The universe of Matt Reeves’ The Batman is expanding exponentially. Separate from the DCU involving the other DC heroes, Reeves’ world is hyper gritty, and focused solely on the world of Gotham City. And the first project of this new The Batman-verse is a Max (formerly HBO Max) series focusing on Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin.

Thanks to Max’s 2024 preview video, we have our first look at its action at the 1:20 mark. In it, Colin Farrell’s Penguin notes that “the world ain’t built for guys like us” as he tosses someone into the trunk of a car. We see his face and hear him say “you ain’t seen what I can do.” We have not, sir, but we are ready to see it when The Penguin hits Max in 2024.

According to Variety, Max’s The Batman spinoff will resume production shortly after Thanksgiving. Hopefully, that means we’ll be learning more about the show soon enough. For now, we have that short clip as well as this look at the upcoming series, courtesy of Empire.

Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming The Penguin series centered on the so-called criminal King of Gotham, once again played by Colin Farrell.

Title

The title of the series is simply The Penguin.

The Penguin‘s Plot

Based on early statements, it seems the plot of the series focuses on Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot as he rises in the ranks of Gotham’s underworld, and becomes a power player. It will take place in the aftermath of the flooding of Gotham City, as seen in the final act of The Batman. Here’s what producer Matt Reeves had to say about the show’s premise:

Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in The Batman. Having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill. Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.

The series will have eight episodes.

Behind the Scenes

Lauren LeFranc will write the script for the series and serve as showrunner. The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark will serve as executive producers, along with star Colin Farrell. Reeves won’t be directing, at least not early on. Directing an early episode is Craig Zobel.

The Penguin‘s Cast

In the title role is the returning Colin Farrell. Also in the cast is Cristin Milioti as the female lead of the show, Sofia Falcone.

In addition, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Zegen, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, David H. Holmes, and Theo Rossi will also appear.

Most recently, we learned that Clancy Brown has joined the cast as Salvatore Maroni. Worth noting, in the comics, Maroni was responsible for throwing acid at Harvey Dent. This, of course, led Dent to become Two-Face. This could be an interesting way to bring the iconic villain into The Batman‘s world.

The Penguin‘s Release Date

The Penguin will officially come to Max sometime in 2024.

Originally published November 9, 2022.

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Some films are obviously Christmas movies, like The Muppet Christmas Carol. But that designation is not so clear cut for others. They may be set during the holiday season, and they may even touch upon Christmas themes, but does that mean they truly qualify in the traditional sense? To find out we’re putting those movies on trial and laying out all the evidence for and against them by answering some pertinent questions, just as we did with Die Hard, Gremlins, Edward Scissorhands, Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Rocky IV. And the latest movie to take the stand in our great Christmas movie debate asked for a courtroom in Gotham. That’s right, it’s time to send up the Santa-Signal for Batman Returns.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, ask yourself…

How much of Batman Returns takes place at Christmastime?

Outside of the opening scene, all of Batman Returns takes place during the Christmas season. Oswald Cobblepot is not born during the holidays, but by the time his parents decide to abandon their cat-eating newborn in the sewers their giant tree is already up. When his circus gang then attacks Gotham 33 years later it’s during the city’s big tree lighting ceremony. The entire movie, which is full of seasonal decorations, presents, and snow, then ends by Christmas Day.

Would Batman Returns be fundamentally different if it were set at any other time of the year?

The film features major scenes connected to the fact that it’s Christmas. There’s actually two big tree lighting sequences. (RIP Ice Princess who was also an actress.) Mistletoe also ends up playing a significant role in the development of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle’s relationship. And just like the North Pole, it’s full of penguins who shouldn’t live there. Yet, if you moved the film to any other time of year and slightly changed the details/décor you would still have the exact same story. The movie takes place entirely during Christmas. It’s just not really connected to Christmas beyond scenery. The tree lightings could just as easily be the opening of a new building. The mistletoe could be a star constellation.

The only thing you couldn’t change without ruining everything was how the city made workers clean up after a terrorist attack while dressed as elves. There’s no equivalent indignity.

Do any of the film’s major themes apply to Christmas?

Batman Returns is about the duality of self and identity, isolation, and acceptance. Batman, Catwoman, Penguin, and Max Shrek all have two different identities—their public persona and their secret self—and they struggle to find a balance between the two. Interesting, but not very Christmas-y. The movie’s also about revenge, power, greed, and class. The closest any of those come to being traditional holiday themes are greed and class, but considering Bruce Wayne is the film’s hero, it’s not exactly Gotham’s take on It’s A Wonderful Life. The billionaire is the guy we want to see come out on top.

Does watching Batman Returns at Christmastime enhance the experience?

Even though the film’s plot and themes have nothing to do with the holiday, the film is so specifically set during Christmas that watching it in December does enhance the experience.* It’s easy to get caught up in the characters’ lives while also personally surrounded by a Christmas tree and festive lights. And when Bruce Wayne ends up alone at the end you feel a little extra sting because you know it will be another lonely holiday for him. You can really feel the holiday blues in the moment.

*This was obviously not the case when it first came to theaters. Batman Returns premiered in June 1992.

Has this film been accepted as a Christmas movie tradition?

Some fans consider Batman Returns a Christmas movie, but not enough. The film also has yet to break into the holiday movie zeitgeist the way a movie like Die Hard has. Since it didn’t before the streaming era began we can’t imagine it will anytime soon. If will likely need to start airing on basic cable a lot more in December to do that. If/when it does we’ll reevaluate this section. For now it’s simply a niche Christmas-adjacent movie.

THE FINAL VERDICT

We love Batman. He’s also provided us with lots of great Christmas memories over the years. For those reasons and more it would make us very happy to judge this film a true holiday entry. We just can’t do it after looking at the evidence objectively. Because while this movie embraces the feel of the Christmas season, it’s not a Christmas story. Not by its plot, themes, or characters. And since it hasn’t established itself as a holiday viewing staple, there’s only one verdict we can give.

Turn off the Santa-Signal, because Batman Returns does not qualify as a Christmas movie.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The Joker occupies an almost mythological place in popular culture. With his green hair and clown makeup, the Joker has transformed from one of Batman’s campy villains to a figure of terror. The Joker’s darker turn has only increased his popularity, thanks to live-action DC films. Every new actor to take on the Joker role faces the challenge of adding their own disturbing dimension to the character. It seems like every version is trying to be the scariest one.

But as menacing as actors like Heath Ledger and Barry Keoghan are as the Clown Prince of Crime, there is a uniquely haunting effect to the character on the page. In the comic book format, the only limits on the Joker are the imaginations of the creative team producing his story. Considering that chaos motivates his character, this limitlessness adds another layer to his actions. As such, his most terrifying form—seen in Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Jonathan Glapion’s “Death of the Family” arc—feels too visceral to ever become a live-action film.

The Joker in “Death of the Family,” spanning Batman (2011) #13-17, brings a tailored sense of terror to Gotham City. For those who aren’t familiar, Batman’s network of adopted children and allies, known colloquially as the Bat-Family, play a significant role in his comics. The Bat-Family makes Batman strong, but it can also make him vulnerable to villains like the Joker. “Death of the Family” is a story that plays on that vulnerability. The title inverts the famous Batman: A Death in the Family storyline from the late 1980s. There, the Joker murdered Jason Todd, the second Robin.

As the title suggests, the Joker in “Death of the Family” acts as a disruptive force. He removes the sense of safety that Batman has in Gotham and within his own family. To start, the Joker sports a dramatically different look. He wears a mask of his own detached face skin, stretched over the raw flesh underneath. Writer Scott Snyder deploys the Joker like a slasher movie villain. The Joker lurks in the shadows, strategically revealing himself for dramatic effect. In one scene during a power outage, he murders an entire unit of Gotham City police officers Michael Myers-style: through brute force. 

What makes “Death of the Family” Joker so terrifying is his pursuit of maximum psychological damage for Batman and his children. He doesn’t want to directly kill anyone in the main cast, because that would spoil the fun for him. It’s the same reason why he kills those GCPD officers in front of Jim Gordon, leaving him the only survivor. The Joker’s cruelty thrives on letting a select few witnesses live. Then they can be disturbed for the rest of their lives. 

Furthermore, because of the comic book format, a certain level of abstraction applies to the Joker that film and television will simply never measure up to. Even if Hollywood adapted this story, the Joker’s actions would lose some of their impact. This is because audiences would be watching an actor embody the role. Regardless of how excellent Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, or Barry Keoghan are as the Joker, we are ultimately watching a familiar face briefly slip into a costume.

In a comic book, the Joker is a drawing. He is no one but himself—an idea that “Death of the Family” touches upon. Artist Greg Capullo and inker Jonathan Glapion conjure this haunting appearance of the Joker onto the page from nothing. Together with Scott Snyder’s scripts, this vision of terror is born, not in our world, but in the world of the story. Because “Death of the Family”‘s Joker is so divorced from our reality, we fear the unknown. 

The Joker’s detached face, one of the primary vessels of fear in the story, contributes to this abstraction. That rotting skin held taut by staples and wires reminds us the familiar can be easily cut away to tease the horror of the unknown lying beneath. If the Joker’s face, a sight we’re accustomed to and maybe even desensitized by, can be warped into a new nightmarish vision with one change, then couldn’t the same be done for Batman?

“Death of the Family” answers this question when the Bat-Family awakens with their faces bandaged and bloody while seated at a dinner table. The Joker taunts them and Batman before revealing the horrific main course on the table. It appears to be the skinned faces of the Bat-Family. Fear is a subjective and personal experience. The Joker in “Death of the Family“ leans into fear’s individualized nature, recalling another standout appearance of his in Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. In order for the Joker to be scary, a story must understand what Batman himself fears.

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I always imagine the holiday season is especially tough on Bruce Wayne. That’s when the Penguin murdered Gotham’s Ice Princess. It’s also when the Joker ruined Christmas Eve by kidnapping a bunch of city officials. And you just know the “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” song hurts his feelings even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Plus, he probably misses his parents. But there’s good news about this year’s celebration: he’s going to spend the special with both his son and his new beard. The bad news is they’ll be fighting some famous villains rather than opening presents. That will make for another tough holiday for Bruce, but the first trailer for Prime Video’s animated movie special Merry Little Batman is an early gift for all of us.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Not because it’s the holiday season, but because that’s true anytime we get a new Batman special. This one is a lot more lighthearted than previous seasonal Dark Knight stories, though. This Merry Little Batman trailer promises a festive holiday movie that’s a straight-up family comedy with some famous rogues. There’s even a shout to Batman’s infamous nipple suit.

Here’s the Batman Christmas movie’s official synopsis from Prime Video:

This Christmas, Damian Wayne wants to be a superhero like his dad—the one and only Batman. When Damian is left home alone while Batman takes on Gotham’s worst supervillains on Christmas Eve, he stumbles upon a villainous plot to steal Christmas and leaps at the chance to save the day.

Mike Roth (Regular Show) directs with a script from Morgan Evans (Teen Titans Go!) and Jase Ricci (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham). Merry Little Batman stars Luke Wilson, Yonas Kibreab, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby. This Batman movie will show up under our digital tree at Prime Video on December 8.

Hopefully, the rest of the month goes a lot better for Bruce Wayne. And we do mean that even if we always get a great Batman story when Christmas goes terribly wrong for him.

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It’s been a bit of a wild west in the streaming world recently. Streamers have been canceling shows and movies left and right, even ones that are ready to go. In the world of HBO Max, animated shows got hit extra hard, though live-action series weren’t exempt from the culling either. This is why we’ll take good news where we can get it. After a cancellation at HBO Max, J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm’s Batman: Caped Crusader series has found a new home at Amazon. In addition, the streamer will also bring to life an original Batman animated film called Merry Little Batman and a spinoff series called Bat-Family.

And, even more exciting, per The Hollywood Reporter, the Batman: Caped Crusader series has received a two-season order, ensuring we’ll get a ton of the Caped Crusader to enjoy. There are certainly some powerful minds working on the show. Ed Brubaker is even on the creative team. So we can imagine it will turn out pretty well.

Merry Little Batman Reveals Plot Synopsis and Release Date

Merry Little Batman will be the first Batman piece to hit Amazon’s Prime Video. This family action-comedy follows Damian Wayne becoming “Little Batman” to defend against villainous rogues who wish to ruin the holidays. A new Merry Little Batman synopsis reveals more about its plot, it shares:

Merry Little Batman is an animated family action comedy destined to join the rogue’s gallery of classic holiday movies. When young Damian Wayne finds himself alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he must transform into “Little Batman” in order to defend his home and Gotham City from the crooks and supervillains intent on destroying the holidays.

Additionally, Prime Video has revealed Merry Little Batman‘s release date. Unsuprisingly this holiday twist on Batman will arrive just in time for some merriment. Merry Little Man releases on Prime Video on December 8.

The movie is “produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC.” Merry Little Batman features the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby.

More About Amazon’s Batman Plans

We don’t know too much yet about the other Batman series coing to Amazon. Presently, the only information shared is that Bat-Family follows Batman, Alfred, and young Damian Wayne as they navigate being a super family. 

Sam Register, president, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, shares “We are excited to partner with Amazon to begin an all-new animated chapter of Batman. From the cinematic noir storytelling of Batman: Caped Crusader to the comedic adventures of Merry Little Batman and Bat-Family, these new projects ensure that there will be an animated Batman story ready to excite fans of all ages.”

As DC consolidates its on-screen universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran, it’s interesting to see some of its Elseworlds projects end up outside the main Warner Bros. Discovery hubs. Whether that’s a good move or not is yet to be determined.

Originally published on March 9, 2023.

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For over 80 years, DC Comics has been continuously publishing Batman and Detective Comics. And in that time, they have produced some of the best, most creative runs on any superhero comic book series ever. So many, in fact, it was hard to narrow them down to a “10 best.” But for our money, the following are the greatest creator runs by a specific comic writer or writer/artists combo in the history of Batman.

10. Doug Moench and Kelley Jones

Writer Doug Moench and artist Kelley Jones were a dream comics team on the Batman titles, producing a 42-issue run from 1995 to 1998. These issues leaned heavily on supernatural stories and good old-fashioned detective yarns. This writer/artist duo picked up from where the Knightfall Saga left off. That 1993 story saw Batman seriously injured and replaced for a time. Their mid-’90s run was a back-to-basics approach, after two years of different characters under the cowl, like Azrael and Dick Grayson.

Moench’s propensity for the spookier side of Batman lore was perfect with Jones’ art style, which often made Batman’s villains look more grotesque than ever. Although the two had a lengthy run on the ongoing title, we can’t forget to mention their Batman and Dracula DC Comics trilogy. These were a series of out-of-continuity stories that told what-if style tales about Batman as a vampire. When you combine these three Elseworlds stories with their regular run in the ongoing Batman title, it all makes for a truly memorable run on the character.

Issues in Doug Moench and Kelley Jones‘ Batman Comic Run:

Batman 516-552 (1995-1998) Batman and Dracula: Red Rain (1991), Batman: Bloodstorm (1994), Batman: Crimson Mist (1998)

9. Paul Dini

Writer Paul Dini became a Batman legend in another medium outside of comics before tackling the Dark Knight’s adventures in print. As a producer and writer on Batman: The Animated Series, Dini wrote several iconic episodes, including redefining Mr. Freeze in “Heart of Ice,” and co-created Harley Quinn. Not to mention he wrote both the Arkham Asylum and Arkham City video games. But years after the show ended, Dini did a significant run of Batman stories in Detective Comics and Batman: Streets of Gotham.

Working together primarily with artists Dustin Nguyen and Don Kramer, Dini wrote stories that expanded and gave depth to newer villains like Hush. He also wrote several one-and-done mysteries stories, once that reflected some of his best work on the animated shows. While his non-comics Batman stories might have had a greater impact on popular culture, his run on the character in the pages of the Dark Knight’s birth medium of comic books shouldn’t be forgotten.

Issues in Paul Dini’s Batman Comic Run:

Batman: Streets of Gotham #1-4, #7, #10-14, #16-21, DCU Holiday Special #1, Detective Comics #821-824, #826-828, #831, #833-834, #837-841, #843-850, #852, (2006-2009)

8. “New Look” Batman

When most people talk about the best Batman and Detective Comics runs, most people begin in the ‘70s. But a very important Batman comics run happened in 1964 -1968, which literally saved the character from irrelevance. For much of the ‘50s/early ’60s, the restrictive Comics Code censors neutered Batman as a character. Instead of fighting criminals, he fought aliens and wacky monsters in stories mainly aimed at 6-year-olds. And Bob Kane’s art (and those of his copycat ghost artists) was hopelessly dated in an era of Marvel heroes. Sales slipped badly, and something needed to be done. Legend has it that if DC couldn’t raise sales on the Batman comic books, they would cancel one or both of them.

So DC editor Julius Schwartz hired veteran writers John Broome, Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino to revamp Batman, just as they had for the Flash. Infantino illustrated every other issue of Detective, with longtime penciler Sheldon Moldoff now instructed to mimic Infantino’s art, not Bob Kane’s. The stories featured a lot of one-off bad guys and dynamic artwork. And saw Batman actually being a detective for the first time in years. This era also gave us the iconic yellow oval Bat emblem and introduced Batgirl and Poison Ivy. This 1964-68 comics run of Batman revitalized the character for younger readers. Many saw Batman as their dad’s hero in previous. The success of this Batman run led directly to the ABC creating the TV series. Which, of course, mercilessly spoofed the comics, but the comics themselves remain a retro blast to read.

Issues in the “New Look” Batman Comic Run:

Detective Comics #327-371, Batman #164-200 (1964-1968)

7. Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers

Though it’s one of the best, this Batman comic run often gets forgotten, thanks to the long shadow of game-changing work from Denny O’Neill. And, it was only eight issues long, running in the late ‘70s. But writer Steve Englehart, famous for work on Marvel titles like Avengers, wrote several character-defining issues of Detective Comics that were some of the best Batman work ever published until that time. Englehart, together with artist Marshall Rogers, really doubled down on Bruce Wayne as a suave, James Bond-style ladies’ man, giving him a femme fatale love interest named Silver St. Cloud.

Together, Englehart and Rogers gave new life to discarded Golden Age villain Dr. Hugo Strange and introduced the definitive version of the assassin Deadshot. Both characters would become mainstays of Batman’s rogues gallery from then on. One of his Joker stories, “The Laughing Fish,” even found new life as a fantastic episode of Batman: The Animated Series years later. He even made a once-cheesy villain like Doctor Phosphorus cool. Steve Englehart would return years later for a Batman tale here and there. But nothing beats the original Englehart and Rogers combo. Their Batman run was brief, but the impact on Batman and his comic legacy was big.

Issues in Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers Batman Comic Run:

Detective Comics #469-476, 1977-1978

6. Tom King (with various artists)

Writer Tom King had the unenviable task of following up Scott Snyder’s celebrated Batman run back in 2016. Yet King’s Batman introduced lots of new concepts in innovative stories, some of which worked like gangbusters, and a few that landed with a thud (killing off Alfred Pennyworth counts as the latter). But during King’s nearly 100-issue run, he finally deepened the Batman/Catwoman relationship, even if fans were (wrongly) denied their wedding. However, the abruptly ended nuptials of Bruce and Selina were part of a pretty amazing story involving the oft-misused Bane.

King’s Batman comic run also included the Joker vs. Riddler crime saga “The War of Jokes and Riddles,” a story that stands as one of the great modern Gotham City stories. They paired King with incredible artists during his run—David Finch, Mitch Gerads, Clay Mann, Lee Weeks, Jason Fabok. But especially Mikal Janin, who illustrated Batman the most. But everyone brought their A-game. We eagerly await our first Tom King Batman omnibus, DC Comics. This run one was one of the greats, flaws and all. And yes, one big flaw was killing Alfred. That keeps this entry down one whole notch on our list of the best Batman comic runs.

Issues in Tom King’s (with various artists) Batman Comic Run:

Batman: Rebirth #1, Batman (Vol.3) #1-85, Annuals #1-3, Batman/Catwoman #1-12 (2016-2022)

5. Frank Miller

You thought this run would be way higher on the list, didn’t you? We wouldn’t blame you if you did. The footprint that writer/artist Frank Miller left on the character of Batman is, quite frankly, enormous. Both his Batman: Year One, which he produced with artist David Mazzucchelli, and The Dark Knight Returns, are the most iconic versions of Batman’s “first” and “final” stories ever put to print. And everyone who has adapted Batman in every medium since has found influence in them. And they’re both really, really good.

So why this mid-level placement in the best Batman comic runs list? Well, both Year One and Dark Knight Returns are just eight issues long, all together. And his other, later runs on Batman? Well, Miller’s All-Star Batman was so terrible even Jim Lee’s art couldn’t save it. His 2001 Dark Knight Strikes Again is one of the most disappointing sequels ever made in any medium. The third chapter, which had a co-writer and different artist, was just ok. So, in the end, it’s a draw. If we were judging individual Batman comic stories, then Miller’s Dark Knight Returns and Year One would be at the top. But in terms of extended runs on the Caped Crusader, collectively, it’s all about as great as it is awful.

Issues in Frank Miller‘s Batman Comic Run:

The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, 1986-1987, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, 2001-2002, All-Star Batman 2005-2008, DKIII: The Master Race (2017)

4. Jeph Loeb, with Tim Sale and Jim Lee

Most of writer Jeph Loeb’s run on Batman was in mini-series format, with one notable run in the regular ongoing Batman title. But man, what a way to leave a stamp on a character. Loeb and artist Tim Sale first worked together on a series of Halloween specials in the mid-90s. However, their pièce de résistance remains the 13-part mini-series The Long Halloween. This intense murder mystery involved almost the entire rouges gallery in key ways, and it had a payoff worthy of the year-long build-up. Every panel of Tim Sale’s artwork is a stunning composition.

This creative team reunited for the underrated sequel, Dark Victory, a few years later, which introduced Robin into the story. But Loeb wasn’t done quite yet. In 2002, he teamed with superstar artist Jim Lee (now DC president) for a 12-part story called Hush. It’s another long-form mystery, but Loeb played to Lee’s strengths and gave him big action in addition to mystery. All of these comic runs stand out as some of the best Batman stories of all time to this day. One can see the fingerprints of these modern classics all over modern Batman films, including the recent The Batman.

Issues in Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, and Jim Lee‘s Batman Comic Run:

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman: Madness – A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman: Ghosts -A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special, Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13, Batman: Dark Victory #0-13, Catwoman: When in Rome #1-6, Batman #608-619 (1994-2004)

3. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

The 2011 New 52 reboot of DC was hastily put together and is largely disliked today. But there was at least one big exception to the quality dip of that reboot everyone agrees on, however. And that is writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo’s run on the series. This run introduced one of the coolest concepts to the mythology in years, the mysterious Court of Owls, a secret society controlling Gotham for decades. Snyder and Capullo also gave us one of the best Jokers storylines in decades in The Death of the Family. After decades of Frank Miller’s Year One as being the definitive “early years” Batman, Snyder and Capullo unleashed Zero Year. This was an arguably more epic take on Batman’s first twelve months on the job.

Scott Snyder found a way to combine a psychological take with big superhero action, and it always works. We should add, even before the New 52 reboot, Snyder wrote one of the best Batman stories ever, The Black Mirror. Only that time it was with Dick Grayson as the Dark Knight and not Bruce Wayne. The Snyder/Capullo run officially ended with the two-part Last Knight on Earth. But they unofficially continued their Batman partnership in the event series Dark Nights: Metal and Dark Nights: Death Metal. Both of which featured Batman in a central role. This one is the most recent of the truly great runs of Batman’s ongoing comic titles.

Issues in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo‘s Batman Comic Run:

Batman (Vol.2) #0-52, #23.2 and Annual #1-4 Batman: Futures End #1; Detective Comics #1000 and Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1-3, Dark Nights- Metal #1-6, and Dark Nights – Death Metal #17 (2011-2018)

2. Grant Morrison (with various artists)

By the time they took on the regular ongoing Batman title in 2006, writer Grant Morrison was already a comics legend. Specifically, Morrison was known for Batman, having written the graphic novel Arkham Asylum and given the character a significant part in their JLA run. But their take on the Dark Knight’s ongoing series successfully combined elements of every era of the character before, from the ‘50s sci-fi goofiness to ‘70s high adventure, in one wonderful almost surreal run that even saw Batman dead and his former protégé Nightwing replacing him in the role.

Morrison’s run also introduced Bruce’s son Damian Wayne as Robin, now an iconic part of Batman’s lore. Their extended storyline Batman: R.I.P. remains one of the greatest and trippiest Batman stories of all time. They also created new villains that are now legit parts of the rogues gallery, like the Flamingo and Professor Pyg. Combined, it was an epic seven-year run on the character, playing across multiple series and even the event Final Crisis. The art by Adam Kubert, Frank Quitely, Tony S. Daniel, and others also raises this run into the stratosphere.

Issues in Grant Morrison’s Batman Comic Run:

Batman #655-658, #663-683, Batman & Robin #1-16, Batman #700-702, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1-6, Batman Incorporated #1-8, Batman: The Return #1, Batman Incorporated #0-13, Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes #1, Batman Incorporated Special #1, Final Crisis (2006-2013)

1. Dennis O’Neil (with Neal Adams, various artists) Has the Best Batman Comic Run

After the end of the Batman ’66 TV series, the character’s reputation as a joke was cemented in popular culture. So DC did something drastic and doubled down on returning Batman to his 1939 status as an avenging creature of the night. Writer Dennis “Denny” O’Neil and artist Neal Adams produced 11 issues from 1970 to 73. These stories restored Batman to his role as Gotham’s Dark Knight Detective. They separated Batman from Robin (mostly), making him a brooding loner again. In their Batman comic run, they introduced major villains like Ra’s al Ghul and Talia. They made the Joker a homicidal maniac again, and brought back Two-Face after decades.

O’Neil also introduced the concept of Batman as a sexy globetrotting adventurer, in the style of James Bond. While the O’Neil/Adams collaboration only lasted three years. Later, O’Neil wrote dozens of other Batman stories with collaborators like Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. One of those stories, “Appointment in Crime Alley,” is widely considered one of the best Batman stories ever. O’Neil became group editor of the Batman line by the ‘90s, guiding what other writers did. But his own Batman run is the most influential run on the Dark Knight of any creator to date. Bob Kane and Bill Finger might have created the architecture of Batman, but Denny O’Neil and his artistic collaborators did the rest.

Issues in Dennis O’Neil’s (with Neal Adams, various artists) Batman Comic Run

Detective Comics 395,397,404,410, 480-491, Batman 232, 234, 235, 237, 243-248, 251-266, (1970-1980) Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989)

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We associate very few things with Batman more than his slick ride, the Batmobile. While there have been many, many iterations of the Batmobile over the decades, a few specific Batmobiles have risen to the top as the most iconic. And now, DC is releasing a series of commemorative pins celebrating the Dark Knight’s legendary vehicles via the DC Shop. You can check out images of these new pins and their creative packaging in our gallery below:

Click To View Gallery

This new limited-edition Gotham City Classics Batmobile pin set comes packaged inside the stylized wheel with hubcap in a set of five (5) collectible enamel pins. Each pin is black nickel plated. There are moving wheels on the Batmobiles and a glow-in-the-dark feature with the Batman Forever Batmobile. The fan-favorite Batmobiles included in this set include the one from the Batman TV series (1966), Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), Batman: The Animated Series (1992), and Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995).

The fifth pin in this set is a chase limited-edition of 495. It’s the Batmobile Communicator from the 1989 film, which slides out the “microphone.” There is also a special super chase pin of the fifth pin. That one is a limited edition of 5—a gold version of the Batmobile Communicator from Tim Burton’s 1989 film, which slides out the “microphone.” Below are the specifications for each separate pin in the set.

Batman (1966) Batmobile: H: 0.78” W: 2.75”
Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) Batmobile: H: 0.66” W: 2.875”
Batman: The Animated Series (1992) Batmobile: H: 0.55” W: 2.75”
Batman Forever (1995) Batmobile: H: 1.12” W: 3” (glow-in-the-dark)
Batmobile Communicator: H: 1.89” W: 1.06”
Gotham City Classics Batmobile pin set box: 12” x 12” and about 2” deep
Gotham City Classics Batmobile pin set box weight: 1 lbs.

The pin set can be yours for $175.00, at you can order them now at the DC Shop.

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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, arguably the greatest Batman movie ever (yeah, you heard us), is finally out on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. And just in time for the animated classic’s 30th anniversary. But it’s a bittersweet release. Simply because we’re all still mourning the loss of that film’s Dark Knight, Kevin Conroy, who passed away a year ago. So, part of this new Mask of the Phantasm release is a special tribute to him from his friends and colleagues. You can watch a clip from that special feature, I Am the Knight, below:

Kevin Conroy is the definitive Batman as far as we’re concerned. He voiced the character for decades, starting with 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series, all the way through to 2019’s Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? He also voiced Bruce Wayne in numerous video games, not to mention DC ensemble shows like Justice League Unlimited and Justice League Action. And his “Old Man Bruce” was arguably the best part of Batman Beyond. He even got to play Bruce in live-action in 2019, as part of the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.

Among the folks paying tribute to Conroy in the featurette are Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm, producers Eric Radomski and Paul Dini, and voice director Andrea Romano. Notable DC Comics creators like Geoff Johns and Paul Levitz sing Conroy’s praises too. Timm admits that finding the right voice actor for other roles was relatively simple. But finding the right Batman? That was very difficult. Luckily, Andrea Romano had heard of a Juilliard-trained actor who would be perfect for the role. And the rest, as they say, is history. Other Dark Knights have come and gone in animation, some very good. However, all pale in comparison to Kevin Conroy, who will always be the best Batman ever.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is now available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

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Many still argue about which Batman feature film is the best. But there are very few disagreements on which is the best Batman feature film theme music. To this day, composer Danny Elfman’s iconic score from Tim Burton’s original film is still what many hear in their heads when they hear the words “Batman.” And now, Bat-fans will get the chance to hear that music performed live as part of the DC In Concert series, starting in 2024. All of this coincides with the 35th anniversary year of Tim Burton’s blockbuster film, which hit theaters in June, 1989.

The upcoming Batman tour kicks off January 2024 in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theater. After that, it will stop in twelve U.S. cities before heading to Paris and London. Guests who attend will enjoy the film projected onto a larger-than-life screen. All while a live orchestra performs Danny Elfman’s iconic musical score. They reused the classic Batman score in Tim Burton’s follow-up film Batman Returns. Which was also scored by Elfman. But perhaps it remains associated with the character so very much because of its inclusion in Batman: The Animated Series. While Shirley Walker composed music for the actual series, the opening title was a reorchestration of Elfman’s 1989 live-action film theme.

DC in Concert attendees enjoy an enhanced concert experience with spectacular stage lighting, post-event autographs, merchandise sales, and more. They even encourage guests to dress up as their favorite DC superhero. Who, we hope, are Gotham City-related in some way. Might be awkward to go to a Batman concert dressed up like Aquaman. Although we kind of hope someone goes as Bob the Goon, the Joker’s ill-fated henchman. That’s a deep-cut character we’d appreciate. You can visit www.DCFilmsinConcert.com for ticket information and to see the other 12 U.S. dates.

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Who our new big-screen Batman will be in the upcoming DCU is still a big mystery. But for many of you out there, we know Christian Bale is your forever Bruce Wayne. And you’ll soon have a chance to see his starring turn as the Caped Crusader in movie theaters once more. Via Collider, we’ve learned that for this upcoming Batman Day on September 16, Christopher Nolan’s entire Dark Knight Trilogy will screen at Showcase Cinemas. What better way to celebrate Batman on his big day than by seeing Nolan’s whole saga in one sitting?

Of course, you might not have access to a Showcase Cinema near you. Or maybe you just don’t want to sit in a movie theater for seven hours. Other theater chains are showing The Dark Knight only that weekend. It makes sense that of the entire Christopher Nolan trilogy, if they only had to pick one film, it would be that one. The Dark Knight changed the game in how superhero movies were perceived by the general public. Not to mention, it resulted in a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger, for his iconic portrayal of the Joker. It raised the bar for what we expect from a film based on a comic book. Even with the critical acclaim for The Batman, some think it will be impossible for it to ever top The Dark Knight.

There are other ways to celebrate Batman Day of course. This year is the 30th anniversary of the excellent animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. And the new 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray hits just before Batman Day. So you can celebrate in the comfort of your own home. But for those of you out there who are Nolan die-hards, and live near a Showcase Cinema location, you can get tickets for Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises now. And for those of you who just want to watch The Dark Knight? You can get your tickets now via Fandango, or the Alamo Drafthouse.

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Actress Arleen Sorkin, the original voice of Harley Quinn on Batman: The Animated Series, has passed away at age 67. The sad news was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Sorkin reprised her role in The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Justice League, and the DC Universe Online game, as well as the first Arkham Asylum game in 2009. Health issues in recent years caused her to retire from the role, replaced by various actresses, including Tara Strong. Mark Hamill, who played Harley’s Joker, a.k.a “Mister J,” posted a loving tribute to his friend and colleague on social media.

Arleen Sorkin wasn’t just the original voice of Harley. She was the actual inspiration for the character. Sorkin played the character of Calliope Jones in the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1984-1990. (In the series, she played opposite future Q from Star Trek, John de Lancie.) Sorkin was an old college friend of Batman: The Animated Series producer and writer Paul Dini. One day, while home sick, he watched an episode of her show. In the episode, she was playing a Harlequin character in a fantasy sequence and inspiration struck for Dini.

That character inspired Harley Quinn, who they intended to appear in just one episode of Batman: TAS, “Joker’s Favor.” When it came time to produce the episode, he asked Sorkin to voice her. They quickly realized Joker’s intended as a one-off girlfriend was too good for one episode. Harley Quinn became one of the breakout characters of the series. And, arguably, the most popular DC character to debut outside of the actual comics. They finally expanded her origin story in the 1999 episode “Mad Love,” which revealed she was once Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychologist at Arkham Asylum assigned to the Joker. Without a doubt, Harley’s real name Harleen was also an homage to Arleen.

Because of her memorable voice and characterization, Harley Quinn is one of the most popular characters in the entire DC pantheon. She now has several solo comics, her own animated series, and has been portrayed on film by Margot Robbie and soon Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux. An anime Suicide Squad series has been greenlit which will focus on Harley Quinn. None of these things would exist if not for Sorkin’s iconic take on the deranged clown girl with the thick Brooklyn accent. Arleen Sorkin is survived by her husband and two children.

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Barbara Gordon is one of DC Comics’ most famous heroes. Since 1967, Batgirl has worn several variations of her world-famous costume—both in the comic book pages, and in other media. While Warner Bros. shelved the recent live-action Batgirl movie, that version of the costume took inspiration from her entire wardrobe spanning the last five decades. We rank all of Batgirl’s costumes from least favorite to greatest.

DC Comics

For the purposes of this article, we are only ranking the costumes worn by the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl. So no Cass Cain, Stephanie Brown, and definitely no Betty Kane, who essentially wore a red and green Christmas parade outfit. Hard pass. Also, no Barbara Pennyworth from Batman & Robin. Sorry, but it’s a totally different character.

We’re not including anything worn by Babs Gordon in just one story either. This means no Elseworlds, or alternate universe versions from DC Comics. We’re sticking to costumes worn by Batgirl for extended periods only.

12. DC Super Hero Girls (2015)

DC Comics

The DC Super Hero Girls cartoon and toy line came out in 2015 and successfully sold the concept of DC heroines to young girls. All of their costumes were reinvented, some more successfully than others. In the initial concept, Batgirl loses her famous cowl and cape, and replaces them with a hoodie and mini bat wings. It’s totally cute, but loses too many essential elements of the original costume’s silhouette. So for that reason, it comes in last.

11. Young Justice (2010)

Warner Bros. Animation 

For the Young Justice animated series, Babs wore a classic version of her costume. It sticks to what we know as “Batgirl” pretty closely. But, the usual touches of color that separate Barbara from Bruce are mostly gone. The Bat symbol is black instead of bright yellow. Although the lining of the cape is still yellow, it’s more of a mustard color. Too much Batman, not enough Batgirl.

10. Sean Gordon Murphy Costume (2018)

DC Comics

Back in 2018, Batman: White Knight artist Sean Gordon Murphy redesigned Batgirl’s costume once more for her ongoing series. He made some interesting choices, like ditching all the purple and going back to her ’70s/’80s gray colors. Also, he made the Bat symbol a harness of some sort. The only reason we rank this otherwise cool design this low is that it ditched Batgirl’s signature cowl for a domino mask with pointy ears. That just doesn’t say “Batgirl” to us. Besides that aspect, this costume is groovy.

9. The Batman (2004)

Warner Bros. Animation

For the 2004 Kid’s WB animated series, the show’s designers took inspiration from the anime Battle of the Planets character Princess. Babs has a skirt and thigh-high boots, not something she’s ever worn in the comics. It’s one of the most different costumes from her traditional looks, but it’s nevertheless a fun take. We love the big Spider-Man eyes for the cowl, as well as the signature Batman ’66 purple.

8. DC Super-Hero Girls (2019)

Warner Bros. Animation

Batgirl had a more comics accurate costume for the second incarnation of the DC Super Hero Girls. Series creator Lauren Faust (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) basically did a stylized version of the Batman ’66 costume, only adding in the yellow boots and gloves from the comics. It’s fabulous, and just quintessential Batgirl all around.

7. Batman: The Animated Series (1993-1999)

Warner Bros. Animation

Arguably still the best version of the Batman mythos is still the ’90s Batman: The Animated series. Bruce Timm gave us some of the most iconic versions of the Gotham characters in any medium, and this includes Batgirl. He largely stuck to the classic Silver Age/Bronze Age design from the comics, but it’s more streamlined. Her original suit is gray, with the New Batman Adventures suit going black instead. We prefer the black, as it is sleeker. But either one is pretty great.

6. The Batgirl of Burnside (2014)

DC Comics

In her 2014 mini-reboot, Barbara Gordon moves to the Gotham City neighborhood of Burnside. There, she makes all kinds of young hipster friends, and gets a new costume to go with her new home. It’s actually a fantastic update to her classic purple, black and yellow color scheme from the Batman ’66 series, even if the Doc Martens-style boots are more cosplay than superhero. If we have one big critique, it’s that it is just too busy. Although we rank it as fifth, this might make for the best live-action costume.

5. Bronze Age Batgirl  (1970-1988)

DC Comics

Starting in the early ’70s and stretching into the ’80s, Batgirl wore a nearly identical version of her original costume, but she traded in the black for gray. This is probably to match what Batman wore in the comics at the time. It’s a classic suit, but it comes in fourth place only because gray is just not as striking as black or purple.

4. Batman TV Series (1967-1968)

Warner Bros. Television

This is the costume that made Batgirl world famous. Worn by Yvonne Craig in the last season of Batman ’66, the show’s costume designers took the basic silhouette of the comics costume and traded in all the black for glittery purple. They also dropped the yellow boots and gloves, making the whole body of the costume head-to-toe purple except for the bright yellow cape. Although her comics counterpart had more subdued colors, this costume was so iconic, the purple eventually made its way into the comics too. It’s just that great.

3. Original Comic Book Costume

DC Comics

Legendary artist Carmine Infantino created many iconic costumes for DC, including the Barry Allen Flash. But he knocked it out of the park for his January 1967 design for Batgirl. The solid black suit, the yellow emblem, boots, and gloves—it all works. It’s because this first costume was so good that the variations on it have only ever slightly nudged away from the original look.

2. New 52 Batgirl

DC Comics

When DC rebooted their universe in 2011 with the New 52 initiative, they returned Barbara Gordon to her role as Batgirl after decades away. Her costume stuck very closely to the perfection of Carmine Infantino’s original design, only with more details. It appeared more sturdy and less like spandex. Although it stuck closely to the classic comic book color scheme, the cape had a touch of purple as a nod to Batman ’66. All in all, this costume is the best of all possible worlds. It’s what we think of when anyone says “Batgirl.”

1. Fear State Batgirl 

DC Comics

Artist Bruno Redondo redesigned Barbara’s costume for the Fear State crossover event in fall 2021. The design uses all the best elements of the previous costumes, drawing from Barbara Gordon’s long comics history.

The classic purple is back, harkening back to Batman ’66. It includes elements of her Burnside costume, but more streamlined and less bulky. The cowl is black like her Young Justice look. And she now has whited-out eyes like Batman. The best feature though is a reinforcing structure that connects with her cape, putting less stress on her injured spine. This costume combines the best of the best. And we love it.

Originally published on May 20, 2021.

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Since first appearing on-screen way back in the ’40s, Batman has worn many variations of his costume. Many different actors have worn the cape and cowl of the DC Comics icon. But which version is the best one? We looked at almost 80 years of live-action Batman costumes, and ranked them from best to worst. We judged them on their accuracy in representing the iconic character, and their overall visual aesthetic.

1. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

While we might not be the biggest fans of the film it came from, there’s almost no denying that the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Batman suit looks absolutely perfect. The costume, designed by Michael Wilkinson, looks like it stepped right off the comic book page. Ben Affleck simply had the perfect jawline for this cowl. He wore the mask, the mask didn’t wear him.

The BvS suit took bits of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, with a dash of artist Jim Lee’s, and the result is the most comics-accurate Batman costume of them all—one that actually looks good on-screen (and almost comfortable) on the actor wearing it. Also, unlike many other Batman costumes on this list, the bat emblem stands out and isn’t obscured by armor plating or other things. This one nailed it.

2. Batman, Batman Returns (1989, 1992)

Although the costume took some liberties with the source material, the Michael Keaton 1989 Batman costume creates one of the most striking silhouettes of them all. Yes, in the comics at the time, Batman wore blue and gray, or sometimes black and gray. The all-black suit was a complete Hollywood concoction. But it worked. True, Tim Burton’s Bruce Wayne might not have been able to turn his head with that rubber mask, but it looked so cool, we didn’t care.

The pitch-black body suit with the bright yellow emblem and yellow utility belt made a stark contrast that was extremely eye-catching. There were slight modifications for the Batman Returns version a couple of years later, but it was essentially the same outfit. When we saw Michael Keaton wear this one in the trailer for The Flash, we got all the nostalgic feels. Because it’s that good of a Batman costume, even years later.

3. The Flash (Michael Keaton Suit) 2023

In The Flash, we are reunited with Michael Keaton’s Batman, some 30 years since we last saw him in Batman Returns. And although now retired, he continued as the Dark Knight for many years after the Tim Burton movies. We saw many of Bruce’s former costumes in his Bat-closet, many based on old ’90s action figures. But we’re going to focus on the suit worn by Keaton in the film, which is an updated version of his Burton-era costume. This version is still black rubber, but with more details on the shoulders and more flexibility. It’s not quite as great as the original film suit, but pretty darn close.

4. Batman Forever (First Suit) 1995

For almost 30 years, people have clutched their pearls over the nipples on the Batsuit, first seen in Batman Forever on Val Kilmer. And they use it to knock this costume down. But you know what? This is a pretty cool upgrade to the Keaton suit. The only downside we can see is that the oval is mustard yellow. It doesn’t really pop like on the Keaton suit. Also, the utility belt is black. It should be yellow to break up the absence of color in the torso. Otherwise, we might have ranked this one even higher. Oh, and every other muscle and contour of the human body is replicated in this rubber on this suit. Who cares if there are two tiny dots representing nipples? Go outside.

5. The Batman (2022)

We love the most recent cinematic Batman suit, worn by Robert Pattinson in The Batman. Yes, it has too much padding and extra details in order to be “realistic” looking for a more grounded Caped Crusader, which kind of bugs us on other Bat suits. But the cape and cowl are perfection, and bring to mind great DC Elseworlds comics like Gotham by Gaslight. We also like the gauntlets above the hands, which make it look almost like a steampunk Dark Knight. We’re not crazy about the Bat-emblem on this one, we hate when it’s hard to make out. However, the good outweighs the bad here. Nice job, Matt Reeves.

6. Batman Begins (2005)

The original Batman costume worn by Christian Bale in Batman Begins was essentially a more modern, more practical version of the 1989 Michael Keaton suit. He still had a cowl that didn’t allow him to turn his neck, but it sure looked cool. This one was made of more flexible materials than the rubber body suit from the Tim Burton movies, without being overwhelmed by all the extra padding of the follow-up films. It also has perhaps the best onscreen Batman cape, that actually flows in the wind. We would vote for this one as “most underrated live-action Batman suit.”

7. Batman TV Series (1966)

Yes, by today’s standards, the Adam West costume is a totally ridiculous relic of a bygone age. The tights, the cape, the cowl, all look like a cheap Halloween costume. But in 1966, the Batman TV series suit did its job, which was to bring the comic book look to life. And the comic book costume of the time pretty much looked like that. It was a blue cape and cowl over gray tights with blue trunks, just like a Carmine Infantino Detective Comics drawing of the time. Is it silly looking? Yes. But it’s oh so iconic, so we love it.

8. The Flash (Ben Affleck) 2023

Although it only appears briefly at the start of The Flash, Ben Affleck’s Batman suit is the first big live-action costume since Adam West that is blue and gray. It only took five decades, but it finally happened. Unfortunately, like most modern Batman suits, it’s got way too much tactical gear and harnesses. It becomes kind of a mess. All of those things are distracting, but it’s great to see Batman in his old-school colors in a modern action scene context.

9. The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises (2008, 2012)

We understand all the reasons why Christopher Nolan updated the Batman suit for The Dark Knight, and later The Dark Knight Rises. He wanted even more realistic fighting gear for Bruce Wayne to use, and a cowl that lets him turn his neck for once. But from an aesthetic standpoint, the armor looks way too much like the hockey pads his fanboy imitators used in the film, which Batman openly mocked. It works in the movie, but it loses all its sleekness for the sake of realism. It isn’t that pleasant to look at overall. We do like the white eyes when he turns on his surveillance mode in his cowl. That scores it some points.

10. Batman v Superman Power Suit (2016)

We could easily go our whole lives without seeing Batman fight Superman in any media ever again. However, to give credit where credit is due, the folks behind Batman v Superman recreated the best Batman battle suit, from Frank Miller’s seminal 1986 story The Dark Knight Returns, to a tea. It genuinely makes Batman look like someone who could legit beat the Man of Steel in a fight. And the glowing white eyes? Again, we love when any live-action Batman suit gives us that. We wouldn’t want to see it all the time (or even ever again), but Zack Snyder deserves credit for bringing this iconic suit to life in such a faithful way. Martha would be proud.

11. Batman Forever “Sonar Suit” (1995)

As much as we loved the first Batman Forever costume we saw Val Kilmer wear in the film, the second chrome “sonar suit” felt like it was made for the Kenner action figure only. The extra details don’t look like muscles, just weird shapes that don’t make sense as armor-plating. If they were on a black rubber suit they might blend in, but in shiny silver tones, they pop out and are distracting. Everything about this outfit screams Happy Meal toy. Also, why do the Bat-ears have all those ridges? That’s weirder than any nipples. Still, it’s better than our next entry, also from a Joel Schumacher Batman film.

12. Batman and Robin “Ice Suit” (1997)

The first Batman costume we see George Clooney’s Dark Knight wear in 1997’s Batman and Robin is basically the same one Val Kilmer wore at the start of the previous movie, with only minor alterations. No, the truly terrible Batman costume Clooney made famous was the ice suit that he wore in the film’s big climax when fighting Mister Freeze. There is way too much silver plating all over this costume, for no real reason except, once again, to sell action figure variants. It’s an awful design overall.

13. Justice League Tactical Suit (2017)

This costume, which appears in both versions of Justice League, commits the biggest crime of all: it doesn’t quite look like Batman anymore. Yes, the extra armor plating is much like the Nolan suits, and is equally not aesthetically pleasing. But it’s not that which makes us rank it so low. The goggles and the ears on the cowl make Affleck’s Batman look way more like Nite Owl from Watchmen. Say what you want about the other suits on this list, they all instantly read like our favorite Gotham vigilante. He should never look like another famous superhero. We should never look at Batman and ask “hey, is that Batman?”

14. Batman Serials (1943, 1949)

Ok, this one is the worst of all. The Columbia Pictures Batman movie serials of 1943 and 1949 were done on the cheap, even by ‘40s standards. But still, there was no excusing that cape and cowl. The cowl literally slides down the actor’s face, looking extremely silly, and his ears don’t even look like bat ears. They look like horns on a devil costume. The Batman costume of the comics of the time looked much cooler, and unlike the ‘60s suit, this didn’t evoke the comics’ look sufficiently. We get it, it was a different time. But it’s still an embarrassing effort.

Originally published on March 28, 2023.

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Not too long ago, James Gunn dropped a number of bombs with regard to the brand new, revamped DCU. (First, it’s no longer the DCEU) Among the things he said were movies like Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequel and Joker: Folie a Deux will get a clear “Elseworlds” label to let people know—much like in the comics—that they are not connected to the overarching DCU. Gunn also gave us a huge list of movies and shows coming to our screens. One of those will be the DCU’s new Batman, a feature film titled The Brave and the Bold. And this Batman movie will have a familiar director at the helm.

The Flash‘s Andy Muschietti Will Direct the DCU’s Batman Movie

Speaking to Variety, James Gunn revealed that Andy Muschietti will direct the DCU’s The Brave and the Bold Batman movie. Gunn noted:

We saw The Flash; even before taking the reins at DC Studios, and knew we were in the hands of not only a visionary director but a massive DC fan. It’s a magnificent film – funny, emotional, thrilling – and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates through every frame. So, when it came time to find a director for The Brave and the Bold, there was really only one choice. Luckily, Andy said yes. Barbara signed on to produce with us and we were on our way. They’re an extraordinary team, and we couldn’t have better or more inspiring partners as we embark on this thrilling new adventure in the DCU.

Of course, Muschietti already directed Batman or two in The Flash, Michael Keaton’s Batman and Ben Affleck’s Batman, to be specific. But there’s no telling yet how similar or different the DCU’s Batman will be when he arrives. Still, experience is never a bad thing.

The Brave and the Bold in DC Comics

Traditionally, The Brave and the Bold at DC Comics pointed to any number of team-ups, usually involving heroes who wouldn’t normally work together. The Silver Age was the big heyday for this title. Beginning in issue #59 the title shifted to almost exclusively a Caped Crusader book, owing to the popularity of the Adam West Batman TV series. While the movie Gunn announced will feature Batman and Robin, it won’t be the familiar dynamic duo most fans know.

The movie will adapt Grant Morrison’s run of Batman comics from the mid-2000s. Morrison took Batman all over the place, killed him off, sent him through time, and then franchised him across the globe. But in specific, Gunn said The Brave and the Bold will focus on Bruce Wayne’s Batman and perhaps Morrison and artist Andy Kubert’s most important contribution to Bat Family canon, his adolescent son Damian Wayne. Damian is Batman’s son with Talia al Ghul, whom Talia and Ra’s al Ghul raised as an assassin.

As Gunn says, the movie will follow Batman’s journey to take the violent nightmare child Damian under his (bat)wing and teach him how to be Robin. While Morrison’s run proved incredibly dark, with new villains like the terrifying Professor Pyg, it was also quite funny.

DC films have long shied away from the idea of Robin, entirely because of the campiness of the Schumacher films. However, Robin is a huge part of the Batman lore. Perhaps using Damian, a darker version, will be a good gateway for people. And Gunn said it will introduce the “Bat Family,” so we might even see a grown up Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Barbara Gordon in the film too.

No word yet on casting, but we are, as with all of these announcements, we are jazzed to all heck.

Originally published on January 31, 2023.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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A tabletop game that brings puzzle-solving and escape room sensibilities to the world of Batman seems like a no-brainer. Until now, no game has brought all the right pieces together. The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City from Infinite Rabbit Holes and Animal Repair Shop does, though. It blends an original Gotham story centered on Harley Quinn with mystery, puzzles, props, and augmented reality (AR). If it sounds like a lot of elements, it is—100 of them, actually. All of them come together for a unique, challenging, and fun experience.

Infinite Rabbit Holes sent us a copy of The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City for review. The story unfolds across seven chapters. You spend time on the streets of Gotham City, which you literally build, and then inside Arkham Asylum. Dr. Harleen Quinzel has a key role—she’s back at Arkham as a therapist—but Harley Quinn shows up too. The primary villain in the game is Anarky, but I won’t go into spoilers on the story or everyone who shows up. I will, however, note the Batman presence is minimal.

As you play through different chapters, the free companion app featuring the Joker will instruct you when to open various envelopes or boxes. Each chapter sets up the next part of the story, often with video components, and then getting into puzzles. You’ll use the AR features to help solve puzzles often, but not every time. I found the various puzzles got more challenging as the game continued, and I turned to hints more often as I progressed. If you get super stumped, you can skip a puzzle to proceed. I had to do so once.

One puzzle in particular utilizes a timer, adding much-appreciated stakes to gameplay. For many things, you can work at your own pace. While the timer did stress me out slightly, it was for an appropriately tense situation.

The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City has many points in its favor, but the biggest is definitely its design, including the sounds and music. This game overflows with attention to detail. Case files, puzzle pieces, packages—it’s a whole lot of surprise and delight for a game set in Gotham’s gritty streets. If you’re the kind of person who likes opening presents, this game brings that type of joy chapter after chapter. Pay close attention to every scribble and every piece of art; Easter eggs abound, as do little character touches. You could easily turn game components into collectible display items.

A few small things to keep in mind for The Arkham Asylum Files:

• If you want to repack the box for future replays, have a letter opener on hand for the many envelopes and boxes.
• Take the recommendation about setting up on a surface you can navigate around seriously. You need room to look at the buildings and board from various angles, especially if you use an iPad instead of an iPhone.
• I recommend splitting game play into chapter-long sessions. It gives your brain some time to rest. For the most part, each chapter has a satisfying conclusion. The final chapter is a little underwhelming as far as activities, so I’d plan to play chapters six and seven at the same time. If you do split up gameplay, you should ideally set the board and buildings up somewhere you can leave them. However, I had to pack my game away after each chapter (I left the buildings assembled) and it was not the end of the world.

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I played The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City with one other person. I’m glad I did—I would have found playing by myself to be too much of a challenge. Even with two people, we finished the entire game in roughly seven hours, split between six sessions. With its creative use of AR paired with a stack of tangible elements and an engaging story, The Arkham Asylum Files is an immersive must for game night.

The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City is available from Infinite Rabbit Holes now.

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Being a superhero isn’t easy—especially not in a city like Gotham. Batman manages the task—some days more successfully than others—and one aspect that has to help is his secret hideout. He stocks his Batcave with technology, weapons, and extra Bat-supplies. Plus Alfred shows up from time to time with tea. LEGO has captured the coolness of the Batcave in its new set from Batman Returns. The LEGO Batcave Shadow Box features a cut-out of the Batman symbol in front of the Batcave. You can open up the Shadow Box to peek inside the Batcave and see the Batmobile, bats, batarangs, and many more details, as Nerdist discovered when LEGO sent us a Batcave Shadow Box for review.

This LEGO set is massive. With 3981 pieces, the box has some heft. It comes with 29 bags, sticker sheets, and four thick manuals. You need room for this build. I’ve put together several LEGO sets, but I wasn’t prepared for this one’s in-construction footprint. Unless you plan to assemble the LEGO Batcave in one marathon session, you’ll need a place to store it when you’re not building and plenty of room as you build—the set needs to swing open at various points during construction.

In addition to this requiring the most physical space of any LEGO sets I have constructed, it also took the most time. Watching Batman Returns during the first build session prolonged the time spent snapping pieces together. I didn’t put on anymore Batman movies as I continued and actually paid full attention to the LEGO Batcave. Assembly took around 10-11 hours total, split between 12 sessions.

When I first glanced at all the bags of seemingly endless gray and black bricks, I didn’t feel confident about how it would come together. Yes, that is Batman’s color palette. No, Gotham isn’t known for being a place of jewel tones or pastels. Still, I wasn’t sure if so much sameness would lend itself to showing off details. I was wrong.

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Those gray and black LEGO bricks brought together a dimensional Batcave layered with stalactites and stalagmites and formations in the cave’s walls. Scaffolding, tools, and various Bat-gadgets break up the space. Moving parts such as a door that lowers to reveal an extra Batsuit, a garage door for the Batmobile, and sliding doors and screens add toyetic components to the Shadow Box. You can roll out the Batmobile and move it around on its own, too.

As far as minifigs, the set pulls from characters in Batman Returns. It comes with seven figures, including two versions of Batman, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, the Penguin, Catwoman, and Max Shreck. I didn’t know I needed a Christopher Walken minifig in my life until this set. As is often the case with LEGO, the accessories for the minifgs are excellent finishing touches.

The LEGO Batcave Shadow Box design is such that it blends the organic shapes of the cave, the flowing lines of the Bat-symbol, and Batman’s vast array of technology perfectly. The variety of pieces makes for dynamic visuals. It’s the kind of LEGO set that demands more lighting to illuminate the background (the set comes with a single light brick). We can see this Shadow Box concept translating to other properties, particularly Star Wars. But until then, I’ll be over here playing with the Batmobile and posing Alfred with his pot of tea.

The LEGO Batcave Shadow Box set is widely available from LEGO’s site or LEGO stores on June 8 for $399.99.

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It’s been 31 years since Michael Keaton last wore the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight in Batman Returns. But after all this time, he’s back as Bruce Wayne in The Flash. As a way of celebrating his long-awaited return, Keaton was part of a special screening hosted by Empire Magazine of his 1989 Batman debut and the upcoming The Flash. At the Q&A, Keaton answered several questions about filming the original Tim Burton film, and how a certain iconic line was totally improvised on set. He explained the origin of “You wanna get nuts?? Let’s get nuts!” to the crowd.

“I don’t think ‘Let’s get nuts’ was in the script, that was me. That scene was never really that good as written, to be honest with you. That was one of the days when we went round and round. I think Kim [Basinger] is in it, me and Jack [Nicholson], nobody could ever find it. I thought, ‘Okay, pressure’s on, man. Pressure. Is. On.’ I thought he’d probably said, ‘Okay, I’m kind of cornered, I only have one way to go and I’d better let this character know that we’re gonna throw down.’

One of the other more famous things Michael Keaton invented for the big screen Batman is the idea that Bruce Wayne had a deeper, gravely voice when in costume. This was definitely not something Adam West did, and almost every other cinematic Batman has followed in Keaton’s footsteps here. Particularly Christian Bale in the three Christopher Nolan films. So what inspired the infamous Bat-voice? According to Keaton, it was really just logic.

“I actually bother people because I fall back to logic. And I remember standing there going, ‘Okay, how are we gonna do this?’ The scene was somebody standing right next to me and I said, this guy’s going to look at me and say, ‘Hey, it’s Bruce Wayne!’ It’s as practical as ‘How does the audience really believe that people don’t go, “clearly this is Bruce Wayne dressed up on a rubber suit…’ “

We are beyond excited to see Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader again The Flash. We can only hope it’s not the last time we see him in the black rubber suit. It’s an infinite multiverse, after all. And who wouldn’t want to see Keaton as “Old Man Bruce” in a live-action Batman Beyond project? To read more details on Keaton’s time making Batman, be sure to head on over to Empire Magazine for more.

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An entire generation will always think of Michael Keaton as their Batman. And now, after over 30 years, he’ll be wearing the cape and cowl again for The Flash. His costume, although slightly altered for modern times, still has the familiar silhouette from Tim Burton’s classic films. Hot Toys is bringing the old/new Batman to life in a deluxe 1/6 scale collector’s figure. Is it just us, or can you already hear that classic Danny Elfman Batman theme? You can check out images of this new figure below in our gallery.

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The Michael Keaton Batman modern suit 1/6 Scale Figure features two brand-new, hand-painted portraits. Both of these are equipped with Hot Toys’ rolling eyeballs feature, allowing collectors to adjust the figure’s gaze. Owners of this figure can swap out the meticulously sculpted and ultra-realistic Bruce Wayne/Michael Keaton head sculpt for a cowled head, which includes interchangeable lower face plates to alter Batman’s expression. (He does have more than one, you know). This Batman figure stands at approximately 30 cm tall.

They’ve dressed the highly articulated 1/6 scale body in a detailed Batsuit, with two interchangeable fabric capes. These replicate the texture and detail of the updated Batman suit we’ll soon see in The Flash. The Dark Knight’s many accessories include his signature Bat-gadgets of course. These include a line launcher, a Batarang, a remote, a bomb timer, and more. The specially designed LED-illuminated display stand is perhaps the coolest addition. This deluxe collectible figure will set you back $305.00, and you can pre-order it now from Sideshow Collectibles. They expect the Batman modern suit figure to ship in July, 2024.

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With Michael Keaton returning as the Dark Knight in The Flash, we’re feeling nostalgic for the Tim Burton Batman films he starred in. We know most people’s favorite is the original 1989 Batman, but we have a soft spot for Burton’s weird and dark follow-up, Batman Returns. Now, LEGO has something amazing for all of our fellow Batman Returns fans, with a brand new Batman Returns Batcave Shadow Box set. The new set arrives on June 8, right before The Flash hits theaters. You can see several images of the LEGO Batcave set below:

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This super-detailed set showcases the full Batcave inside a display box with a cutout in the shape of the world-famous Batman emblem. At the heart of the set is the Caped Crusader’s Batmobile. And it’s sporting the same design as in Tim Burton’s 1992 blockbuster; it’s still one of the best Batmobile designs ever. This LEGO Batcave set features many clever functions and gadgets, including the ability to move furniture and change images on the big screen. You can also open a vault and open a door. There’s even a light brick.

To complete the tribute to the movie, the LEGO Batcave comes with several brand-new minifigures. These include Catwoman, the Penguin, as well as Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, and Christopher Walken’s character of Max Shreck. Alfred looks like he’s making tea for Bruce; we’d like to think he has some vichyssoise soup as well, just as in the movie. The Batman Returns Batcave Shadow Box set has 3,981 pieces. That’s massive! Its measurements are L: cm/in 51,2/20,16,​ W: cm/in 14,8/5,86, and D: cm/in 29,1/11,46. The new Shadow Box set will be available for LEGO VIPs from June 5 at LEGO.com/Batman. It will also arrive via LEGO Stores. It becomes available for all from June 8, priced at $399.99 / £344.99/  € 399.99.

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In 1993, Warner Bros. released Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, one of the finest takes on the Dark Knight in cinema. The story follows a young Bruce Wayne as he begins his life of crime-fighting as Batman. He is torn between the promise he made to his parents to avenge their deaths, and the life of happiness he envisions with his girlfriend, Andrea Beaumont. While the premise of Mask of the Phantasm may sound like a familiar superhero narrative, its frank depiction of grief built a lifelong kinship between myself and Batman. 

I would rewatch my Batman: Mask of the Phantasm VHS like clockwork in the late 1990s and early 2000s. During this time, it was rare for children’s media to depict what it’s like to have dead family members. Sure, it was common for protagonists to be orphans, but the actual, ritualized reality of mourning was hardly ever shown. I distinctly remember visiting my grandfather’s grave a couple times a year with my family when I was growing up. And I had no other frame of reference for this experience except Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. 

Bruce Wayne visits his parents’ graves over the course of the film at different points in his life. Once, while visiting them during his college years, he meets a young woman, Andrea Beaumont, who is visiting her mother’s grave. The two bond and Andrea eventually becomes Bruce’s first love. On one occasion, he tearfully admits to his parents’ graves that he “didn’t count on being happy” after they died. 

Like Bruce Wayne, I grew up in the shadow of loss. My grandfather, who my mother was very close to, died before I was born. Growing up, my mother was very open about how this loss affected her as a parent, knowing that her father never got to meet her youngest child. With the loss of my Gung Gung (the Cantonese word for maternal grandfather) still fresh, we visited his grave a few times a year when I was a child. I would watch my mother speak in a conversational tone free from the tenseness that colored her exchanges with my grandmother. I never heard her speak that way to anyone else, as life required her to be armored and guarded. It evidenced to me, in my early childhood, how my mother was also once a child. 

In Mask of the Phantasm, Bruce and Andrea speak to their parents’ gravestones in the same tone as my mother. Watching these scenes from the film was like watching my mother at the cemetery. I was a silent observer, listening, trying to make sense of the sadness that I felt. It was an intensely private experience, one that I never talked about with anyone my age. This is perhaps why Batman became so personal to me early on. He was a part of this emotional world of grief that I didn’t yet have the language to describe nor understand. 

I’ve only realized how melancholy Mask of the Phantasm is as an adult. This shows how, despite its thematic focus on grief, it formed such a central part of my identity in my childhood. Even though I understood that it was sad that I never got to meet my Gung Gung, I had such a limited scope as to why. For Batman in Mask of the Phantasm, his grief was never born out of the actual, violent loss of his parents, or even evidence of the event itself. This is a rarity, given how frequently the Waynes’ murders have been depicted in film and television over the years. Instead, it grew from the absence of his parents in his life once he became an adult. 

This spoke to the type of longing and grief I experienced as a child. The film doesn’t show Thomas and Martha’s murders. Instead, the story put Batman in this state of general grief where the inciting event took place outside the film’s scope. This closely paralleled my own life because my grandfather’s death happened before my birth. The loss of Bruce’s parents happened before the “birth” of Mask of the Phantasm’s plot and runtime. I may not have even known when I first saw the film that Bruce’s parents were murdered. It’s this ambiguity around their deaths that made it so easy for me to relate to Bruce. In this way, Mask of the Phantasm comforted me. Batman made me feel safe in the conflicting emotions I felt. 

As an adult, Mask of the Phantasm still speaks to me. It represents the pressures of wanting to honor the dead, while still retaining agency over your own future. It’s a story about the transformative power of grief, for both Batman and for Andrea, who is later revealed to be Phantasm, Gotham’s lethal masked vigilante. 

And yet, Mask of the Phantasm didn’t present a negative outlook for me moving forwards. While grief could be a part of me, it could never be all of me. The film itself echoes this because it isn’t entirely a tragedy. It’s also a thrilling noir and a coming-of-age story. Grief is a facet of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, but not the entire picture. In this way, I’ll always be grateful that I had Batman to teach me this vital lesson. 

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Matt Reeves’ version of Gotham City in The Batman was my favorite of all the cinematic outings. That movie got the mix of heightened comic bookery and crime drama, I think has been sorely missing. While the Riddler was the major supervillain of the film, and Carmine Falcone proved a sneaky sub-villain, it was Colin Farrell’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot that was the most fun. What a relief that the Max spinoff series The Penguin is still happening. The streamer shared an “in-production teaser” for The Penguin series, which will drop in 2024. It already has us hyped.

From this teaser, we can already see the power vacuum in place in Gotham’s criminal underworld after Falcone’s death. The Penguin wants to step in this teaser, but he’s by no means the only player. We know Cristin Milioti will play Sofia Falcone, Carmine’s daughter. She and Oz have a drink, and it’s possible she’ll back to play, or at least partner, with him. We also know mother-effing Clancy Brown will play Salvatore Maroni, the rival crime boss to Falcone and the one Falcone lied to Bruce Wayne about having killed his parents. Maroni also, in comics lore, was the one who tossed acid in Harvey Dent’s face.

The rest of the cast includes Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell, with Michael Zegen recurring. The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro.

We cannot wait to see the powerplays, back-stabbing, and Sopranos-esque intrigue of The Penguin when it drops next year. Gotham will never be the same.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Although it will not belong to the main on-screen DC Universe, we were very happy to hear that The Batman – Part II will continue on in DC’s new world order. Under James Gunn and Peter Safran, The Batman – Part II will belong to DC’s Elseworlds Projects. These projects will take place in TV, movie, or game form but will not factor into the main universe story. Still, they play a critical role in keeping the DC Universe varied and interesting. Here’s everything we know about The Batman – Part II.

Title

For now, the sequel to The Batman carries the descriptive title of The Batman – Part II.

The Batman – Part II‘s Plot

We don’t know much yet about The Batman – Part II‘s plot. But we do know that a cinematic universe is building for The Batman. Next up, we’ll see a Penguin series on HBO Max, and that will tie directly into the coming sequel.

One thing is clear about The Batman – Part II; its focus will stay on Batman, a.k.a Bruce Wayne. Reeves shares:

To me, the thing that I really feel is that I also believe that Rob [Pattinson] is so special in the role. My goal has always been to do these point-of-view stories that allow the character to always be the emotional center of the story. Because a lot of times what happens is, after you do the first one, then suddenly other Rogues Gallery characters come in, and they kind of take over, and then Batman takes a backseat sort of character-wise, or emotionally.

The Batman – Part II‘s Cast

For now, we know Robert Pattinson will return as our Bruce Wayne/Batman. It just wouldn’t be a The Batman movie without him. In addition, an article in GQ notes that Matt Reeves has confirmed Andy Serkis’ return as Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman – Part II.

Behind the Scenes

Matt Reeves is returning to write the sequel to The Batman. But this time, he will find a co-writer in Mattson Tomlin. We assume Reeves will also direct The Batman – Part II.

The Batman – Part II Release Date

The Batman – Part II will release on October 3, 2025.

Originally published on February 8, 2023.

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Among the big announcements from James Gunn about the future of the DCU was news of a new Batman in a film called The Brave and the Bold. This movie would have our first big-screen Robin in 25 years. But that Robin won’t be Dick Grayson, but Damian Wayne, Bruce’s biological son. Gunn described Damian as “a little son of a bitch.” This might confuse some out there who remember Robin as just a fun kid in a colorful costume. But before we get into the history of the fifth Robin, we’ve got a brief history of his four predecessors.

A Brief History of the Robins

Robin has been synonymous with Batman since 1940. The original Robin, Dick Grayson, became a household name thanks to the Batman ’66 TV show. He filled the sidekick role for 44 years. Until DC finally allowed him to grow up and become Nightwing in 1984. His successor as Robin, Jason Todd, had a far more brief career. Fans disliked him, and actually voted to have him killed in 1988. But only a year later, Batman had another new Robin, in the form of teenage genius Timothy Drake. That Robin proved popular with fans, and remained as the main one for 15 years. For a brief time, his girlfriend Stephanie Brown was Robin too. This brings us to Robin #5, the only Boy Wonder who is Batman’s biological son.

Son of the Demon: The Early Origins of Damian Wayne

Although he did not officially appear until 2006, Damian Wayne’s origins actually go back further. They began in the 1987 graphic novel, Batman: Son of the Demon. In that story, Batman and Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his enemy Ras al Ghul, finally became an official couple. She got pregnant, and Bruce Wayne vowed to quit his Batman career and raise the child. But realizing that the world needed a Batman, Talia fakes a miscarriage and asked Bruce to leave.

The epilogue of that story showed that nine months later, Talia gave birth to a baby boy, who she gave up for adoption. The child was never seen or heard from again in any Batman title. Eventually, one of DC’s multiversal crossovers, Zero Hour, erased this whole story from continuity. Although a few Elseworlds stories and alternate futures would feature different characters as grown-up versions of Bruce and Talia’s child. None were named Damian, and remained out-of-continuity characters.

Batman and Son: Damian Wayne Enters Mainstream DC Continuity

In 2006, writer Grant Morrison began an epic run on Batman, starting with the story “Batman and Son.” In this story, Talia reappeared and revealed to the Dark Knight that their tryst a decade prior had resulted in her becoming pregnant. Whether or not that tryst was consensual remains the subject of much debate, as the implication was that Talia drugged Batman. That child was Damian Wayne, trained by Talia and her father’s League of Assassins to be the ultimate warrior. By the age of ten, he was one of the world’s deadliest killers, and worthy of inheriting the al Ghul legacy. But she wanted him to know his father, so she left Damian in the care of Bruce Wayne.

Damian was rude, entitled, and ready to kill an enemy at the drop of a hat. He believed his intense training since he was a toddler meant he was the superior Robin. He beat the snot out of the then-current Robin, Tim Drake, and essentially took on the Robin mantle without his father’s permission. Bruce agreed to train him, and guide him away from becoming a horrible little murder brat. But not long after that, DC Comics’ God of Evil, Darkseid, killed Batman (spoilers: not really). During the time the world believed Batman dead, Dick Grayson became the new Caped Crusader. He took on Damian as his Robin, and the two formed a special bond, despite Damian’s initial dislike for his father’s original partner.

The New Dynamic Duo

Damian and Dick made for an interesting Batman and Robin. After all, Dick was essentially Damian’s older brother. And unlike Bruce, he was a Batman who understood what it was like to be a Robin. Even when Dick returned to his Nightwing role, their time together as partners forged a bond between them. When Bruce returned from the grave, he and Damian officially became a father/son Dynamic Duo.

But Bruce always kept a watchful eye on Damian, fearing he might give in to his original training and kill one of his enemies. Batman and the whole Bat-family did everything they could to curb Damian’s natural tendencies toward killing. Not to mention his propensity to just be a selfish little brat. He even talked back to Alfred. Under their watch, Damian truly became a better person, and ultimately rejected the ways of his mother and grandfather, choosing his father’s path in life.

Damian Wayne’s Death and Rebirth

Batman and Robin became a real team, both as superheroes and as father and son. It’s during this time that fate took Damian away from Bruce. Realizing that her son had chosen her father’s ways over her own, Talia created a clone of Damian’s who was force-grown into an adult. The clone, named Heretic, does battle with Damian, and he killed the younger version. A broken Bruce Wayne buried his son, but before long, his mother and grandfather stole the body, hoping to resurrect him in one of Ra’s’ Lazarus Pits.

Although Bruce stopped then from bringing his son back, during this time he was given the choice to use the Chaos Shard, a crystal that once belonged to Darkseid. Fueled by the power of the Omega Sanction, it allowed Bruce Wayne to make a terrible “Sophie’s Choice” — to bring back his parents, whose death caused him a lifetime of pain, or bring back his son. He realized he loved his son more than he missed his parents, and Damian Wayne returned, restored. (He also had superpowers for a time, but they faded).

Making Friends His Own Age

Realizing that Damian needs friends close to his own age, Nightwing suggested he join the Teen Titans. Despite being younger than his teammates, he quickly became team leader. While his partnership with the Titans was always fraught with tension, he found a true friend in Jonathan Kent, the son of Superman and Lois Lane. The kind-hearted Jon saw past Damian’s rough exterior. Much like their respective fathers, they saw past their night and day differences and became best friends, known as “the Super Sons.”

Recently, Damian, now a teenager, split from his father and went off on his own again, making Tim Drake Batman’s partner once more. But it won’t be long, in our humble opinion, before Damian Wayne is back at his father’s side. We are pretty sure that this is one Dynamic Duo that is in for the long haul. Especially once he makes his cinematic debut.

The post Damian Wayne, Batman’s Son and the Current Robin, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Light up the Bat-signal, DC fans! With yesterday’s announcement, James Gunn and DC Studios’ not only revealed the first steps of the new DC Universe, but some major changes to the Dark Knight’s role in it. Hector takes a trip to Gotham to break down all the latest Bat-News and what it could mean for the future of the character in today’s episode of Nerdist News!

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There have been many great actors who have portrayed the Joker in live-action, going back to Cesar Romero in Batman ’66. Heck, two actors have even won Academy Awards for playing the Crown Prince of Crime. But one actor who really should have played the Joker never did. We’re talking about Willem Dafoe, who has played many a Joker-esque character on screen, including Marvel’s Green Goblin.

Now, one very talented sculptor on YouTube by the name of Crafty Art has imagined what Dafoe would look like as Batman’s arch-nemesis, by creating an amazingly accurate bust. It took some 300 hours to complete, but you can view the whole process in just 11 minutes. You can watch the Dafoe Joker come to life in the video down below:

Could we ever see a Dafoe Joker for real? Well, Crafty Art hopes their sculpture manifests the idea into reality. Here is what they said on their YouTube channel:

I think it would be incredible to see Willem Dafoe playing along with Joaquin Phoenix in the upcoming Joker movie sequel Folie a Deux, which translates to “Shared Madness“. He is old enough to be playing Arthur Fleck’s father, and since Thomas Wayne was revealed to not be his dad, I think this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for Willem to take on the role of Joker’s father. Maybe if this idea catches on and gets to Todd Philips, maybe it could happen. Who knows. It’s not the first time an actor was fan cast.

You won’t hear us arguing against this fan casting. In fact, Willem Dafoe very nearly was the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. The film’s screenwriter, Sam Hamm, had wanted Dafoe for the part, and even told the actor he had him in mind. But ultimately, they went with Jack Nicholson. But we say it’s never too late. Dafoe’s turns as Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home proved he’s still got the sinister cackle. Now, all he needs is the clown makeup. Dafoe certainly has ideas about playing a Joker character. In the meantime, at least we’ve got this ultra-cool statue to show us what might be.

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Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Cesar Romero, they were all great Jokers. But in our opinion, the GOAT when it comes to portrayals of the Clown Prince of Crime is none other than Mark Hamill. For over thirty years, Hamill has lent his voice to the Joker, since the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. In the subsequent decades, we’ve heard his signature cackle in countless other animated films and video games.

However, it seems his days as “Mister J” are now officially over. And the reason why is simple. The Batman to his Joker is no longer with us, as Kevin Conroy passed away last year. Here’s what Mark Hamill had told Empire Magazine (via ScreenRant) about retiring his Joker for good:

They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin [Conroy] Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in.’ We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”

Honestly, we fully agree with Mr. Hamill here. Whenever he played the Joker, it was always opposite the late, great Kevin Conroy. They were a duo for over three decades, and it just feels wrong to hear one without the other. Out of respect for his friend, we totally get it. And we fully support his decision.

Mark Hamill’s version of the iconic DC villain will go down in history, and we have dozens of episodes and movies of his Joker to relive. This was the classiest decision he could make regarding the character. Although other voice actors will (and have) taken on the Dark Knight and Joker animated roles, in our humble opinion, they have an uphill battle to ever match the team of Conroy and Hamill. When it came to voice acting, this was the real dynamic duo.

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Just recently, it felt like The Batman 2 might take ages to solidify as a meaningful project. Despite Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves’ The Batman movie resonating with audiences, little was known about how a sequel to the film might proceed. But now, a lot is happening in that direction. Firstly, Matt Reeves and his production company 6th & Idaho have signed an overall first-look film deal with Warner Bros. Secondly, The Batman 2 has found a second writer. Mattson Tomlin will co-write the script for the second The Batman movie with Matt Reeves. And despite some upheaval in the world of Warner Bros. Discovery, Matt Reeves assures us he’s working on The Batman 2 and a whole The Batman universe at that.

As mentioned, it has been a tumultuous time for Warner Bros. Discovery. Many choices the company has made, such as canceling its Batgirl movie and removing streaming content from HBO Max, have landed poorly with consumers. No doubt, the company hopes to combat some of this with good news. And progress on The Batman 2 certainly is that.

Most recently, Reeves assured us that The Batman 2 was still in the works. He noted to Comicbook.com, “I mean, I can’t give an update on that in terms of specifics, except to tell you that we are hard at work on the script… My partner and I are deep in it and I’m excited about what we’re going to do.”

Additionally, according to Collider, Reeves is planning a connected world for The Batman. He revealed, “There’s actually a whole little fabric of things we’re wanting to do, the way we’re doing with [The] Penguin and how that comes back into how that will lead into the sequel, and what that sequel is going to be.” Between The Batman 2, The Penguin, and whatever comes next, sounds like a world is quickly coming together.

Additionally, according to Deadline, Reeves “has become the first filmmaker given an overall first-look film deal since Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy were hired by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to steer the film division.” Warner Bros. Pictures Group will now have first-look rights to anything Matt Reeves creates as a writer, director, and/or producer. Reeves also re-upped his deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. Presently, we know that Reeves’ Penguin spinoff series will begin to film soon. We have also heard discussions of The Batman spinoff series that will take place at Arkham Asylum.

When it comes to The Batman 2, as mentioned, we know nearly nothing about the movie. The Batman‘s final scenes indicate The Joker may play a role in a sequel, but it’s too early to tell. All we know right now is that The Batman 2 is definitely a go, and Mattson Tomlin will co-write it with Matt Reeves, per The Hollywood Reporter. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.

Originally published on August 23, 2022.

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At some point, even if it takes decades, we will get to see Batgirl. (Right? Right?) How can we not!? The thought of any finished big budget film getting shelved for tax purposes is absurd enough, but cancelling the release of Batgirl is especially egregious. It’s a $90 million movie starring a wildly popular comic book character. And it just so happens to feature a cameo by Michael Freaking Keaton as Batman. That’s why we have to believe it will finally make it to theaters or streaming some day. Until that day comes, though, the film’s star is giving us an idea of what we’re missing out on. Leslie Grace has been sharing some behind-the-scenes footage from the production. And her TikTok videos, along with her most recent Instagram retrospective, show she was ready to battle Gotham’s most dangerous criminals.

Leslie Grace posted the first of two (so far) videos from the making of Batgirl with a simple message: “I couldn’t resist.” The original TikTok features shots of her training for fight sequences, practicing stunts, and wearing some fantastic costumes while sporting some pretty nasty “wounds” from her vigilante lifestyle. It also has a quick flash of a scene from the actual movie. As well as a silly moment of Grace in her Batgirl costume in front of some very fun set pieces.

Her second video includes even more backstage footage from all of the training she did, as well as some footage from from filming. Only this video is set to an original song by Grace. It’s a fitting ode to how she feels right now, but that wasn’t on purpose. She said she “wrote this song during the pandemic.. b4 I even knew ANY of this would be my life.”

Most recently, Leslie Grace shared some more Batgirl memories with us as she looked back on 2022. This year-long retrospective video gives us even more glimpses at what the cancelled movie could have looked like.

All of this just makes us want to see the movie even more. Clearly, Batgirl was going to embrace both the bravery and danger of working as Gotham’s hero. Instead, it’s sitting in some computer waiting for a number cruncher to realize movies are works of art, not tax write-offs.

It’s day will come. We just don’t know when. All we can do is hope Batgirl won’t be “lonely too” for much longer.

Originally published on September 27, 2022.

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We’re still reeling from the passing of the indelible Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman for over 30 years. It seemed unthinkable that we’d never get to hear a new project which featured his distinctive growl as the Caped Crusader. Well, luckily, the folks at Rocksteady Games also felt this way, and knew we all needed to hear him again. During the Game Awards 2022, a new cinematic trailer dropped for the long-developing game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Entitled “Shadows,” the teaser has the members of the Squad (who are fighting against a Justice League gone homicidal) run across the Dark Knight who has a very familiar voice.

All the way back in 2020 during the first DC FanDome event, we saw the teaser trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. (Back then, the title didn’t have a colon; how times change.) It showed the various members of the Skwad in a destroyed Metropolis gearing up for a big battle. The dun-dun-dun moment of that one was Superman. Here, the members (Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang) drag an unconscious Flash into some kind of dark store room or garage.

Naturally, Boomer wants a piece of the Flash, and in fact accidentally carves off a hunk of Speedster with his slicey-dicey boomerang. Awhoops. Unfortunately, no sooner has this happened than someone creeps into the shadows. It’s Batman! Harley says hello and tells her fellow bad-but-good-guys that it’s okay! Batman doesn’t kill. Well, that’s normally the case, but something is clearly off here. We see Bats, with dark, spidery veins on his face. He’s been toxified or something.

The teaser ends, gloriously, with Kevin Conroy saying his most-quoted line from Batman: The Animated Series.

“I am vengeance.
I am the night.
I. Am. BATMAN!”

It’s enough to give people chills on its own, but knowing Conroy has recently passed, plus the message “Thank you Kevin,” really choked us up. Conroy, as you well know, voiced Batman in Rocksteady’s genre-redefining Arkham series of games, which introduced a new generation of kids to the most perfect voice ever to don the proverbial cowl.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches May 26, 2023, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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It doesn’t take a billionaire playboy vigilante to own a Batmobile, but it does take a multi-millionaire. And what rich Batman fan wouldn’t want a replica of the best live-action Batmobile in history? Though this particular one didn’t appear in any of the films, it was used in the Six Flags Batman stunt show back in the ’90s. The replica Batmobile from Batman and Batman Returns is for sale for $1.5 million from Classic Auto Mall, which describes it as a “curvaceous steampunked black fiberglass construction that borrows from racing and a few classics, has several drops of psychedelics peppered within, and is one of a kind.”

Click To View Gallery

The detailing on this Batmobile is incredible and looks straight out of Tim Burton’s fantasies. There’s a jet engine in the front and a flamethrower in the back. The second steering wheel behind the main seats is actually what drives the car. In old clips of the stunt show, you can see the stunt driver hiding so the Batmobile looks like it obeys voice commands just like in the movies.

This means the car actually seats three people—though it’s not street legal and tops out at 30 miles per hour. The dashboard is covered with lights, levers, and switches that the Classic Auto Mall describes as “an overabundance of nonfunctional bells and whistles.” There’s no mention of grappling hooks or machine guns.

We found out about the sale from DesignTAXI. If you don’t have the $1.5 million to drop on this Batmobile, you can always rent classic movie cars. If you’ve got $30,000, why not get a Batmobile clock? Or if a LEGO Batmobile is more your speed, those are “only” $250. Maybe we’ll just watch Batman again and revel in the awesome-ness of his wonderful toys.  

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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With the tragic passing of Kevin Conroy, Kyle Anderson takes a look back at the life and career of the iconic actor. From becoming the voice of Batman for an entire generation to his volunteer work in the aftermath of 9/11, Nerdist pays tribute to Kevin Conroy on today’s episode of Nerdist Now.

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Two generations of kids have lost their Batman. I remember in 1991 when Batman: The Animated Series debuted, thinking the voice of this new cartoon Batman was so cool, so perfect. Later I learned it was an actor named Kevin Conroy; for 30 years the actor and character have been inseparable. They still are, and ever will be. Sadly, we won’t get any new Batman adventures with Conroy as the voice. Today publicists confirmed the actor has passed away at the age of only 66 after a short battle with cancer.

Conroy was a Julliard-trained thespian who performed in both New York and at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The actor received rave reviews for his starring performances in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Public Theater, Eastern Standard on Broadway, Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee, and in the title role of Hamlet at the 1984 New York Shakespeare Festival. In addition, he performed in films and television – most notably in the mid-1980s when he had recurring roles on Dynasty, Tour of Duty, and Ohara; successful runs on soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Another World; and guest roles on popular series like Cheers, Murphy Brown, Spenser: For Hire and Matlock.

But for all his other accomplishments and accolades, it was his preeminent work in the voice booth that earned him legendary status. Beginning in 1991, Conroy gave voice to a new animated version of Batman and alter-ego Bruce Wayne. So iconic was his character that even after the end of Batman: The Animated Series, Conroy remained in the role time and again. From appearances on Superman: The Animated Series to playing the elderly version of Bruce Wayne in Batman Beyond, to Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Conroy was the voice of the DC Animated Universe.

Beginning in 2009, Conroy and costar Mark Hamill would reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker, respectively, in the hugely popular and influential Arkham trilogy of video games. Taking control of a beefed up version of Batman with Conroy’s voice in your head was perfect. Rocksteady Games very smartly realized, for the people they hoped would love their games, Conroy and Hamill were those characters. No better way to legitimize these games with longtime fans.

In total, Conroy provided the voice of Batman in nearly 60 different productions, including 15 films – highlighted by the acclaimed Batman: Mask of the Phantasm; 15 animated series, spanning nearly 400 episodes and more than 100 hours of television; as well as two dozen video games. Conroy was also featured as a live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s 2019-2020 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

Hamill had this to say about working with Conroy for 30+ years.

“Kevin was perfection. He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated.”

“For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner – it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”

Emmy-winning voice director Andrea Romano, who worked with Conroy and Hamill on so many of those productions, added this.

“Kevin was far more than an actor whom I had the pleasure of casting and directing – he was a dear friend for 30+ years whose kindness and generous spirit knew no boundaries. Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever.”

And writer-producer Paul Dini, one of the key creatives on Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Arkham City, and many, many more, spoke of Conroy’s generosity both in and out of the booth.

“Kevin brought a light with him everywhere, whether in the recording booth giving it his all, or feeding first responders during 9/11, or making sure every fan who ever waited for him had a moment with their Batman. A hero in every sense of the word. Irreplaceable. Eternal.”

For kids like me, who truly grew to love the whole Batman mythos thanks to those animated adventures, Kevin Conroy’s voice is the one we hear when we read any comic book version of the character. He’s not simply the best and most perfect iteration of the character; he’s an example of how to share your gift with as many people as you can. All of us wished to be as cool as Batman, as kind as Batman, as heroic as Batman. While the movies tend to go darker and darker, believing it unrealistic to be otherwise, Conroy’s performance will forever represent the platonic ideal of the Caped Crusader.

Conroy is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy. Memorial services are pending.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Wayne Manor is rebooted almost as often as the Batman franchise itself. In the video below, architect and Batman fan Michael Wyetzner breaks down (almost) every live-action depiction of the stately mansion for Architectural Digest. Even if you have no idea what dormers, crenellations, and lintels are, it’s an insightful roundup that serves as a history lesson for Batman fans. Wayne Manor’s architectural evolution? Sign us up.

As you may know, Wayne Manor started out as a relatively modest home in the comics, as seen in the image below. The 1949 show gave it a similar look, using a house on the Warner Bros. backlot also seen in everything from Bewitched to Lethal Weapon. But every other depiction of Batman’s house gives off billionaire vibes rather than just upper-middle class. The first serial in 1943 depicted a mansion, as did the 1960s series with Adam West. And then Tim Burton went full Gothic palace in Batman. Interestingly, in Batman Returns, Wayne Manor is a different house. Wyetzner analyzes the fish tank version of it because the exterior shots don’t show as many details.

Wyetzner seems to approve most of Christopher Nolan’s choices for Wayne Manor. Both manors are real Elizabethan houses, pictured below. The scenes where Bruce lives in a penthouse in The Dark Knight were actually filmed in a famous downtown Chicago building’s lobby. The Batman has our hero back in a tower, but with a very different interior that looks more like a Gothic church than a penthouse. 

Did you know that Wayne Manor in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin (pictured below) is also in the more recent Gotham and Joker? But as some people pointed out in the video’s comments section, Wyetzner skips some of the Batfleck houses. We’d also happily watch his breakdown of the animated Wayne Manors, so here’s hoping for a part two.

This video is part of the Architectural Details playlist, which also includes insights into Disney castles, Bridgerton, and more. The Architectural Digest YouTube channel also tours celebrity homes and expensive open listings.  

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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It was a big surprise when they announced Colin Farrell as the Penguin for The Batman. But after seeing the movie, we absolutely buy it. Big time. Also on board for this new Farrell version of Oswald Cobblepot is HBO Max, who, have officially commissioned a series based on the iconic DC villain. This is the second The Batman spinoff for the streamer, who is also developing an Arkham Asylum series.

Most recently, Deadline revealed that Cristin Milioti has joined the Penguin series as the female lead of the show, Sofia Falcone. The publication shares that Sofia Falcone is the “daughter of Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in the film. Sofia is fighting with The Penguin (Farrell) for control of the city.”

Here’s what we know about this Colin Farrell Penguin spinoff series.

The current working title is, go figure, The Penguin, though that could change. Lauren LeFranc will write the script for the series and serve as showrunner. The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark will serve as executive producers, along with Farrell. However, Matt Reeves will not be directing the movie, per Colin Farrell.

The Penguin‘s Timeline

Though initial reports before the movie’s release made it seem like an origin story for Oswald Cobblepot, the official announcement confirms it’s a continuation of The Batman.

Matt Reeves said in a statement:

Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in The Batman, and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill.  Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.

LeFranc had this to say:

“I have long been a fan of the world of The Batman, and Matt’s film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot? I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen.”

Additionally, Farrell notes that The Penguin “starts about a week after the film The Batman ends. So Gotham is still somewhat underwater… I read the first script for the first episode, and it opens up with my feet splashing through the water in Falcone’s office. Even just that alone, I read it, I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’ It’s lovely. It’s so well-written.”

The Penguin‘s Batman Universe

Hopefully, the show will feature other Bat villains. Perhaps some that aren’t prominent enough to have a starring role in a Batman movie on their own. (We’re rooting for you, Ventriloquist and Scarface)! HBO Max is doubling down on their DC Comics-based shows. They’ve got James Gunn’s Peacemaker series, a Green Lantern show in pre-production, as well as a J.J. Abrams-produced Justice League Dark. This is on top of shows like Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn. We’d love to see new and familiar faces in this Colin Farrell Penguin series.

When the Penguin series eventually debuts, it will make three different Batman universes on the same platform. Titans feature many Gotham-based heroes, and they say the upcoming Batgirl movie is to be in the DCEU. Meanwhile, there will be two separate series tied to The Batman. Once upon a time, this might have confused general audiences. But we’re living in a Multiverse-savvy popular culture now. No word yet as to when Penguin’s solo series debuts, but per Deadline, it aims to begin production in February 2023.

Originally published December 6, 2021.

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Batman is vengeance, but what does that smell like? Bergamot, cardamom, jasmine, and patchouli, apparently. At least according to House of Sillage, a luxury fragrance company with a line of products tied in to The Batman. And “Vengeance” is on sale for $177 right now, so that seems like a good deal. However, if you want to smell like a hero, that will set you back more. The “Hero” scent sells for $395, which could be because there’s over 100 Swarovski crystals on the bottle. This is including a blinged-out batarang. So what does a hero smell like, you may ask? Well, that would be candied apple, pear leaves, smoky rose, violet, sandalwood, musk, and moss, of course. Check out the full line in the picture below. Like any recent Batman image, it needed to be brightened so you could see what was going on. 

The House of Sillage collection also includes a candle and a refillable lipstick case in the shape of a bow-tie with enough bling for billionaires like Bruce Wayne. Maybe that’s where Batman keeps his grease pen to get that perfect smokey eye when he needs to suit up. Apparently the House of Sillage lipsticks have diamond powder in them for that real luxury (or Twilight vampire) feel. 

The descriptions boast that the fragrances were “created to capture the olfactory sensorial experience of Gotham City.” I’ve never considered what the crime-ridden city smells like, but would expect it to be unpleasant. While we’re at it, if I had to hazard a guess I’d say heroes usually reek of the sweat and grime. Of course, that comes from fighting vigilante-style in their city of choice. But hey, musky pear leaves sounds nice too.

If you’re feeling fancy enough to try out these Batman fragrances, why not really go all out and spend money like Bruce Wayne by dropping $100,000 on a The Batman-themed luxury watch. 

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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Todd Phillips’ Joker turned into the surprise DC hit that no one expected. It made over a billion dollars, and won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. But many wondered if this film, which was a dark character study, would translate into an automatic sequel. Well, Hollywood is still a show business. You don’t make that much money without a part two in the works. And now, per Deadline, the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, has its release date, October 4, 2024. Lady Gaga’s official involvement has also been confirmed.

Earlier in the year, we heard, per The Hollywood Reporter, that Lady Gaga was in very early talks of joining the Joker sequel. Sources reported that Gaga would likely play Harley Quinn (a different universe’s version, of course) and that this film will be a musical. Wait, what?! That’s quite the departure from the dark first film but honestly we are here for it. And Lady Gaga just revealed this to be true.

In Lady Gaga’s Twitter post, we can see a Harley Quinn-esque heart dotting her character’s cheek. And while the video doesn’t fully say that the Joker 2 will be a musical, it does seem to indicate music and dancing will be involved.

The Joker sequel will, of course, be titled Joker: Folie à Deux, which translates to “Joker: Shared Madness.” You can see the original title reveal post from Phillips below:

From the look of things, Phillips is reuniting with his original Joker co-writer Scott Silver for this continuation. The title suggests that the end of the first film, which shows Joker gaining a cult of followers who practically worship him, is going to be the subject of the second film. It is still a mystery as to how much of the iconography of the comics will play into this sequel.

The first film only lightly touched upon some story elements from Batman: The Killing Joke. It was way, way more influenced by the movies of Martin Scorsese. Particularly, The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver. Maybe we’ll see the development of other Batman villains in this film, who become inspired by Arthur Fleck to give in to the darkest impulses. Bruce Wayne is still a kid in this timeline, so unless there is a massive time-jump, don’t expect any Dark Knight action.

As far as the Joker 2 cast goes, alongside Gaga and Phoenix, Brendan Gleeson as now joined the cast, per Deadline, his character is not yet known. Additionally, Joker: Folie à Deux has cast Catherine Keener in a “major” but unknown role. It seems that Jacob Lofland has also joined the cast, as has Industry‘s Harry Lawtey.

There have also been rumors that Zazie Beetz would reprise her role as Sophie Dumond. As mentioned, the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, will arrive in theaters during the fall of 2024.

Originally published on June 7, 2022.

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The Batman released earlier this month, but tidbits from the film have continued to drop on rataalada.com. Fans of the movie will remember the site plays a pivotal role in allowing Batman and Jim Gordon to communicate directly with the Riddler in order to learn about his next target. And now, the site’s led to a deleted scene from the movie. This deleted The Batman scene fully reveals Barry Keoghan’s Joker. Director Matt Reeves previously teased the scene, promising we’d see it eventually. And luckily, we didn’t have to wait long. We even got two versions, the full scene and the full scene with director’s commentary.

Five more minutes of Barry Keoghan excellence! While we only got a glimpse of the actor’s heavily shielded face inside an Arkham Asylum cell for a single scene, this deleted scene treats us to a whole lot more. Keoghan is one of the most exciting actors currently working. Nobody pulls off menacing quite like him. And this clip gives us five whole minutes of Robert Pattinson’s Batman going toe-to-toe with Barry Keoghan’s Joker.

Fans who visited rataalada.com had to answer a few riddles in order to unlock the deleted scene. (It is the Riddler’s website after all.) And the riddles’ themes heavily foreshadowed the clip to come. In the scene, Batman’s at Arkham Asylum looking for the Joker’s perspective on the Riddler. It’s immediately clear the pair know each other, although we don’t know the extent of it. Batman slides the Riddler file through the slot and picking it up, the Joker says, “It’s almost our anniversary, isn’t it.”

However, the Barry Keoghan’s Joker doesn’t necessarily give Batman the clarity he’s looking for. He points out that the Riddler “is a nobody who wants to be somebody,” highlighting how this vendetta is personal. However, he continues to taunt Batman by pointing out that the Dark Knight is missing the point in the file—how much the vigilante and Gotham City’s new serial killer have in common. (And to be fair, Bruce Wayne’s and Edward Nashton’s lives do have parallels.) This, naturally, is something the Caped Crusader is not interested in hearing.

In addition to the deleted scene itself, Warner Bros. has also released a director’s commentary of the clip. Here’s Matt Reeves’ vision of the interaction between these two iconic characters:

Reeves gives us a lot of insight into this moment between Keoghan’s Joker and Pattinson’s Batman. He outlines for us this very Hannibal Lecter-esque scene where Batman goes to the Joker to better understand the mind of a serial killer. This character, Reeves explains, is the Joker, but not yet the Joker. Reeves refers to him as the “Unseen Prisoner.” This character will become the Joker in time, but he hasn’t quite reached the place yet. He definitely has history with Batman, though.

The director’s commentary also allows us to delve deeper into the Joker. Reeves shares again thoughts on the origins of this version of the Clown Prince of Crime. He notes that Conrad Veidt’s Gwynplaine from The Man Who Laughs offers a critical inspiration. This Joker can’t help his vicious smile. He has been marked by events in his childhood. And these events have informed his life. He has no belief in the goodness of people, but instead an insidious understanding of how they behave.

Meanwhile, Reeves notes that Batman, in a sense, shares an understanding with the killers he hunts. He feels the people the Riddler hurt received just desserts. But that way of thinking doesn’t feel acceptable to him, so he pushes it away. A struggle we will surely see continue should The Batman get a sequel. Although narratively, this scene ultimately didn’t add much, it sure feels fun to see.

Interestingly, Barry Keoghan first auditioned for the role of Riddler before landing Joker instead.

Now watch @BarryKeoghan‘s audition for Matt Reeves’ The Batman. This one got him the role of Joker. pic.twitter.com/vOPsKRdoid

— British GQ (@BritishGQ) October 3, 2022

In the final cut, we never get a good look at Keoghan’s Joker, which only adds to the mystery of who this spooky prisoner is. But in this deleted scene we get a better look at the Joker, even if it’s still a bit blurred and shadowed indicating that the Joker has not fully formed. Even blurry, he looks incredible. We’ve talked a lot about Colin Farrell’s transformation into Oswald Cobblepot and how well the makeup and prosthetics came together. But wow is Barry Keoghan’s transformation into the Joker impressive. From the hair to the scarring, it perfectly complements Keoghan’s manic, terrifying energy.

Originally published on April 4, 2022. 

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Everyone has a favorite Batman movie. If The Batman is yours and you also like luxury watches, this $100,000 timepiece is right up your alley. Best not wear it anywhere called “Crime Alley” though. The watch is the latest limited edition piece made by Kross Studio in Switzerland. They only have 10 for sale. Like the movie, there’s “dark styling” in the form of black and very, very dark gray materials. The centerpiece is the movie’s Bat-Signal, sending a beacon to the Caped Crusader. For $100,000 you also get a 12-inch tall Bat-Signal watch holder and “functional art piece” that lights up.

Click To View Gallery

The luxury watch is 283 pieces of hand-crafted machinery. There’s no battery, so you need to wind it at least every five days. How to read the time is a bit of a riddle, with the minute dial rotating instead of the usual hands. More details and pictures are available on the Kross Studio website.

And don’t forget a protective watch roll for your expensive timepiece. Kross also offers four styles at $250 each. Choose from a Batman mask, batarang, Catwoman mask, or one styled with The Riddler’s mask and emblems. Believe it or not, this $100,000 watch is actually Kross’s lowest priced licensed luxury watch to date. They also offer a $150,000 Death Star watch and a Boba Fett watch for $120,000.

This reminds us that the team at Hacksmith recently made a working Bat-Signal. While they don’t often reveal how much their builds cost, we can’t help but wonder if it’s close to the $100,000 price tag of this watch.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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If not even a Batman series has a chance on HBO Max, it really doesn’t bode well for anything else. The deluge of things axed or removed from the once great streaming service continues. After last week’s nigh-Mr. Potterish removal of almost 200 episodes of Sesame Street and dozens of TV shows and movies comes the news that Batman: Caped Crusader, the proposed animated series from Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, and Matt Reeves, will no longer be going ahead at the streamer. Unlike the others, however, the series—along with a handful of others in development—will be shopped to other outlets.

This news comes from TVLine. The initial announcement for Caped Crusader came in May of 2021. The series, which sees Bruce Timm return to episodic Batman stories since the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series, was to be a complete reboot of the DC Animated Universe. The original key art pointed toward returning to the 1940s-style Film Noir roots of the original comics.

In a joint statement at the time, Timm, Abrams, and Reeves said the following:

“We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City. The series will be thrilling, cinematic, and evocative of Batman’s noir roots. All while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world.”

The series is nearing completion and was expected to hit the streaming service in May of 2023. In January, we learned comics writer Ed Brubaker, famous for his work on Bat-titles like Gotham Central and The Man Who Laughs, would write on the show. Brubaker would also join the above three as executive producers.

This is obviously not the first DC Comics title to have its HBO Max debut scuttled. Just a few weeks ago, Warner Bros Discovery made big news when CEO David Zaslav announced Batgirl would not see the light of day at all, in any format. At the very least, Batman: Caped Crusader will continue production as it looks for a new home. As Cartoon Network was a co-production entity, it seems likely it could end up there. Warner Bros. Animation has a long history with Cartoon Network. Shows like Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold all had homes there.

We’ll keep our pointy ears out for any future news. Let’s hope this version of Batman doesn’t go the way of Batgirl.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The infamous Batsuit worn by George Clooney in the campy 1997 movie Batman & Robin could be yours. Heritage Auctions is selling the anatomically correct costume to the highest bidder. According to the description, the lucky winner will also get, “a life-size poseable mannequin with hyper-realistic George Clooney head with prosthetic grade false eyes.” Which may be even more haunting than the controversial nipples. In either case, probably best not to look directly at them. You can bid on the Batsuit through July 23, 2022. The auction’s opening bid is $40,000.

George Clooney wore the cowl and cape, which come from the Warner Bros. Archive. However, the description states that: “The body suit is a stunt suit and the ‘bat’ emblem and cape fasteners were created from originals to complete the display.”

Both Val Kilmer and George Clooney wore Batsuits with nipples during the Joel Schumacher era. There’s been plenty of criticism about the addition to the costume, and the movies in general, over the years. But through the lens of so many grim Batman stories in the 25 years since its release, Batman & Robin is often considered fun and colorful now in comparison. There’s undoubtedly plenty of bidders willing to drop money to own the Batsuit, distinct pointy nipples and all.

Thanks to DesignTAXI for bringing the auction to our attention. Heritage Auctions has a long history with iconic pop culture sales. Others have included props like a phaser rifle prop from Star Trek. As well as comic books like Captain America #1 and even a Marvel Comics #1. They also auctioned a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for $660,000. We can’t wait to see how big of a bidding war breaks out for this piece of Batman history.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She is going to watch Batman & Robin for the first time tonight! Melissa also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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Nearly three decades since the film came out, the nipples on the costumes of the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder in Batman Forever remain a source of controversy. This little detail seems to be the first thing people cite as being “wrong” with the Joel Schumacher Bat-movies, glossing over every other issue. But the controversy is not just among fans, but among actual Batman film directors.

While talking up the 30th anniversary of Batman Returns to Empire, director Tim Burton brought up the infamous “bat nipples.” And he couldn’t believe the studio fired him for the oddball kinkiness of Batman Returns, only to have Joel Schumacher add them in the next, supposedly more “Happy Meal friendly” movie. Here’s what he had to say:

“[Back then] they went the other way. That’s the funny thing about it. But then I was like, ‘Wait a minute. Okay. Hold on a second here. You complain about me, I’m too weird, I’m too dark, and then you put nipples on the costume? Go f*** yourself.’ Seriously. So yeah, I think that’s why I didn’t end up [doing a third film]…”

But in another interview this week, we actually learned the origins of the bat-nipples. And they didn’t originate from Batman Forever director, Joel Schumacher. They were the brainchild of Batman Forever and Batman and Robin costume designer, Jose Fernandez. Here’s what he said of his costuming decision to MEL Magazine (via The Hollywood Reporter):

“It wasn’t fetish to me, it was more informed by Roman armor — like Centurions. And, in the comic books, the characters always looked like they were naked with spray paint on them. It was all about anatomy, and I like to push anatomy.”

Although the nipples on the costume first appeared in Batman Forever, they doubled down on them for the sequel, adding them to Robin as well. Fernadez said, “Schumacher wanted them sharpened, like, with points. They were also circled, both outer and inner — it was all made into a feature of the batsuit. I didn’t want to do it, but he’s the boss, so we sharpened them, circled them and it all became kind of ridiculous.”

So, if the boys got nipples on their costume, why not Batgirl? Fernadez said the attempt was made, but it looked too “obscene.” All of this is a reminder of just who calls the shots at the movie studios: largely straight men. Because only straight men would call out Michelle Pfieffer in a skintight vinyl catsuit holding a whip as “too adult,” but be oblivious to the erotic nature of nipples on the men’s costumes.

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Arkham Asylum is as important a location to Batman as the Batcave. The menacing old institution that houses most of the Dark Knight’s worst enemies already spawned a series of video games. And now, it’s a premium puzzle box game too. The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City combines augmented reality tech with tabletop board gaming. And it tells an original narrative that draws from decades of Bat-lore.

The folks at Infinite Rabbit Holes, creators of Why So Serious?, have launched a countdown to a Kickstarter campaign for The Arkham Asylum Files. And you can see the game’s first trailer right here, along with several images:

Bat-fans will be able to solve a series of epic mysteries devised by the Joker himself. And they’ll also be able to sift through evidence, as well as interact with over 100 game pieces, secret documents, and artifacts. All in a 6-hour escape room style experience.

The puzzles take the forms of cyphers, jigsaws, word games, spectrographs, and blacklight images. The game comes with an iOS/Android app that facilitates the gameplay with original animation and live-action content. All creating a brand new experience.

Players will be able to unpack a series of amazing collectibles, among them Arkham Asylum patient files, Joker playing cards, detailed schematics, police evidence bags, and newspapers. And all of them are in-universe and in service of a linear storyline.

Players can work alongside Dr. Harleen Quinzel herself. Yes, in this game, Harley Quinn has persuaded the authorities to let her return to practicing psychiatry to unmask the Arkham’s most infamous residents. Panic in Gotham City even comes with randomly packed Batman or Joker masks.

The game is said to be production-ready and good to go for a December 2022 release. For more information, be sure to head on over to The Arkham Asylum Files’ official Kickstarter page.

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Batman has had many loves in his life. There’s Talia, and Vicki Vale. Even Wonder Woman, in some versions of the character. But his main squeeze will forever be Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. Their love affair has lasted over 82 years, ever since they first met in Batman #1. And it’s still going strong today, as we all saw recently in The Batman.

Now, the folks at Sideshow Collectibles are celebrating “the Cat and the Bat” and their epic romance with a new deluxe diorama. This is a limited edition piece, with a production run to be determined. It’ll set Bat/Cat fans back $680.00. You can read Sideshow’s official description and check out some early images below:

Here’s how Sideshow describes the figures:

Measuring 20” tall and 9.25” wide, this fully sculpted polystone DC Comics statue depicts a Gotham City rooftop rendezvous. One with all the sensuality and playfulness that surrounds the relationship between the Dark Knight and his darling companion. Catwoman situates herself in front of her beau, mask off, and sultry smirk on. She’s clad in a black catsuit as she slings her signature bullwhip across Batman’s shoulders, back arched and eyes on the prize while she draws the Caped Crusader closer.

Selina Kyle has worn many costumes in her Catwoman career, some great, and some not so memorable. But they’re choosing one of her most famous ones for this new diorama. The outfit Catwoman wears here came from the mind of the late, great artist Darwyn Cooke, back in the early 2000s. Superstar artist Jim Lee popularized this look even more, when he used it in the classic Batman story, “Hush.” And it was clearly an inspiration for Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle wardrobe in The Batman.

The Batman/Catwoman diorama is already up for presale at the official Sideshow Collectibles site. The expected shipping date is May 2023 to August 2023.

Click To View Gallery

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Other than that scant information, we don’t know anything yet. Obviously. The first installment has only recently become available digitally and Warner Bros. still has quite a few DC Comics films on its slate. It may be a couple of years before we see more of Pattinson’s Batman. That said, we look forward to the sequel’s direction. The Batman showed a Bruce Wayne in his early years, still learning the ropes and making mistakes. We went on the journey with him as he investigated the Riddler’s murders.

Batman has no shortage of rogues the sequel could focus on. We have the obvious choice with the Joker. The infamous character appeared briefly at the end of The Batman. Then we saw more of Barry Keoghan as the character in a chilling deleted scene. Besides the Joker, Reeves and Pattinson mentioned they’d like to see the Court of Owls appear. Reeves also thinks he could find the right approach to put Mr. Freeze back into a live-action setting. And the director has certainly earned our trust with The Batman.

The Batman 2 could pick up on any number of threads from characters the first film establishes, too. Catwoman’s gone to Blüdhaven; that could mean potential Dick Grayson ties. Penguin and Riddler have journeys ahead, as does Jim Gordan. Whatever the story for The Batman sequel, we look forward to exploring more of Matt Reeves’ vision for Gotham City and for the superhero.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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Now, the folks at Corridor Crew have used their skills to transpose Adam West’s Bruce Wayne into the grungy and dirty world of The Batman for a special trailer. Even director Matt Reeves commented via Twitter on this brilliant piece of parody, clearly loving it. And you can watch the hilarious results right here:

The Corridor Crew folks also made a behind-the-scenes video about making this special teaser. They showed just how much time and compositing work went into making it. And it was a lot. They scoured old episodes of the series, as well as the Batman ’66 feature film. All to find just the right shots to place into the modern trailer. Maybe our favorite part of the whole thing was hearing the goofy Batman ’66 theme song given a dark edge.

Although, as true Batman fans, they said a few things in the video that are not exactly true. At one point, the team’s biggest Bat-fan says Batman killed in the comics before the censoring Comics Code Authority came along in the ’50s, making him more kid-friendly. Yes, Batman killed criminals in his first year of comics. But DC quickly issued the character’s “no killing rule.” One guy also said they did Adam West dirty, not letting him play the “real Batman” of the comics. Since it was a parody, no one did Adam West dirty. They simply gave him the perfect part to let his comedy skills shine.

Regardless, they did a fantastic job. Everyone at the Corridor Crew channel should take a bow. Although we hope next time, they find a way to put Zoë Kravitz in the Eartha Kitt Catwoman costume. It can’t be beyond their technical skills, right? To see more amazing examples of their work, be sure to head on over to the Corridor Crew YouTube page.

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There’s no beating around the bush here, friends, The Batman is probably my favorite movie so far in 2022. Not simply because it’s a Batman movie and I am a confirmed Bat-a-holic; although it is for me the very best Batman movie ever made. It’s a tremendous detective story with strong horror elements that just sing to me. Matt Reeves has made a movie that earns its three hour run time. Right from the jump, it’s wonderful. The movie is now streaming on HBO Max, but if you don’t have that service, you can watch the first 10 minutes right here, right now.

It’s a great first 10 minutes, let me tell ya. This first reel encapsulates so much of what I love about the movie as a whole. We open with the strains of “Ave Maria” while someone (it’s the Riddler) watches an affluent family through a pair of binoculars as the family plays in their penthouse apartment. Soon we learn the flat belongs to the mayor who paces back and forth while watching himself during a debate against his opponent. What he doesn’t know is that the Riddler has gotten into his house and stands right behind him. Gulp. It doesn’t end very well for Mr. Mayor.

That’s the horror bit; next comes the detective bit. As Batman narrates his journal entry about that night, Halloween, he talks about how his two year crusade against crime hasn’t done much for the city. Some criminals are afraid of him, others think he’s a joke. But when the Bat-Signal hits the sky, “it’s not just a call. It’s a warning.” This sequence, with the wonderful main score from Michael Giacchino, leads to the first big fight in the movie. Who is he? “I’m vengeance.”

And boy, after that moment, you wish you could just keep watching. Which, guess what—you can! It’s on HBO Max and available for rent and purchase now. The Batman rules, and I’m probably gonna go watch it again.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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This year Robert Pattinson brought a new Dark Knight to the big screen. Now Winston Duke is bringing a new take on Batman to your podcast library. The Black Panther and Us star is voicing Bruce Wayne in Spotify’s upcoming original audio series Batman Unburied. There’s always room for more Batman stories. And the Batman Unburied trailer promises a different kind of tale about the masked vigilante. At a time when Gotham needs him most, the famed superhero can’t remember his alter ego. But he can remember he works for his father at his dad’s hospital.

At least, that’s what his injured mind believes.

The Batman Unburied trailer is intense and unsettling, continuing the great tradition of Batman horror stories. What it seemingly doesn’t continue is the death of Thomas Wayne playing a major role in creating his son’s superhero persona. Here’s the podcast series’ official synopsis:

A serial killer known as The Harvester terrorizes Gotham City, but Batman is not coming to the rescue. In fact, Bruce Wayne has no memory of being the Caped Crusader at all. Instead, Bruce is a forensic pathologist, performing the autopsy on the latest victim when he’s attacked by the killer himself. As Bruce’s obsession with the Harvester consumes him, Dr. Thomas Wayne, head of Gotham City Hospital, orders his son to take medical leave and seek treatment from an unusual psychologist, Dr. Hunter. With Batman missing in action, Detective Barbara Gordon is left with no other choice but to seek help from Gotham’s second smartest detective: The Riddler.

Big year for both Batman and the Riddler! More importantly though, considering Bruce Wayne’s memory issues, is it possible Thomas Wayne is actually dead? Could Bruce’s injury have led his mind to create an alternate reality to help him deal with his problems?

We’ll find out when the podcast, from David S. Goyer (writer Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), debuts globally at Spotify on May 3. That will include premiering eight adaptations of the original US script. The narrative series will also get translations for Brazil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.

In addition to Winston Duke, the Batman Unburied podcast also stars Hasan Minhaj and Gina Rodriguez. It’s the first show from DC and Warner Bros. new multi-year partnership with Spotify.

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Around three months ago a strange website popped up. Rataalada.com harkened back to the classic days of early online viral marketing. Once burgeoning internet detectives logged on, there were a number of riddles to answer. But as the release date of The Batman grew closer, things began to change. After the movie was out in the world, the ARG site regularly updated and teased what some fans thought could be clues about the future of The Batman. Now, though, it seems the Gotham City Police Department has interfered and shut the website down. Happily, we kept good track of what the Riddler put out into the world. Check out all the clues the easter eggs this Batman ARG website had to offer. Maybe one day, we’ll see Rataalada update again.

The Riddler’s Website: The Origins of Rataalada

In case you’ve forgotten, the URL of this website actually plays a key part in The Batman. It’s the answer to one of the clues that the Riddler leaves for Batman. It takes the hero to a website where he gets to chat with the villainous riddle lover, which is exactly what this Alternate reality game simulates. In fact, in the early days of the site being live players could really get sucked into a battle of wits with the Riddler. And if you jumped over to a different browser to search for answers elsewhere a message would pop up warning “YOU SCOUR THE INTERNET FOR THE TRUTH, BUT YOU STILL NEED TO ANSWER ME.” Chilling stuff. If you were smart enough to reach the end of the riddles, you’d get a cipher which when solved told you to “COME BACK SOON.”

Thomas Wayne, Hush, and the Riddler

Closer to March 4, if you answered the riddles you would have the opportunity to receive a password-protected zip file called What Am I? Inside was a video from The Batman. It was part of the Thomas Wayne smear video that features in the film. This obviously got folks talking as the clip shows the word HUSH! The famed Batman villain has long been suspected to be part of The Batman universe.

While if you’ve seen the movie you know this is more of an allusion to the hush money Wayne used, people were understandably excited thinking Hush could appear in a later movie. And to be fair there is another Hush Easter egg in this segment of the movie. This echoes the viral marketing that led up to The Dark Knight, but it’s what’s next that’s really intriguing.

Teasing the Importance of Arkham Asylum in The Batman‘s Universe

The most recent Rataalada update saw a new cipher added to the site, which originally needed riddles to be answered but can now be seen by anyone who visits it. As The Batman‘s ARG website loads click on the phrase [CLICK FOR REWARD] and you’ll find the cipher. Thanks to the smart minds who run ARGnet, this has been revealed to translate to “You think I’m finished, but perhaps you don’t know the full truth. Every ending is a new beginning. Something is coming.” The most interesting thing, though, is what we see before the cipher is revealed.

A series of numbers appears to look like code. But enquiring minds on the internet, specifically a Reddit user Vengeance22, has noticed a pattern. Each of the sets of numbers corresponds to the first appearance of a major character in the movie… well, almost all.

• 27.05.19.39 – Detective Comics #27 (1939) first appearances of Batman and Gordon.
• 01.03.19.40 – Batman #1 (1940) first appearances of Catwoman and Joker.
• 58.12.19.41 – Detective Comics #58 (1941) first appearance of the Penguin.
• 140.10.19.48 – Detective Comics #140 (1948) first appearance of the Riddler.
• 405.03.19.87 – Batman #405 (1987) first appearance of Carmine Falcone.
• 16.04.19.43 – Batman #16 (1943) first appearance of Alfred Pennyworth.

The most important number is the one that doesn’t correspond to a character in the movies, Batman #258. The story does include an appearance of Harvey Dent, which made many fans assume this was a Two-Face Easter egg. But it’s actually the first appearance of a famed Gotham institute that we know will be playing into the future of the series: Arkham Asylum.

A Deeper Read of Batman #258

The story that the cipher references came out in 1974 and centers on the caped crusaders battling Two-Face. Written by Denny O’Neil with art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano, this is a surprisingly deep Bronze Age adventure. It’s most notable for introducing Arkham Asylum, which would eventually become one of the most important places in Batman lore. Interestingly, in this comic Arkham is not in Gotham; it’s four hours away in “New England.” One thing that’s the same, though, is it’s a hospital where the criminally insane are housed. It’s a darkly bleak story that features a suicide, a nuclear threat, and an empathetic Batman. Basically, it sounds like Matt Reeves would probably love to explore the themes in this tale.

More concretely, however, this likely points towards two things. We left the Riddler and the Joker in Arkham Asylum where they seemed to be planning a team-up. That would fit with the cipher clue “Every ending is a new beginning. Something is coming.” along with this issue. The other is the recently teased Arkham Asylum TV show. While details are scarce, on The Cyber Nerds podcast the director revealed that it had evolved from the previously announced GCPD series. “We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie,” Reeves shared. “It’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham.” Now that sounds really cool. So cool, we had to speculate on which villains the new Arkham spinoff may include.

Will There be More Rataalada Updates?

Throughout the lifespan of the site, the loading percentage listed on the main screen seems to have gradually increased. A change is usually connected to new developments, riddles, or Easter eggs. At the time of writing the The Batman‘s Easter egg website stops loading at 44%, which means there’s likely much more to come. A quick look at the page’s source only reveals a joke in the code that reads: console.log (“Nice try. You won’t find anything here.”) However, there was a new email address that recently appeared. We have, of course, emailed it but received nothing back yet.

UPDATE: The Riddler’s Journal and The Batman‘s Fully Loaded Easter Egg ARG Website

After months of waiting the Riddler’s creepy Rataalada site has finally finished loading. Though many fans were hoping for a hint at a sequel for The Batman, the final ARG website offered something different. For fans who have watched the movie it’s a very exciting reveal. When you click for your reward, you’ll be given a zip file. It’s a selection of photos and a PDF of the Riddler’s journal. There’s a lot to dig into here including shocking images of the Wayne’s and horrific designs for the Riddler’s traps. There’s also likely some more secrets for eagle-eyed fans to explore…

The Riddler (a.k.a Matt Reeves) also had one last gift for The Batman fans. A deleted scene from the movie starring none other than The Batman‘s Joker, played by Barry Keoghan, and Robert Pattinson’s Batman himself.

Though the website is now officially down, thanks for nothing Gotham City Police Department, you can still see all Rataalada has to offer. Scroll down to see all the images that the Riddler shared with us for sticking with and solving his game. And let’s give a big round of applause to The Batman‘s ARG/Easter Egg website for keeping us thoroughly entertained.

Featured Image: Warner Bros.

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Recently, The Batman director Matt Reeves released a deleted scene featuring Barry Keoghan’s Joker, much to fans’ delight. In a very Silence of the Lambs-inspired moment, Batman goes to Arkham Asylum, where he consults the incarcerated Joker on clues to discovering the Riddler’s true identity. It’s a full five-minute-long scene. So what does this all mean for the Clown Prince of Crime’s future?

In an interview with Variety, it’s clear that Reeves already has some ideas. And some of them might play out in the potential HBO Max Arkham Asylum series. Here’s what he had to say:

“It’s like Phantom of the Opera. He has a congenital disease where he can’t stop smiling and it’s horrific. It’s not about some version where he falls into a vat of chemicals and his face is distorted, or what [Christopher] Nolan did, where there’s some mystery to how he got these scars carved into his face. What if this guy from birth had this disease? He had this smile that people stared at that was grotesque and terrifying. Even as a child, people looked at him with horror, and his response was to say, ‘Okay, so a joke was played on me,’ and this was his nihilistic take on the world.”

From Nicholson to Ledger to Phoenix, every Joker in cinema seems to have his own unique backstory. This is fitting with the comics, where the character remembers multiple backstories for himself. Any or all could be true. But the question on everyone’s mind is, where are we going to see Keoghan’s Joker next? Well, it might be on the small screen. According to Reeves, “there’s stuff I’m very interested in doing in an Arkham space, potentially for HBO Max. There are things we’ve talked about there. So it’s very possible. It also isn’t impossible that there is some story that comes back where Joker comes into our world.”

It would be interesting if the Arkham Asylum spinoff series is indeed a prequel series to The Batman, and we could get an entire episode of how the Joker first met the Dark Knight and wound up locked up. Usually, they reserve that first meeting for a film, but why not do it on TV? And we’re going to assume when Reeves says it’s possible the Joker “comes into our world” simply means escaping Arkham and making life hell for Batman in a sequel. It would be a shock if The Batman franchise didn’t feature a bonafide Dark Knight vs. Joker confrontation of some sort. We’re just hoping it lives up to that deleted scene because that sure was a hell of a setup.

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Batman: Year One (Batman #404-407, 1987)

It’s hard to overstate the impact of this comic. If you’ve ever read any Batman, you’ve likely read this story. Gone to a comic shop and asked what comics to read to get into the Caped Crusader? This was almost certainly the book that got put in your hand. But Batman: Year One is more of an atmosphere piece than an in depth character exploration. It’s a brilliant noir tale that feels textured and gritty, flickering neons and ever-changing shadows. And that’s thanks to Lewis’ extravagant and unexpected color choices.

Pink skies and teal reflections make Gotham feel like a living, breathing city. Jim Gordon lives in dark blue shadow with yellow highlights, hinting at the future costume of his ally. There’s an unreal quality to the colors that make each page pop. And it’s what makes Year One so special. Working within the four color printing system that defined newsprint comics should have limited Lewis, but instead it challenged her painter’s mind to think outside the box. And it would not be the last time that Lewis would reimagine the palette of Gotham and its most famous son.

Batman: Year One Hardcover Collection (1988)

In 1988, Lewis recolored the entire four issue series for the first collected edition. There was a simple reason behind the choice: the hardcover printing would use full color rather than the striking four colors that from the single issues. It’s a testament to Lewis’ skill and dedication that she handpainted the comic, having fun with a larger range of choices. Her powerful choice of limiting certain palettes to certain pages make this a really refined adaptation of the original four issue run. One of the most interesting things to note is that it’s here where Lewis began to lean more heavily into reds and oranges than pinks. That’s something that ended up shaping the color palette of The Batman and influencing the visual aesthetic of Reeves’ movie.

In the DC Direct solicits for this edition, Lewis shared her reasoning behind repainting the story. “I wanted to bring a sense of drama to the story, from simple color to the more complex,” she shared. “But overall it’s pretty restrained. I tried to use a limited palette, so you won’t see every color on every page, except in those places where the full range is called for.” DC reprinted this version for years, including in the early ’00s with a slight remaster—which is where our comparison image comes from.

Lewis’ Impact on The Batman (2020)

From the earliest days of talking about The Batman, Reeves has brought up Year One as an inspiration. It’s something that shaped not only the aesthetic but also the narrative. It’s why the film follows a young Bruce Wayne. The neo-noir detective plot feels ripped from the pages of Year One. But it’s those Lewis colors that will immediately come to mind to those who’ve read the story. It’s not just the red lights, bathing the wet pavement, but also the version of Selina Kyle. In Richmond’s original colors, Selina is a creature of the night. Kravitz even wears the same costume Richmond and Mazzucchelli introduce her in. Their representation of the apartment she shares with a young friend is nearly identical to what we see in The Batman. And Richmond’s pastel shadows and neon reflections often seem to jump from the screen.

In a cinematic age that’s defined by comic book movies, it’s ever more important that we recognize the artists that make these films possible. And in The Batman, Reeves has given us an opportunity to revisit and celebrate some of the best comic book coloring of all time.

Featured Image: DC Comics

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