We all love a good Batman debate. Who’s the best Batman? Is he really a hero? You get the gist. One of the longest-running debates on the movie side of things is whether both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin are canon to the original two Tim Burton movies. This argument has divided fans for so long, but thanks to recent novels, a somewhat definitive answer is starting to arise.
Of course, the beginnings of the Batman Forever and Batman & Robin argument comes because the two sequels came after Batman and Batman Returns, both directed by Tim Burton. However, the former two were not helmed by Burton, and neither of them saw Michael Keaton reprise his role. Val Kilmer donned the cape in Batman Forever, while George Clooney became the caped crusader in Batman & Robin.
The notion that they’re the same continuity comes from the fact they’ve all been compiled as a whole franchise; an ended run of Batman before the hero was later reintroduced in live-action in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. But really, the connections between Burton’s two movies and the subsequent two are enormous. They’re visually different (different directors having varying visions) and there’s also parts of the continuity that don’t match up.
After years of debating, it seems the argument has recently been cleared up. This comes as a result of the new novel Batman: Revolution, which serves as a sequel to 2024’s Batman: Resurrection. Both of these comics are completely part of the ‘Burton Universe’ and serve as canon. However, given that Revolution shows off an all-new Riddler, Norman Pinkus, it completely goes against the canon of Riddler from Batman Forever. Such a drastic alteration and separation from the Batman Forever canon feels like complete vindication that yes, Joel Schumacher’s two movies exist in their own, totally self-contained continuities.
This comes with a few notable caveats. For instance, both Burton’s movies and Batman Forever share similar casts — besides the titular hero. For instance, it’s the same Alfred (Michael Gough) and the same Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle).
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if Schumacher’s are officially part of the Burton Continuity. But the arrival of Batman: Revolution certainly seems to push both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin aside to continue building on Burton’s direction.
You can buy Batman: Revolution here.
