Actor Michael Keaton in a recent interview with GQ shared how he believes Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989), in which he was cast as the titular character, had a major role in the subsequent success of the Marvel and DC universes.
“Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything,” the "Beetlejuice" actor said, speaking about Burton's choice to cast him as the superhero, a decision that was met with considerable backlash. “I can’t necessarily say this, but there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned.
“He hasn’t gotten himself enough credit for going, ‘Yeah, that guy,’” Keaton continued. “And everybody went, ‘Wait, Michael? You worked with him on 'Beetlejuice,' right?’ But I think what happened was Tim saw 'Clean and Sober' [Keaton’s first non-comedic role]. I get the credit. I don’t know that he got enough credit for making that move. That was a bold move.”
Reflecting on portraying Gotham Citys resident crime fighter, Keaton said he felt "proud of it actually because I like to prove everybody wrong. It’s fun for me.”
