SPLICED COMICS /
ISSUE 02
FEATURE / A BAT OF MANY COWLS
BATMAN (1989)
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
BATMAN PLAYED BY: Michael Keaton
VILLAIN: The Joker (Jack Nicholson)
AWARDS: Oscar for Best Art Direction
REMEMBERED FOR: 50,000 protest
letters were sent to Warner Bros over the
casting of Michael Keaton as Batman,
however ultimately the film did very well,
being nominated for a number of Golden
Globe’s and BAFTA’s in addition to
winning an Oscar for Best Art Direction.
It was the first film to earn $100 million
within its first ten days of release.
BATMAN RETURNS
(1992)
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
BATMAN PLAYED BY: Michael Keaton
VILLAINS: Catwoman (Michelle
Pfeiffer); Penguin (Danny DeVito)
REMEMBERED FOR: Being better than
the first movie, but it didn’t do as well at
the Box Office. Michelle Pfeiffer looked
awesome in that catsuit!
BATMAN FOREVER
(1995)
DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher
BATMAN PLAYED BY: Val Kilmer
ROBIN PLAYED BY: Chris O’Donnell
PRIMARY VILLAINS: The Riddler (Jim
Carrey); Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones)
REMEMBERED FOR: The introduction
of Robin and his silly outfit. It seems there
was a lot of spandex and speculation
about homoerotic tendencies.
BATMAN AND
ROBIN (1997)
THE DARK KNIGHT
RISES (2012)
DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher
BATMAN PLAYED BY: George Clooney
ROBIN PLAYED BY: Chris O’Donnell
BATGIRL PLAYED BY: Alicia Silverstone
VILLAINS: Mr Freeze (Arnold
Schwarzenegger); Poison Ivy (Uma
Thurman); Bane (Robert Swenson)
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
VILLAINS: Bane (Tom Hardy);
Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway);
Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard)
REMEMBERED FOR: It shouldn’t be.
Batman and Robin was one of the worst
Batman movies made to date. It was so
bad that the sequel was cancelled and
the franchise rebooted. It also introduces
Barbara Wilson/Batgirl.
BATMAN BEGINS
(2005)
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
BATMAN PLAYED BY: Christian Bale
VILLAINS: Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson);
The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy)
REMEMBERED FOR: The beginning of
Christopher Nolan’s rebooted Batman
trilogy, Batman Begins received rave
reviews and restored a great deal of faith
in the Batman franchise. Introduced
Batman’s infamous Tumbler vehicle.
THE DARK KNIGHT
(2008)
REMEMBERED FOR: This was the last
of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, as
well as Christian Bale’s last reprisal as the
Caped Crusader.
MAN OF STEEL
SEQUEL (TBC)
DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder
BATMAN PLAYED BY: Ben Affleck
MORE INFO: Not much information
is known about the appearance of
Batman in the sequel to the Man of Steel
Superman movie. The characters exist
within the same DC universe so although
they are associated with different cities
(Metropolis/Gotham) it’s not the first time
they’ve appeared together, having done
so in comic books prior to this. Director
Zack Snyder has stated that although the
film will draw inspiration from the iconic
The Dark Knight Returns, it will not be
based on the graphic novel. There has
been a huge amount of controversy over
the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman,
particularly after his dismal portrayal of
Daredevil in the 2003 movie of the same
name. After his name was revealed for the
Man of Steel sequel, he has derisively been
referred to as “Batfleck”.
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
BATMAN PLAYED BY: Christian Bale
VILLAINS: Joker (Heath Ledger); TwoFace (Aaron Eckhart)
AWARDS: Oscar for Best Sound Editing
/ Best Supporting Actor (posthumous) to
Heath Ledger
REMEMBERED FOR: Heath Ledger’s
amazing portrayal of The Joker, and
the last film he made before his death.
Probably one of the most disturbing
portrayals of The Joker character and
very in line with the mentally unstable
character from the comic books.
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