Top 10 Greatest Batman Moments

The Joker kills Gambol in on the story of how he got his scars, inquiring "why so serious?" to one of the gangster's henchmen, before opening him up with his blade. Ouch. Not only is it shockingly brutal, but the relish with which the Joker toys with his prey is even more unsettling. The way he goes on to change his story later only adds to the character's slippery nature.

Michael Keaton's Batman dangles a helpless crook over the side of a building before encouraging him to tell his friends all about him. "What are you? " whimpers the stricken goon. "I'm Batman" comes the reply. Keaton's Batman is cool, calm and collected, rarely raising his voice, rarely seeming flustered. It's a different approach from Christian Bale's, but one that works well on its own merits. And It's mega-iconic.

Bale's Batman makes his grand bow on-screen, terrorizing Falcone's goons before hauling the big man out of his car, growling "I'm Batman" in his face and knocking him unconscious. It's quite the entrance. Nolan takes his sweet time bringing the Bat into the spotlight in Batman Begins, but the big moment is all the more rewarding for the wait. For the first time in a long time, Batman seems genuinely intimidating.

Jack Napier pays a visit to a gangland rival (played by Jack Palance), stepping out of the shadows to reveal his hideous new appearance. "You can call me Joker, " he grins, before filling his adversary full of lead. Scary and cool in equal measure, with an extra dose of hysteria added by the accompanying fairground music, it's a great introduction to Nicholson's Joker.

Chilling, dangerous with an aire of sophistication.

Mask Of The Phantasm's most touching scene has Bruce Wayne visiting his parents grave, wracked with guilt over the fact that his grief has begun to fade and his new found love conflicts with his promise to dedicate himself to crime-fighting. "I didn't count on being happy, " he sighs, miserably. It's a great bit of drama that really lifts the lid on Bruce's conflicted persona. Whatever he decides to do, will he ever be able to escape the associated feelings of guilt? It seems unlikely...

The Dark Knight reaches fever pitch as Batman interrogates the Joker in a GPD interview room, becoming increasingly aggressive as the Joker taunts his impotence in the face of chaos. The chemistry between Bale and Ledger is absolutely electric here, as Batman's strength and honor is ruthlessly turned into a weakness by the gleeful Joker. "You have nothing, " he breathes, raggedly. "Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all of your strength. " Awesome.

Batman meets his physical match in the form of the monstrous Bane, who snaps the Bat's spine like a twig in the seminal Knightfall story arc. And history repeated itself in The Dark Knight Rises. After so many bangs and booms, it comes as a real shock when Batman is physically overpowered by an opponent. And in such savage style, as well...

Batman Begins draws to a close with Gordon briefing Batman on a new villain wreaking havoc in Gotham. "Armed robbery, double homicide, " he begins. "Got a taste for the theatrical like you. Leaves a calling card…" I'd struggle to come up with a more delicious in-joke, particularly as this one also serves the purpose of setting up the plot for the next film. The fact that the officer who recovered the card is called "J. Kerr" is another lovely detail.

Christopher Nolan was a genius in how he was able to keep Talia al Ghul under wraps in this third movie, because it is common knowledge to any Batman fan that the child of Ra's al Ghul was a daughter & not a son.

It was so moving when the hardened criminal surprises everyone by throwing the detonator out the window.

For years before this, the general consensus in the comic community was that superman would wipe the floor with batman in a fight. However, through smart and creative writing, Frank Miller manages to present a realistic scenario where an aging Batman uses all of his available resources, and defeats the, before this, seemingly invincible Superman. The result? One of the most memorable fights in comic history where a man with no powers, against all odds, defeats the man of steel.