How to Watch (and Read) Tim Burton's Batman Universe In Chronological Order

Every Tim Burton Batman Movie and Book successful Chronological Order

*Each blurb contains a wide overview of the crippled and mentions the heroes/villains who look successful that movie oregon book.

1. Batman (1989)

This is the archetypal movie that started it all. Burton’s archetypal Batman movie pits Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight (still aboriginal successful his superhero career) against Jack Nicholson’s Joker. The movie inspired a summertime of “Bat-Mania” and proved determination was a steadfast appetite for darker, much mature superhero movies successful Hollywood.

2. Batman: Resurrection (2024)

This caller by John Jackson Miller is acceptable successful the aftermath of the archetypal movie, arsenic Batman deals with the remnants of the Joker Gang and confronts the emergence of the shape-shifting villain known arsenic Clayface. The publication is designed to span the spread betwixt Batman and Batman Returns, including introducing Christopher Walken’s quality Max Shreck and giving readers much penetration into the illness of Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale’s (Kim Basinger) romance.

3. Batman: Revolution (2025)

Miller is returning for a 2nd caller acceptable betwixt the events of Batman and Batman Returns. This time, Revolution volition present the Burton-Verse’s mentation of Riddler, a lowly paper transcript exertion named Norman Pinkus who laments the information that nary 1 appreciates his aptitude for solving crimes. Pinkus volition crook to a beingness of transgression and capitalize connected the city’s increasing resentment toward the affluent elite of Gotham.

4. Batman Returns (1992)

Burton and Keaton some returned for this movie sequel, which is acceptable a fewer years aft the events of the archetypal movie. This time, Batman goes up against Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s Penguin arsenic Gotham City endures a hellish vacation season. Despite archetypal plans for a 3rd Batman movie, some Burton and Keaton yet dropped retired of what became 1995’s Batman Forever.

5. Batman ‘89 (2021)

DC’s Batman ‘89 comic serves arsenic a nonstop sequel to Batman Returns and is acceptable 3 years later. The six-issue comic, written by Batman screenwriter Sam Hamm and illustrated by Joe Quinones, draws inspiration from Burton’s abandoned plans for a 3rd Batman movie. The publication sees Billy Dee Williams’ Harvey Dent go Two-Face, portion besides introducing a mentation of Robin modeled aft Marlon Wayans (who astatine 1 constituent was attached to play the relation successful Batman Returns). Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman besides makes a instrumentality appearance, paying disconnected connected the tease from the extremity of Batman Returns.

Click present to larn much astir however Batman ‘89 adds to the Burton-Verse.

6. Batman ‘89: Echoes (2024)

Just arsenic Batman ‘89 is fundamentally Burton’s Batman 3 successful comic form, Hamm and Quinones reunited for a follow-up that acts arsenic a hypothetical 4th Burton movie. Three years aft the events of Batman ‘89, Keaton’s Bruce Wayne has gone missing, leaving Robin and the caller Batgirl to woody with the menace posed by Scarecrow (modeled aft Jeff Goldblum) and Harley Quinn (modeled aft Madonna).

7. The Arrowverse's Crisis connected Infinite Earths: Part One (2019)

While lone hardcore Burton-Verse completionists request to interest astir this one, it's worthy mentioning that Robert Wuhl concisely reprises the relation of intrepid newsman Alexander Knox successful the archetypal section of The CW's Crisis connected Infinite Earths crossover. That occurrence concisely shifts absorption to Earth-89, wherever Knox is seen speechmaking a paper successful a parkland arsenic reddish skies signifier implicit Gotham. It's 1 of galore live-action DC cameos successful the crossover.

8. The Flash (2023)

While it didn’t fare good critically oregon commercially, The Flash astatine slightest has the favoritism of giving Bat-fans immoderate closure connected the saga of Keaton’s Batman. Keaton himself returns to play a overmuch older Bruce Wayne, aft Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen mucks astir with the DCEU timeline and inadvertently trades 1 Batman for another. Meeting The Flash and learning astir the menace of Michael Shannon’s General Zod is capable to coax Batman retired of status for 1 last, high-stakes mission.

Tim Burton’s Batman Universe successful Release Order

• Batman (1989)
• Batman Returns (1992)
• Batman ‘89 (2021)
• The Flash (2023)
• Batman ‘89: Echoes (2024)
• Batman: Resurrection (2024)
• Batman: Revolution (2025)

How Do Batman Forever and Batman & Robin Fit In?

1995’s Batman Forever and 1997’s Batman & Robin were erstwhile considered sequels to Batman and Batman Returns, contempt the information that neither Burton nor Keaton returned for these projects. The beingness of supporting characters similar Pat Hingle’s Commissioner Gordon and Michael Gough’s Alfred maintained immoderate grade of continuity with the erstwhile films. However, these 2 sequels are mostly regarded arsenic being inferior to their predecessors, arsenic good arsenic being acold antithetic tonally.

With the merchandise of The Flash, DC present officially treats Batman Forever and Batman & Robin arsenic being acceptable successful a abstracted mentation of the DC Universe. The Batman ‘89 comics present enactment arsenic the definitive, canon sequels to Batman Returns, revealing what happened to Keaton’s Bruce Wayne betwixt the events of Returns and The Flash.

The Canceled Batgirl Movie

Warning: this conception contains spoilers for The Flash!

The Flash wasn’t ever intended to beryllium the extremity of the roadworthy for Keaton’s Batman. At 1 point, the quality was being positioned for an ongoing relation successful the DCEU (before WB chopped that cinematic universe’s aboriginal short). Reportedly, a erstwhile mentation of the movie ended not with Batman dying successful conflict against Zod successful the Flashpoint timeline, but with some Keaton’s Bruce and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl crossing implicit into the restored DCEU. That’s wherever WB’s canceled Batgirl movie comes in.

Keaton coiled up reprising the relation again successful Batgirl, which reportedly formed him arsenic an aged, Batman Beyond-esque mentor to Leslie Grace’s rookie Barbara Gordon. J.K. Simmons besides returned arsenic the DCEU Commissioner Gordon, portion Brendan Fraser played the villain Firefly.

The Batgirl movie made it good into post-production earlier WB infamously pulled the plug and canceled it arsenic a taxation writeoff. It became a large casualty successful the studio’s evolving plans for the DC enactment and the pivot to James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. Barring immoderate large leaks, Keaton fans volition ne'er person an accidental to spot what volition apt beryllium his last Batman performance.

For much connected the aboriginal of DC movies, find retired wherefore Gunn needs to support Robert Pattinson’s Batman retired of the DCU and brushwood up connected each DC movie and bid successful development.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.

Originally posted:

Mar 10, 2025 7:47 pm