Batman movies in order: What order should you watch Batman?

(pocket-lint) – a new batman movie, directed by matt reeves and starring robert pattinson as the dark knight, has finally hit theaters after several delays. It will also be available to stream on HBO beginning April 18.

Now is the time to catch up on the franchise before seeing Batman in theaters or streaming it. We’re helping you figure out how to get drunk now, by rounding up every Batman movie and show and laying out the best order to watch them all. but, to be honest, this quickly got complicated. Unlike some film franchises, like Marvel, there is no singular timeline to follow, especially when it comes to the live-action Batman movies, which have been repeatedly rebooted.

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for example, warner bros’ original batman anthology started over with christopher nolan’s trilogy.

You also have to consider the larger DC Cinematic Universe, where Batman sometimes plays a central or background role, but is not actually seen. While Batman never appeared in 2017’s Wonder Woman, she instigated the film’s plot. Batman’s Wayne Enterprises is also mentioned in 2013’s Man of Steel. And let’s not forget the DC Animated Universe, which is packed with Batman content. as a result, we can’t give you a single, clearly defined display order.

So, we’ve created several orders, all featuring the Caped Crusader. skip to the bottom of our bulleted list versions of these orders for a spoiler-free experience.

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all batman live action movies in the correct order

Note: There may be spoilers below.

the adam west movie

This is an independent film. It’s a good starting point for the movies if you really want to dive into all things Batman. 20th Century Fox intended to release it before the 1966 ABC series, but it hit theaters two months after the premiere of the final episode of the first season.

batman: the movie (1966)

the batman character first appeared in detective comics no. 27 in 1939. He was originally called the “Batman”, although he is also known as the Caped Crusader or the Dark Knight. It wasn’t until 1966 that Adam West took on the role in a live-action film, starring opposite Burt Ward as Robin. The movie actually premiered after the first season of the Batman TV show, which we’ll get to later.

batman: the movie is interesting because it features not one but four of batman’s most famous enemies: the riddler, the penguin, catwoman, and cesar romero’s prankster. This pack of supervillains bands together to try and take down Batman, hoping to take over the world.

the batman film anthology

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warner bros kicked off the original cinematic universe of batman live-action movies, with the release of tim burton’s batman in 1989. that movie and the three movies that follow really laid the groundwork for the next 25 years, in which superheroes dominate the box office. Interestingly, three different actors play Batman in this “anthology,” and the films vary in both subject matter and quality.

Also featured is an impressive collection of actors, from Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson to Jim Carrey and Michelle Pfeiffer.

batman (1989)

this is the first “modern” batman movie. sees michael keaton assume the mantle of the caped crusader to clean up the streets of gotham ahead of his bicentennial. When a shootout breaks out at the Axis Chemical Plant between the police and a group of mobsters led by Jack Nicholson’s Jack Napier, Batman, of course, responds. In the ensuing fight, Napier falls into a vat of chemicals and is presumed dead.

However, he emerges, having been transformed into the madman known as the Prankster. It’s up to Batman to stop him before he poisons the population of Gotham with a deadly smylex gas that causes hysterical laughter in his victims before they ultimately perish.

batman returns (1992)

After defeating the joker, Michael Keaton’s Batman must battle his next foe, the Penguin, played by Danny Devito, who has teamed up with a seedy millionaire, Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), to escape the sewers under gotham. batman began a romantic relationship with shreck’s secretary, selina kyle (aka catwoman, played by michelle pfeiffer), and in the end, it’s not just the penguin’s plot to kidnap and murder the firstborn children of gotham’s citizens with what batman must deal with, but also catwoman’s thirst for revenge against shreck.

batman forever (1995)

micheal keaton and tim burton refused to return for another batman movie, unfortunately for us. This meant that Batman Forever has a much lighter and more quirky tone than the previous films. Val Kilmer plays Batman this time, as he faces both Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey). This film also introduces Robin (played by Chris O’Donnell) to a modern audience.

As Batman tries to leave his crime-fighting persona behind to live a normal life with Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), the Riddler discovers his true identity, thanks to a brainwave device he invented, leading to the catching chase and performing bruce. who will always be batman.

batman and robin (1997)

While often derided as the absolute worst offering in the Batman series, ’90s kids may disagree. we think batman and robin is worth rewatching.

george clooney plays batman here, but chris o’donnell returns as robin. The good guys also add a Batgirl to their lineup, the iconic Alicia Silverstone. and the trio confront dr. freeze and poison ivy by uma thurman. what a cast! We even get to see his masked henchman, Bane (Jeep Swenson). Perhaps the best part, though, is the 7,000 ice-related puns that Dr. freeze.

christopher nolan’s dark knight trilogy

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with the end of the first batman anthology, also came the end of bat nipples. There was a plan for a fifth movie, centering on the villainous Scarecrow, which sat in the dark for nearly a decade until Christopher Nolan took over and took the Batman franchise to unprecedented heights.

batman begins (2005)

So, it’s hard to believe this, with the way most superhero franchises work today, but it took us five movies to see the entire Batman origin story on the big screen. This film follows Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne, from the murder of his parents to his trip around the world, where he learns to fight and is recruited into the League of Shadows by Liam Neeson’s Henri Ducard.

once he finally returns home, he must battle the scarecrow (cillian murphy), who uses a mind-altering toxin to cause terrifying hallucinations.

the dark knight (2008)

This movie serves as a crowning achievement for perhaps all superhero movies. We see Batman take on his most dangerous nemesis, the Prankster, played by the late Heath Ledger. The Prankster assumes control of Gotham’s organized crime world, hatching a devious plot, and disfiguring the city’s District Attorney, Harvey Dent, all while trying to force Batman to break his one rule: refusing to kill any of his enemies. .

the rise of the dark knight (2012)

The Dark Knight Trilogy comes to an end, with the arrival of Bane (Tom Hardy) in Gotham City.

Bruce Wayne has become a recluse since convincing Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) to blame him for the Harvey Dent rampage, and as a result, Batman hasn’t been seen in eight years. The reality of his criminals fighting for his life every night has also been established for Bruce, as a visit to the doctor shows the litany of ways his body has begun to break down. This leaves him totally unprepared to confront Bane, a former member of the League of Shadows, who arrives in Gotham to complete Ra’s al Ghul’s plan to destroy the city.

extended dc cinematic universe

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When Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was released, another little-known company you’ve probably never heard of, Marvel, started making their own comedic movies. So it made sense for DC, with its vast accumulation of characters, to create a larger cinematic universe with tie-ins to Batman.

batman vs superman: dawn of justice (2016)

Batman vs Superman picks up 18 months after the events of 2013’s Man of Steel. Ben Affleck portrays a version of Bruce Wayne who has been fighting bad guys for 20 years. he sees superman (henry cavill) as an existential threat to humanity. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is making his own plans to deal with Superman, including obtaining a bunch of Kryptonite and gaining access to General Zod’s body.

Batman learns of the Kryptonite stash at Lexcorp and steals it, allowing him to create a Kryptonite-powered suit to defeat Superman.

suicide squad (2016)

suicide squad follows a group of incarcerated criminals from the dc universe, including deadshot (will smith) and harley quinn (margot robbie), who are offered reduced sentences in exchange for completing a highly dangerous mission that they are unlikely to complete. comply. survive. The film features Ben Affleck’s Batman in some scenes as the formation of the Justice League takes place.

justice league (2017) and zach snyder’s justice league (2021)

the first justice league began with the direction of zack snyder, but he was forced to leave the production after a tragedy. joss whedon then came over to finish the movie, and it all went pretty wrong. The movie was a disaster, and four years later, we’re still finding out more about the unhealthy work environment Whedon fostered on set.

this brings us to snyder cut, released in 2021 for hbo max. It’s four hours long and far from perfect, but it’s a much better version of the movie.

It opens two years after superman’s death, and humanity is still reeling from his loss. Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman have begun the process of forming a team that can help protect humanity from threats they would never expect to face on their own.

joker (2019)

joker is an origin story for batman’s greatest villain. follows arthur fleck, played by joaquin phoenix, a disturbed man who hopes to be a comedian. we see him transform into the madman known as the prankster. The movie also shows us the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents one more time, in case you haven’t seen enough of it.

It is difficult to place joker in this timeline for several reasons. It’s an origin story set in 1981, but when writer-director Todd Phillips wrote the script, he wanted it to be a standalone movie that had nothing to do with the DC Extended Universe. However, since then, the Joker has been nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and Warner Bros., the company that owns the rights to Batman, has announced another Batman reboot starring Robert Pattinson as Batman. so we wouldn’t be surprised if the joker ends up having more to do with the dc universe. however, there are currently no plans for a sequel.

the batman (2022 – now in theaters)

Set for release on March 4, 2022, this latest character reboot will take place separately from the ongoing dceu.

will star robert pattinson as bruce wayne and will see matt reeves direct. Batman is supposed to team up with Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and Batwoman (Zoe Kravitz) to take on The Riddler (Paul Dano) and The Penguin (Colin Farrell). You can see the trailer for the film here.

all batman live action series

There is no “correct order” here, as they are all disconnected and not chronological. therefore, we recommend viewing them in order of release. you can watch them before or after the movies. It won’t make much of a difference, though you might see Batman before Batman 1966: The Movie.

the batman (1943 – theatrical series)

this is the first live action batman and it stars lewis wilson. is a 15-part series from columbia pictures that premiered in theaters and is now available to watch on youtube.

batman and robin (1949 – theatrical series)

another columbia serial production, both batman (robert lowery) and robin (johnny duncan) appear and confront the wizard. This series, which also appeared in theaters, is sometimes referred to as The New Adventures of Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.

currently also available on youtube.

: This series aired in theaters in 1949 with Robert Lowery playing Batman and Johnny Duncan playing Robin.

batman (1966 to 1969 – television series)

This is Adam West’s first appearance as the Caped Crusader, even before his 1966 live-action film. He kept the role for three seasons on ABC, offering a more comedic take, especially compared to modern versions. from the dark knight.

-adam west played batman for three seasons in this television series. the show is the funniest version of batman.

gotham (2014 to 2019 – tv series)

gotham premiered in 2014 on fox and follows a young commissioner gordon (ben mckenzie) as he begins his career after the murder of bruce wayne’s parents. It also introduces a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), who is dealing with the death of his parents while he is being raised by Alfred (Sean Pertwee). The series also features many villains, who will be problems for Batman in the future.

This series follows a young Sheriff Gordon (Ben Mckenzie) after the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents.

titans (2018 to present – TV series)

Titans airs on the CW and follows the story of Dick Grayson, aka Batman’s sidekick Robin. however, he left that mantle behind and became the leader of the group of heroes known as the titans. A major storyline in the show is based on Dick’s previous life as Robin and his relationship with Bruce Wayne, played on Titans by Iain Glen.

Titan’s follows Dick Grayson as a former Robin who now leads his own team of superheroes. Iain Glen plays an older Batman in the series.

pennyworth (2019 to present – TV series)

If you’ve ever wondered how Alfred raised Bruce Wayne, Epix has a show for you: Pennyworth. follows the butler, but long before he was a butler. Instead, he shows him as a young man fresh out of his service as a member of the SAS and trying to start a security company in 1960.

The show is more of a spy thriller than a superhero show, with Alfred, played by Jack Bannon, being targeted by a group seeking to take over London. Fortunately, he has the help of an American group, which turns out to be run by Batman’s parents.

: This spy series shows how batman’s butler went from being a member of the sas to, well, becoming a butler.

batwoman (2019 to present – tv series)

This show is part of the CW Channel’s Arrowverse, which is made up of a list of TV shows based on DC Comics characters. The second season of the series debuted in January 2021 and The CW has already ordered a third season. follows kate kane, who is bruce wayne’s cousin. She decides to take up the mantle and protect Gotham in Batman’s absence. Ruby Rose played Kate Kane in the first season, but was replaced by Wallis Day in the second season and onwards.

what is the best streaming device for your tv? Our top recommendation is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Also great are the Google Chromecast with Google TV, the Roku Express 4K, the Apple TV 4K, and the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

spoiler-free version: batman display orders

Below, you’ll find spoiler-free versions of everything detailed above.

all live action batman movies

the movie of adam west

• batman: the movie (1966)

the batman film 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 vs superman: dawn of justice (2016)
• suicide squad (2016)
• justice league (2017)
• joker (2019) )
• batman (2022 – now in theaters)

all batman live action series

• the batman (1943 – theatrical series)
• batman and robin (1949 – theatrical series)
• batman (1966 to 1969 – television series)
• gotham (2014 to 2019 – TV series)
• titans (2018 to date – TV series)
• pennyworth (2019 to date – TV series)
• batwoman (2019 to present – tv series)

additional list: batman animated series and movies

okay, there’s a long list of batman animated movies and series that vary in quality and importance.

The most influential of these is 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series, which gave us Mark Hammil’s iconic wisecracking laugh and created the character Harley Quinn, while also spawning a litany of spin-offs. Meanwhile, there are plenty of animated movies, which are direct adaptations of the comics, though the most notable exception is the extremely successful Lego Batman.

If you want to see the complete list of batman animated movies, click here. but if you want a quick and mandatory display order, see below:

• batman: the animated series (1992 to 1995 – animated television series)
• batman: under the red hood (2010 – animated film)
• batman: year uno (2011 – animated movie)
• the dark knight returns (2012 – animated movie)
• batman: the killing joke (2016 – animated movie)
• lego batman (2017 – animated movie)

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We also have these roundups of rumors about upcoming movies:

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