Ranking Batman's Entrances In All 13 Batman Movies From Worst To Best
Theatricality and deceptions are powerful agents.
We have been blessed with so many Batman movies over the years, with the Caped Crusader leading the charge even before the golden age of superhero movies.
Fast forward to today, and we are still counting new additions to the franchise. With each film, one tradition is counting the seconds until Batman appears on the screen. Batman, after all, is an expert in using fear and surprise to his advantage against the criminal underworld. Which shadowy corner will he appear in? What gadget and cool fighting method will he use as criminals scatter and panic due to his sudden appearance?
Batman always knows how to make an entrance, but which Batman movie did it best? Technically, there are over 13 Batman movies if we include the DC Universe Animated Original Movies from the direct-to-video lineup. For the purpose of this list though, only the theatrically released Batman movies will be included.
13. Justice League (Theatrical Cut)
On the rooftop of Gotham, a thief appears with a sack full of the things he stole from the building he came out of. The thief sees Batman in the distance and tries to shoot. Batman vanishes quickly, leading the thief to search for him. When trying to shoot Batman does not work, the thief tries to run away, only for Batman to catch him, tie him up, and then put him on the edge of the building. Here it is revealed that Batman’s motive is to let the thief be scared so a Parademon(Steppenwolf’s mindless minions) will appear as it senses his fear. Once a Parademon appears, Batman fights it and then successfully traps it in a net. To Batman’s shock, the Parademon explodes right before his eyes, but the marks it left behind become the next clue in the movie’s mystery.
This entrance is your typical “Batman surprises the criminal with his presence routine,” not a good one at that. Any Batman entrance like this needs to look atmospheric with dark shadows to make Batman ominous, but there are not enough shadows here. The criminal doesn’t even look afraid of Batman, he just looks frustrated that his criminal act is being stopped. If the criminal is not scared then there is no investment in the fight, it's just a dull expectation.
When it goes to a less routine place as a Parademon arrives, Batman is not even surprised to see it, so we too are not surprised. The Parademon is a CGI creation, so there is no tangibility in their fight. We are left with this feeling that if this intro is this dull and boring, then maybe the entire movie is this dull and boring.