In a day in age where The Dark Knight trilogy is considered to be the gold standard of Batman cinema, I am probably in the minority who prefers Keaton's Batman. I propose that there is something to Keaton's Bruce Wayne that is more than just trauma of the death of his parents. I believe that Keaton's Bruce Wayne is autistic.

What?? I know right. Let me explain.

1. Keaton's Bruce is socially awkward. He doesn't really get out much, or flash his money around. No one really knows who this Bruce Wayne is, as confirmed by Knox in the first film. There's multiple times where he is in public (his own party, the attack in front of the courthouse, in Gotham Plaza in Batman Returns) and no one takes notice of him. He must therefore be just as mysterious as Batman, although no one focuses on Wayne.

2. He is really obsessed with bats. Of course he's Batman, but Keaton's Batman is even more so. One of his workouts is in the hanging upside down looking at the city, even when he has a woman in bed. He also mentions to Vicky he was the only one that could do what he does. I don't think it's because of his money, but of his obsession.

3. He does have strong emotional reactions. I use the example when he confronts Joker in Vicky's apartment. He picked up a fire poker, bashed Vicky's vase and waved it at the Joker. This shows that he has trouble controlling his emotions in times of unexpected events.

These are traits of autism. I believe his Bruce/Batman suffers on a deeper level. People with autism are 4x more likely to be depressed than others. Mix that in with the traumatic events of his parent's murder, I think that this Bruce/Batman could be more of a threat to himself more than the criminals he faces. That to me makes a more interesting Batman.