Batman movies in order: every live-action film

Batman has been rebooted more often than any other character in film, and the timelines don't join up — Michael Keaton's Gotham has nothing to do with Christian Bale's. That's the good news: there is no continuity to untangle. Pick an era, watch it end to end, and move on.

Batman movies in release order

The Burton and Schumacher era (1989–1997)

1. 
   Batman1989

   Tim Burton's gothic reinvention, with Michael Keaton in the cowl and Jack Nicholson's Joker stealing the film.

2. 
   Batman Returns1992

   Darker, stranger and more Burton — Catwoman and the Penguin loose in a snowbound Gotham.

3. 
   Batman Forever1995

   Joel Schumacher takes over and turns the neon up; Val Kilmer replaces Keaton.

4. 
   Batman & Robin1997

   Famously the low point — but worth it once, for the sheer scale of the miscalculation.

The Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012)

1. 
   Batman Begins2005

   Christopher Nolan restarts from nothing: an origin story played as a grounded crime drama.

2. 
   The Dark Knight2008

   Heath Ledger's Joker, and the film that made comic-book cinema respectable.

3. 
   The Dark Knight Rises2012

   Eight years on, a broken Bruce Wayne against Bane. The trilogy closes properly.

The DCEU years (2016–2023)

1. 
   Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice2016

   Ben Affleck's older, angrier Batman meets Superman. Watch the Ultimate Edition if you can.

2. 
   Justice League2017

   The theatrical cut. Serviceable, and largely superseded by the version below.

3. 
   Zack Snyder's Justice League2021

   The four-hour restoration of the intended film — slower, stranger and much more coherent.

4. 
   The Flash2023

   Brings Keaton's Batman back across the multiverse, and closes out the DCEU.

The Batman (2022– )

1. 
   The Batman2022

   Matt Reeves reframes Batman as a detective in a rain-soaked serial-killer thriller. Robert Pattinson's second year on the job.

2. 
   The Batman Part II2028Upcoming

   The announced sequel, with Reeves and Pattinson returning.

How to watch Batman in chronological order

There is no single Batman timeline — each era is its own continuity, so "chronological" only means anything within a run. Two of them do have an internal order worth knowing:

• The Dark Knight trilogy runs strictly forward: Begins (year one), The Dark Knight (a year later), Rises (eight years after that).
• The DCEU puts Batman v Superman first, then Justice League. Watch Zack Snyder's Justice League instead of the 2017 cut, not as well as it.
• The Batman starts in Bruce Wayne's second year as Batman, so it is its own beginning — nothing precedes it.

The 1989–1997 films are loosely sequential but recast Batman twice along the way, so release order is the only order that makes sense.

The animated films worth your time

Ask Batman fans for the best Batman film and a surprising number won't name a live-action one. These three are the usual answers:

1. 
   Batman: Mask of the Phantasm1993

   Spun out of the 90s animated series and routinely called the best Batman film ever made.

2. 
   Batman: Under the Red Hood2010

   The Jason Todd story, and the most emotionally brutal entry on this page.

3. 
   Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 12012

   Frank Miller's ageing Batman, adapted almost panel for panel.

Track your Batman run in Cinopsys

Twelve live-action films across five continuities is a lot to keep straight. In Cinopsys you can build a Batman list, tick each film off as you watch, and see how much of Gotham you've actually covered — free, with no ads.

Frequently asked questions