Batman is known for his brooding characterization which inevitably leads to him having some of the best one-liners delivered on screen. We have had a ton of live-action Batman adaptations over the years, with each one of them having a different portrayal of the characters.
This has led to quite a variation in the kind of one-liners we expect from each character. From the Michael Keaton Batman to Robert Pattinson, let's take a look at some of the best pieces of dialogues delivered by each one of them.
The Dark Knight Rises
“A Hero Can Be Anyone, Even Someone Doing Something As Simple And Reassuring As Putting a Coat Around a Little Boy’s Shoulder To Let Him Know The World Hadn’t Ended”
It can be said that this dialogue summed up the entire Dark Knight Trilogy in a nutshell. The entire theme of this trilogy was that Batman was the hero Gotham deserved but not the one it needed till the end of The Dark Knight Rises. On this thought, this movie put up the idea of anyone being able to be the Batman or the hero Gotham needed.
Batman saying this to Gordon before ‘sacrificing’ himself with the nuclear bomb, really put the nail on the head with the whole message of the Nolan trilogy. Any act, no matter the significance of it can make a person a hero, it doesn’t need to have a large impact or require a huge sum of money.
The Batman
“I Am Vengeance”
one of the best Batman movies of all time. The opening sequence of the movie during which you could only hear the heavy footsteps of Batman approaching followed by the brief action sequence made this line one of the most memorable ones in the entire movie.
“I am vengeance” perfectly encapsulated what Robert Pattinson’s Batman thought of himself and his effect on Gotham. Contrasting this with the end of the movie where Batman realized he needs to be more than just fear and vengeance and the fact that one of the shooters also said the same dialogue makes this initial line even more important.
Batman Begins
“It's Not Who I Am Underneath, But What I Do That Defines Me”
Interestingly, this line was actually first said by Rachel in Batman Begins but later on, Bruce Wayne reaffirmed his belief in it. What makes this dialogue interesting is the multiple layers behind it, on the outside, Bruce Wayne is a billionaire playboy who is tormented on the inside by his past ghosts.
On the other hand, he is also the Batman, who although fights for justice, is never associated with Bruce Wayne. This entails that Bruce Wayne does not care whether people judge him for his playboy status as long as what he does, in reality, has some real impact on Gotham and that is enough for him.
Batman Begins
"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."
Batman Begins was full of layered and deep dialogues. Similarly, this line can be used in relation to a lot of real-world scenarios. Even Batman is just a man underneath, who can be hurt and even killed, but that would not mean the end of Batman.
As long as Batman is a symbol to the people of Gotham, he can be immortal. Even without Bruce Wayne, somebody else can be the image of Batman or his fear can live on amongst the criminals of the city, effectively making him immortal.
The Dark Knight Rises
“Now You Have My Permission To Die”
In The Dark Knight Rises, we saw Batman at his lowest, he had been completely physically and mentally broken by Bane. But he was purposely kept alive so that he could witness the fall of Gotham. As Bane said, “You don’t have my permission to die yet”.
So when Batman used the same dialogue on him when he had finally physically defeated Bane, the satisfaction of this line was truly resonated with the audience. This should go down as one of the best lines from The Dark Knight Rises.
The Dark Knight Trilogy
“I Am Batman”
Not much can be said about this line right here. It is one of the most iconic lines of dialogue ever produced on the big screen. The first time Batman said this was in Batman Begins when he was pulling out Falcone from the car. This was also the first time people saw Batman on screen in the Nolan Trilogy which makes it the perfect introduction of the character.
The nightmarish and suspenseful sequence which led to this line added to the overall satisfaction of the delivery as well. This dialogue will forever be one of Batman's best quotes from The Dark Knight.
Batman, 1989
“I Am Not Going To Kill You. I Want You To Do Me A Favor. I Want You To Tell All Your Friends About Me”
The overall theme of Batman is that he wants to spread his fear amongst the seedy underground of Gotham so that anyone thinks twice before committing any crime. So when Batman apprehends a mugger outside Monarch Theatre, this dialogue perfectly encapsulates his intention.
There is also another layer to this dialogue, this also shows that Batman has a strict no-kill policy even when he is talking to a mugger which was also the reason behind his parent’s death.
Batman 1989
“You Ever Danced With The Devil In The Pale Moonlight?”
Jack Nicholson’s Joker was not only unique but will forever go down in the history books as one of the most iconic portrayals of the character. This same dialogue was actually first used by the Joker but when Batman finally caught up to him, he reversed it and used it on the Joker instead.
This also caught Joker off guard as he did not expect Batman to say that. This was also surprisingly a very funny scene, with the way Joker was tricked when Vickie distracted him.
Justice League
“I Am Rich”
This is the perfect summary of Ben Affleck’s Batman in Justice League. This line was also used at the perfect time, as Barry Allen is getting into Bruce Wayne’s swanky Mercedes while he was being recruited for the Justice League, the first thing which came to his mind must have been what his superpower is.
Considering we do not see this version of Batman's origin story or his initial training montage and not a lot of attention is given to his fighting skills, being rich does fit this version's skill set.
The Batman
“Fear Is a Tool. When That Light Hits The Sky, It's Not Just A Call, It’s A Warning”
Again from the brilliant opening sequence of the new Batman movie, Batman is explaining the significance of the light and the fact that it is not just for him but also to let everyone know that he can be anywhere. As he says, “People think I am in the shadows, but I am the shadows”.
This was also brilliantly complemented by the shot of criminals searching for him in the shadows and looking around in fear. As Batman’s intention is to spread fear amongst the criminals, this works perfectly within that framework.
