Batmanis one of the most famous superheroes in the world. Bob Kane first conceived a rough idea of the Dark Knight in the 1930s, influenced by classic heroes like Zorro and Dick Tracy. It was Bill Finger who added the finishing touches and gave the Caped Crusader his iconic cape and cowl. Since the 1930s, Batman has been prowling the nights of Gotham City, trying to prevent the violence that claimed his parents' lives. He stands apart from his lighter and fluffier comic book counterparts - and that’s exactly what makes the Dark Knight so great. Even with no superpowers, Batman has retained his immense popularity, thanks to his intellect, alluring rogue’s gallery, and dark nature. And, of course, to the movies.
Batmanhas appeared in many live-action films over the years. These movies have brought the Dark Knight to life, from comic book panels to the big screen, and introduced him to a wider audience. These films have produced some memorable and badass Batman moments. Legendary scenes that we love to quote and rewatch, key moments that have come to define Batman over the years. From 1966 to 2022, here are the most iconic Batman moments from live-action films.
10Batman’s Introduction - The Batman (2022)
The Batman
Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement when The Riddler starts killing key political figures. Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and Paul Dano star.
The Batmanis a franchise reboot (how many is that now? We’re losing count) that focuses on Year 2 of the Dark Knight’s war on crime, a series that will exist separately from James Gunn’s new vision for DC Studios.“DC Elseworlds,” they’re calling it now, as if the DC Universe wasn’t complicated enough already. Regardless, Matt Reeves' take on Batman is a welcome installment. It takes our hero back to his detective roots and gives us a darker, grittier, and more comic bookish take on Gotham City.
Why’s It So Iconic
The Batmanhas only been around for a year, so time will tell which of its moments will become iconic. But a strong case can be made for the Dark Knight’s introduction in this movie. We see a disguised Bruce Wayne walking through a crowd in Gotham City, his raspy voice narrating his thoughts. It’s like something straight out of a Batman comic book. “I must choose my targets carefully,” he tells us. “It’s a big city. I can’t be everywhere. But they don’t know where I am…They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But I AM the shadows.” As he talks, and as Michael Giacchino’s remarkable score builds up in intensity, multiple criminals commit crimes across Gotham – and then freeze in their tracks when they see the Batsignal in the sky or the darkness ahead, terrified that Batman will suddenly appear from the shadows. And then finally, he does. It’s an incredible sequence that rightfully presents the Batman as a character to be feared, a scene that would feel right at home in a horror film.
Stream on Max
9Getting Rid of the Bomb - Batman: The Movie (1966)
This 1966 classicis legendary within the Batman universe. Sure,Batman: The Movieis campy and ridiculous, flashing comic book action words like “POW!” across your screen. Sure, it has some of the corniest lines ever, like Robin’s famous catchphrase “Holy (insert word here), Batman!” And sure, it doesn’t feature any of the darkness and grit that makes Batman, well, Batman. But at the end of the day, this film, along with its corresponding TV show, put Batman on the map and introduced him to the public.
The most famous scene in this movie is also its most ridiculous. There’s a moment where a panicked Batman is running through the city, holding an ignited bomb, trying to find a safe place for it to detonate. But he can’t put the bombhere;there are innocent bystanders. And he also can’t put ithere;there’s a group of floating ducks. “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb,” he tells us. It’s like something out of aLoony Tunescartoon and has, for better or worse, become one of Batman’s most iconic moments.
8Emergence of the Batpod - The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan,The Dark Knighttook the superhero genre to the next level. Here, Batman (Christian Bale) meets his match in the Joker (Heath Ledger), as he faces the extreme repercussions of a donning a superhero identity. Since 2008,The Dark Knighthas gone down asone of the greatest superhero films of all time.
Many fans grabbed their pitchforks when they first saw pictures of the Dark Knight’s motorcycle, the Batpod. But most of them changed their tunes when they saw the Batpod in action. And how could they not? The Tumbler, the Dark Knight’s Batmobile, had just been destroyed. A robotic voice starts counting down the vehicle’s self-destruction. And at the last second, the Batpod unexpectedly goes zooming out of the Tumbler. It’s a badass Batman moment that had audiences gasping in excitement.
7Batman and Joker’s Final Confrontation - Batman (1989)
Tim Burton’sBatmanis an important milestone in the superhero genre. It changed the perception of what a superhero movie could and should be, offering a darker, more serious take on the character of Batman. Every superhero film that’s followed owes some gratitude to this movie.
Batmanis filled with amazing moments. But one of its most iconic scenes is the final confrontation between Batman (Michael Keaton) and the Joker (Jack Nicholson).Batmanchanges the Dark Knight’s origins and makes the Joker (pre-chemicals) responsible for the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Realizing this fuels the tension and rivalry between these two archenemies. They finally come face-to-face at the top of Gotham Cathedral, an enormous gothic church that’s perfect for their showdown. Here, Batman and the Joker confront each other for the last time (in this movie, at least), each one a product of the other.
6"I won’t kill you. But I don’t have to save you." - Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins
Batman Beginsis the first entry in Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimedDark Knighttrilogy. It provides the origin story that Tim Burton’s films never did. It shows how Bruce Wayne became Batman, from his early training to the donning of his cape and cowl.
As we all know, Batman has only one rule: no killing. In the finale ofBatman Begins,the Dark Knight and Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), his instructor-turned-enemy, are on a train that’s about to derail and crash. “I won’t kill you,” Batman tells Ra’s. “But I don’t have to save you.” He then goes soaring out of the train just before it collapses, leaving his mentor to die. It’s one of the most badass Batman moments in cinema, though it’s debatable whether this decision breaks Batman’s one rule.
10 Unavoidable Plot Holes in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy
As beautiful as they are, and they are beautiful, Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are not without their flaws.
5Bane Breaks Batman - The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises
Set eight years after its predecessor,The Dark Knight Risesfollows an aging Bruce Wayne (Bale) as he’s forced to once again don his cape and cowl to take onthe newest threat to Gotham City: Bane(Tom Hardy). In their first confrontation, Batman and Bane have an epic cage match, a brawl of fists and raw energy. Unfortunately for our hero, this showdown ends with Bane breaking the Dark Knight’s spine.
This moment, Bane shattering Batman’s spine, was taken straight out of the comics. It’s from the “Knightfall” storyline, one of the most famous arcs in Batman comic books. This moment of defeat may not be the best look for the Dark Knight. But it does reflect one of the most iconic events in the Batman universe – and fans loved seeing it come to life.
4Batman and Catwoman on the Rooftop - Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns
Batman Returns sees the return of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne after his victory over the Joker. This time, the Dark Knight faces a new threat in the form of The Penguin, an outcast who wants revenge on Gotham City. Featuring Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot, Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, and Christopher Walken as Max Schreck, Batman Returns is Tim Burton’s second and final movie based on the iconic DC comics character.
Batman Returnsis the second entry in Tim Burton’s Batman series. It pits the Dark Knight against two new foes: the Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). But when it comes to Catwoman, Batman doesn’t know if he should fight her or kiss her. He grapples with his feelings for Catwoman throughout the film, caught between her villainy and their romantic chemistry. There’s one notable, sexy scene where Catwoman straddles Batman on a rooftop, a mistletoe hanging overhead. “Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it,” Batman tells her. “But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it,” Catwoman hits back. She licks Batman’s face (Pfeiffer’s anti-hero really embraces the whole cat thing) – and then immediately does a 180 and stabs him in the ribcage, forcing Batman to knock her away.
Catwoman is regarded as the love of Batman’s life. Their on-and-off romance is featured in many Batman storylines, from comic books, to television, to Hollywood blockbusters. And their relationship makes sense. Of course, the masked hero falls for the masked anti-hero. This scene inBatman Returnsperfectly captures their relationship, from their rivalry to their steamy romance. Plus, Michelle Pfeiffer is arguablythe best Catwoman we’ve seen on film.
3Batman Fighting Superman - Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justicetried so hard to follow in the footsteps of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and establish a similar world for DC. A sequel toMan of Steel,it introduced several Justice League members, including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Ben Affleck’s Batman. But the centerpiece of this film is the rivalry between Batman and Superman and their highly anticipated brawl.
The question of who would win in a fight, Superman or Batman, has been a fiercely debated topic among superhero fans for decades.Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justicefinally gave the fans what they’d been craving for so long: a Hollywood showdown between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. Although we never really get an answer to the question, we do get an epic fight. We also get to see the famous Exoframe Batsuit (known as the Mech Batsuit in the film), a mechanical and heavily armored suit that Batman wears during his fight with Superman in Frank Miller’s iconicThe Dark Knight Returnscomic book.
Stream on Max
2Batman and Joker interrogation scene - The Dark Knight (2008)
There are manyincredible moments in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, especially inThe Dark Knight.But one of the film’s best moments, and one of the best Batman moments in the entire franchise, is the interrogation scene between Batman (Bale) and the Joker (Heath Ledger).
Batman and Joker have arguably the most iconic rivalry in fiction. Their rivalry dates all the way back to the 30s and continues to appear prominently in Batman storylines. They’re two sides of the same coin. On one side, you have Batman, who’s subtle, grim, and dressed in all black. And on the other side, you have the Joker, who’s flashy, boisterous, and dressed in bright colors. They’re both the results of a really, really bad day. And, some might argue, they both reflect cases of insanity. BeforeThe Dark Knight’sinterrogation scene, Batman and Joker have had only brief interactions. This moment is their first real conversation, the first time these timeless foes really get to know each other. And what an exhilarating thrill it is. Joker’s insanity clashes beautifully with Batman’s rage. This heart-pounding, edge-of-your seat scene captures the yin and yang relationship of these classic arch-nemeses, showing what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
1"I’m Batman." - Batman (1989)
Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight had a stellar introduction inThe Batman,but that scene doesn’t hold a candle to this one. Tim Burton’sBatmanopens with a mugging in an alleyway (classic Gotham City). The two criminals are sitting on a rooftop and counting their profits, gossiping about the crazy, new story that’s circulating Gotham’s underworld: a bat creature is hunting criminals. On cue, Batman makes his epic, hotly anticipated entrance. He falls from the sky and proves the gossip true, striking terror in the criminals. “What are you?” one of them chokes. Batman brings the thug in close and then perfectly rasps these two iconic words “I’m Batman.”
Remember: before 1989, audiences only knew Batman as that goofy superhero in blue tights, thanks to the aforementioned 1966 film and TV show starring Adam West. This scene was our first look at a darker, more serious Batman. And it delivered in spades, portraying Batman as a terrifying and awe-inspiring figure. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight repeated this iconic line in his own introduction inBatman Begins.And over thirty years later, Keaton made fanboys jump in their seats when he recited this legendary quote inThe Flash,where hereprised his role as Batman.
