Here’s Batman’s Trusty Batmobile Over The Years

Batman has been a legendary icon in the DC comics universe and it's not due to his superpowers. It is mainly due to him making the best use of his vast resources and an unbreakable resolve to fight crime as a human being. To keep his trademark stealthy nature while travelling, the caped crusader has had a trusted vehicle called the Batmobile. While we’ve already seen many iterations in comic books, we take a look at the ones seen on TV and the big screen. Here’s all of them through the years.

Batman (TV) 1943

 

In today’s day and age, we’ve been familiarised with Batmobiles being radical prototypes with an array of gadgets. However, that wasn’t the case back when Batman made his debut in live-action TV. The first Batmobile seen on TV was a stock 1939 Cadillac Series 75 convertible. As you can see, it is a stock vehicle and also served as Bruce Wayne’s personal ride, unlike today’s movies. To differentiate, it had its soft top on when it was the Batmobile. 

Batman And Robin (TV) 1949 

Fast forward six years, and you get a stock 1949 Mercury convertible as a Batmobile. It continues to serve as a personal car for Bruce Wayne. It also used the same convertible tactics to differentiate the two alter ego’s cars. This was to be expected since the technology to implement radical upgrades was still in its infancy and would take a major chunk of the production budget to make modifications.

Batman (TV) 1966

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17 years later and we finally get something that looks like a Batmobile. The vehicle used was a 1955 Lincoln Futura which became an instant fan favorite. This was the first Batmobile to feature radical modifications and gadetry on the car. It certainly fit the Batman theme with long fins at the back and a bubble canopy. Gadgets onboard consisted of lasers, rockets, smokescreen, and a police beacon. 

Batman, Batman Returns (Film) 1989-92 

It took 20 years before we saw the next iteration of the Batmobile show up. This time it was on the big screen with none other than Michael Keaton. It is still considered one of the best Batmobiles around with a sleek, yet aggressive design. Some key highlights included a turbine at the nose of the car, massive bat-like wings at the rear and a jet fighter-style cockpit. It also came with cool tech like disc launchers, spherical bombs, and voice command.   

Batman Forever (Film) 1995

The next Batmobile took the bat theme even further with the overall silhouette and wings around the car. Another interesting design trait was the wheel covers where the bat logo stayed in the same position despite the wheels being in motion. Some notable gadgetry was four-wheel steering and a grappling cable for climbing. 

Batman And Robin (Film) 1997 

This iteration of the Batmobile took inspiration from the Jaguar D-Type. It was also one of the longest Batmobiles around. Other design highlights include an open cockpit setup, bladed fins, and 22-inch wheels.

Dark Knight Trilogy (Film) 2005-2012  

Batman made a return to the big screen with the famous Christopher Nolan trilogy. The Batmobile for Christian Bale looked like a souped-up tank dubbed the Tumbler. Aside from charging through cars like empty cans and tank-like cannons, this Batmobile also had a motorcycle that ejected from the rest of the car.  

DCEU (Film) 2016- 2017

Following the Dark Knight Trilogy, a new Batman came forth for the DCEU. And with that, a new Batmobile. It resembles the Tumbler in silhouette but featured a more aggressive design. Artillery on offer included gatling guns, anti-ballistics, stealth mode as well as harpoons. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see a lot of it due to Batman not having any standalone movie.

The Batman (Film) 2021

There’s still some time before we see Robert Pattinson take over the Batman mantle, but Matt Reeves gave us a glimpse into what the caped crusader’s new ride will be like. This time, the Batmobile is not some radical military-grade behemoth like its previous two predecessors. It is actually a modified muscle car with an exposed rear-mounted engine. The car looks like some of the old Dodge Chargers from the 70s. Considering its relatively clean design we expect it to be an early iteration of the Batmobile. However, all will be revealed when The Batman hits theatres on June 25, 2021.

So which one of these Batmobiles is your favourite? Do let us know in the comments section below!

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