Batman has had an exciting history throughout cinema, and the road through this DC Comics icon is far from over. From Michael Keaton to Robert Pattinson, Batman has been gifted some incredible costumes, villains, and dialogue over the decades he has featured on-screen.
Best Batman Movies, Ranked
There have been dozens of Batman films over the years. Whether animated or live-action, each of them deserves a watch, but which of them is the best?
Some of the best Batman quotes that come from Batman’s time on-screen showcase the brilliance of the character. Through great acting and great dialogue, audiences can really get a feel for what makes Batman so special with some of the best quotes ever spoken by the iconic Caped Crusader across film.
10 “I’m Both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not Because I Have to Be. Now… Because I Choose to Be.”
Bruce Wayne Isn't the Mask, Batman Is
- Featured in: Batman Forever (1995)
The concept of Bruce Wayne being the true mask of Batman is something that has always been divisive among fans of the character. Yet, Val Kilmer’s time in the cape and cowl sums it up best in his hero speech to a defeated Riddler, where he tells poor Edward that he is both Bruce Wayne and Batman, and he doesn’t need to be one or the other.
Bruce learns that being Batman is not his forced burden, and while the trauma of losing his parents still weights heavy on him and influences his heroism over Gotham, it is not what defines him. Bruce chooses to be Batman because he wants to be, proving that he can grow beyond the scars of his trauma.
9 “I’m Real When It’s Useful.”
Batman's Vigilantism is Still Regarded as a Myth to Some People
- Featured in: Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Batman’s no stranger to cool lines and his introduction to Cyborg is cold and entirely Batman. Cyborg says that he’s heard of Batman, but didn’t think he was real, and Batman’s quick response showcases how this is a hardened veteran of the vigilante game, and his proficiency for stealth and hiding in the shadows has made him an urban legend both in and out of Gotham.
The idea that Batman is a myth to some, and a feared boogeyman to others, instills the fear in criminals that Batman always intended. It’s great to see how Batman is a mystery to the public, and how he only reveals himself when it’s useful for the greater good.
8 “Not Everything. Not Yet.”
Batman Will Give The People of Gotham City Everything, Including His Life
- Featured in: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
When Bane takes hold of Gotham City and unleashes carnage upon its final days, Batman returns to bring justice back to his city. With 45 minutes to save Gotham, Batman enlists the help of Catwoman, who tells him “You don’t owe these people anymore. You’ve given them everything.” To which Batman calmly replies, “Not everything. Not yet.”
Highest-Grossing Batman Movies, Ranked
Batman has won the box office many times over the decades that he has featured on screen, and it seems audiences can never get enough of this DC hero.
Batman knows what will come, and the fact that he does not fear death shows that he will do what is necessary to save the people of Gotham City. Batman’s words to Catwoman cut deep, knowing that the only thing left to give is his life to the city he loves.
7 “What Were You Trying to Prove? That Deep Down, Everyone’s As Ugly as You? You’re Alone!”
Batman Proves to Joker That Civilization Will Not Eat Each Other
- Featured in: The Dark Knight (2008)
One of the main lessons Joker tries to prove to people is that all it takes is one bad day and then people can become as crazy as he is. However, this is an ideal that Batman as a hero is completely against, and in what was supposed to be Joker’s proudest hour in which the two boats of Gotham City blow each other up, they prove their moral strengths, and thus Batman gets the last laugh.
Batman showcases his optimism in Gotham City, and while he may be a Dark Knight, and a figure for vigilantism, he is also a symbol for the forces of good, and how Joker’s twisted nature as an agent of chaos will forever have him in a lonely crusade.
6 “A Hero Can Be Anyone.”
Batman Shares His Identity to His Hero, James Gordon
- Featured in: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
“A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hadn't ended.”
In Batman’s final moments, he sacrifices himself to take the nuclear bomb out of Gotham City so that it can detonate at a safe distance. His final words are to James Gordon, where he tells Jim in his own way that he’s Batman’s hero, and that an act as simple as reassuring him after the loss of his parents, proves the good man that he is.
Batman instills in James Gordon the confidence of his identity, and thanks him for what he did all in the same breath. The fact that Batman so selflessly gives up his life, knowing that anyone can be a hero, proves that despite the dark layers of his character he will always believe in hope.
5 “Bats Frighten Me. It’s Time My Enemies Shared My Dread.”
Bruce Wayne Turns His Fear of Bats Into the Fear of All Criminals
- Featured in: Batman Begins (2005)
When Bruce Wayne decided that he needed to become a symbol for Gotham City, he knew that he had to become the one thing that he feared the most: bats. By becoming Batman, Bruce is sharing his fear with those who would seek to do harm to the innocents of Gotham City, and thus he becomes a bat, sharing his dread with a superstitious and cowardly lot.
Bruce’s understanding that Batman must become a fearful tool for the criminals of Gotham City is one that evokes strong power, as Batman learns that just his symbol alone is enough to become a weapon against the forces of crime.
4 “Men Are Still Good.”
An Inspired Batman Honors the Hope That Superman Provided the World
- Featured in: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
“Men are still good. We fight, we kill, we betray one another. But we can rebuild, we can do better. We will, we have to.”
When audiences meet Batman in Batman v Superman, they see a flawed and broken hero on the slippery slope to becoming a villain. Yet, it’s not until he sees the heroic humanity within Superman that he realizes that he has to do better, he can do better. In Superman’s sacrifice, Batman regains the hope lost, and his speech to Diana in the wake of Superman’s death is inspiring and heartfelt.
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Batman has quite an extensive wardrobe, and over the years, his style has adapted to better help him fight crime in Gotham as its watchful guardian.
Batman’s speech shows his character development, and how despite the flaws of man, they will always be better in the end, because they have to be. Such is the way of life, to be flawed, to be wrong and be wronged, but to always come out to fight for a brighter tomorrow.
3 “Fear… is a Tool. They Think I Am Hiding in the Shadows. But I Am the Shadows.”
Gotham City is a Big Place, But Fear Can Be Used So Criminals Think Batman is Everywhere
- Featured in: The Batman (2022)
The opening monologue in The Batman is one of the most iconic pieces of dialogue in all of comic book movie history, and the entire speech is worthy of an entry alone. However, there’s one part in particular that stands out, and that’s how Batman talks about the Bat-Signal, and how he utilizes fear as a tool just as he would a gadget in his utility belt.
The fact that the criminals of Gotham City fear every alleyway, every shadow, knowing that there’s a slight chance that Batman could be lurking there, shows his impact on those who seek to cause chaos. Batman knows that he’s the shadows themselves, providing a sense of dread in every criminal who dares to come out at night.
2 “You Don’t Have to Pay With Him.”
Batman Saves Selina Kyle From Committing a Crime There is No Coming Back From
- Featured in: The Batman (2022)
“You don’t have to pay with him. You’ve paid enough.”
While many Batman movies have drilled into the fact that Batman has a strict no-kill rule, The Batman goes above and beyond by showcasing the lengths that Batman will go to in order to ensure this rule is followed, and that those he cares about do not fall into the abyss to which there is no returning from.
Batman wrestles with Catwoman in an effort to pry the gun from her grip so that she doesn’t make the mistake of committing murder. He eases the gun from her hands and tells her that while Carmine Falcone has to pay for what he’s done, she doesn’t have to pay too: she can be better and doesn’t have to be a murderer.
1 “I’m Batman”
An Unbeatable One-Liner That Works in Every Situation
- Featured in: Batman (1989)
It’s impossible to get more iconic than this. Everyone who knows Batman, or has even seen the Caped Crusader, knows those two words that instill fear into every criminal and evoke a strong sense of excitement from fans. “I’m Batman.” It’s simple, it’s confident, and it showcases everything audiences love about this Dark Knight.
Whether spoken by Michael Keaton or other actors, it’s a line that will always be iconic and one that could be repeated by every Batman of past, present, and future. What’s Batman’s answer for everything he does? Well, it’s because he’s Batman.
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There are some truly niche and obscure Batman games that used to be on the market, and there are some players who might have never heard of them.