Best Batman of the 20th century

Been on a Batman kick recently so I was wondering what is your favourite adaptation of the 20th century out of, Adam West, the Burton movies or the DCAU.

For those unfamiliar the DCAU stands for DC animated universe. It begun with the classic Batman the animated series, and included the New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond (set 50 years in the future when an elderly Bruce Wayne trains Terry McGuinnes to be the new Batman.) Superman the animated series, Static Shock, and finally the two Justice League series which were set before Batman Beyond.

I'm going to say the DCAU. I think it combined both the camp and the darker elements really well. Also Mark Hamill who voiced the Joker was perfect. Its hard to believe he was the same man who played Luke Skywalker.





That's what you call a versatile talent! It always annoys me when people try and make out that he did nothing after Star Wars. He gave us arguably the best ever interpretation of one of the most iconic villains of all time over a span of 20 years!

I do love the Burton movies and Adam West too. I love the dark comedy in the Burton movies. This bit always cracks me up.



Adam West's Batman was a comedy genuis meanwhile. He is sorely missed.

Christopher Nolan's trilogy wins hands down for me.

stengos wrote:Christopher Nolan's trilogy wins hands down for me.

Its great (though still not as much as the DCAU.) But we're talking about the 20th century versions here

DCAU is not just my favourite interpretation of 20th century Batman, I would argue that he's the definite Batman, period. He has a perfect amount of moodiness, but can still be snarky. One thing that I also really like is that unlike some interpretations, he never has God-like abilities, and is realistic enough to be manipulative and cunning while still having moments when he can lose. The two other close interpretations I would say are the Arkham games, and I would even say the Lego Batman movie. I have love and nostalgia for the Adam West show, but I can understand why some people wouldn't, as it is very camp, and not everyone is going to like camp. I'm not really a fan of the Burton movies (then again, I'm not a fan of Tim Burton in general), I think the 1989 movie focuses too much on Joker, and Batman's motives are too much focused on revenge, and Returns is too dour and depressing for my liking.

DCAU is not just my favourite interpretation of 20th century Batman, I would argue that he's the definite Batman, period. He has a perfect amount of moodiness, but can still be snarky. One thing that I also really like is that unlike some interpretations, he never has God-like abilities, and is realistic enough to be manipulative and cunning while still having moments when he can lose.

The DCAU IMO should be used as an example of how to adapt not just Batman but any long running, beloved character.

It managed to incorporate all the different elements of Batman.

Some episodes showed him fighting ordinary criminals and therefore captured the gritty crime fighter elements like the Nolan movies, such as Its Never Too Late.

Other episodes have Batman take on more supernatural, sci fi villains like Clay Face, Mr Freeze and Man Bat and therefore capture that side of the character (which the more grounded Nolan movies couldn't.)

Some episodes were very camp like Make Em Laugh and captured the humour of the Adam West era, whilst the show overall had a very gothic look to it like the Burton movies.

It meshed all versions of Batman together to create something new and added so much to the lore, like Mr Freeze's new origin, Harley Quinn etc.

The DCAU would always try and incorporate as many different interpretations as it could. Like Lex Luthor, in some versions he is an evil businessman, in others a rogue scientist. Most films tend to settle for the businessman because its less goofy, but the DCAU managed to make him both by having him start out as the evil businessman, but then descend into the mad scientist when he gets found out.

I would have loved to have seen a DCAU type version of DW, by people who genuinely love it and try to incorporate all the different versions of the characters, like a Master who can be charming one minute like Delgado and really vicious and degenerate like the burned one the next,

The DCAU is the antithesis to New Who.

burrunjor wrote:

stengos wrote:Christopher Nolan's trilogy wins hands down for me.

Its great (though still not as much as the DCAU.) But we're talking about the 20th century versions here

Sorry chappy. I did wonder why you didn't refer to it in your post. I didn't read the question properly.

Batman the Animated Series then - with Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamil as the Joker. I would love to get the complete box set when it comes down in price.

After that the two Burton directed films are quite good.

In third place the Adam West series which i bought my son for his birthday the other year. I have to say though that its appeal is limited for me. After a few episodes on the trot the same style jokes get a bit repetitive. The Batmobile is still iconic though.

I don't care for the Joel Schumacher films. Michael Gough is excellent as Alfred though - beats the pants off Michael Caine.

I'm mainly partial to the Commodore 64 version.



But then that's probably nostalgia talking.

stengos wrote:

burrunjor wrote:

stengos wrote:Christopher Nolan's trilogy wins hands down for me.

Its great (though still not as much as the DCAU.) But we're talking about the 20th century versions here

Sorry chappy. I did wonder why you didn't refer to it in your post. I didn't read the question properly.

Batman the Animated Series then - with Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamil as the Joker. I would love to get the complete box set when it comes down in price.

After that the two Burton directed films are quite good.

In third place the Adam West series which i bought my son for his birthday the other year. I have to say though that its appeal is limited for me. After a few episodes on the trot the same style jokes get a bit repetitive. The Batmobile is still iconic though.

I don't care for the Joel Schumacher films. Michael Gough is excellent as Alfred though - beats the pants off Michael Caine.

Haha that's okay. This is about sci fi from the 20th century so that's why I stuck to it. I don't have anything against the Nolan movies. I don't mind that they're different to previous film and tv versions of Batman. Unlike New Who they were meant to be their own separate continuity, NOT a sequel to any previous version, so they could afford to change a few things around as they wouldn't affect the originals. (Though even in a remake you have to still fit the template of a character, which the Nolan movies did. Batman was still Bruce Wayne, he still had no powers, still fought the Joker etc.)

The Nolan movies are less over the top than Burtons, but that's a part of Batman's character too. He is a crime fighter, ands some stories feature him just taking on ordinary criminals.

A classic Batman comic called Night of the Stalker from the 1970s features Batman tracking down a group of thugs who murder the parents of a young boy in front of him. Its a really dark, gritty story, almost like a Death Wish movie as Batman stalks them through the night. There's a moving scene at the end where Batman after catching the criminals reads about how the young boy's parents didn't make it and actually cries that he failed to stop the same thing happening again.

IMO the Nolan movies captured that side of the character more as they pitted him against more grounded criminals. Burton captured the fantasy, but you couldn't have quite had a Night of the Stalker style story in Batman Returns where he fights Penguin Men, and evil clowns.

Again this is why the DCAU is the best for me as its the only one that I think captured both as well as the comedy. Its nice to hear that Adam West still holds up for children 50 years on. It can get repetitive but West's hilariously serious performance in the face of such ridiculousness always makes me laugh.

I guess I'd go for the DCAU.

Bats is probably the most interesting superhero but I don't feel that anyone yet has made good on his potential.

I started writing something that focused more on his psychology etc. but I felt it was too similar to Year One/Batman Begins. We've had his origin story so many times already.

The Burton movies.
21st century too. The Nolan's bored the pants off me.

Yeah, the Burton films.


The Dark Knight Rises was one of the worst experiences I've ever had at a cinema. Dark, angsty and pretentious crap that felt like one extended movie trailer. The Joker and his cronies vandalizing the paintings to Prince's "Partyman" in the original is far more memorable than anything that happened in TDR.

Commander Maxil wrote:Yeah, the Burton films.


The Dark Knight Rises was one of the worst experiences I've ever had at a cinema. Dark, angsty and pretentious crap that felt like one extended movie trailer. The Joker and his cronies vandalizing the paintings to Prince's "Partyman" in the original is far more memorable than anything that happened in TDR.

"Gentlemen lets broaden our minds."

Fun fact that scene is actually in the original Adam West tv series where Cesar Romero's Joker vandalises a museum (though obviously he doesn't do it to Prince's music.)



Always liked Prince. His duet with Amy Winehouse was very memorable. (Obviously I'm going to be partial to it LOL. Sad both are no longer with us.)

Have to disagree about The Dark Knight Rises. Its a classic IMO. Possibly the best live action Batman film and one of my fave movies overall.

Bale is at his best in that one, Tom Hardy is great, and the story is the best for any Batman movie. Lots of different set pieces and sides to the story. It also followed on from the ending of The Dark Knight really well too. I liked the bit where Harvey Dent's awful crimes were revealed. It manages to be very personal whilst having the highest stakes of the series too.

I also may be in the minority, but I preferred Anne Hathaway's Catwoman. Michelle Pfiefer is a brilliant actress and she gave a wonderfully camp, OTT performance with a lot of depth and drama to it.

However there are some moments with her Catwoman that are cringey by today's standards and not in a good way. The writers in some ways seemed a bit too focused on the fact that she was a woman, kind of like that modern ghastly Supergirl series.

Obviously its nowhere near as bad, and we let it go because it was the early 90s (before even the girl power craze, the wave of female heroes like Xena etc.)

Still lines like this.

I am Catwoman hear me roar!

Like I said I'm a woman and can't be taken for granted. Life's a bitch now so am I.

Are still cringey LOL. Anne's Catwoman I feel was more of a character in her own right, more morally grey, and closer to the Catwoman I know from the comics.

The best version of Catwoman in terms of character is still the one in Gotham. The actress is great, her relationship with Bruce is the most natural, and they balance her darker and more heroic qualities really well.

The sexiest Catwoman for me meanwhile would have to be the one from the 66 film. Lee Merriweather was gorgeous in her prime.

Gotham is a great series. I'm currently on a rewatch. Its versions of The Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman and Alfred are the best.

Sean Pertwee as Alfred is an absolute badass. He would have been one of the greatest Doctor Who's of all time. He would have been like what they wanted Eccelston's Doctor to be, IE a bit rougher and harder, but not to the extent where he would have lost the lighter qualities.

The Joker of that series is also probably the most terrifying. Mark Hamill is still the best overall, but Jerome is an absolute monster.



Its hard to watch this scene LOL (PS you can see what excellent characters Batman and the Joker are when even as children a confrontation between them is absolute dynamite!)

Tanmann wrote:I'm mainly partial to the Commodore 64 version.



But then that's probably nostalgia talking.

Did you rewatch Batman and Robin again recently? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Not yet.

I'll get to it.

Anyone here like Batman Forever? That one seems a bit underrated to me.

Commander Maxil wrote:Anyone here like Batman Forever? That one seems a bit underrated to me.

Yeah, I actually quite like Forever. It sure isn't perfect, but I could tell that there was a lot of love and passion put into the project. I'd also say that Val Kilmer is probably the most accurate looking Bruce Wayne, not my favourite, but whenever I read a Batman comic, I can sometimes hear Kilmer's physique and voice as Bruce Wayne.

Quite interesting interview with Ruth Steel the woman who inspired the creation of Catwoman. She was 96 when this interview was taken. 96! Those are some great fucking genes.

Commander Maxil wrote:The Dark Knight Rises was one of the worst experiences I've ever had at a cinema. Dark, angsty and pretentious crap that felt like one extended movie trailer.

I liked it mostly, but something bothered me about it.

It took watching this dissection of the film's Dickensian source material to figure out what. And it's basically that some of its angry class politics are rather out of date, misapplied and ill-fitting. Hence why some of its class anger seemed arbitrary, unsettling and impossible to lucidly get behind.