Batman: 80 Greatest Ever Moments

60. "It's Not Who I Am Underneath..." - Batman Begins

Batman Begins Gif
Warner Bros.

While Batman Begins is all about Bruce Wayne's transformation into The Caped Crusader, seemingly defined by the moment he first dons the cape and cowl and utters the infamous "I'm Batman" line, it's this moment where Bruce fully embraces his superhero side.

After he's chastised by Rachel Dawes earlier in the film after assuring her he has a good side underneath his billionaire bravado, she tells him that "it's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." When she's saying it to Bruce, it's to inform him that speeches at fundraisers and parties don't matter. It doesn't matter if you have a good heart if you aren't using it to actually make good things happen in the world.

As Batman, after rescuing Rachel, Bruce repeats the line back at her, proving that he's fully committed to living out the idea behind those words.

[JB]

59. The First Proper Batmobile - Batman #5

First Batmobile
DC Comics

The Batmobile is an integral and immortal part of Batman's iconography, but it wasn't until the fifth issue of the character's main series that it boasted a Bat-like exterior.

Before Batman #5, the Batmobile wasn't even called the Batmobile. It was a red car, and it took until 1941 for Bill Finger and Bob Kane to change that.

This particular Batmobile might not be the most iconic one to feature in the Dark Knight's garage, but it was the one that started it all.

[EP]

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WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

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I like my comics like I like my coffee - in huge, unquestionably unhealthy doses.