A mysterious, black cloaked figure has been spotted on the set of The Flash, with the enigmatic man seen hanging around the recreated Wayne Manor from Tim Burton's Batman. So, is it a Bruce Wayne stand-in? Has Batman downgraded his costume to simply a black cloak in this alternate timeline? Could it be Vandal Savage as some have theorized? Or perhaps The Penguin? Or is it simply a trench-coat sporting member of the crew? Only time will tell...

Directed by Andy Muschietti, The Flash will reportedly introduce audiences to the DC multiverse, taking inspiration from the comic book arc The Flashpoint Paradox, which sees the Fastest Man Alive travel back in time in an attempt to save his mother, who was murdered during Barry Allen's childhood. As is so often the case with these time travel misadventures, Barry's meddling finds him emerging in a much bleaker alternate universe in which the Amazons and Atlanteans are involved in an all-out war that has left the planet destroyed.

While the source material finds Bruce Wayne dead, killed at the hands of the same criminal who murdered his parents and leading to Thomas Wayne taking up the mantle of Batman, and applying his own, more violent tactics, it looks like The Flash will instead find Barry travelling to some version of director Tim Burton's Batman universe. Debuting as Burton's Dark Knight in 1989, Michael Keaton is already set to reprise the role for The Flash and, along with the productions return to the same Wayne Manor, reports have also stated that the same gothic version of Gotham City is also being recreated for Keaton's comeback.

Earlier this year, Michael Keaton cast some doubt over his return in The Flash saying, "I am needing a minute to think about it because I'm so fortunate and blessed, I got so much going on now. I'm really into work right now. I don't know why, but I am, and so, yeah, I mean, you know, to tell you the truth, somewhere on my iPad is an iteration of the whole Flash thing that I haven't had time yet...I called them and said, I have to be honest with you. I can't look at anything right now. I'm so deep into this thing I'm doing."

Ultimately, Keaton's decision to suit up again depended on the quality of the script and scheduling; "I'm not being cute or coy. If I talked about it, I'll be just bullsh*tting you. I don't really know. I have to look at the last draft." Clearly this was all worked out, with the script impressing the actor enough to have him once again don the cape and cowl.

While the black-coated figure remains just one of the many mysteries surrounding The Flash right now, it will no doubt become the subject of much speculation while fans await the exciting return of Keaton's Caped Crusader. Starring Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, and Kiersey Clemons, The Flash is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 4, 2022. This comes to us courtesy of Twitter user @baines_stuart.