Crime-fighting good guy or masked anti-hero? Batman has always had a dark, mysterious element to his character, in particular, the more recent movies always feature the caped crusader driving sinister blacked-out rides, the Batmobile, is much a star as the actors themselves.
The origins of some Batmobiles are unclear, are they the work of Wayne Enterprises? How does Alfred fit into the equation? Whatever the explanations are, they are some of the greatest movie cars we have ever seen. This leaves opinions divided as to which Batmobile is the best, with Bat-fans arguing the merits of each version and which Batmobile is the coolest.
For almost 80 years, Batman has entertained fans, old and young, while fighting crime in the coolest Batmobiles.
8 Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
Transitioning from the world of DC Comics to the big screen made Batman a hit among movie fans, but there remained an audience of younger viewers which prompted Warner Bros to produce the animated series. Animation frees the imagination, pretty much anything goes so long as someone dreams up the idea in the first place, the Batmobile often featured new gadgets that wouldn't be feasible in the real world.
Running for two seasons with 85 episodes, Batman The Animated Series was widely acclaimed for its gritty, dark world and had a huge impact on fans, one of whom took it upon himself to build a replica Batmobile. Created using little more than the series itself and a range of toys, this crime-busting car is worthy of a mention.
7 Val Kilmer's Batmobile In Batman Forever (1995)
Screened in 1995, Batman Forever introduced a new production team to the series, steering the caped crusader in a direction more in keeping with the DC Comics universe. As a result, the Batmobile now resembled a mix of hot-rod meets fairground ride.
Arguably, the worst modern take on the legendary hero's car, the new Batmobile spawned a series of cheap, flimsy fins accompanied by a dazzling array of lights. Batman's previous dark image had been jazzed up in a bad way. Fortunately for fans, this crazy creation met its welcome end at the hands of the Riddler and a few kilos of explosives.
6 Batman Series (1943)
For most movie fans, the Batmobile is all about gadgets and concealed special features, and yet the original series used more basic cars for the role. Cadillac's Series 75 made movie history, becoming the first ride of Batman and Bruce Wayne, simply raising or lowering the roof indicated who was behind the wheel.
Due to budget constraints, producers once again used a stock production car, this time Ford's 1943 Mercury convertible serving a dual role, the same simple roof up or down trick was employed depending on who was driving. Clearly crime-fighting must have been in its infancy, either that, or Batman hadn't designed any of the Batmobile's gadgets yet.
5 Michael Keaton's Batmobile (1989)
Renowned director Tim Burton kicked off a new generation of Batman movies. The 1989 installment boasted a huge cast of a-list celebrities, but it would be a darker more sinister Batmobile that most fans remember the most.
Unlike earlier designs, the 1989 Batmobile did away with any detailing, sporting an all-over matte black finish, in keeping with Batman's new darker persona. The car quickly became a hit with movie fans. Essentially a 1970 Chevrolet Impala under the skin, Alfred had clearly earned his butler's salary installing retractable cannons and armor plating.
4 Christian Bale's Dark Knight Bat-Pod (2008)
We know what you are thinking, that's not a Batmobile! But the Bat-Pod was created to integrate into Batman's Tumbler, serving as an escape vehicle. We had already seen various "Bat" vehicles in the original TV series, including the Bat Boat, Bat Copter, and even the original Bat Cycle, it was only a matter of time before the movies reflected this.
Not just an escape pod, but a full-fledged assault vehicle in its own right, with twin front-mounted cannons delivering a hail of shells in pursuit of the Joker. Created especially for the movie, the Bat-Pod is unique among custom bikes, having its 750cc Honda engine mounted within its rear-wheel minimizing frame size and weight.
3 Ben Affleck's Batman Vs Superman Batmobile (2016)
With a limited number of classic villains to take on, the 2016 Batman reboot took another direction, this time pitting the caped crusader against the most famous superhero of all time, Superman.
Ignoring possibly the weakest plots in the history of Batman movies, the star of this installment is easily the Batmobile. Having already used the Tumbler as a semi-military vehicle, the producers took things to another level. No longer hiding the Batmobile's abilities, this one is more tank than a car. Designed to be a working vehicle, the 2016 Batmobile bears the scars of previous encounters, in reality, the movie car didn't feature in any of the action sequences.
2 Christian Bale's Tumbler From Batman Begins (2005)
Perhaps the biggest reboot of the Batman movies series of all, Batman Begins hit the screens in 2005, our favorite crime-fighting caped crusader also had a meaner ride. Think more APC than Batmobile and you would be pretty much spot on with the Tumbler.
Built from the ground up for the movie, the Tumbler rides on a custom tube frame which, in the movie at least, is heavily armor-plated and fitted out with an array of offensive weaponry. In a visual nod to the original series, the tumbler features the now-famous jet engine, in this case, a gasoline-powered "afterburner" style affair that adds the dramatic cool factor.
1 Adam West's Batmobile From The Batman TV Series (1966)
For most gearheads, the original Batmobile featured in the 1966 TV series is the coolest ride of the dynamic duo. The car was crammed full of gadgets that were either forward-thinking or just plain outrageous. Believable or not, this is the Batmobile that fueled a generation of wannabe crime fighters, the only argument was who got to be Batman.
Created a long time before modern CGI, this crime-fighting vehicle is a fully functioning car based on a Lincoln Futura concept car, although pretty much every gadget is for show only. Sadly, TV executives couldn't find a way to make the turbine a viable source of power, instead, a good old-fashioned 6.3-liter V8 stands in for the "atomic" fuel source.