24 Unforgettable Quotes from Batman Movies: Ranked For Fans

Batman movies are filled with fantastic quotes, snappy comebacks, and one-liners that have become cults in cinema history.

However, some of the best Batman quotes are not from the caped crusader but his multiple nemeses like the Joker, Two-Face, or his loyal friend and guardian Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth.

Below are the best Batman movie quotes and phrases from The Dark Knight himself, from his enemies, and his few but trusted friends.

In short, they are the best Batman movie quotes ever!

1. “I’m Batman!”

“I’m Batman” is usually preceded by a “Who are you?” or “What the hell are you?” from a scared bad guy who’s about to get his a** whooped. Here it is first in two versions:

The quote (you could almost call it a motto) “I’m Batman” first appears in the Tim Burton movie Batman (1989), starring an excellent cast with Michael Keaton as Batman, Jack Nicholson as the Joker, and Kim Basinger as the Catwoman.

In The Flash (2023), Michael Keaton reprises the role of Batman and repeats this exact line:

This time, however, to the astonishment of Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Ezra Miller). It’s so cool to see Keaton in this role 24 years later. It’s even the same bat suit!

The second is from Batman Begins (2005), starring Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul, Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fx, and the amazing Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow.

Because “I’m Batman” is so iconic, it is one of the best quotes ever.

2. “I am Vengeance”

Of course, Batman is not only Batman. He is also vengeance served.

This quote is from The Batman (2022) and appears just at the movie’s beginning. And the sequence and context play out a lot like the “I’m Batman” quote that takes the number one spot on this list.

The quote helps establish Batman (Robert Pattison) as the savior of the night of Gotham City, a city that is “eating itself” because of all the crime and corruption that’s going on.

I loved this quote and the new take on the masked vigilante in The Batman, which plays more like a neo-noir detective novel than a comic book adaptation.

That’s why it’s in the top 3 of Batman’s most memorable quotes.

3. “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”

After getting the mobsters’ attention with a little “magic trick,” the Joker (Heath Ledger) demands half their money to take out Batman.

It’s an awesome scene with so many good lines, and Ledger’s performance blows me away every time.

Though it isn’t from the Caped Crusader, it’s one of the most famous Batman quotes of all time.

Also, check out this article with more of Joker’s best quotes from The Dark Knight.

4. “Fear is a tool […] They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows.”

Batman movies are known for their cool opening sequences, and I think The Batman also does an amazing job at this. Just watch the opening scene above.

It’s excellent screenwriting at play, and after the first 10 minutes, there’s no doubt about how much Batman is feared among the criminals in Gotham City.

Robert Pattinson does a fantastic job with the opening monologue. Here it is in full:

Thursday, October, 31st. The city streets are crowded for the holiday… even with the rain.

Hidden in the chaos is the element, waiting to strike like snakes. And I’m there too. Watching. 2 years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal.

I must choose my targets carefully. It’s a big city. I can’t be everywhere. But they don’t know where I am.

We have a signal now, for when I’m needed. When that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call–it’s a warning. To them.

Fear is a tool […] They think I’m hiding in the shadows – but I am the shadows. I wish, I could say I’m making a difference, but I don’t know.

Murder, robberies, assault–2 years later, they’re all up. And now this.

This city’s eating itself. Maybe it can’t be saved, but i have to try… push myself.

These nights all roll together in a rush, behind the mask. Sometimes in the morning i have to force myself to remember everything that happened.

Batman (Robert Pattison)

Say what you want about Pattinson’s role in the Twilight series. I think he did an excellent job as Batman, and this is easily one of the most iconic Batman quotes ever!

5. “No One Cared Who I Was Until I Put On The Mask.”

This quote originates from the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises – the last movie of The Dark Knight trilogy – directed by Christopher Nolan. The new villain, Bane (Tom Hardy), says this line during a scene where he is questioned about his identity.

In the context of the film, Bane’s use of the mask is literal; it serves both as a means to hide his identity and as a life-support system due to injuries he sustained earlier in his life. 

However, the mask also gives him an intimidating presence and a symbolic identity as a powerful and fearsome adversary to Batman and the people of Gotham.

Like Batman, the mask gives Bane a new identity that commands attention and respect – or, more accurately, fear. It suggests that he was just another person without the mask, but he became significant and influential with it.

It’s one of Bane’s most memorable lines.

6. “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me.”

“It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do, which defines you,” is said by Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) in Batman Begins (2005) as a comment to Bruce Wayne’s apparent flamboyant and superficial lifestyle.

Later, Bruce reveals himself as Batman to Rachel when he paraphrases the line “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me.”

7. “The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.”

“The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.” is spoken by Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) in The Dark Knight (2008), just before he gives himself up as Batman by paraphrasing the first quote on this list: “I am the Batman.”

8. “Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They’ll hate you for it, but that’s the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.”

“Endure, Master Wayne […]” is said by Alfred Pennyworth in The Dark Knight (2008) to help cheer up Bruce Wayne/Batman after the Joker (Heath Ledger) threatens to kill a lot of innocent citizens of Gotham City unless Batman reveals his true identity.

9. “All I have are negative thoughts”

This powerful line is said by Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) in the movie Joker (2019) to the disinterested social worker (Sharon Washington). The full quote goes like this:

“You don’t listen, do you? I don’t think you ever really hear me. You just ask the same questions every week: “How’s your job?” “Are you having any negative thoughts?” All I have are negative thoughts! But you don’t listen anyway. I said, “for my whole life, I didn’t know if I even really existed. But I do! And people are starting to notice.”

It’s one of the most iconic quotes from the movie.

10. “As a man, I am 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.”

This quote is said by Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in Batman Begins (2005). After being gone for 7 years and being trained by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) from the League of Shadows, Bruce Wayne decides to take on the criminal underworld in Gotham City as a symbol. It’s a turning point for the movie and a rebirth for Bruce.

11. “Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?”

“Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?”

This quote is most famously said by The Joker (Jack Nicholson) to Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) in Batman (1989).

But it actually appears earlier in the movie, when The Joker has not yet become the Joker but is a low-life criminal gangster, Jack Napier (as opposed to a failed stand-up comedian or the Red Hood persona), that shoots young Bruce Wayne’s mother and father.

However, here the line is, “Have you ever danced with the Devil by the pale moonlight?”

If you want to check out some of the funniest quotes from Batman’s archenemy, look at the best Funny quotes from the Joker himself.

12. “The Bat-Signal is not a beeper.”

In this scene from Batman Forever (1995), Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) uses the Bat-Signal to get close to Batman (Val Kilmer) to seduce him.

The whole dialogue is pretty funny, and it has a couple of other great and famous lines to it:

BATMAN: Commissioner Gordon?
DR. MERIDIAN: He’s at home… I sent the signal.
BATMAN: What’s wrong?
DR. MERIDIAN: Last night at the bank, I noticed something about Two-Face–his coin… it’s his Achilles’ heel. It can be exploited.
BATMAN: I know! You called me here for this? The Bat-Signal is not a beeper!
DR. MERIDIAN: Well, I wish I could say that my interest in you is… purely professional.
BATMAN: You’re trying to get under my cape, Doctor?
DR. MERIDIAN: A girl can’t live by psychosis alone.
BATMAN: It’s the car, right? Chicks love the car.

It’s a great and witty dialogue… plus, you get the bonus of Bat rubber nipples!

13. “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

The quote, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” is said by District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) in The Dark Knight (2008).

Still, on the good side, it is an ominous forewarning of what will come, as Dent later becomes the supervillain Two-Face.

It’s one of the most iconic lines from the movie.

14. “Life’s a bitch, now so am I.”

Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), says this spicy quote in Batman Returns (1992). The full line is,

“As I was saying, I’m a woman and can’t be taken for granted. Life’s a bitch, now so am I.”

15. “Riddle me this, riddle me that, who’s afraid of the big black bat?”

This line is said by The Riddler (Jim Carrey) in the movie Batman Forever (1995).

I think Jim Carrey did a good job in a surprising role that somehow fit the comedic, over-the-top comic style of the Batman franchise movies from the late 1980s and the 1990s.

16. “Eat floor! High fiber.”

Another funny quote from Batman Returns (1989) is from the scene where Batman comes to rescue the Ice Princess (Cristi Conaway).

The whole dialogue goes like this:

BATMAN: Gotta Hurry
ICE PRINCESS: Thank you.
BATMAN: I was set up to look like I did this.
ICE PRINCESS: No sweat, I’ll just tell the police I was kidnapped by an ugly birdman with fish breath.
CATWOMAN: Somebody say fish? I haven’t been fed all day.
BATMAN: Eat floor! High fiber.

17. “Your anger gives you great power. But if you let it, it will destroy you… As it almost did me.”

In this scene from Batman Begins (2005), Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is taken under the wings of his mentor, Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), and given some sound advice.

The dialogue is,

DUCARD: You’re stronger than your father.
WAYNE: You didn’t know my father!
DUCARD: But I know the rage that drives you… that impossible anger strangling the grief until the memory of your loved one is just… poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed… so you’d be spared your pain… I wasn’t always here in the mountains… Once, I had a wife. My great love. She was taken from me. Like you, I was forced to learn there are those without decency who must be fought without hesitation, without pity. You anger gives you great power. But if you let it, it will destroy you… as it almost did me.
WAYNE: What stopped it?
DUCARD: Vengeance!

Liam Neeson does an excellent job delivering this monologue. It’s also a subtle way of saying the clichéd villain line: “We are the same you and I…”.

18. “I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman.”

This line appears in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). The Joker (Jack Nicholson) has become pretty annoyed with Batman (to say the least) and decides it’s time to kill the bat – but not before he has let off some steam on the poor television set.

19. “Some men just want to see the world burn!“

This line is from The Dark Knight (2008) and is said by Alfred Pennyworth(Michael Caine) to Mr. Wayne (Christian Bale) as he advises him about the Joker (Heath Ledger).

Bruce goes into his typical investigator mode, looking for Joker’s motive, thinking that he can get to him if he can understand what the Joker is after. But Alfred’s experience tells him they’re not up against their typical monster.

Here’s Alfred’s quote in full:

Some men aren’t looking for anything logical like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to see the world burn.

– Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth in The Dark Knight (2008)

And he is right!

20. “The World Only Makes Sense if You Force It to.“

Here’s one from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Batman (Ben Affleck) is super-pissed with Superman (Henry Cavill) because of his battle with Zod (in Man of Steel from 2013) – which left Metropolis in ruins – and weakened him enough using Kryptonite gas to get the upper hand.

While he beats the living crap out of Superman, he goes into a monologue – villain-style – about meaning. Here’s the monologue in full:

I bet your parent taught you, that you need something; that you’re here for a reason. My parents taught me a different lesson – dying in the gutter for no reason at all. They taught me, the world only makes sense if you force it to.

Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

I don’t know why Affleck caught so much hard critique for his role as Batman. I still think he was rather bada**!

21. “I’m Not Wearing Hockey Pads!“

At the beginning of The Dark Knight (2008), we get a cameo from Cillian Murphy as he reprises his role as Scarecrow from Batman Begins (2005).

In the scene, vigilante Batman impersonators (with guns) disrupt a drug transaction involving the Scarecrow and the Chechen drug lord.

As the supervillain and the mobster are about to eliminate the costumed imitators, the real Batman arrives in his usual bada** fashion (he’s such a poser!) and demolishes the Scarecrow’s car as he tries to flee the scene.

Batman then ties up the Scarecrow, the Chechen henchmen, and the vigilantes next to each other to be picked up by the police. And a fun exchange between the real Batman and a frustrated impersonator pursues:

Batman: Don’t let me find you out here again!

Impersonator: We’re trying to help you.

Batman: I don’t need help!

Murphy: Not my diagnosis!

Impersonator: What gives you the right? What’s the difference between you and me!?

Batman: I’m not wearing hockey pads!

It’s an awesome burn from the real Batman and a reminder for all the vigilante wannabees in Gotham not to play with matches!

22. “We live in a society”

“We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn’t that right… Batman?” – The Joker (Jaret Leto) in Zack Snyders Justice League (2021). The line comes from an old internet meme, but the Joker has never actually said it in any comic or movie… that is, until now!

23. “Tonight, hell freezes over!”

The quote “Tonight, hell freezes over!” from the 1997 film Batman & Robin is a line delivered by the villain Mr. Freeze, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger’s role as Mr. Freeze, aka Dr. Victor Fries, is filled with fun oneliners, fitting for Schwarzenegger.

This line is, of course, a play on the idiom “when hell freezes over,” which is a way of saying that something will never happen, as hell is traditionally thought of as an eternally fiery place where it is impossible for anything to freeze.

In the movie context, Mr. Freeze can generate ice and cold, and his goal is to freeze Gotham City. By saying, “Tonight, hell freezes over!” he dramatically announces his plan to do something impossible—essentially bringing about a frozen apocalypse.

The line showcases his confidence in his plan and is a menacing threat to the film’s heroes, Batman and Robin.

The movie “Batman & Robin” is known for its campy tone and often over-the-top dialogue, which includes a variety of ice-related puns and one-liners from Mr. Freeze.

This particular quote fits right in with the film’s style, showcasing the character’s thematic obsession with cold and ice and providing a memorable moment in the film.

24. “So many people to kill… so little time.”

The quote “So many people to kill… so little time” is a line spoken by the character Poison Ivy, aka Dr. Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman) in Batman & Robin (1997).

After outsmarting Batman and Robin, she says this line, symbolizing Ivy’s ruthless nature and antagonistic role in the film, where she stands as one of the main villains opposing Batman and Robin.

Bonus: “If it’s war they want, I’ve got just the thing…”

Okay, this isn’t from a movie but The Dark Knight Returns, a four-issue comic book miniseries by Frank Miller, published by DC Comics in 1986.

But I thought it was a cool quote, so I included it. I hope this series will be made into an animated movie.

The comic books feature an aged Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement to don the cape and cowl once more as Batman.

But until we get a full animated (or live-action) series based on these comics, we’ll have to settle for subtle references to the books in series such as Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2022) and Gotham Knights (2023) live-action series, and The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999), and The Batman (2004-2008) animated series.

Summary

Those are the top 21 quotes from Batman movies.

Do you disagree?

Well, that’s just too bad because I’m right!

Who am I to judge, you say?

I’m Batman!

But feel free to leave a comment, anyway.

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