By Muhammad Umar Shaheen

Copyright dawn

From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, the Caped Crusader has had a long film history. In honour of Batman Day today, September 20, let’s take a look back at the movie history of Batman.

Following his debut in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939, Batman’s adaptations quickly made it to the big screen. During the 1940s, two serial films were released, with Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery portraying the Dark Knight in 1943’s Batman and 1949’s Batman and Robin. Though they take place in the same universe, the main cast and crew are different, along with the tones.

After these smaller serial films, in the 1966 film Batman (also known as Batman: The Movie) Adam West reprised his role from the Batman TV series, with much of the main cast returning in the first full-length adaptation of the Caped Crusader. The film followed Batman and Robin teaming up against Arkham’s finest, who try to stop the Dynamic Duo. The movie kept the campy tone of the TV series and was made for the era of more colourful and whimsical heroes.

As the ’60s interpretation of Batman bored audiences, gothic horror director Tim Burton was brought in to direct the next outing Batman, 1989. Burton’s influence shone in his reimagining of Gotham City, with gargoyles lining every rooftop. Michael Keaton was cast as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Burton’s direction defined the ’90s superhero era. Additionally, Danny Elfman’s score lent the film a horror-esque feel.

Batman has worn more faces on screen than almost any other hero. Each new actor, director and era has given Gotham’s protector a makeover. This Batman Day, let’s take a look at the Caped Crusader’s incredible film journey through the decades

Although people did not initially take well to Keaton’s take on the Dark Knight, over time it grew on them. The movie went on to win the Academy Award for Best Art Direction. It was also the first Batman movie to get a sequel, in 1992’s Batman Returns, which pushed the gothic darkness of the first film further. Here Batman investigates the Penguin, played by Danny DeVito. Michelle Pfeiffer portrays Catwoman, a legendary foe of Batman with whom he has a love/hate relationship.

However, as the gothic tone of the Burton films divided audiences, WB pivoted. In 1995’s Batman Forever, Joel Schumacher was brought in to direct, with Val Kilmer replacing Keaton as the Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader faces off against Two-Face. Alongside him, Batman also confronts the Riddler, a researcher at Wayne Enterprises who wants revenge on Batman.

Batman Forever introduced the first Robin — Chris O’Donnell’s Dick Grayson — who joined Batman in his vigilantism. Batman and Robin teamed up to defeat Two-Face and the Riddler, and continued their crusade together.

Schumacher shifted Batman back to a brighter, more flamboyant style and was called back to direct a second movie. However, since Kilmer did not return, Bruce Wayne had to be recast. This time George Clooney took on the role in 1997’s Batman & Robin.

The Dynamic Duo faced Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr Freeze and Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy. Alfred’s niece, Barbara, also joined the Bat team as they teamed up to save the day.

However, in trying to tone down the seriousness of the Burton films, Batman & Robin swung too far towards camp. Thus, in 2005’s Batman Begins, Batman was once more taken in a new direction, this time with Christopher Nolan grounding the Dark Knight in reality.

In Batman Begins, Christian Bale was cast as the Dark Knight. The movie went over Batman’s origin in the grounded nature of what if Batman existed in our world. The story follows Bruce’s training with the League of Shadows, led by Ra’s al Ghul. He faces Scarecrow, whose fear toxin helps to show the audience Batman’s fears and why he does what he does.

The success of Batman Begins led to a sequel in 2008’s The Dark Knight. It follows Batman, Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon trying to rid Gotham of organised crime. As the Joker, redefined by Heath Ledger, tries to corrupt Gotham, it shows the importance of heroes and leaders.

The Dark Knight went on to win many awards and left its mark on pop culture. It also earned over a billion dollars at the box office and was a massive success for WB. Heath Ledger received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor after his untimely passing. This success warranted another sequel, which came in the form of 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Eight years after Batman retired, a new but familiar foe shows up, wanting to destroy the city. The Dark Knight Rises tackled the theme of Bruce’s legacy as Batman, showing how even when he eliminates crime from his city, people grow jealous and new villains emerge.

With another billion-dollar movie, The Dark Knight trilogy redefined the comic book space. The grounded story, electrified by Hans Zimmer’s score in each movie, ushered in a new era of realistic hero stories.

In the new DC Extended Universe, Ben Affleck portrayed an experienced Batman in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Written by the same man who wrote the story for The Dark Knight trilogy and directed by Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman followed an older, more seasoned Batman.

The film shows Batman dealing with the aftermath of Man of Steel (2013). He mistrusts Superman and swears revenge on him. As he fights Superman, mastermind Lex Luthor creates a threat bigger than both of them.

Following the ending of Batman v Superman, in 2017’s Justice League, Batman realises that such interdimensional threats require a team to defeat. So he assembles the Justice League, with other fantastical heroes from DC coming together to fight a world-ending threat.

Ben Affleck also made appearances as Batman in several other DCEU films, such as Suicide Squad (2016), The Flash (2023) and in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), which was a retelling of Justice League (2017), aligning with Snyder’s vision. However, as the DCEU wound down, Robert Pattinson was cast as the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

In 2022’s The Batman, Bruce investigates a masked killer in Gotham, while the Penguin takes over the city’s underworld. Taking the route of a noir detective story, Batman is forced to use his detective skills as Gotham’s corruption is brought into focus.

With a score from Michael Giacchino, The Batman was another hit in the franchise. It led to a spin-off TV show about the Penguin, and a sequel is set to release in 2027.

Meanwhile, as James Gunn took over as head of DC Studios, he rebooted the DCEU into the DCU (DC Universe). With it, a new Batman film is in development, retelling the tale of the Caped Crusader once more. This proves to be a really exciting point for Batman fans as they once again anticipate another take on the titular character.

Over the decades, Batman has shifted tones from campy and unserious, to gritty and realistic, and now to detective noir and fantastical. With so many Batman adaptations having been made over the years, the Dark Knight will continue to evolve with cinema as time goes on.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 20th, 2025