Michael Keaton Breaks Down Playing Batman at the Oscars

For DC movie dorks and ’90s kids, one of the biggest highlights of last weekend’s Oscars was the presentation of the Best Visual Effects award, which became an extended gag about Batman featuring the presenters, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, and their shared onscreen nemesis: Batman — as played in the Tim Burton Batman movies by Michael Keaton.

After joking about their common onscreen history as Batman villains (DeVito as Penguin, Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze) they started taunting Keaton, seated in the audience, while he played along, sneering at them and even giving them a “come get a piece” gesture.

You can watch the full exchange between Schwarzenegger, DeVito, and Keaton below:

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During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, Keaton broke down how the very funny came together — and, yes, that was an ascot he was wearing as Bruce Wayne, and yes it was very much a deliberate costume choice by Keaton to get “into character” as the Caped Crusader. (If you saw Keaton at other points during the Oscars, he wasn’t wearing the ascot.)

“I thought, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to Bruce Wayne it up a little bit,” Keaton quipped.

As for who of those two villains he’d actually be worried about in a fight, Keaton picked DeVito.

“He’d creep up behind you, and he has the height advantage because he’s so [small]. You don’t know where he is. He’s always sneaking around,” Keaton joked. “The other guy I would just put away. He’s too slow.”

Watch Keaton’s full appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.