There are about 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes of Batman Forever that have found themselves online and available on YouTube for any avid fan to watch. Those cuts include some of the strangest scenes from any Batman movie ever, and it has led to fans and haters of the movie alike demanding the “Schumacher Cut.”
There are over 50 minutes of deleted scenes out there, which people want repurposed in a new high definition edit of the movie. Considering the contents of that footage, it’s hardly surprising why, as it sounds like a terrifying vision of the character compared to the child-friendly theatrical cut that was released.
The Explanation For The Title
To any viewer, the idea of the title of the movie sounds like one of the Riddler’s riddles. "Forever" doesn’t make much sense and it doesn’t exactly explain the premise of the movie. In fact, in theory, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin should have their titles switched. However, there is one deleted scene that explains the movie’s confusing name.
Close to the end of the movie, when Doctor Meridian Chase is being driven home by Alfred, she asks him if Batman will ever end. He replies by saying, “No, Dr. Meridian, not in this lifetime.” It might be a quick throwaway line, but it sheds some light on the movie’s title.
Two-Face’s Escape From Arkham Asylum
If there’s one thing that the overly-theatrical and hammy Schumacher-led movies got right, it’s the depiction of Arkham Asylum. The asylum had a big role in the two movies, but the first glimpse of the place that viewers should have seen was cut from Batman Forever.
One of the first scenes of the movie sees a doctor looking for Harvey Dent in a dark and creepy corridor. It would have worked well in the movie, as it’s similar to the final scene of the Riddler locked in Arkham, and it could have neatly bookended the film.
Bruce Wayne Coming Face To Face With A 6 Foot Bat
This scene is one of the most talked-about deleted scenes, both because it’s one of the few that is available to watch on YouTube, and because it’s completely absurd. The scene goes further than resembling the twisted Tim Burton-directed Batman movies, as it’s more like something from a David Lynch movie than anything.
Bruce walks into the depths of the Batcave, an area that he seems not to have seen before, and he encounters a giant bat that flies in from the shadows. It’s obvious why it was cut, as the massive bat has laser red eyes and sharp beastly teeth, which isn’t exactly the child-friendly approach that Warner Bros. wanted.
The Beauty Salon
Joel Schumacher gets criticized a lot for turning the Batman series into one big commercial for toys. However, this deleted scene goes to show that Joel Schumacher’s vision might have been compromised and that the overly child-friendly movie may not have been what he intended. In the deleted scene, Batman is duped by the Riddler, as the vigilante is sent to a supposed crime scene, only for him to turn up to a beauty salon.
It goes even deeper into the Lynchian hole that began with the six-foot Bat. The scene is a strange amalgam of surrealism and the humor found in the 60s TV show, as one hairdresser asks, “A little off the ears, Batman?”
The Talk Show Featuring Chase Meridian
Nicole Kidman was wasted in Batman Forever, as the incredible actor was reduced to a damsel in distress, and despite playing therapist Dr. Meridian Chase, she wasn't given any dialogue that had any depth.
However, there is a deleted scene where she appears on a talk show speaking about psychology. Chase speaks at length about the Batman, and it almost balances out the ridiculous idea that a therapist would sleep with her patients.
Developing The NygmaTech Building
There’s no denying just how over-the-top all of the performances in Batman Forever are, but more than any was a certain comedian’s portrayal of The Riddler. Jim Carrey planned on shaving a question mark into his head for the movie, but even Schumacher thought that was a little too much. Despite there being so many Riddler scenes in the movie, there was still a lot that was cut out.
One deleted scene saw the character developing the NygmaTech building, which would be interesting to see simply because of how outrageous the tower is. The Riddler was peacocking with the piece of architecture, and how the landmark came into existence so quickly is something that fans need an answer to.
News Broadcasters That Beg Batman To Retire
Midway through the movie, there is a scene that was unfortunately cut where Bruce watches a news broadcast of a news anchor demanding that Batman turns himself in. The broadcaster says, “If you really want to help Gotham city then turn yourself in” and argues that nobody asked him to fight crime.
Christopher Nolan may have taken advantage of the fact that the footage wasn’t used in Batman Forever. There is an extremely similar scene in Nolan hinting that he’s the Riddler.
More Sugar And Spice
Sugar and Spice were essentially underused trophy wives for Two-Face and The Riddler, but that wasn’t Schumacher’s fault as there was a lot left on the cutting room floor surrounding them too. Not only that, but Sugar and Spice's deleted scenes showed how intellectual the two of them were.
One deleted scene between the two of them sees them in a deep philosophical conversation. So effectively, they’re almost like Two-Face’s own Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, which again adds more layers and proves that the movie could have been much better.
Two-Face Calling Batman A Killer
Tommy Lee Jones’ goofy portrayal of Two-Face is one of the ways Batman Forever has aged poorly, but the reason fans think that might be because half of his best scenes were cut from the movie. In one of the early scenes, Harvey screams, “you’re a killer too, and you know it!,” leading audiences to believe that there’s some sort of untold history between Batman and Two-Face.
There is obviously history between them in the comic books, but it would have been interesting to see the narrative explore more of what Harvey was hinting at with that line of dialogue. And maybe there is more that was left on the cutting room floor, but fans won’t know until the Schumacher Cut is released.
The Alternate Ending
The first two major Batman movies were fairly uniform, especially in the way that they ended. 1989’s Batman ended with the titular character standing on the top of a skyscraper looking up into the night sky, and Batman Returns ends with Catwoman doing the same thing.
The original ending to Batman Forever, which was shot, saw Batman and Robin following suit, but it was changed in favor of the two superheroes running in front of a bright light. And in fairness, that became uniform, as the final shot of Batman & Robin saw the two heroes, along with Batwoman, running away from the bright light too.
