The Batman That Almost Was
Jeffrey Dean Morgan was this close to going full Punisher-in-a-Batsuit—and DC fans are spiraling over what might’ve been. In a new interview, Morgan finally confirmed that Zack Snyder did want him to return as Thomas Wayne’s “Flashpoint” Batman. But like so many things in the now-defunct DCEU? It never happened.
Why? Hollywood hesitation. Studio chaos. And a chronic fear of committing to anything that isn’t already a box-office proven nostalgia trip.
From “Maybe” to Missed Opportunity
Let’s be clear: Snyder cast Morgan as Thomas Wayne in Batman v Superman for a reason. Not just because he looks like a man who sleeps with a cigar in his mouth. But because there were real, bloody plans for him to come back in Flashpoint—the alternate timeline where Bruce dies, Thomas becomes Batman, and Martha? She goes full Joker.
Morgan recently told Den of Geek, “Zack was going to do more movies… we never got the chance.” That’s Hollywood code for: “They pulled the plug.”
Instead, WB gambled on Michael Keaton. Again. Because why build new when you can slap 1989 all over your poster and pray for TikTok virality? The 2023 Flash film became a Frankenstein of corporate mandates—Keaton in, Morgan out, nostalgia up, coherence down.
The Batman We Deserved
If you’ve seen Morgan’s smirk as Negan, you know the man could crush a gun-toting, grief-fueled, don’t-care-if-you-live Thomas Wayne. And remember—Snyder once told him, way back during Watchmen press, “You’d be an awesome Batman.” This wasn’t fan-theory. It was filmmaker intent.
But intent doesn’t stand a chance against box office panic.
Flashpoint could’ve been DC’s Logan—gritty, grounded, character-driven carnage. Instead, it became multiverse karaoke. Fans got Keaton chewing scenery like Bat-churros while real story potential died off-screen.
And for what? A film that still flopped. Critics panned it. Audiences ghosted it. Keaton got paid. Morgan got sidelined.
Hollywood’s Flashpoint Fetish
There’s a pattern here, and it’s not just DC’s inability to hold a direction longer than three post-credits scenes. Every time comic-book movies flirt with bold narrative change (see: Dark Phoenix, Multiverse of Madness), studios get cold feet. Instead of pushing forward, they circle the nostalgia drain.
Morgan as Batman wasn’t just fan-service. It was a legitimately fresh twist: a Batman who kills, grieves, and isn’t haunted by guilt—but by rage. Imagine if Bruce died, and the guy who stayed behind decided justice needed a bullet. It’s not a “better” Batman. But it’s a hell of a different one.
Now You Choose: Cowardice or Course-Correction?
Could Morgan have saved The Flash? Maybe not. But he would’ve given it teeth. Instead, WB played it safe—and lost anyway.
So we ask: Would you rather see Thomas Wayne’s brutal redemption arc? Or watch Bruce Wayne throw another Batarang at the multiverse?
Would you watch this or burn $20? No judgment. (…Okay, some judgment.)
