In this article we'll explore Batman's color history from his first comic book appearance in Detective Comics #27 to today's latest release of Batman: Hush.
We'll also take a look at how these colors have evolved over time and how they were used for costumes—both practical ones worn by actors on set or virtual ones rendered in CGI software programs like Maya or Blender 3D by artists working on various projects from The Dark Knight trilogy to Lego Batman Movie.
The Batman (2022)
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
The Lego Batman Movie is a 2017 American-Chinese 3D computer-animated action-comedy superhero film based on the Lego Batman toy line, which features the DC Comics character of the same name. It was directed by Chris McKay, and written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern and John Whittington.
Justice League (2017)
Justice League is a superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Zack Snyder, with a screenplay by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, from a story by Snyder and Terrio.
The Dark Knight (2008)
The third instalment of Nolan's Batman franchise, The Dark Knight is a superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and co-written with his brother Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It stars Heath Ledger as the Joker, who confronts Batman (Christian Bale) after he takes responsibility for Harvey Dent's crimes.
Batman and Robin (1997)
Batman and Robin (1997) was the first and only movie in which George Clooney starred as Batman. It also featured Chris O'Donnell, who played Robin, and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy.
The film's color palette is mostly blue, with a few hints of yellow here and there. The batmobile is a dark red with metallic blue accents on it (which may have been influenced by the one used in Superman Returns).
Batman Forever (1995)
The third installment of Warner Bros' Batman film series was directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler and Akiva Goldsman. Val Kilmer played Bruce Wayne/Batman, while Tommy Lee Jones portrayed Two-Face.
Jim Carrey starred as The Riddler with Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian and Chris O'Donnell reprising his role as Robin/Dick Grayson. In the movie, Batman must stop Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) from killing all of Gotham's citizens while also stopping The Riddler (Jim Carrey).
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber, based on the DC Comics character Batman.
It is the second installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series, with Michael Keaton reprising the title role from the first film.
The film introduces Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle / Catwoman and Christopher Walken as Max Shreck.
The film follows Batman trying to stop his archenemy, Joker (who has been released from Arkham Asylum), from stealing an atomic device and unleashing it in Gotham City.
When you’re looking for the right color to use in a design project, it can be helpful to look at examples of how others have used it before.
Check out: Batman Coloring Pages
Color Table
List of Batman Actors
Related Article: Joker Colors
