Batman Complete Movie Timeline & Multiverse Explained

Batman has proven time and again to be one of the most popular DC properties on film, with a multitude of popular movie franchises cementing his status as a cultural icon. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Batman debuted in 1939 and gradually built an iconic cast of supporting characters and a memorable rogue’s gallery over the years. While Batman was among the first superheroes to receive live-action adaptations via movie serials, he would not make his true cinematic debut until the 1960s. By the end of 2023, Batman had been in seven different movie timelines and even joined the DC cinematic multiverse itself.

While shared universe storytelling has long been part of mainstream superhero comics, it would finally be popularized in superhero films in the late 2000s and early 2010s, thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A year after Marvel’s game-changing success with The Avengers, DC initiated their own shared universe with Man of Steel. By the 2020s, the concept of the multiverse would begin to dominate live-action superhero fiction, with the DC Extended Universe tying its previous Batman film franchises into its multiverse, reviving bygone iterations of the Dark Knight. While not all iterations of Batman appear in the DCEU’s multiverse, the following 7 franchises comprise Batman’s cinematic history.

Related

Every Actor Who’s Played Batman In Live-Action

Every actor who has pulled on the famous cape and cowl to play Batman in The Dark Knight’s numerous movie and TV appearances over the years.

1960s Batman

Continuity: Batman (1966) & The Flash

After Adventures of Superman proved that superheroes could be successful on TV, the Batman mythos were brought to the small screen in 1966 with Batman. While the series was initially planned to be a fairly straightforward representation of the comic source material, showrunner William Dozier gave it a hefty amount of pop art-inspired comedic camp. Despite this, 1966’s Batman was an accurate representation of the Silver Age Batman comics, which eschewed the dark and violent crime drama of the Golden Age in favor of outlandish and decidedly family-friendly tales that were common to the heavily censored era of superhero comics.

William Dozier, who wanted to bring the TV version of Batman to theaters while the first season was airing, ultimately got his wish between the show’s first two seasons. The 1966 Batman movie saw Adam West and Burt Ward reprise their respective roles as Batman and Robin, giving the dynamic duo their cinematic debuts. The film also included four of their most famous adversaries: Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and Riddler, as well as key supporting characters like Aldred and Commissioner Gordon. Like its TV counterpart, the first Batman movie was campy and outlandish, but an earnest adaptation of Batman comics of the time.

After the Batman TV show’s cancelation, the universe continued to grow, with the 1979 comedic TV special, Legends of the Superheroes, establishing that a plethora of famous DC superheroes and supervillains existed in the same continuity as Batman. The universe would return once again with the Batman ’66 comics and a pair of animated movies, which established that the Adventures of Superman and Wonder Woman TV shows both took place in Batman’s continuity as well. In 2023’s The Flash, the TV iterations of Batman, Robin, and Catwoman appear in the Chronobowl, along with Superman and Jay Garrick, with the latter two depicted as being part of a separate universe.

Related

10 Best Guest Stars On The 60s Batman TV Show

The 60s Batman series featured a lot of unforgettable celebrity appearances. Here are the 10 best guest stars to have starred in Batman

Tim Burton’s Batman Movies

Continuity: Batman (1989), Batman Returns, Batman ’89, & The Flash

Batman would return to the big screen over 20 years later with 1989’s Batman. In the late 1980s, the general perception of Batman was that of the 1966 TV series, with potential audiences lacking confidence in the Batman characters as a serious film property. These assumptions were only exacerbated by the announcements of Tim Burton as the film’s director and Michael Keaton’s casting as Batman, but the film’s first trailer and subsequent gargantuan marketing campaign would soon prove otherwise. 1989’s Batman was one of DC’s greatest successes on film, delivering a distinctively surreal and stylized interpretation of the Batman mythos and forever changing the way that films are marketed.

The Burton Batman series would end with only two installments, however, as 1992’s Batman Returns would be the subject of controversy due to its increased violence and sexual content, leading Warner Bros to continue the Batman series with a new director and a safer, more family-friendly, approach. In recent years, however, audiences have warmed up to Batman Returns, appreciating its surreal and expressionist version of Gotham as well as the film’s new iterations of The Penguin and Catwoman. For many, Burton’s version of the Batman mythos was preferable to the Joel Schumacher-directed sequels, and the former was eventually continued via the Batman ’89 comics.

Related

All 9 Canceled Batman Movies (& Why They Didn’t Happen)

From Darren Aronofsky’s Batman: Year One to Batman vs. Superman starring Colin Farrell, here’s every unmade Batman movie (and why they were canceled).

Written by Sam Hamm (who wrote the script for 1989’s Batman and the original story treatment for Batman Returns) and illustrated by Joe Quinones, the ongoing comic series Batman ’89 takes place in a branching timeline that continues where Returns left off and ignores the Schumacher films. The comics introduce new characters to the Burton Batman canon, such as a new iteration of Robin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow. DC Comics would later establish that Burton’s Batman also shares a continuity with Christopher Reeve’s Superman, whose adventures are also continued in the Superman ’78 comics, though the two heroes have yet to interact with each other.

Related

How WB’s Batman 1989 Tricks Completely Changed Movie Marketing Forever

1989’s Batman had an unprecedented marketing campaign that took pop culture by storm and forever changed the way that blockbuster films are promoted.

Schumacher’s Batman Movies

Continuity: Batman (1989), Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, & The Flash

Following the controversial reception of Batman Returns, Joel Schumacher was hired to replace Tim Burton as the director of future Batman movies. Schumacher was an avid reader of the Batman comics and was highly knowledgeable about the Batman mythos, with Schumacher originally planning to make a dark Batman prequel that adapts the famous Batman: Year One comic story arc. The plan was vetoed, however, as WB not only wanted a sequel but also a more lighthearted take on the Batman characters. Thus, Schumacher looked to the late Golden Age and early Silver Age Batman comics as sources of inspiration for what would become Batman Forever.

While not all audiences appreciated the intentionally cartoonish approach Schumacher took for Batman Forever, the film was a commercial success, seemingly securing the future of the Batman franchise. Moreover, Forever gave Batman better character development than either of the Burton films and finally brought Robin into the franchise. Whatever goodwill that Schumacher brought back to the Batman franchise, however, was lost with the release of Batman & Robin, a major critical and commercial failure. Although far worse superhero films have come out since Batman & Robin and the film continues to build the Batman Family with the introduction of Batgirl, the movie doubled down on its predecessor’s cartoonish qualities.

While not to the same degree as Batman Returns, the general perception of Schumacher’s Batman movies has also softened over time. The Schumacher duology, while initially created as sequels to Burton’s Batman movies, is now one of several branching timelines after the events of Batman Returns. Schumacher’s Batman continuity would also make a partial return in the finale of 2023’s The Flash, with George Clooney appearing as Bruce Wayne after Barry Allen’s final adjustment to his timeline. This implies that the film ends as a hybrid of the DCEU and Schumacher’s universes, though it is unclear if Barry alters the timeline yet again to restore Ben Affleck’s Batman iteration.

Related

Joel Schumacher’s Batman Movies Aren’t As Terrible As People Think

Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies have a bad reputation, but they’re far better than people say- they represent a lighter side of the Batman mythos.

Nolan’s Batman Movies

Continuity: Batman Begins, Batman: Gotham Knight, The Dark Knight, & The Dark Knight Rises

Despite the failure of Batman & Robin, WB was intent on continuing the Batman franchise, and, after several proposed storylines for a fifth film in the original Batman series were rejected, the franchise was rebooted. Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, 2005’s Batman Begins told a complete Batman origin story that was loosely inspired by Batman: Year One. The film revived interest in the Batman mythos by approaching the superhero genre with an unprecedented level of seriousness and relative realism, showing Bruce Wayne’s step-by-step process of becoming Batman and pitting him against Carmine Falcone, Scarecrow, and Ra’s al Ghul, who had not been adapted to live-action properties before.

Naturally, given the critical and commercial success of Batman Begins, Nolan was tasked with making a sequel. The Dark Knight brought Bale’s Batman back to the big screen to face off against the late Heath Ledger’s Joker and Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Face. The Dark Knight was even more successful, being considered one of the superhero genre’s all-time greatest films and winning two Academy Awards, including one posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger. Christopher Nolan would go on to end his Batman franchise with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, concluding the story of Bale’s Batman in yet another critically and commercially successful blockbuster.

Ultimately, the Nolan Batman universe is fairly small compared to its predecessors. In addition to the three movies, the continuity also includes video games based on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, which add additional content to the canon, along with several spinoff comics and a web series. The Nolan continuity’s biggest property outside the live-action films is 2008’s Batman: Gotham Knight, a compilation of six animated shorts that take place between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Nolan intended Batman to be his universe’s first superhero, having invented the concept by becoming Batman. Unsurprisingly, the Nolan Batman continuity has never appeared in any of DC’s multiversal stories.

Related

Dark Knight: Why Other DC Characters Don’t Exist In Nolan’s Universe

Other characters from DC Comics don’t exist in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight universe, and there’s a good reason for that. Let’s take a look.

Ben Affleck’s Batman & The Justice League

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, & The Flash

The Christopher Nolan Batman universe had a strong influence on the burgeoning DCEU, with Nolan producing and co-writing the story for Man of Steel. The film even referenced Nolan’s specific iteration of Wayne Enterprises in its action-packed finale, with a satellite sporting the Nolan universe’s logo for the company. Ultimately, the franchise opted to introduce a new iteration of Bruce Wayne, however. For the franchise’s second installment, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck played a Batman who had become a grizzled veteran crime fighter whose accumulative trauma from losing his adopted son (Dick Grayson) and witnessing Superman’s destructive conflict with General Zod nearly turned him to villainy.

While Dawn of Justice was a divisive movie, Affleck’s iteration of Batman was considered one of its highlights, with the new Dark Knight being the most comic-accurate adaptation of the character since Adam West, though he was based on far darker Modern Age Batman comics. Affleck’s Batman would play minor roles in other DCEU movies, such as Suicide Squad and The Flash, and while a solo Batman movie was planned for the DCEU, Ben Affleck voluntarily stepped down from the role while the film was in early development, resulting in the 2022 film The Batman taking place in a separate universe.

Zack Snyder had big plans for Affleck’s iteration of Batman for a time. Following the events of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Batman would battle his enemy Deathstroke, who learned his secret identity from Lex Luthor and would attack Bruce Wayne’s allies and family, possibly killing an iconic supporting character like Alfred or Commissioner Gordon. Carrie Kelley was also going to be introduced, with Batman training her to become the new Robin after the late Dick Grayson. Ultimately, Ben Affleck’s final appearance as Batman is in The Flash, and it is unclear if Barry Allen altered the timeline to restore him after accidentally replacing him with the George Clooney iteration.

Related

Ben Affleck’s Role In The Flash Movie Explained

Ben Affleck’s role in The Flash is a complex one, both because of the character’s purpose, and due to alternations of DC’s changing movie landscape.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman Universe

The Batman

Following Ben Affleck’s departure from the Batman role, Matt Reeves took over the Batman solo movie and reinvented it from the ground up, resulting in The Batman, which is not part of the DCEU continuity. The film brings Batman back to his early years, with Robert Pattinson playing the Dark Knight. Similar to Christopher Nolan’s iteration, The Batman has a strong focus on realism with Pattinson’s Batman using relatively believable gear and battling a reimagined iteration of the Riddler, who is inspired by real-life serial killers. The Batman was a critical and commercial success, leading to the development of two sequel films and at least two spinoff TV shows.

The Batman

The Batman is a part of the DC Elseworlds series of films and centers around a younger Bruce Wayne, who has taken up the mantle of Batman only two years prior. Batman finds himself stuck in a game concocted by a dangerous new foe known as the Riddler, a serial killer who targets elite members of Gotham’s society. Working together with Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman will attempt to uncover the mystery surrounding the Riddler’s killing spree.

Release Date

March 4, 2022

Director

Matt Reeves

Cast

Colin Farrell , Jeffrey Wright , Paul Dano , Andy Serkis , Robert Pattinson , Zoe Kravitz

Rating

PG-13

Runtime

176 minutes

With The Batman taking place in a separate universe from the DCEU and the forthcoming DCU serving as a soft reboot for the original franchise, it was natural that some viewers would assume that Robert Pattinson’s iteration of Batman would join the DCU. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn was quick to clarify that this would not be the case. Both Matt Reeves and James Gunn prefer The Batman’s continuity to be an Elseworlds property, since Reeves’s vision for Batman may not necessarily align with Gunn’s plans for the Dark Knight in the upcoming franchise. The DCU will introduce a new version of Batman in The Brave and the Bold.

Although Matt Reeves has stated that he has no interest in including other DC superheroes in The Batman’s universe, tie-in media, such as The Riddler: Year One, confirm that Metropolis exists in the continuity and thus Superman likely does as well. Moreover, set photos from The Batman show Gotham citizens wearing costumes based on Superman and Wonder Woman, suggesting that the two are active heroes in the continuity. While viewers should not expect to see either Superman or Wonder Woman in any of The Batman’s sequels or spinoffs, it is reasonable to assume that Batman is not the continuity’s only superhero.

Related

Why Robert Pattinson Isn’t DC Universe’s Batman

Matt Reeves has been confirmed as planning a trilogy for Robert Pattinson’s Batman, but these movies will not be in the DC Universe setting.

The Flash Altered Timeline

The Flash (2023)

2023’s The Flash loosely adapts the 2011 DC Comics storyline Flashpoint by having Barry Allen accidentally create a doomed alternate timeline by going back in time and saving his mother. While Flashpoint’s Batman was Thomas Wayne, who became Batman after witnessing his son’s murder, The Flash replaces Ben Affleck’s Batman with Michael Keaton’s iteration. The new timeline established in The Flash is a hybrid of the Tim Burton Batman universe and the main DCEU, with Batman (1989) and Batman Returns being canon but their branching continuations in the Schumacher films and the Batman ’89 comics being ignored.

The Flash

The Flash is a DC Extended Universe film starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, A.K.A. The Flash. Wishing for a world where his mother still lives, Barry Allen manages to find a way to travel through time to save her. However, Barry ends up in an alternate universe where metahumans aren’t present, meaning a living General Zod arrives to conquer the planet. To save this world and return home, Barry will seek the help of two alternate reality heroes, Batman (Michael Keaton and Supergirl (Sasha Calle).

Release Date

June 16, 2023

Director

Andres Muschietti

Cast

Ezra Miller , Michael Keaton , Ben Affleck , Sasha Calle , Michael Shannon

Rating

PG-13

Runtime

2 hours 24 minutes

In this universe, Bruce Wayne has retired as Batman after turning Gotham City into one of the safest municipalities in the United States. Once General Zod and his army of Kryptonian extremists arrive on Earth, however, Wayne dons the cowl once again to recruit Supergirl to a makeshift Justice League and defeat Zod. In The Flash’s finale, Batman dies multiple times fighting the Kryptonians, with Barry Allen realizing that this outcome is inevitable, no matter how many times he attempts to redo the battle via time travel. Barry ultimately erases the hybrid timeline, though one last-minute change creates a new hybrid of the DCEU and the Joel Schumacher Batman universe.

Before the DCEU’s soft reboot was announced, the original plan was to have the hybrid universe remain somewhat intact, with the DCEU simply replacing Affleck’s Batman with Keaton’s iteration. With The Flash releasing after the DCU’s announcement, however, the film simply ends with a joke by having Clooney’s Batman appear instead of Keaton’s or Affleck’s. Since the DCEU does not have a proper ending and no version of Batman appears following the events of The Flash, it is unknown if Barry Allen tweaks the timeline again to bring Ben Affleck’s Batman back into the DCEU.