The mythos of DC’s Batmannever seems to really leave our popular culture. The character has earnedhis own holiday,his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and an ever-growing number of comics and adaptations in other media. For generations of fans, the Dark Knight is easily best known for his appearances in movies, ranging from massive live-action adventures to smaller animated fare. Even Batman’s sidekicks and villains are proving popular enough to get their own movies and television shows, as evident bythe recent release ofJoker: Folie à Deux, the current run of The Penguin, and recent reporting arounda Bane and Deathstroke crossover movieanda Robin-centricDynamic Duoanimated movie.
At this point, there are countless Batman movies that fans can dive into (and several more on the way) — but which are the best? Keep reading to check out our favorites.
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For an entire generation, 1989’sBatmanis the film that started it all. Tim Burton’s fully-realized live-action take on the character helped pull him out of his ’60s campiness, and spawned a cultural phenomenon forever passionately known as “Batmania.”
It can easily be argued thatBatman’89 has only gotten better over time, remaining stylish, wacky, and jam-packed with iconic performances and imagery. Many — including its star, Michael Keaton — even cite it as one of the precursors to our modern-day superhero movie boom.
We can debate at length aboutwhether or not it is a Christmas movie, but one thing is for sure —Batman Returnsis something special. Burton and Keaton’s second collaboration in the DC space upped the ante even further, all while weaving in portrayals of Selina Kyle / Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin (Danny DeVito) that still remain iconic to this day.
Three decades afterBatman Returns‘ 1992 debut, the film’s narrative eccentricities and distinct characterizations are still as beloved as ever.
The first animated Batman film to secure a theatrical release, 1993’sBatman: Mask of the Phantasmremains revered for a number of reasons. A bridge between the first and second seasons ofBatman: The Animated Series, the series’ cast reprised their roles in a dark and surprising fight to protect Gotham City from its latest criminal vigilante.
Fromits biggest twistto its emotional moments to its poignant dissection of Batman’s mythos,Mask of the Phantasmis still talked about among DC fans all these years later.
No Batman film — and to an extent, no superhero film — has defined the 21st century quite like 2008’sThe Dark Knight. The middle installment of Christopher Nolan’s grounded and gritty reimagining of the character, its fight between Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne and Heath Ledger’s Joker is jam-packed with iconic scenes and a new kind of verisimilitude towards the DC mythos.
In the two decades sinceThe Dark Knight‘s debut, many have tried to capture its dark and relevant kind of magic — and the fact that plenty have failed along the way only makes the film’s success more groundbreaking.
The DC Animated universe has adapted plenty of Batman tales over the years, but 2010’s take onBatman: Under the Red Hoodcontinues to hold a special place in many fans’ hearts. Chronicling the tragic dynamic between Batman (Bruce Greenwood) and his former ward Jason Todd / Red Hood (Jensen Ackles), the film not only adequately honored its source material, but introduced its unique story to a larger audience.
There’s a reason why Acklesbecame a near-permanent part of fans’ DC fancastsin the years that followed Under the Red Hood’s debut.
After a scene-stealing appearance in 2014’sThe LEGO Movie, it felt inevitable to spin off Will Arnett’s Batman into his own feature film — but that doesn’t make the end product any less extraordinary. 2017’sThe LEGO Batman Movieis a wacky and no-holds-barred take on the larger DC mythos, brimming with absurd one-liners and some surprisingly sweet subplots.
All these years later,The LEGO Batman Moviejust might have one of the better adaptations of Dick Grayson / Robin (Michael Cera) and The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) that have made it onto the big screen.
And finally, Matt Reeves’ long-awaited take on the DC mythos became an instant classic when it premiered in early 2022.The Batmanchronicles the early crime-fighting career of Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) in a way that feels both reverential of the character’s lore, and incredibly fresh.
From high-octane action scenes to quieter moments of character interaction,The Batmandelivers plenty of moments that fans are still talking about. Luckily, withThe Penguintelevision series currently underwayandThe Batman Part IIon the horizon for 2026, there’s still plenty more story left to tell in the saga.
