Batman in movies

, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Robert Pattinson.]]
Batman, a superhero created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, has been a popular character in movies for decades, appearing in a variety of movies with different actors and styles. 

## Initial adaptations 
### *Batman* (1943) 
It stars Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as his sidekick Robin. The villain is an original character named Dr. Daka, a secret agent of the Japanese Imperial government, played by J. Carrol Naish. Rounding out the cast are Shirley Patterson as Linda Page, Bruce Wayne's love interest, and William Austin as Alfred, the Wayne Manor butler.

### *Batman and Robin* (1943) 
It is a sequel to the 1943 serial *Batman*, although with different actors. Robert Lowery plays Batman, while Johnny Duncan plays Robin. Supporting actors include Jane Adams as Vicki Vale and veteran character actor Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon.

### *Batman* (1966) 
The movie stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. The movie hit theaters two months after the last episode of the first season of the television series. The movie includes most members of the original TV cast, with the exception of Julie Newmar as Catwoman; in the film, Newmar was replaced by Lee Meriwether.

## Original movie series 
### *Batman* (1989) 
Directed by Tim Burton, the movie takes place early in the war on crime of the title character (Michael Keaton) and depicts his conflict with his archenemy the Joker (Jack Nicholson).

### *Batman Returns* (1992) 
Tim Burton’s sequel. Set during Christmas in Gotham City, the movie follows Batman (Keaton) as he confronts corrupt businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) and deformed crime boss Oswald Cobblepot / the Penguin (Danny DeVito), whose bid for power threatens the city. Their schemes are further complicated by Shreck's former secretary Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), who seeks revenge against him as Catwoman.

### *Batman Forever* (1995) 
Directed by Joel Schumacher, the movie follows Batman (Val Kilmer) as he attempts to prevent the Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) from uncovering his secret identity and extracting information from the minds of Gotham City's residents, while at the same time navigating his feelings for psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) and adopting orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell)—who becomes his partner and best friend, Robin.

### *Batman & Robin* (1997) 
Schumacher’s movie with George Clooney as Batman, the movie follows the titular characters as they oppose Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), while struggling to keep their partnership together.

## *The Dark Knight trilogy* 
### *Batman Begins* (2005) 
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the movie reboots the *Batman* movie series, telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne from the death of his parents to his journey to become Batman and his fight to stop Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) from plunging Gotham City into chaos.

### *The Dark Knight* (2008) 
The sequel to *Batman Begins*, the plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker (Heath Ledger), an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos.

### *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012) 
The movie is famous for concluding Bale’s trilogy. Set eight years after the events of *The Dark Knight*, it follows a retired Wayne being forced to resume his role as Batman to save Gotham City from nuclear destruction at the hands of the terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy).

## DC Extended Universe (2013-2023) 
### *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice* (2016) 
Set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it stars Ben Affleck as Batman alongside Superman (Henry Cavill) and  Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) as they face the supervillain Doomsday.

### *Suicide Squad* (2016) 
Affleck reprises his role as Batman in a cameo appearance.

### *Justice League* (2017) 
Affleck reprises his role as Batman as he forms an alliance with Superman (Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) to stop the extradimensional New God Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds).

### ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' (2021) 
The director's cut of 2017's *Justice League*, Affleck reprises his role as Batman as he forms an alliance with Superman (Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gadot), The Flash (Miller), Aquaman (Momoa) and Cyborg (Fisher) to stop the extradimensional New God Steppenwolf (Hinds) and his army of Parademons from conquering Earth for his overlord, Darkseid (Ray Porter).

### *The Flash* (2023) 
Affleck reprises his role as Batman for the last time alongside The Flash (Miller), and Supergirl (Sasha Calle). It also features Keaton and Clooney reprising their roles as Batman from the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher movies. In the movie, Barry travels back in time to stop his mother's death and becomes stranded in an alternate past.

### *Joker* (2019) 
Directed by Todd Phillips, it is set during the 1980s, where a failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City and calls himself Joker. Bruce Wayne, a child portrayed by Dante Pereira-Olson, encounters Fleck when the latter attempts and fails to gain entry into Wayne Manor. Fleck later sees Bruce in a darkened alley with the bodies of his parents, who had been fatally shot by an assailant who wears a clown mask.

### *Joker: Folie à Deux* (2024) 
The sequel to 2019's *Joker* introduced Harley Quinn, played by Lady Gaga. Unlike the previous movie, Bruce Wayne does not appear in *Folie à Deux*.

## The Batman Epic Crime Saga 
### *The Batman* (2022) 
The movie stars Robert Pattinson as Batman, directed by Matt Reeves. It sees Batman, in his second year fighting crime in Gotham City, uncover corruption with ties to his own family while pursuing the Riddler (Paul Dano), a mysterious serial killer targeting the city's elite.

### *The Batman: Part II* (2027) 
A sequel, *The Batman: Part II*, was announced in April 2022; Reeves, Tomlin, and Pattinson will reprise their respective roles. The production was delayed to accommodate changes in the writing, and a completed script was submitted in June 2025. *Part II* is slated to be released on October 1, 2027.

## DC Universe (2025-present) 
### *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* 
A new adaptation of the character, set in the DC Universe (DCU), was announced. Based on the comic book series *The Brave and the Bold*, it is set to include the character Damian Wayne / Robin, the biological son of Batman's love interest Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul.

## Conclusion 
Future projects continue to explore Batman in new contexts.