Though Michael Keaton was initially criticized for his Batman casting in the 1989 movie, he now believes director Tim Burton‘s vision actually “changed everything” for the comic book film space.

In a recent interview with GQ, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actor looked back at his controversial role in Warner Bros.’ Batman, which was protested by 50,000 comic book fans at the time.

“Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything,” Keaton said of Burton’s decision to cast him as the superhero despite the uproar. “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,’” the actor 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.”

Burton also praised Keaton because “he has a certain energy,” which is one of the reasons he “wanted him to be in Batman.” The director added to GQ, “You just look in his eyes, and he seems intelligent, scary, crazy, everything all at once.”

Keaton’s Batman ultimately became known as one of the best portrayals of the superhero, despite other notable actors putting on the Batsuit for later films, including George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson. The Birdman actor even reprised his role in 2023’s The Flash and the Warner Bros.-scrapped Batgirl movie.

As for whether Keaton felt disappointed that the Batgirl film got shelved, Keaton quipped, “No, I didn’t care one way or another. Big, fun, nice check.”

But, on a more serious note, the actor said of Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, “I like those boys. They’re nice guys. I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad.” As for Keaton, he added, “I’m good.”

Looking back at his Batman role overall, the Spotlight star said he’s “proud of it actually because I like to prove everybody wrong. It’s fun for me.”

Burton’s Batman went on to win an Oscar in 1990 for best art direction-set decoration.