New followers of Batman are diving into the universe of the DC Comics sequence day by day due to the ability of streaming.
Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy — which incorporates Batman Begins, The Darkish Knight and The Darkish Knight Rises — started streaming on Netflix in April 2025, with Christian Bale donning the bat swimsuit for the position.
However he is simply one among many well-known faces who’ve performed Batman by the years, from legends like Michael Keaton to 2000s icons like Robert Pattinson.
9 actors have performed Batman in films, and common villains within the comedian books have earned their very own movie or present spinoffs.
The true Batman films go in chronological order of their launch date, with 5 variations of the hero’s origin story retold inside 60 years. The one exception to the chronology is Joker, which is ready in 1981, however the film focuses on a Joker set in a special universe than these canon to the Batman films that function the supervillain.
Now that Nolan’s tackle Batman is streaming on Netflix, this is the best way to watch all of the Batman films and exhibits in chronological order.
watch the Batman films and exhibits in chronological order
Batman (1943)
Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett Assortment
The primary Batman film featured Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin, his trustworthy sidekick. It was the primary of a 15-part film serial that includes the characters as they confronted Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), a villain created particularly for the film.
1943’s Batman is accessible to stream on Amazon Prime Video
Batman and Robin (1949)
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With its first recast, 1949’s Batman is performed by Robert Lowery. He’s as soon as once more joined by Robin, this time performed by Johnny Duncan. Collectively they goal to defeat The Wizard, a villain that requires diamonds to energy a distant management that may maneuver any automobile in a 50-mile radius.
Watch Batman and Robin on Roku and Tubi
Batman (1966)
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The third particular person to play Batman within the 1966 model is Adam West. This function marked the primary time three main Batman villains had been launched to the large display: Joker (Caesar Romero), Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and Penguin (Burgess Meredith).
1966’s Batman is accessible for buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube
Batman (1989)
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Arguably the primary particular person to deliver Batman into mainstream tradition, Keaton helmed the position in 1989’s Batman. Tim Burton’s model of the film noticed Keaton as a darkish, surly Batman, shaping the best way the character can be portrayed for the subsequent three a long time.
With Jack Nicholson as Joker, the film was met with important and field workplace success, making over $400 million globally.
Batman Returns (1992)
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Keaton reprised his position as Batman, joined by Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as Penguin in Burton’s 1992 sequel. The movie was as soon as once more a terrific success with over $200 million in gross sales globally however marked the final time Keaton performed Batman till 2023’s The Flash.
Watch Batman Returns on Max
Batman Eternally (1995)
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The Nineties had been the prime period for Batman, because the second Bruce Wayne of the last decade was helmed by Val Kilmer in Batman Eternally. Joel Schumacher directed the franchise, which took a campier method. On this film, Batman confronted Jim Carrey’s Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’ Two-Face.
Watch Batman Eternally on Max
Batman & Robin (1997)
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Although Schumacher continued to helm the subsequent movie, the actor for Batman was swapped from Kilmer to George Clooney in 1997’s Batman & Robin which noticed the title character face Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze.
Watch Batman & Robin on Max
Batman Begins (2005)
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The now-famous Christopher Nolan trilogy kicks off with 2005’s Batman Begins, which options the origin story of Christian Bale’s Batman. The movie is gritty and darkish, formed by Batman’s trauma as he fights Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow.
Watch Batman Begins on Max and Netflix
The Darkish Knight (2008)
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The sequel to Batman Begins is maybe thought-about much more iconic than the unique. Bale and Nolan returned for the movie, including on Heath Ledger as Joker in what rapidly grew to become one of many most-lauded performances of all time, incomes him a posthumous Academy Award.
The Darkish Knight is held in excessive regard by critics and earned over $1 billion globally.
Watch The Darkish Knight on Max and Netflix
The Darkish Knight Rises (2012)
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The ultimate set up in Nolan’s trilogy, The Darkish Knight Rises, takes place eight years after its predecessor and sees Gotham Metropolis lower off from the remainder of the world by a terrorist named Bane, performed by a masked Tom Hardy.
The film was not as critically lauded as The Darkish Knight however was nonetheless met with whopping fan and industrial success, grossing over $1 billion on the field workplace.
Watch The Darkish Knight Rises on Max and Netflix
Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice (2015)
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Within the first introduction to Ben Affleck as Batman, the legendary character goes head-to-head along with his supposed coworker within the DC universe, Superman, performed by Henry Cavill. Nevertheless, regardless of the A-list solid and the introduction of one other DC favourite, the film was met with poor evaluations.
Watch Batman v Superman: Daybreak of Justice on Max
The Batman (2022)
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The newest and last set up of Batman’s origin story is Pattinson’s 2022 The Batman. The film is probably the darkest but, and follows in Nolan’s path of steering away from traditional superhero film tropes.
As an alternative, it follows a distrusting and violent Batman as he groups up with one not-crooked police officer (Jeffrey Wright) to take down Paul Dano’s Riddler.
Watch The Batman on Max
watch all the films Batman is featured in in chronological order
Suicide Squad (2016)
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Affleck briefly seems in 2016’s Suicide Squad, a David Ayer-led journey that includes the villains and anti-heroes of the DC comics. Batman makes cameos in two flashbacks featured within the film, however in any other case, has no position within the plot.
Watch Suicide Squad on Max
Justice League (2017)
Warner Bros.
DC introduced collectively their very own crew of superheroes in Justice League. Affleck reprised his position as Batman within the movie alongside different highly effective heroes like Aquaman and Surprise Girl.
The film was initially began by Zack Snyder, however he needed to faucet out on account of private causes. Director Joss Whedon took his place, altering the imaginative and prescient for the movie — Snyder went on to launch his personal lower 4 years later.
Watch Justice League on Max
Joker (2019)
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2019’s Joker took the darkest method but to the diabolical character, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a severely mentally ailing man struggling to turn into a comic and descending into insanity.
The film was met with blended evaluations however earned Phoenix the Academy Award for Greatest Actor in 2020.
Watch Joker on Max
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
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4 years after the preliminary film got here out, Snyder launched the model he had initially envisioned — tacking on a further two hours of runtime, bringing the film to a complete of 4 hours. Nevertheless, followers loved the deeper dives into their favourite characters, and the film featured extra of Affleck’s Batman than the unique.
Watch Zach Snyder’s Justice League on Max
The Flash (2023)
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The Flash was a fan service challenge to those that have been Batman followers because the Keaton days. Set in modern-day, The Flash (Ezra Miller) is determined to reverse time to free his wrongly incarcerated father. To take action, nevertheless, he messes with the multiverse and modifications who the Batman in his universe is (that includes a short cameo of Clooney as Batman 30 years after he took on the position).
Whereas Affleck is the principle Bruce Wayne within the story, The Flash hardly sees him as he is delivered to a special universe the place Keaton performs a retired and secluded Batman.
Watch The Flash on Max