These are the movies that Gotham deserves, but not the ones it needs right now. Or it needs them now, but doesn’t deserve them? I don’t know; I was always confused by that part, but whatever, whether or not Gotham NEEDS animated movies, it DESERVES animated movies (full of equally deserving Batman voice actors). While Batman’s live-action movies often rank as some of the finest superhero films (and films in general) ever made, the DC’s animated selection often puts competitors like Marvel to shame.
Now we’re going to count down the best of the best Batman movies and see which one TRULY deserves to be deserved by Gotham … I mean needed? I mean not needed right now. I mean … whatever.
10. Batman Ninja
Staring off this list is a film that Gotham neither knew it deserved nor needed right now: Batman Ninja. But it did. It needed and deserved it. But who could have known that Batman needed to LEAVE Gotham and go to Feudal Japan in order to return home deserving? This film starts in Arkham, but after some time travel shenanigans, Batman is transported back in time to warring Japan, where the Joker and other members of the Rogue’s Gallery are jockeying for power. It’s the closest we have to a major Batman anime, and therefore, Gotham deserves it.
9. Batman: Hush
Unlike most of the action-packed items on this list, Batman: Hush is first and foremost a detective story. That means Batman uses the fists of his brain rather than his actual fists. The titular villain is threatening to harm Bruce Wayne’s closest friends, and the Dark Knight has to solve this whodunit mystery before time runs out. Batman and Catwoman shippers will have an especially good time with this movie, as their sultry romance is more than deserving of Gotham’s attention.
8. The Batman/Superman Movie: World’s Finest
The Batman/Superman Movie: World’s Finest is one of the most memorable Batman + Superman crossovers ever to hit the screens, so your best your bat-ass we’re gonna include it. While it originally aired as a three part episode of Superman: The Animated Series, the story was so popular that it was later released for home video, so it counts! It features Kevin Conroy’s Batman, Tim Daily’s Superman and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. Gotham couldn’t possibly deserve better voice actors than that.
7. Batman: Gotham Knight
Batman: Gotham Knight is an anthology series similar to The Animatrix. It features six episodes of Batman adventures all animated in different styles by different studios, yet it’s tied together by Kevin Conroy’s perfect Batman voice talents. It even features Batman’s first encounter with the Suicide Squad’s Deadshot. While Suicide Squad was not a movie Gotham deserved (nor did anyone else deserve that, for that matter), this one is.
6. Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Long Halloween was based on one of the most critically acclaimed Batman tales of our time. The Long Halloween pits the caped crusader against the criminal mastermind behind a series of bizarre holiday-themed murders. Juggling the Joker, The Penguin, and organized crime bosses like Carmine Falconi and Sal Maroni, Batman and Jim Gordon have their work cut out for them. Gotham deserves to watch.
5. Batman: Year One
Based on the classic Frank Miller story of the same name, Batman: Year One tells the tale of Batman’s first year on the job. Joined by a Jim Gordon voiced by the beloved Bryan Cranston, Batman has to work with the commissioner to root out corruption in both the streets and the police force. It’s one of the most interesting Batman stories around because we get to see the Dark Knight as a rookie, rather than the hardened criminal-crushing force of nature he becomes later in life. Gotham deserves to see that everyone has to start somewhere, right?
4. Batman: Under The Red Hood
Batman: Under The Red Hood is one of the few comic book movies in existence to make big changes to the source material and somehow make it better. This story centers on the second Robin—you know, the one the Joker brutally murdered with a crowbar? Well, it turns out that he didn’t stay dead, and he’s come back from beyond the grave to dish out vengeance to Gotham’s criminal underbelly. And that vengeance often proves fatal.
Now, Batman has to stop his former protégé before he slips into the dark side for good. Gotham deserves to give this a watch, just as long as it doesn’t get any ideas about slipping further into darkness itself.
3. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Set in the futuristic Neo-Gotham, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker pits Terry McGinnis against the biggest threat Gotham has seen in decades: the … well … return of the Joker. McGinnis is mentored in all the Batman arts by an aging Bruce Wayne (voiced by Kevin Conroy), who must now reconcile with his oldest villain for the last time. Gotham might not deserve it, but Neo Gotham sure does.
2. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
For many Batman fans, The Dark Knight Returns is the pinnacle of Batman storytelling. It spins the yarn of an aging Batman who quit the business after his failing body forced him to pull a gun against a foe. Now he’s back for one last ride against a vicious criminal gang called The Mutants, as well as old nemesises The Joker and Two-Face. He’s even forced to take on a gracefully aging Superman in the old man battle of the century! Gotham deserves a story to grow old with, and this is it.
1. Batman: Mask of The Phantasm
This is it. The cream of the crop. The best bat in the cave. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the definitive Batman flick. It is a continuation of the beloved Batman: The Animated Series and features Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in their iconic roles as Batman and The Joker. The film also acts as an origin story for Batman, the Joker, and Batman’s old flame Andrea Beaumont, and culminates in the most explosive finale of any Batman story ever made. Gotham doesn’t deserve it. It’s honestly too good for Gotham. Maybe Metropolis would deserve it more instead.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
