How to Watch All the “Batman” Movies In Order — And Where “The Penguin” Fits Into the DC Universe

From the original 1943 'Batman' to 2022's 'The Batman' featuring Robert Pattinson, here's how to watch all the Batman movies

Batman has had a number of famous faces through the years from legends like Michael Keaton to 2000s icons like Robert Pattinson. But in every iteration, he is the same surly, dark hero of the crime-ridden Gotham City, facing down villains like the maniacal Joker and the gangster Penguin.

The vigilante superhero was first introduced to the public in 1939 when the character was featured as a caped crusader in Detective Comics No. 27. Less than five years later, the first film about Batman was brought to life in 1943's Batman, with Lewis Wilson leading the movie.

Now, nine actors have played Batman in movies, and popular villains in the comic books have earned their own film or show spinoffs. In 2024 alone, two of the most infamous Batman villains are coming to both the big and small screen with Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to 2019's Joker, and The Penguin, a Max show featuring the villain, played by Colin Farrell, introduced in 2022's The Batman.

The true Batman movies go in chronological order of their release date, with five versions of the hero's origin story retold within 60 years. The only exception to the chronology is Joker, which is set in 1981, but the movie focuses on a Joker set in a different universe than those canon to the Batman movies that feature the supervillain.

Following The Penguin's Sept. 19 release, here's how to watch all the Batman movies and shows in chronological order.

How to watch the Batman movies and shows in chronological order

Batman (1943)

The first Batman movie featured Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin, his faithful sidekick. It was the first of a 15-part movie serial featuring the characters as they faced Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish), a villain created specifically for the movie.

1943's Batman is not available on streaming.

Batman and Robin (1949)

With its first recast, 1949's Batman is played by Robert Lowery. He is once again joined by Robin, this time played by Johnny Duncan. Together they aim to defeat The Wizard, a villain that requires diamonds to power a remote control that can maneuver any vehicle in a 50-mile radius.

Watch Batman and Robin on Roku.

Batman (1966)

The third person to play Batman in the 1966 version is Adam West. This feature marked the first time three major Batman villains were introduced to the big screen: Joker (Caesar Romero), Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and Penguin (Burgess Meredith).

1966's Batman is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube.

Batman (1989)

Arguably the first person to bring Batman into mainstream culture, Keaton helmed the role in 1989's Batman. Tim Burton's version of the movie saw Keaton as a dark, surly Batman, shaping the way the character would be portrayed for the next three decades.

With Jack Nicholson as Joker, the movie was met with critical and box office success, making over $400 million globally.

Watch Batman on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Batman Returns (1992)

Keaton reprised his role as Batman, joined by Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as Penguin in Burton's 1992 sequel. The film was once again a great success with over $200 million in sales globally but marked the last time Keaton played Batman until 2023's The Flash.

Watch Batman Returns on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Batman Forever (1995)

The 1990s were the prime era for Batman, as the second Bruce Wayne of the decade was helmed by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever. Joel Schumacher directed the franchise, which took a campier approach. In this movie, Batman faced Jim Carrey's Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face.

Watch Batman Forever on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Batman & Robin (1997)

Though the movie retained the same director with Schumacher continuing to helm the film, the actor for Batman was swapped from Kilmer to George Clooney in 1997's Batman & Robin which saw the title character face Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze.

Watch Batman & Robin on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Batman Begins (2005)

The now-famous Christopher Nolan trilogy kicks off with 2005's Batman Begins, which features the origin story of Christian Bale's Batman. The film is gritty and dark, shaped by Batman's trauma as he fights Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow.

Watch Batman Begins on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

The Dark Knight (2008)

The sequel to Batman Begins is perhaps considered even more iconic than the original. Bale and Nolan returned for the film, adding on Heath Ledger as Joker in what quickly became one of the most-lauded performances of all time, earning him a posthumous Academy Award.

The Dark Knight is held in high regard by critics and earned over $1 billion globally.

Watch The Dark Knight on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The final installation in Nolan's trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, takes place eight years after its predecessor and sees Gotham City cut off from the rest of the world by a terrorist named Bane, played by a masked Tom Hardy.

The movie was not as critically lauded as The Dark Knight but was still met with whopping fan and commercial success, grossing over $1 billion at the box office.

Watch The Dark Knight Rises on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2015)

In the first introduction to Ben Affleck as Batman, the legendary character goes head-to-head with his supposed coworker in the DC universe, Superman, played by Henry Cavill. However, despite the A-list cast and the introduction of another DC favorite, the movie was met with poor reviews.

Watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

The Batman (2022)

The latest and final installation of Batman's origin story is Pattinson's 2022 The Batman. The movie is possibly the darkest yet, and follows in Nolan's path of steering away from classic superhero movie tropes. Instead, it follows a distrusting and violent Batman as he teams up with one not-crooked police officer (Jeffrey Wright) to take down Paul Dano's Riddler.

Watch The Batman on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

How to watch all the movies Batman is featured in in chronological order

Suicide Squad (2016)

Affleck briefly appears in 2016's Suicide Squad, a David Ayer-led adventure featuring the villains and anti-heroes of the DC comics. Batman makes cameos in two flashbacks featured in the movie, but otherwise, has no role in the plot.

Watch Suicide Squad on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Justice League (2017)

In an attempt to parallel Marvel's Avengers, DC brought together their own crew of superheroes in Justice League. Affleck reprised his role as Batman in the film alongside other powerful heroes like Aquaman and Wonder Woman.

The movie was initially started by Zack Snyder, but he had to tap out due to personal reasons. Director Joss Whedon took his place, changing the vision for the film and leading to disgruntlement from the original director, who released his own cut four years later.

Watch Justice League on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Joker (2019)

2019's Joker took the darkest approach yet to the diabolical character, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a severely mentally ill man struggling to become a comedian and descending into madness. The movie was met with mixed reviews but earned Phoenix the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2020.

Watch Joker on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Four years after the initial movie came out, Snyder released the version he had originally envisioned — tacking on an additional two hours of runtime, bringing the movie to a total of four hours. However, fans enjoyed the deeper dives into their favorite characters, and the movie featured more of Affleck's Batman than the original.

Watch Zach Snyder's Justice League on Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

The Flash (2023)

The Flash was a fan service project to those who have been Batman fans since the Keaton days. Set in modern day, The Flash (Ezra Miller) is desperate to reverse time to free his wrongly incarcerated father. To do so, however, he messes with the multiverse and changes who the Batman in his universe is (featuring a brief cameo of Clooney as Batman 30 years after he took on the role).

While Affleck is the main Bruce Wayne in the story, The Flash hardly sees him as he is brought to a different universe where Keaton plays a retired and secluded Batman.

Watch The Flash on Netflix and Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime Video with a premium subscription.

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