81 years ago, Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. But in the years since, Batman and his sinister Gotham villains have been running amok on the big screen. In celebration of the 81st anniversary of Batman’s existence, here’s a list of every feature Batman movie in order of release date. With all the spare time everyone has, try watching them all and ranking them for yourself.
- Batman (1943)
Actor: Lewis Wilson
Directed by Lambert Hillyer, 1943’s Batman was the first of the Batman movies. In all honesty, this version of Batman was actually a 15-chapter series that was shown in theaters, not a movie. But its life on the silver screen qualifies it for this list. Unfortunately, the production is quite the product of WWII’s anti-Japanese sentiments, with the main villain being Dr. Tito Daka, a spy for the Japanese Imperial Government.
- Batman and Robin (1949)
Actor: Robert Lowery
Batman and Robin is the second film series documenting the adventures of Batman and his boy-wonder sidekick, functioning as the sequel to Hillyer’s Batman. Thankfully, the series decides to avoid obvious politics, and Batman faces off with a tame villain known as Wizard. Wizard, with a powerful electronic device, causes trouble for our dynamic duo by controlling cars and other automobiles.
- Batman: The Movie (1966)
Actor: Adam West
With Batman: The Movie, we finally get a taste of a full, feature-length production with the iconic Adam West. In the film, Batman and Robin (Burt Ward) must fight to keep the villains of the United Underworld (The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, and Catwoman) from using a new dehydrating weapon to turn people into dust.
- Batman (1989)
Actor: Michael Keaton
Played by the unforgettable Michael Keaton, Batman exchanges his light-hearted, old-timey feel for something more sinister. While being investigated by reporter Alexander Knox and photojournalist Vicki Vale for being a vigilante, Batman must also stop The Joker (Jack Nicholson) from murdering people via Smylex, a chemical that causes people the laugh themselves to death.
- Batman Returns (1992)
Actor: Michael Keaton
Batman Returns sees Keaton back in the place of Batman, alongside the hilarious Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. In this new film, viewers get more background on The Penguin, also known as Oswald Cobblepot. As an adult, Oswald begins a search for his parents, years after being thrown in the sewer by those same parents. When he is denied by an intervening Bruce Wayne, Oswald takes things into his own hands. We also get to see the birth of Catwoman, as she survives a fatal fall and becomes a new person/
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Voice Actor: Kevin Conroy
Mask of the Phantasm is the first, but not the last, animated feature on this list. Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, this Batman movie follows Batman as he battles with the mob and his lost love, Andrea Beaumont, who goes on a murderous journey to avenger the death of her father.
- Batman Forever (1995)
Actor: Val Kilmer
Batman Forever sees the downfall of District Attorney Harvey Dent (Tommy Lee Jones) after a transforming attack from Sal Maroni that left half his face chemically burnt. Now going by Two-Face, Dent demands that Batman pay the ultimate price for not protecting him from Maroni. Inspired by Dent’s acts of villainy, and fuel by rejection from Bruce Wayne, former Wayne Enterprises researcher, Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), becomes the Riddler and begins to wreak his own havoc on Gotham.
- Batman & Robin (1997)
Actor: George Clooney
Most famous for the horrendous nipples on Batman’s suit, Batman & Robin follows Batman after the events of Batman Forever. With his new sidekick, Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell), Batman sets off on a new adventure, taking down Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is up to Batman to keep the jilted doctor, as well as Bane and Poison Ivy, from destroying Gotham.
- Batman Begins (2005)
Actor: Christian Bale
The cycle begins once again with Batman Begins as we see Bruce Wayne grow up without his parents and train to become Batman. This movie is more a set up for the rest of the Dark Knight trilogy. The effective storytelling and detailed backstory build Batman up to be the remarkable character we see him as in The Dark Knight.
- The Dark Knight (2008)
Actor: Christian Bale
Together with Lieutenant James Gordon and Harvey Dent, Batman makes plans to put a cap on organized crime in Gotham so that he can finally retire as Batman. However, threats from Coleman Reese, who wants to expose that Bruce Wayne is Batman, as well as The Joker (Heath Ledger), who has taken it upon himself to turn Gotham into a hellscape, and hinder Batman’s plans.
- Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Actor: Christian Bale
Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has been blamed for the actions and crimes committed by Two-Face and Bruce Wayne becomes a recluse. As Wayne continues to lose money, through lack of production and unfinished projects, Bane makes things worse by attacking Gotham’s Stock Exchange and processing transactions that make Wayne go bankrupt. It is only then when Batman returns, vowing to stop Bane. However, after a long, trying battle, Batman is assumed to be dead and is honored by Gotham as a hero.
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Actor: Ben Affleck
In the first-ever live-action film to feature Batman and Superman together, Ben Affleck takes the mantle of Batman. Manipulated by the villainous Lex Luther, Batman takes Superman on in a fight to the death. While the movie was not well received by fans, with just a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, the idea of Batman and Superman resolving their issues through the love of mothers named Martha will always be funny.
- The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Voice Actor: William Arnett
What’s more fun joyful than the LEGO Movie? LEGO Batman, that’s what. In an exciting explosion of color and humor, director Chris McKay and his team have put together a funny, family-friendly movie that can make anyone smile. After having his feelings hurt by Batman, the Joker swears to get revenge. The movie is quirky and fun, and it’s perfect for a night in.
- The Batman (2021)
Actor: Robert Pattinson
There’s a lot of noise about the new Batman movie that will be coming out next year. Some people are happy with the choice of Pattinson playing our Caped Crusader, but others are quite upset. Only time will tell us if this new rendition will make the cut for Batman fans worldwide.
Feature Image via MercatorNet
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