RESULTS: Here's The BATMAN Movie You Voted As The Best One In Our Recent Poll

RESULTS: Here's The BATMAN Movie You Voted As The Best One In Our Recent Poll

You voted in your thousands and we now know which Batman movie you, ComicBookMovie.com's readers, think is the best one! While the winner isn't a surprise, the blockbuster in second place might be...

By JoshWilding - Sep 28, 2023 09:09 AM EST
Filed Under: The Dark Knight

Batman's history on the screen is nothing short of immense. While he's also had a presence on television both in live-action and animation, his silver screen debut came in 1966's Batman: The Movie starring Adam West in 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, much darker, beast than its predecessor. Batman Returns, meanwhile, was a near-perfect sequel.

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 The Dark Knight Trilogy, a series of movies which actually gave Batman's story a definitive ending. After rebooting Superman, it was then Zack Snyder's turn to bring Batman back to theaters in The Dark Knight Returns-inspired Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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, while there are a handful of animated adventures which still resonate with fans. 

Earlier this month, we asked you, ComicBookMovie.com's readers, to choose the Batman movie you think is the best one. Unsurprisingly, The Dark Knight came out on top with a whopping 41.88% of votes. However, we were a little shocked to see The Batman beat 1989's beloved Batman with 13.16% compared to 13.06%! 

Here are the rest of the results: 

Batman Begins (7.35%), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (6.72%), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (5.76%), Batman Returns (5.04%), Batman: The Movie (2.21%), The Dark Knight Rises (1.73%), The LEGO Batman Movie (1.06%), The Flash (0.62%), Batman Forever (0.58%), Batman: The Killing Joke (0.43%), and Batman and Robin (0.38%).

The Batman II is currently in production and The Flash director Andy Muschietti will reboot the Caped Crusader for DC Studios' DCU in The Brave and the Bold, the first movie since Batman and Robin to feature the Boy Wonder. 

Let us know your thoughts on these results in the comments section!

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HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 9/28/2023, 9:47 AM
Dark knight > Begins > Batman 89 > Ben Affleck > Batman Forever
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 9/28/2023, 9:47 AM
This isn't news, please move this to Exclusives
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 9/28/2023, 9:48 AM
I honestly don’t remember this poll. Reminds me to add my rankings to the letterboxd though.

1.) The Dark Knight
2.) Batman Begins
3.) The Batman
4.) The Dark Knight Rises or Batman ‘89 🤔
5.) Batman Returns
6.) Batman Forever
7.) Batman & Robin
narrow290
narrow290 - 9/28/2023, 9:50 AM
Batman begins is easily Nolan's best Bat-film imo the Dark Knight is way overated and the third one is trash
Conquistador
Conquistador - 9/28/2023, 9:53 AM
@narrow290 - I agree the third is the weakest, but certainly not trash.

The third one was messed up because of the story...huge 8 year gap...he was only batman for about a couple years and then retired.... Too many characters...

On the plus side, Hathaway was actually a decent Selina and i actually liked what they did with Bane, just not the way they sidelined him for Taliah.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 9/28/2023, 9:58 AM
@narrow290 - "Trash" is harsh. How did you rate "Batman and Robin (1997)?"
narrow290
narrow290 - 9/28/2023, 10:26 AM
@UniqNo - Maybe trash is a bit harsh, I really disliked broken Bruce Wayne and you're right, Hathaway was pretty good
Tasmaniac
Tasmaniac - 9/28/2023, 10:30 AM
@narrow290 - While I 100% agree that TDKR is a turd, I still think TDK just edges out BB as the best one.
narrow290
narrow290 - 9/28/2023, 10:33 AM
@Tasmaniac - I really hated the look of Gotham in TDK is was basically Chicago such a drastic change from Gotham in BB that, along with Bale's annoying Bat-Voice it really took me outta the movie
Conquistador
Conquistador - 9/28/2023, 10:36 AM
@narrow290 - Yeah, Bruce's arc was not great. I understand they wanted to cap off the trilogy, but i don't see why they had to invent a new character (Blake) for him to pass it down to. They could have done their own version of Grayson, and filled in that 8 year gap with him or whatever. That's why i find Goyer so hit and miss. Sometimes he gets it so right, but then sooooo wrong. But maybe that's unfair as he only did the story, not the screenplay.
Tasmaniac
Tasmaniac - 9/28/2023, 10:42 AM
@narrow290 - Yeah, I can see that, I suppose. I guess, being Australian, I didn’t notice the skyline as being recognisably Chicago. And I didn’t really notice the voice becoming an issue until TDKR. Still love his voice in the BB scene where he’s interrogating the cop while hanging him from the building. Just perfect👌🏻
narrow290
narrow290 - 9/28/2023, 11:34 AM
@UniqNo - Absolutely agree especially about Goyer! I was really surprised to see that he was the writer on Foundation! That show is fantastic most defiantly the best thing he's ever done
narrow290
narrow290 - 9/28/2023, 11:36 AM
@Tasmaniac - yes! his voice was good in BB
RolandD
RolandD - 9/28/2023, 12:02 PM
@Tasmaniac - Swear to me!!!
Tasmaniac
Tasmaniac - 9/28/2023, 5:14 PM
@RolandD - Oh man, loved that line 🤤 Pure intimidating Comic Batman 😨
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 9/28/2023, 6:50 PM
@narrow290 - Yes,Batman begins still the best Batman movie. TDKR was boring.
Awest66
Awest66 - 9/28/2023, 10:44 PM
@UniqNo - What he accomplished as Batman is more important than how long he spend doing it.
Awest66
Awest66 - 9/28/2023, 10:48 PM
@UniqNo - Passionately disagree about Bruce's arc "not being great". I think it was the perfect way to end the trilogy.

What would you have done if you were put in charge of making a sequel to The Dark Knight?
Conquistador
Conquistador - 9/29/2023, 4:07 AM
@Awest66 - *Deep breath* Ok, first, I’m not a director so I would be shit, but credit to Nolan for putting that together given all the moving pieces. As I said, it wasn’t terrible, but I just didn’t agree with a few elements of the story.


At the end of TDK, Gordan’s monologue ended it on a note where even if he’s hunted or seen as a vigilante, Gotham needed Batman….. cut to TDKR and he disappears for years after only doing it for a year a so (BB to end of TDK), that just didn’t sit right. He literally hung it up, went back to his newly rebuilt mansion, didn’t bother to see about his leg for 8 years and became a hermit.


I would have switched it up a bit… After losing his love, failing Dent and almost loosing Fox I would have disappeared Bruce Wayne as he’s got nothing left in that life, but kept him doing Batman (at least for a little longer). That would be him committing himself to serving all the injustice that others goes through even if he couldn’t fix it for himself. That way they can still have the elements of him being a recluse then coming back into the world (as Bruce Wayne).


The way he had to “Rise” again to then go off and save the day again, only to fake his death seemed like a cop out from continuing, but I guess he handed it off to Blake, so at least Gotham would still have a ‘Batman’.


Blake’s character could have easily been swapped for Grayson if it was that they wanted Batman to pass the baton, given that in the comics he does become a detective and is next in line for the cowl, they already had it where he was in an Orphanage. That Robin line at the end did more harm than good.
Bane, I wouldn’t change much, just the way he was offed in the end.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/6/2023, 6:28 PM
@UniqNo - So basically Bruce preserving Harvey's reputation at the end of TDK would essentially amount to nothing? It has no absolutely no impact on Gotham whatsoever besides ensuring that the police are going to put pointlessly chasing Batman as priority over the actual criminals?

Gordon pretty explicitly said "He's the hero Gotham deserves, but NOT THE ONE IT NEEDS RIGHT NOW" in regards to Batman at the end of TDK.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 10/7/2023, 2:53 AM
@Awest66 - It didn't amount to nothing, but you left out the fact that Gordon also said "...So we'll hunt him, because he can take it, because he's not a hero, hes a silent guardian, a watchful protector...." when in the end as far as the start of TDKR is concerned he couldnt take it, he didn't continue to watch over or be a guardian...

Batman knows his status as a vigilante and doesn't let that get in way. That's core to the character..

And having the police pointlessly chase him instead of actual criminals also doubles down on how dumb that was for him to waste resources that Gotham apparantly needs.

Anyway. Still a good movie, but the weakest of the 3.
Awest66
Awest66 - 10/11/2023, 1:00 AM
@UniqNo - What I mean is, It amounts to nothing in terms of actually making Gotham a better place. If Gotham is the exact same-crime ridden hellhole with the only real differences being a Harvey Dent Memorial and a police force that's gonna chasing him as priority over catching criminals, than what was the point of even preserving Harvey's reputation in the first place?

He didn't stop going out as Batman because he "couldn't take it", It was because his sacrifice actually amounted to something. His preservation of Harvey's reputation made Gotham a better place. Nolan himself said that for Batman sacrifice to have meaning, It needed to amount to something beyond returning to "his fugitive vigilante" status and honestly, He has a point.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 9/28/2023, 9:56 AM


Can we do 'the best Batman toy' next, or the 'best Batman comforter cover?'
Forthas
Forthas - 9/28/2023, 10:03 AM
I am surprised that The Dark Knight posted this low a score. I thought it would be in the 70 percent range.

"However, we were a little shocked to see The Batman beat 1989's beloved Batman with 13.16%"

This was not surprising. The Batman followed Nolans blueprint so of course it surpasses everything that came before aside from Nolans films. This should serve as a cautionary tale and a sad reminder that had this franchise embraced Nolans approach to CBMs then they would be wildly successful. Instead we look forward to Creature Commandos. Good luck with that!
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