Bruce always seems to want to hang up the cowl and cape, live a normal life and I guess I just don't really like that. To me, Bruce's persona changes the night his parents are brutally murdered in a dark alley, not from falling into a well and being afraid of opera shows or getting slapped and lectured by Katie Holmes about "justice".

Batman shouldn't be a temporary gig for Bruce Wayne, Batman isn't some pill that will magically cure the crime in Gotham and he sure isn't some savior pseudo-martyr.

I love the line "a guy that dresses up as a bat clearly has issues" and that disgusted expression he makes afterward (like, ____ these rich snobs, I am the ____ing Batman) but unfortunately that's really all we get. Just a hint of "psychological problems". For the most part the Bale/Nolan/Batman is a sane guy. He dresses up for effect, not because he desires to but because he feels he has to "for da city". Batman is a thing to Bruce Wayne, a tool, a device in these modern films. He even refers to it as a monster in the third person instead of actually BECOMING Batman.

Now, I realize that's one interpretation, and I do enjoy it but I prefer the '89 version myself. To me the Batman/Bruce Wayne character is dark and brooding, an outcast. He's not a sane guy because his parents were gunned down in front of him. He fights crime because his parents were murdered and he hasn't and will never recover from it. His ideals and view of justice IS Batman, that's why he created it. Batman isn't a mask, it's who Bruce Wayne is. He has no friends, he wants no friends. His only ally is Alfred. He doesn't care if he has a life other than Batman and would rather patrol the mean streets instead of helping fund a Harvey Dent political rally. He refers to himself in the first person, not third because he IS Batman. He's so obsessed with crime he has countless monitors surveillance his home and Gotham. In his spare time he doesn't even bother with his alterego's public image he just sits in his gigantic mansion waiting to be needed, waiting for the signal to go up and brooding about how he's the only one that can make a difference, cause, well he's Batman.

To sum it up, my favorite interpretation of Batman is one that subconsciously desires Gotham to still be filled with crime just so he has a function in society. To me, that's pretty complex ____. Much better than becoming a symbol to inspire a city to take the reigns so he doesn't have to fight crime anymore. Batman should have a sickly, obsessive mind about eradicating crime, that's his mission.

Whiny, moral ___ that makes long speeches about cleaning up the city while yelling at punks < Stone cold, butt hurt vigilante that doesn't say a word but communicates through appearance alone, knows the city is a festering wound that will never heal, and will fight it anyway.

Nolan Batman is like a bleeding heart liberal while the Burton Batman has no political views. He's pissed and he's just ____ing Batman.

Don't witness your parents getting gunned down at the age of 8 folks.

Surprised I actually read all that, but some excellent points throughout.

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

i really like difabio's breakdown of the films. well thought out.

that being said, you do have to remember though, that we've only been exposed to two nolan films. and we still don't know the conclusion. maybe bruce decides that he can't stop being batman. who knows.

i wish to bring up something though in relation to your 'batman WANTS to be batman". wasn't the whole point of batman taking on grayson so he can be trained to take up the mantle of the bat? this is before batman inc. mind you. of course, bats believed grayson wasn't ready.

anyway, i always took that as bruce wayne not wanting to be batman for the rest of his life.

and this isn't the first time bruce came close to hanging up the cowl. mask of the phantasm, he actually wanted a normal life, that is until andrea left him.

 

[vodoun]

Nah, he wouldn't even throw the bomb in with ducks.

That was a long scene wasn't it?

 

[joefan10]

I know it wont come with it...But a totally awesome accessory would be a cardboard backdrop depicting the computer monitor scene with the Joker's face on all the monitors, and Batman standing there in front of it...

Matt

 

[Russell1982]

i really like difabio's breakdown of the films. well thought out.

that being said, you do have to remember though, that we've only been exposed to two nolan films. and we still don't know the conclusion. maybe bruce decides that he can't stop being batman. who knows.

i wish to bring up something though in relation to your 'batman WANTS to be batman". wasn't the whole point of batman taking on grayson so he can be trained to take up the mantle of the bat? this is before batman inc. mind you. of course, bats believed grayson wasn't ready.

anyway, i always took that as bruce wayne not wanting to be batman for the rest of his life.

and this isn't the first time bruce came close to hanging up the cowl. mask of the phantasm, he actually wanted a normal life, that is until andrea left him.

I THINK that was Tim Drake. I could be wrong, as i never really read much comics with Grayson, wasnt a fan at all of Robin until Tim Drake. I really grew to love the Drake as a character. But i remember Bruce at some point saying he thought Drake could possibly be as good as him when he was older. But didnt think he was ready.

Again, i could be wrong though.

 

[Voorhees27]

Good post DiFabio. All subjective though. At the end of the day I love both film makers portrayals.

 

[Valfar]

Getting back to the figure, I'm curious how the plate-on-a-stick (behind the batarang) is going to attach to his arm/hand, as there doesn't appear to be anything on the opposite end to connect it.

This piece should just slide back into a hole or under the sleeve of the costume or plug into the bottom of the left open hand, the plate kind of matches the pattern of the palm on his gloves.

 

[batfan08]

I need to make a Custom Joker goon with a flight stand, so that Batman has someone to use his Bat-ball disassembler on.

 

[DiFabio]

Good post DiFabio. All subjective though. At the end of the day I love both film makers portrayals.

Yeah same here.

I actually don't understand why people must feel the need to "pick one". There's a reason the two of them are always compared and why debates to this day still rage on, it's because they're both so damn good.

Yeah the Nolan films have a bit more on their plate but we're talking a gap of about two decades. There's no doubt that things have changed, especially film. What you could get away with now a days you might not be able to do back in the day, story wise (the ratings) or from a technical stand point (scenes, effects, etc.) The fact that whole groups of people are even discussing Batman '89 and that we're actually (finally) getting collectible 1/6 figures from a 22 year old film means that it achieved something.

The plot and story, some of the effects and decisions that were made might be off but those aren't the deciding factors that make it a "classic".

 

[DarkMagic]

Really interesting points DiFabio.

The Bale interpretation of Bruce always seems to want to hang up the cowl and cape, live a normal life and I guess I just don't really like that. To me, Bruce's persona changes the night his parents are brutally murdered in a dark alley, not from falling into a well and being afraid of opera shows or getting slapped and lectured by Katie Holmes about "justice".

Batman shouldn't be a temporary gig for Bruce Wayne, Batman isn't some pill that will magically cure the crime in Gotham and he sure isn't some savior pseudo-martyr.

I think the interpretation you are arguing for is that Batman was born in the instant Bruce Wayne's parents were killed. This is the idea that the only difference between 8 year-old Bruce after the murders and 30 year-old Bruce is pounds of muscle and years of training; but psychologically in his mind he is already the person his body will grow to be: Batman. It is a VERY VALID interpretation and one that comes up in the comics a lot---but also one that I think Nolan was intentionally avoiding. Something definitely snaps in his mind at the moment he parents are killed, and sets off a chain of inevitable events but he doesn't instantly become Batman (mentally) at that moment. It is something that he changes into over time. And I think that is the hero's journey that Nolan was going for over the course of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight especially. At the beginning, yes, Bruce wants a normal life, and is desperately resisting everything that is telling him that he'll never get that. Over the course of the two movies, it becomes more obvious and more inevitable that he cannot EVER escape who he really is/has become---Batman.

I love the line "a guy that dresses up as a bat clearly has issues" and that disgusted expression he makes afterward (like, ____ these rich snobs, I am the ____ing Batman) but unfortunately that's really all we get. Just a hint of "psychological problems". For the most part the Bale/Nolan/Batman is a sane guy. He dresses up for effect, not because he desires to but because he feels he has to "for da city". Batman is a thing to Bruce Wayne, a tool, a device in these modern films. He even refers to it as a monster in the third person instead of actually BECOMING Batman.

He says he is "using this monster" in the third person in response to Alfred's accusation that he is "getting lost in this monster". If anything I would argue that this is the first scene in which those close to him start to notice who he really is and are becoming concerned about it. Bruce really is getting lost in Batman, nothing is more important than his mission, he is even willing to risk other's lives to accomplish it. ("it's a miracle no one was killed"/"I didn't have time to observe the rules of the road"). He is so lost in Batman that he actually thinks he (Bruce) is the persona in control. I (Bruce) am using this monster (Batman). In that same scene Alfred reminds him that those are "Bruce Wayne's guests" and he has "a name to maintain", and Bruce responds firmly, almost yelling that he doesn't care about his name. Silly Bruce, he doesn't yet realize who is using who. But Alfred sees it already, and after she finds out his identity, Rachel can see it too ("but then I found out about your mask"), while he's STILL blind to it. "Batman's just a symbol Rachel."

Now, I realize that's one interpretation, and I do enjoy it but I prefer the '89 version myself. To me the Batman/Bruce Wayne character is dark and brooding, an outcast. He's not a sane guy because his parents were gunned down in front of him. He fights crime because his parents were murdered and he hasn't and will never recover from it. His ideals and view of justice IS Batman, that's why he created it. Batman isn't a mask, it's who Bruce Wayne is. He has no friends, he wants no friends. His only ally is Alfred. He doesn't care if he has a life other than Batman and would rather patrol the mean streets instead of helping fund a Harvey Dent political rally. He refers to himself in the first person, not third because he IS Batman. He's so obsessed with crime he has countless monitors surveillance his home and Gotham. In his spare time he doesn't even bother with his alterego's public image he just sits in his gigantic mansion waiting to be needed, waiting for the signal to go up and brooding about how he's the only one that can make a difference, cause, well he's Batman.

In the Nolan movies, just as in the comics, Batman (the real persona) comes to the realization that it's helpful to his mission to maintain the Bruce Wayne public image. Not because it's who he is, but because it (1) allows him to strategically work on cleaning up the city on another front--(like backing a D.A. with the courage to take on organized crime)--rather than just brutishly kicking thugs faces in, and (2) helps throw off suspicion about his identity.

To sum it up, my favorite interpretation of Batman is one that subconsciously desires Gotham to still be filled with crime just so he has a function in society. To me, that's pretty complex ____. Much better than becoming a symbol to inspire a city to take the reigns so he doesn't have to fight crime anymore. Batman should have a sickly, obsessive mind about eradicating crime, that's his mission.

Your favorite interpretation of Batman seems to be a guy that WANTS to be Batman, because he likes it. Nolan's Batman seems to me to be CURSED with being Batman, a guy that hates doing it, wants to escape from it, but over time, realizes he can never get out of it.

Whiny, moral ___ that makes long speeches about cleaning up the city while yelling at punks < Stone cold, butt hurt vigilante that doesn't say a word but communicates through appearance alone, knows the city is a festering wound that will never heal, and will fight it anyway.

See, I actually think the Nolan Batman comes to realize the bolded part there. When Dent starts locking crooks up, sure, he thinks he is going to finally get the break he craves, Dent is going to take over the good fight. Bruce just might get to finally hang up the cape and be with the woman he loves and live happily ever after. But after Rachel's murder, and Harvey's fall from grace (and quite literal fall to his death) he realizes that he's never going to get that rest. Sorry, Bruce, you don't get to be happy in this lifetime. I think Nolan is telling a more tragic story. Your interpretation at least likes being who he is.

Nolan Batman is like a bleeding heart liberal while the Burton Batman has no political views. He's pissed and he's just ____ing Batman.

Don't witness your parents getting gunned down at the age of 8 folks.

I didn't quite get the bleeding heart liberal vibe from Nolan's Batman. If anything, he is willing to trample on Gothamites' right to privacy to complete his mission (the whole magical eavesdropping cell phone imaging system in TDK)

 

[Voorhees27]

Yeah same here.

I actually don't understand why people must feel the need to "pick one". There's a reason the two of them are always compared and why debates to this day still rage on, it's because they're both so damn good.

Yeah the Nolan films have a bit more on their plate but we're talking a gap of about two decades. There's no doubt that things have changed, especially film. What you could get away with now a days you might not be able to do back in the day, story wise (the ratings) or from a technical stand point (scenes, effects, etc.) The fact that whole groups of people are even discussing Batman '89 and that we're actually (finally) getting collectible 1/6 figures from a 22 year old film means that it achieved something.

The plot and story, some of the effects and decisions that were made might be off but those aren't the deciding factors that make it a "classic".

Too much pride in todays day and age. The funny thing is, the "pride" hasn't come at the hands of the film makers nor the actors. Go figure. Maybe we can learn something from them

As I said before I prefer Batman Begins over anything Batman created but I also saw 1989 Batman in theatres 4 times and own it on BD. Hell i'm watching Returns right now

 

[sithlord13]

But as Rachel pointed out--isn't Bruce Wayne the mask, meaning public Batman is, in fact, REAL WAYNE/BATMAN??

exactly

theres batman when he hams it up-ie the goons in begins by the freight containers and in the car park in tdk
theres bruce playing golf with the secratary and swimming in ornamental pools in begins and theres the real bruce/batman when hes with alfred or lucius or just fighting al ghul

 

[DiFabio]

We'll see what happens in The Dark Knight Rises.

Good points about Begins and Alfred and Rachel's reaction to the Batman persona but I still have yet to buy it since Bruce himself is so self-doubting in TDK. Just blatantly saying it's that way ("this is your mask", "day won't come when you no longer need" etc.) doesn't make it true. It should come off naturally from the characters actions.

With that said though, I will say this, there are small points throughout both films (Begins and TDK) where it seems like we'll get the dark, cynical, cunning of the '89 Batman/BTAS Batman that I love. The sonar moment you described is the perfect example. I love the delivery of "beautiful, isn't it". It's confident and calculating and the fact that Batman knew that Lucius would even question and built a self destruction safe before hand says alot. "At what cost", pfft Batman doesn't care.

I guess I just don't want subtleties, I want to see that full fledged, no nonsense, condescending Batman. We've gotten small glimpses of it like with keeping tabs on Rachel, sitting in front of the monitors and hunting the Joker, knowing all of the Joker's thugs personal records (Thomas Schiff) but I want to see it to the max. No more doubting, no more yelling. Just calmly holding a guy by his ankle over a 1,250 foot drop or quietly threatening a thug about a trip in critical condition to the hospital. Stuff like that.

TDKR doesn't give me that impression of Batman so far though with talk of Bruce giving up Batman again, charity and Gordon's whole "and then you were gone". But it's still too early to say.

 

[sithlord13]

Maybe dc will deliver the animated dark knight returns theres chatter about then you can get that batman?