POLL: From BATMAN '89 To The Nolanverse And DCEU - Which Of The Caped Crusader's Movies Do You Think Is Best?

POLL: From BATMAN '89 To The Nolanverse And DCEU - Which Of The Caped Crusader's Movies Do You Think Is Best?

Batman is a character with an incredible history on the big screen, but whether it's the Nolanverse, DCEU, or Matt Reeves' Bat-verse, we want to know which of the Dark Knight's movies you think is best...

By JoshWilding - Sep 17, 2023 11:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman (1989)

We're pretty sure Batman has appeared in more movies than any other superhero (it certainly feels that way), with almost countless actors bringing the Caped Crusader to life on screen over the past several decades. 

It all started with some serials in the 1940s, but the DC Comics character's true silver screen debut came in 1966's Batman: The Movie starring Adam West. Spinning out of the events of the classic television series, it was a take on the hero very much in line with how he was portrayed on the page at the time.

It would take more than two decades for the Dark Knight to return, with Tim Burton's Batman a very different beast than its predecessor. With Michael Keaton now playing Bruce Wayne, the franchise was very gothic and incredibly dark, ensuring it's remained a beloved classic to this very day. Batman Returns, a near-perfect sequel, followed and what came next...well, it felt an awful lot like the aforementioned 1966 effort!

As the 90s rolled on, Val Kilmer played the hero in Batman Forever, a cheesy effort that was beaten in terms of sheer campiness by a follow-up (also helmed by Joel Schumacher) where George Clooney donned the cape and cowl for Batman and Robin

We'd once again spend years waiting for a reboot, but Christopher Nolan made the wait more than worth it with Batman Begins in 2005. The Dark Knight was another stellar sequel, while The Dark Knight Returns ended the trilogy in style, providing a definitive ending to the character's story for the first time on screen. 

After rebooting Superman, it was down to Zack Snyder to bring Batman back to theaters and he did so in The Dark Knight Returns-inspired Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We're not going to count the likes of Justice League and Suicide Squad as Batman movies, but The Flash surely counts after heavily featuring both Ben Affleck (who proved all the doubters wrong as this hero) and Keaton. 

Matt Reeves' The Batman, meanwhile, takes place in its own DC Universe as an Elseworlds project in which Robert Pattinson suited up for a gritty, R-rated detective story that's spawned an awesome new franchise. 

In terms of animated efforts, there are more than we can count, but the only ones released in theaters are Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman: The Killing Joke, and The LEGO Batman Movie

Next is DC Studios' The Brave and the Bold, but before we get to that, we want you, ComicBookMovie.com's readers, to chime in and cast your vote to decide which Batman movie should be considered the best one!

Once you've voted, make sure to head down to the comments section to let us know what you picked (and why).

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defenderofthefaith
defenderofthefaith - 9/17/2023, 11:03 AM
Batman 89 is still my favorite
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/17/2023, 12:48 PM
@defenderofthefaith - Saw it yesterday. It's almost perfect. Only two things I'd change about it would be the line "Your life won't be worth spit" to "shit" ('spit' feels out of place in such a gritty, dark movie, especially coming from a powerful gang lord at the end of his life) and the fight with the goons that magically appear out of nowhere in the belfry.

Other than that it's a perfect Batman movie and a perfect comic book movie.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/17/2023, 12:50 PM
Everything else is just a poor imitation of it. Even The Dark Knight to some degree, as good as a movie as The Dark Knight actually is.
Equivocal
Equivocal - 9/17/2023, 4:19 PM
@ObserverIO -

contrary to popular vote, I think that the tdk is overrated, mostly because Heath gave a very good performance, but other than that is a good movie, not the greatest but good one.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/17/2023, 4:55 PM
@Equivocal - It's very good. I think 'poor imitation' probably doesn't apply to The Dark Knight. Very good imitation, is probably more appropriate.
S8R8M
S8R8M - 9/17/2023, 11:09 AM
No Josstice League or ZS Justice League?
AllsGood
AllsGood - 9/17/2023, 11:16 AM
There can Only Be One :)

bobevanz
bobevanz - 9/17/2023, 11:24 AM
You're a day late 🤡
bobevanz
bobevanz - 9/17/2023, 11:24 AM
Not one article on Batman Day... wtf is wrong here
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 9/17/2023, 11:33 AM
@bobevanz - Neither CanWeGetSomeToast nor MyTimeToShineHello posted about it, so it wasn't on their radar.
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 9/17/2023, 11:26 AM
Voting for the Flash because anarchy
Origame
Origame - 9/17/2023, 11:27 AM
Typo. It's the dark knight rises. Not the dark knight returns.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 9/17/2023, 11:27 AM
F*ck Gunn.

My personal favorite is the TDK trilogy, it's one long ass movie imho:


But if i had to choose...i would go for:


Every single day. The birth of the myth, very much a BATMAN movie, a great movie with a superhero and a great movie in general, TDK is great too but Begins was something else for me.

Can't be touched, no matter how much the new generation wants to dance around it, like Reeves did or Muschietti might do tomorrow, heh.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 9/17/2023, 11:29 AM
Dammit, just pay attention to the vocabulary in that scene, how CLEAR the vision is...goosebumps every single time.
Fogs
Fogs - 9/17/2023, 12:10 PM
@Doomsday8888 - This is correct.
blitzburgh
blitzburgh - 9/17/2023, 9:20 PM
@Doomsday8888 - this ☝️
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 9/17/2023, 11:35 AM
Also, this isn’t news, it’s a feature. Please categorize this correctly
Thing94
Thing94 - 9/17/2023, 11:36 AM
Batman Begins
SuperiorHeckler
SuperiorHeckler - 9/17/2023, 11:39 AM
"Which Batman Movie Do You This Is The Best One?"

Just takes a few minutes to Poof-Read Josh. It's not fun for anyone but, it's worth the effort in the end. 🧐
Fogs
Fogs - 9/17/2023, 12:10 PM
Batman Begins.

Easy.
tb86
tb86 - 9/17/2023, 12:22 PM
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