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From 1966's film featuring Adam West to 2022's Robert Pattinson starrer, and all the Batmans in between (Michael Keaton! Val Kilmer! George Clooney! Christian Bale!) Ben Affleck!) a look at the most memorable lines of dialogue from each film
By Richard Newby , Kimberly Nordyke, Editor May 5, 2023 8:35am
– Batman, The Dark Knight Rises.
Batman threatens Bane and vows to put a stop to his plans to blow up the city.
Sure, that might be one of the most memorable quotes from the numerous feature films starring the Caped Crusader But what about the others, the ones that came during a key moment in the action or a pivotal point in the plot?
Here, we’ve rounded up 41 of the most memorable lines of dialogue to be uttered on the big screen by Bruce Wayne or his alter ego.
We looked at 1966’s Batman: The Movie (starring Adam West), 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns (Michael Keaton), 1995’s Batman Forever (Val Kilmer), 1997’s Batman & Robin (George Clooney), 2005’s Batman Begins, 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises (Christian Bale), 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ben Affleck) and 2022’s The Batman (Robert Pattinson) to pull some of the best.
Take a look at them below.
“Some days, you just can’t get rid of a bomb!” Batman (Adam West) frantically runs around a pier with a bomb, but everywhere he turns there are civilians. When he finally decides to toss the bomb into the river, there’s a family of ducks swimming, forcing him to hold onto it a while longer in this comedic bit.
“Hand me down the shark-repellent Batspray.” This line perhaps best summarizes the camp of the 1960s Batman series and feature film. Batman, facing off against a very fake looking shark that has clamped onto the Bat-copter ladder, and dangling just above its open mouth requests the Batspray from Robin. As far as tools in Batman’s arsenal go, this is one of his most ludicrous. Despite the oft-parodied moment, many comic writers have pit Batman against a shark in reference to this moment.
“Now you wanna get nuts? Come on! Let’s get nuts.” As Bruce Wayne, Batman (Michael Keaton) out-crazies the Joker (Jack Nicholson), grabbing a fire poker and smashing the décor in Vicki Vale’s apartment during a confrontation with the Joker. The line comes before a pivotal moment in which the Joker asks, “you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?” which reveals to Wayne that Joker is the man who murdered his parents decades ago.
“I’m not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all your friends about me.” Right before delivering the iconic “I’m Batman,” line, Batman establishes himself as a presence for the criminals of Gotham City to fear. This intro to Keaton’s Batman stripped away any of the lingering camp associated with the character onscreen at this point, and also brought the character back to his roots as an urban legend in Gotham.
“Selina … don’t you see? We’re the same. We’re the same … split right down the center.” Batman (Keaton) reveals he’s Bruce Wayne to Selina (Michelle Pfeiffer) just as she’s about to kill Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). He attempts to appeal to her better nature, and show her that they are the same, both struggling between two identities and hoping to find someone who can understand them. The parallels between Batman and Catwoman are highlighted in Batman stories across every medium, but there’s a tragic poetry to Burton’s handling of it here.
“Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.” Batman and Catwoman (Pfeiffer) have a flirtatious moment on the rooftop after their first fight. Catwoman straddles Batman and says, “You’re cat-nip to a girl like me.” Both of them notice they’re under mistletoe and Batman attempts to defuse the tension with this bit of information, which actually isn’t true. Eating mistletoe can cause an upset stomach but not death. Log that in your Bat-brain.
“You see, I’m both Bruce Wayne and Batman, not because I have to be, now, because I choose to be.” The Riddler (Jim Carrey), after being defeated by Batman (Val Kilmer), asks, “Why can’t I kill you?” Batman, who has spent the film psychologically grappling with the two sides of himself, as Bruce Wayne and Batman has finally come to a revelation that neither role is something that has been forced on him as a cross to bear, but a choice he’s made, a choice he can even enjoy if he lets himself.
“So you run out into the night to find another face, and another, and another, until one terrible morning you wake up and realize that revenge has become your whole life.” Bruce Wayne tries to talk Dick Grayson (Chris O’Donnell) out of his obsession with killing Two-Face by telling him that murdering the psychopath who killed his parents won’t fix what’s broken, but only lead him to chase that feeling in a futile attempt to heal himself through causing pain. Grayson counters him by saying they’re not the same, to which Bruce tells him they’re exactly the same.
“This is why Superman works alone.” The opening lines of Batman & Robin, starring George Clooney as Bruce Wayne, see Robin (O’Donnell) wanting to drive the Batmobile because “chicks dig the car.” This prompts the Superman reference, which at the time was a major deal as it marked the first time either character had made reference to the other in a movie, and suggested the possibility of a shared universe. It would be almost a decade, and two reboots later until that came to fruition.
“Vengeance isn’t power. Anyone can take a life. But to give life … that’s true power.” Batman confronts the defeated Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and reveals to him that his wife is still alive. He asks Freeze to help him save Alfred’s life and regain the power of humanity he possessed before his accident. (Pictured: Alicia Silverstone, Clooney and O’Donnell)
“People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne.” Bruce (Christian Bale) talks with Alfred (Michael Caine) about his plans to rescue Gotham as another being, saying, “People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored. I can be destroyed. But as a symbol — as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.”
“Rachel, all this – it’s not me, inside, and I am … more.” Bruce runs into Rachel (Katie Holmes) for the first time in years, drenched in a business suit with two women in bathrobes by his side. Rachel gives Bruce a judgmental stare as she comments on what he’s choosing to do with his life: “And you’re swimming…” He responds with this quote.
“Someone like you, someone who will rattle the cages.” Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) sends two of his henchmen to kill Rachel, and Batman comes to her rescue. At this point, Rachel is unaware of Bruce’s other identity, so when she asks him, “Who are you?” Bruce responds, “Someone like you, someone who will rattle the cages.”
“I won’t kill you, but I don’t have to save you.” When both Batman and Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) end up on a subway train that’s inevitably about to blow up, Batman threatens Henri with this line. He then escapes through the back window, without saving Ducard, as the train goes off the rails and ends up in shambles.
“I’ll be standing where I belong. Between you and the people of Gotham.” This quote is stated as Henri tells Bruce that he was one of his greatest students and that he should be standing by his side, helping save the world. Bruce’s response shows his loyalty to Gotham and insight into Ducard’s destructive plans.
“I came here to show you that not everyone in Gotham’s afraid of you.” As Batman and Carmine converse in a restaurant, Carmine’s bodyguard doesn’t find a gun on Bruce. He says, “You should have just sent a thank you note,” to which Bruce responds, “I didn’t come here to thank you. I came here to show you that not everyone in Gotham’s afraid of you.”
“Well, a guy who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues.” Bruce gives a humorous and coded response when he’s asked to weigh in on the Batman phenomenon.
“Bats frighten me. It’s time the world share my dread.” When Alfred asks Bruce why he chose the symbol of a bat, Bruce admits he was afraid of bats as a kid and is still terrified by them.
“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Batman (Bale) talks to Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) about how he’s now perceived as a villain following the death of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). He says, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I can do those things. Because I’m not a hero, not like Dent. I killed those people. That’s what I can be.”
“Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough, sometimes people deserve more.” Batman is forced to go into hiding when he’s pinpointed as the blame for Joker’s actions. The second installment of the Batman franchise closes with Batman saying, “Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded…”
“Then you’re gonna love me.” Rachel kicks Joker (Heath Ledger) in the groin as he approaches her, causing Joker to say, “A little fight in you. I like that.” As Batman swoops in to save her, he tells Joker, “Then you’re gonna love me.”
“What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone’s as ugly as you? You’re alone!” In a social experiment conducted by Joker, two boats, both supplied with detonators, are faced with the option of blowing the other up to better the chances of survival for those on board. While Joker expectedly waits for either ferry to explode, Batman decides that neither will be destroyed when he delivers this line.
“Batman has no limits.” Bruce says this to Alfred (Michael Caine) when he tells him to know his limits. Alfred responds, “You do, sir.”
“I’m counting on it.” As Batman holds Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts) on the edge of a ledge, Salvatore says, “From one professional to another, if you’re trying to scare somebody, pick a better spot. From this height, the fall wouldn’t kill me.” After Batman responds, “I’m counting on it,” he drops Salvatore Maroni from the ledge, breaking his legs.
“I’m not wearing hockey pads.” Batman tells off a group of superhero wannabes who try to fight alongside him, when one of them frustratingly asks, “What’s the difference between you and me?” As Batman lowers himself into his bat-mobile, he says, “I’m not wearing hockey pads.”
“Well, I grew up in Gotham, and I turned out all right.” Bruce says this in response to Natascha (Beatrice Rosen), who asks him how he could possibly want to raise children in Gotham. The quote is ironic, but perfect for his character.
“A hero can be anyone.” When Bruce (Bale) finally reveals himself as Batman to Lt. Gordon (Oldman), he says, “A hero can be anyone — even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended,” referring to what Gordon did for him when he was younger.
“I fear dying in here, while my city burns, and there’s no one there to save it.” When Bruce is captured and put in a cell, a blind prisoner offers him words of wisdom about death. The prisoner claims Batman doesn’t fear death, though it’s what makes him weak. Bruce responds saying, “I do fear death. I fear dying in here, while my city burns, and there’s no one there to save it.”
“Tell me where the trigger is. Then… you have my permission to die.” Batman threatens Bane and vows to put a stop to his plans to blow up the city.
“Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire.” Bruce cuts in to dance with Selina (Anne Hathaway) as she’s dancing with an older gentleman. She asks him, “Yeah? Who are you pretending to be?” to which he responds, “Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire. Who’s your date?”
“I need you to get me back in the game.” When Bruce feels that he’s been in hiding for too long, he approaches Lucius (Morgan Freeman) about returning to being Batman to save the city from Bane.
“Rachel died believing that we would be together; that was my life beyond the cape.” Bruce and Alfred are talking about Batman’s return to the city when Bruce says, “Rachel died believing that we would be together; that was my life beyond the cape. I can’t just move on. She didn’t, she couldn’t.” Alfred responds by finally telling Bruce that Rachel had chosen Harvey Dent over him.
“If this man is everything that you say he is, then this city needs me.” After Alfred alerts Bruce that Bane is wreaking havoc on Gotham, Bruce makes the decision to go back out into the city as Gotham’s hero, Batman.
“Not yet.” Bruce Wayne appears before Selina (Catwoman), who says to him, “I thought they killed you.” Bruce replies, “Not yet.”
Led Light Bulb “I’m not afraid. I’m angry.” Bruce says this in reference to the chaos Bane is creating within the city.