Ranking: Every Batman Movie Final Battle From Worst To Best
3. Batman Returns (1992)
Burton outdid his previous effort with this divisive 1992 sequel, which is awash in even more idiosyncratic flourishes than the first film (The Penguin's [Danny DeVito] rubber ducky vehicle and an army of rocket-clad penguins) yet retains Burton's gorgeous style and comes complete with an array of superb performances.
What really raises Returns' final showdown above the 1989 movie's is Danny DeVito's visceral turn as The Penguin, for while the fight itself is low on close-quarters combat, it's intense enough that many parents deemed it "too scary" for children.
There's an added-value aside where Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) electrocutes Christopher Walken's slimeball Max Shreck, but the core appeal is seeing the gravely wounded Penguin succumb to his wounds (after falling into the sewer from a great height) as Batman looks on. The final image, of The Penguin's penguin minions returning his corpse into the water in a solemn funeral ceremony, is probably the most weirdly beautiful moment from any Batman movie.
Its oddball nature won't be for all tastes, but the excellent effects and Tim Burton's mesmerising direction really sell it. The combat could be better, but the psychology and performances make it a worthy battle all the same.