While the Marvel Cinematic Universe released its first ever film in 2008, Superman and Batman were already made into live action movies.
Batman: The Movie (1966) was the first-ever movie of the caped crusader starring Adam West that made that generation root for it. 50 years later, we have a few movies varying right from the actor who played Batman to being a part of the DC Cinematic Universe.
All the movies are a towering cinematic achievement and the stories will be timeless. The caped crusader will be the most flexible superhero of this universe, even with no superpower.
List of all Batman movies in order
For over 50 years now, Batman has been protecting Gotham City, but have you seen this journey? If not, I have curated a list of all Batman movies in order, so that you don’t have to frantically search for every movie.
I have also included the name of the streaming service which currently streams the movie you are reading about. So, let’s get on with it!
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1. Batman: The Movie (1966)
The first full-length movie adaptation of the DC Comics character, Batman: The Movie presents Adam West as the titular role, who is a part of a movie which has several ’60s cultural references; it seems to be a far cry from the character’s origins. Adam’s Batman is goofy who enjoys wielding many toy-like devices.
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2. Batman (1989)
Tim Burton presented a different Batman 23 years after the first movie. This movie is a serious silver-screen representation of Batman.
Tim’s Gotham was a scary nightmare, yet fabulous cool and full of anger; Michael Keaton replaced the comic act from West’s days to a more serious role.
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3. Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns made the character’s storyline into a franchise potential. The twin villain – Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, makes this movie a great watch.
The wicked charm and gothic sensibility stand out from the other Batman movies.
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4. Batman Forever (1995)
Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever while Tim Burton was a producer. Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton, who had to deal with new villains Harvey Dent, the Gotham District Attorney known as Two-Face and The Riddler.
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5. Batman and Robin (1997)
Joel Schumacher showed his creative reins. George Clooney was the new Batman, while the world was introduced to Chris O’Donnell’s Robin.
The duo battle Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. This movie wasn’t well-received by the audience, not the critics, which also marked the end of the ’90s Batman.
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6. Batman Begins (2005)
8 years after the horrific movie, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins made the character interesting again. Top it up with Christian Bale’s Batman and acting chops.
The movie’s antagonist is a mind-altering doctor, The Scarecrow. Gotham never looked so pale.
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7. The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight is said to be the best superhero movie, hands down! This psychological thriller gave us the late Heath Ledger as Joker, who shadowed Bale’s Batman in every sense.
The plot is expertly crafted with epic and ingenious twists and turns throughout.
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8. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Many thought a sequel wasn’t possible as Ledger passed away. However, The Dark Knight Rises is a desperately bleak finale.
The diabolical masked villain Bane has held the entire city of Gotham held hostage. The climax played out quite well, and Batman’s character came to a full circle.
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9. Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice was a disappointing offering, even with Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman.
Jesse Eisenberg plays a young Lex Luthor, and he was okay. The film was poorly received for a weak plot and and slow screenplay.
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10. Suicide Squad (2016)
Here, Ben Affleck returns as Batman, but only in an uncredited cameo appearance in a mid-credits scene. The thing is, the film didn’t need him – at all. The film was fun, silly, and wild.
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11. Justice League (2017)
DC Universe’s primary superhero squad makes a great team to fill the void left by Superman’s death, which included the assemblage of Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman. The most-awaited ‘Snyder Cut’ released this year.
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12. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
Yes, a toy Batman movie is a thing. Voiced by Will Arnett, Batman is once again taking on Zach Galifianakis’s Joker. The film makes several in-jokes on all the other movies, which is fun to watch.
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13. Joker (2019)
Joaquin Phoenix blew everyone’s mind as the titular character. Here, Joker is shown as a neglected comedian struggling with mental illness. His transformation into the iconic, smiling antagonist is brilliant.
Being a critical and commercial success, Joaquin scored an Academy Award for the Best Actor. I personally side with Heath’s Joker.
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14. The Batman (2022)
Robert Pattinson will portray the new Batman who’ll take on The Riddler and The Penguin, played by Paul Dano and Colin Farrell, respectively.
Zoe Kravitz is Batwoman and Jeffrey Wright is in the shoes of Commissioner Gordon, who team up with the caped crusader. There are two sequels planned, along with a spin-off prequel television series for HBO Max.
A glimpse of everything Batman
1. Live-action Batman movies
Batman: The Movie (1966) – Known as the Adam West Movie.
The Batman Motion Picture Anthology –
- Batman (1989)
- Batman Returns (1992)
- Batman Forever (1995)
- Batman & Robin (1997)
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy –
- Batman Begins (2005)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Extended DC Cinematic Universe –
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- Suicide Squad (2016)
- Justice League (2017)
- Joker (2019)
- The Batman (2022)
2. Live-action Batman series
- The Batman (1943 – theatrical series)
- Batman and Robin (1949 – theatrical series)
- Batman (1966 to 1969 – TV series)
- Gotham (2014 to 2019 – TV series)
- Titans (2018 to present – TV series)
- Pennyworth (2019 to present – TV series)
- Batwoman (2019 to present – TV series)
3. Animated Batman movies and series
- Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1995 – animated TV series)
- Batman: Under The Red Hood (2010 – animated film)
- Batman: Year One (2011 – animated film)
- The Dark Knight Returns (2012 – animated film)
- Batman: The Killing Joke (2016 – animated film)
- Lego Batman (2017 – animated film)
How many actors have played Batman in the movies?
Eight actors have portrayed Batman. Lewis G. Wilson, Robert Lowery, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Will Arnett (The Lego Movie), Ben Affleck, and lastly, Robert Pattinson.
FAQs
Who has played Batman the longest?
Christian Bale has played Batman the longest. He played Batman more than twice on the silver screen.
How old is Batman?
Batman – the character – is 77 years old, but in the stories, Batman is in his mid-to-late ’20s.
What is Batman’s real name?
Batman’s real name is Bruce Wayne, who’s an industrialist when not fighting criminals.
Why won’t the Joker kill Batman?
The Joker has actually given the answer himself in the movie. According to him, there is no other foe worthy of his ability. So, if he kills Batman, he won’t have any other purpose in life.
Does Batman ever kill Joker?
Not exactly. Batman has never killed the Joker in any of the main storyline, including The Killing Joke. Although he has killed him in alternative universe storylines, and in Tim Burton’s 1989 movie.
Conclusion
Here you go! This is the list of all Batman movies in order. I have also mentioned the actor who played the Caped Crusader in the movies.
Right from Adam West, the Batman Motion Picture anthology, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, to Extended DC Cinematic Universe – all the Batman movies are quite the ride you’ll need to kick some asses, virtually.
Which is your favorite Batman flick? And who’s the best Batman according to you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
