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The crazy ’60s Batman TV series hit the big screen with this squad of bad guys, which pitted Adam West’s Batman and Burt Ward’s Robin against a slew of bad guys from the TV show. Calling themselves the United Underworld, the Joker (Cesar Romero), the Penguin (Burgess Meredith), the Riddler (Frank Gorshin), and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) devise a ludicrous plot to dry out a council of world diplomats and then in powder form.

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Director Tim Burton ushered in a new era of Batman and superhero movies in general with this moody, goth-influenced take on the Caped Crusader. Michael Keaton stars as Bruce Wayne, with Jack Nicholson as the villainous Joker and Kim Basinger as Bruce’s love interest, reporter Vicki Vale. As Batman, Bruce must save Gotham City from the Joker’s plan to turn every citizen into grotesque reflections of himself.

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Tim Burton and Michael Keaton return to Batman with an even darker, more brooding adventure. This time, Batman takes on the Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), while romanticizing Catwoman’s alter ego Selina Kyle in his own guise as Bruce Wayne. Left to the sewer as a child, the Penguin seeks revenge by killing all the firstborn sons in Gotham City, including, of course, Bruce Wayne.

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Director Joel Schumacher takes over the Batman film franchise after Tim Burton’s departure and appoints Val Kilmer to replace Michael Keaton. Kilmer’s Batman takes on the villains Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), while taking on young Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell) to become his sidekick Robin. Schumacher abandons Burton’s gloomy aesthetic for something more colorful and closer to the 1960s Batman TV series.

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Joel Schumacher returns for an even crazier, more over-the-top adventure, this time starring George Clooney as Batman, with Chris O’Donnell returning as Robin. The Caped Crusaders try to attack the villains Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) from taking over the world. Its broad, campy tone and funny writing have earned Batman & Robin a reputation as one of the worst superhero films ever made, although it has built a cult following.

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Bruce Wayne’s story is rebooted in this original film from director Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne, who undergoes intense training after his parents’ murder to eventually become the protector of Gotham City. In the rawer, more grounded story, Batman takes on the villains Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), in an acclaimed film that launched a trilogy of Nolan and Bale.

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The second film in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy is often regarded as the best on-screen portrayal of Batman, including an Oscar-winning performance of the late Heath Ledger as the villain the Joker. Nominated for seven other Oscars, The Dark Knight has become one of the most influential superhero films of all time, with its portrayal of a dangerous, unhinged villain and its serious, epic scope.

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Christopher Nolan concludes his trilogy starring Christian Bale with this ambitious final chapter, even more epic than the previous one. The megalomaniac villain Bane (Tom Hardy) manages to take over Gotham City, leaving Batman behind as a freedom fighter trying to restore order. Nolan also casts Anne Hathaway as the latest Catwoman, an antihero who re-romances Batman, even when she fights him.

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Director Zack Snyder introduces an older, more tired version of Batman (played by Ben Affleck) as an opponent to his version of Superman (played by Henry Cavill). Both a sequel to the Superman movie Man of Steel and a setup for a Justice League superhero team-up extravaganza, Batman v Superman, Bruce Wayne finds himself determined to neutralize the perceived threat of an all-powerful Superman. In the end, both heroes fight the real threat of power-hungry villain Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).