The Batmobile is arguably the most iconic vehicle in the history of entertainment. Batman historian Glen Weldon (Pop Culture Happy Hour) takes a look at every Batmobile that’s appeared on television and the silver screen. Glen gets into Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher’s takes on the vehicles, why Christopher Nolan transitioned from the Batmobile to the Tumbler, and why the 1966 Batmobile remains so iconic even to this day.
Glen Weldon is the author of The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture, and Superman: The Unauthorized Biography. He’s a culture critic on the NPR Arts Desk, and a panelist on the NPR podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour.
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Every Batmobile From Movies & TV Explained | WIRED
Glen Weldon is the author of The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture, and Superman: The Unauthorized Biography. He’s a culture critic on the NPR Arts Desk, and a panelist on the NPR podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Sanjay Padmanabhan
May 27, 2020 at 10:08 pm
Dude I hate u …zack made the Batman so perfect
ljt47 exploring
May 27, 2020 at 10:16 pm
the police are stumped thay dont no who Batman is just get the number plate and find out not hard
Fin Mac
May 27, 2020 at 10:19 pm
Drink everyone he says batmobile
Cheef Sosa
May 27, 2020 at 10:21 pm
No Arkham knight?
Insatiable Woman
May 27, 2020 at 10:38 pm
it’s something, subscribe bro
Mark Galassini
May 27, 2020 at 10:44 pm
1966 batmobile the best one ever!!! I loved the Corgi toy batmobile! Still have mine, several. They goes well with my 1966 ideal batcave!
Adrian Duran
May 27, 2020 at 10:56 pm
21:00 the 60s was a good decade for fictional cars
Herman Von Petri
May 27, 2020 at 10:58 pm
Nolan & Snyder both made sure that the audience could barely see the batmobile on screen.
Either the camera only showed the batmoble for 1/2 second before cutting away, the angle was so extreme that you couldn’t see its proportions, or there were deep shadows on the car and bright lights shining into the camera. And then they were trashed at the end of their scenes. The only reason I know what those designs look like is due to the publicity photos that were taken to actually show off the car.
Say what you will about the 1960’s show, or the Tim Burton films – at least you got to actually see the car for more than a second and got to know it a little on screen.
Rogue
May 28, 2020 at 1:16 am
I think Nolan must have realized how exceedingly ugly the Tumbler is.
Natasha Sechnaya
May 27, 2020 at 11:02 pm
Reeaaally enjoyed watching the video, thanks a lot! Especially loved the English and the speed of speech. FINALLY someone speaking fast enough🤤 The voice was just a pleasure to listen to.
Definitely not a fan of Batman (I’ve been in the Wolverine team since I was 10, lol), though I spent quite a lot of time watching Bat cartoons – they were really popular on Russian TV in the early 00-s.
I hardly ever post comments on YouTube and don’t have a clue why I’m still typing that buuuut thanks again for the video, Wired!
<3
Kolbe Santana
May 27, 2020 at 11:05 pm
No Arkham Knight? That one’s pretty infamous.
Wayward Mind
May 27, 2020 at 11:08 pm
This guy knows more about Batmobiles than I know about . . . well, anything. Please bring him back for future episodes!
Enrique Pastor
May 27, 2020 at 11:16 pm
I personally loved seeing Bruce Wayne driving a Lamborghini Murciélago more than anything lol
levi mata
May 27, 2020 at 11:20 pm
My fav batmobiles The Animated Series, the tumbler, and The Arkham Knight
David Chen
May 27, 2020 at 11:26 pm
didn’t know i needed to watch joerg sprave’s body double talk about batmobiles for half an hour but here we are
TheWickedThings 4ever
May 27, 2020 at 11:30 pm
🐥🐰
Sidney handley
May 27, 2020 at 11:35 pm
Not including Arkham knight makes his list seem incomplete
Subodh Singh
May 27, 2020 at 11:50 pm
You missed Telltale Game Batmobile.. and the Arkham Game Batmobile
Justice
May 27, 2020 at 11:58 pm
Had to dislike just because his take of BvS is completely wrong.
Anoop Singh
May 28, 2020 at 1:19 am
Grow up
rubbers3
May 28, 2020 at 12:00 am
The 1989 Batmobile is my Batmobile. When someone says that word, it’s this one that comes to my mind. I still have the toy of it I got when I was 5, 20 years ago.
But my favourite? It has to be The Tumbler
Brendan Beckett
May 28, 2020 at 12:10 am
I had no idea there was a Batman movie in 1943!
Rastapopolos Forsberg
May 28, 2020 at 12:15 am
If he was gonna skip the Dark Knight Returns he could at least have motivated his choice. Christopher Nolan’s would never have happened (neither Batmen nor his car) without Frank Miller.
TheFanFlipp'nTastics
May 28, 2020 at 12:33 am
I really enjoyed that!
Torpedex
May 28, 2020 at 12:45 am
i like how every so often he takes a break to insult the dceu
Jack Doherty
May 28, 2020 at 12:46 am
That was the best take down of Batman Vs Superman i have ever heard. WOW. he nailed how i felt.
T Ferg
May 28, 2020 at 12:50 am
@21:02 The Mach 5 making number 2 on your most iconic list? respect.
Fabian Huber
May 28, 2020 at 7:40 am
“Bataman historian”?
If this is a valid job, I think there might be a suitable job for me after all.
Stephanie Elizabeth Mann
May 28, 2020 at 7:46 am
Brilliant. I like the tank
flyingchic3n
May 28, 2020 at 8:16 am
can u do this but with spiderman
Danny War Robots
May 28, 2020 at 8:35 am
Tumbler is the best!
dude_uli
May 28, 2020 at 9:29 am
Please do the suits next
Gaust Alex
May 28, 2020 at 9:54 am
Why there’s still people that want a light Batman and a campy Superman? In my opinion people got tired of seeing their perfect idea of justice and “doing good” on the screen.. the world is more complicated than that, people are more complicated than that.. I mean, how you think the people and government would react to a masked vigilante and an alien that’s basically a God?
Der Headbanger
May 28, 2020 at 10:06 am
Better than the official documentary about the Batmobile!
Der Headbanger
May 28, 2020 at 10:19 am
You should have put a SPOILER warning in front of the video! 😀
coldspring
May 28, 2020 at 10:51 am
It is ridiculous to say the Nolan version of the batmobile is all function with no style, anyone can see it is stylish, can you imagine drive that in the real world?
Mattias Fürstenbach
May 28, 2020 at 11:17 am
What we learned here is that Batman fans like too be angry
Ahmad Hafiz
May 28, 2020 at 11:55 am
where is batman ninja ?
Lois Sanborn
May 28, 2020 at 1:54 pm
He couldn’t have summed up my feelings about Snyder’s approach better. Objectivist garbage brodowns in the rain.
Nazmul Hossain
May 28, 2020 at 3:35 pm
wished you talked about the dark knight returns.
The Arcane Two
May 28, 2020 at 3:48 pm
Growing up I liked Batman The Brave and Bold cartoon and the lego batman games but i haven’t been able to like anything else in the Batman franchise
Ronit
May 28, 2020 at 3:54 pm
what ever you say about the movie but Batfleck was the best version of batman after the original animated series
henry chua
May 28, 2020 at 4:09 pm
To my mind, there will always be just the three cars: the ’66, the Burton and the tumbler. Everything else is a derivative of the three.
Michael Hawthorne
May 28, 2020 at 4:29 pm
Loved the 66 version of BM…”Somedays, you just can’t get rid of a bomb” 😂
“Robin, pass me the Shark repelent bat spray” 🤣
Eduardo J Perez
May 28, 2020 at 4:31 pm
Wow Batman was racist against the Japanese. Cancel Batman #Batmanisoverparty
monkeythe1st
May 28, 2020 at 5:49 pm
No matter what it looks like, chicks dig the car.
Major Mo
May 28, 2020 at 6:15 pm
I see the Matt Reeves batmobile, and think “cobbled together” “scrapyard” and “this film is going to bomb”, my favourite will ALWAYS be the 1989 Keaton, I saw Batman in the cinema, and I’ll always remember before I saw the movie, getting sticker books and bubblegum cards and having the image of that batmobile etched into my consciousness. I own the massive hot toys model of it, the 1:18 Hot wheels elite and numerous small versions. I absolutely adore it. The 1989 Batman phenomenon, wow, remember it like yesterday. Even hearing a snippet of the Prince soundtrack album brings up mental images of that movie…..a masterpiece.
Jason Hamilton
May 28, 2020 at 7:04 pm
I’m batman- Abed
Ryan Peters
May 28, 2020 at 7:45 pm
This was incredibly well put together. I figured it would be something like a BuzzFeed clip show but no way.
moriad02
May 28, 2020 at 9:15 pm
Was there no Batmobile in Suicide Squad?
DrMambo777
May 28, 2020 at 9:18 pm
Dark Knight Returns tank was awesome too
Poodn
May 28, 2020 at 9:35 pm
The ’89 batmobile is my batmobile
Abdullah Chandiwala
May 29, 2020 at 2:02 am
Absolutely loved this. More like this please
Nate Netzley
May 29, 2020 at 2:26 am
This is a Glen Weldon appreciation comment.
Jordan Morris
May 29, 2020 at 3:10 am
This rules.
Peter Parker
May 29, 2020 at 4:13 am
Just Wait for the Snyder CUt……
Sway
May 29, 2020 at 4:14 am
Literally!!!
Harry Osborne
May 29, 2020 at 4:15 am
Mmmmm… Strawberries..
Peter Parker
May 29, 2020 at 4:16 am
@Harry Osborne *throws punch*
Maverick Tannhäuser
May 29, 2020 at 5:57 am
Arkham Knight isn’t bad either
CrazyJester
May 29, 2020 at 6:22 am
Couldn’t do a video without throwing shade at the DCEU. Hope shines bright when it’s the darkest. And choosing to be good even with the doubt of the world is brave.
Vig Saminathan
May 29, 2020 at 7:41 am
IMHO Most iconic Batmobiles
1. West’s Batman Version: Mid century aesthetic meets cartoony/pop art. It’s a big toy car.
2. Burton’s Batman: Such a beauty. SR 71 in car form.
3. Nolan’s Batman: A beast of a machine. Very intimidating.
The other cars seems to be a mish mash of these iconic designs. But im liking the new Matt Reeves Batmobile. A muscle car is a fun choice. Hope it’s as awesome as it looks
Hellware
May 29, 2020 at 9:56 am
Would have liked to see the Rocksteady version mentioned
MetalGod 1990
May 29, 2020 at 10:06 am
You missed the Arkham knight version.
The Shadow
May 29, 2020 at 11:58 am
Wait, did he skip Beware the Batman?
Moeru X
May 29, 2020 at 1:06 pm
oh there’s no batman ninja’s “car” lol
MasterofMerol81
May 29, 2020 at 1:21 pm
After seeing the behind of the scenes of Batman Begins, I was surprised with the Tumbler, despite its appearance it is really fast and maneuverable.
By the way, what about Batman Arkham Batmobiles, both Asylum and Knight.
Revstarallstar
May 29, 2020 at 1:44 pm
Wow Shat on the Snyder Batmobile that slowly became my best these cars aren’t real so basing on what it does and can take in the film. If your saying the Tumbler is more destructive than BvS Batmobile then….. I think you need to see the destruction it leaves
Art Ellis
May 29, 2020 at 3:27 pm
Has anyone noticed that at 6:05 Batman jumps into the passenger seat, while Robin jumps into the driver’s seat? Do you suppose that Batman had his licence temporarily suspended for reckless driving or DUI?
Skyra Hope
May 29, 2020 at 5:35 pm
“If Vegas was a marital aid” I literally spit my morning coffee out laughing. Thank you!🤣🤣🤣
Matheos Schnyder
May 29, 2020 at 5:59 pm
So, you forgot the Frank Millers Dark Knight animated MOVIE batmobile. One of the best and verry important for Kristopher Nolan version
Christian Kyle Cruz
May 29, 2020 at 6:34 pm
Jeez. This guy should just wear a “I Hate BvS/Snyder” shirt. He made a “half-hearted attempt” at saying anything good on the vehicle.
Ace Maxximus
May 29, 2020 at 8:21 pm
Tumblr, all the way
TFCRAFTER
May 29, 2020 at 8:42 pm
Glad they put in the Lego Batmobiles.
BoUrnNe26
May 29, 2020 at 9:48 pm
Everything I have read and seen before said that Anton Furst was the real brain behind the ’89 Batmobile.
Christopher Dalan
May 30, 2020 at 1:51 am
No honorable mention for the animated ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’ (2012) ? No bat tank?
Scott FW
May 30, 2020 at 3:43 am
Re: “01:30 because comics have an unlimited special effects budget.” Really? How do they do that? Whose black budget are they tapped in to, cover prices certainly don’t support that.
😉
Bogdan Nicolas
May 30, 2020 at 3:44 am
The bvs batmobile was the better,it is a mobile AND a tank!
Mohammad ALI
May 30, 2020 at 3:55 am
You should’ve included the bat mobile in the Arkham series of Playstation games.
Arthur Cardenas
May 30, 2020 at 5:04 am
Batman Ninja
Raxus Prime
May 30, 2020 at 10:37 am
How could you skip the games? All the Arkham games and the telltale Batmobiles are awesome.
Polyesterfoot bob
May 30, 2020 at 10:57 pm
I think it’s hilarious that as Grim and Tough and Macho as the Nolan trilogy batmobile is it still has the rocket thruster on the back like the Adam West one
Blueberry
May 31, 2020 at 9:07 am
This video was really great, but did you film yourself with a potato or do you have some filter on?
imicca
May 31, 2020 at 10:27 am
That moment when animated Batman has best batmans ever
Etrigan Slaves
May 31, 2020 at 11:29 am
Arkham Knight Batmobile?
MD. Shefaur Rahman Shakil
May 31, 2020 at 12:04 pm
I believe I am the only one who didn’t like the design of tumbler.
Luo Sam
May 31, 2020 at 1:35 pm
Where are the video game bat-mobiles.
NoodlzOodlz
May 31, 2020 at 4:04 pm
What? No Batman ninja? 😱
Aidan Gove
May 31, 2020 at 6:52 pm
They forgot soooo many animated films. Where’s the dark Knight returns???
nicemecha
May 31, 2020 at 7:12 pm
I was waiting for the Batman Ninja Batmobile.. 😔
Rainor Tyre
June 1, 2020 at 3:49 am
89 batmobile will always be my favorite. Then TAS. The 66 is cool for its time. But I grew up in the 90s
Chute Mi
June 1, 2020 at 7:18 am
While I hated Batman V Superman as well as Justice League, I absolutely loved the Batmobile. I actually saw it in-person at the Toronto auto show.
OolTube02
June 1, 2020 at 1:47 pm
What about the Batmobile in _JOKER?_
VIPUL ANAND
June 1, 2020 at 2:38 pm
‘The Batman’ tells the story of Batman’s 2nd year as a vigilante and just like in the comics his batmobile is still in the development phase….perhaps by the end of this movie we might see a more upgraded version of the batmobile
AtrumNoxProductions
June 1, 2020 at 7:56 pm
11:47 If I remember right, that was molded after the Studebaker President Bullet Nose.
In Family Guy Adam West Drives one of these Studebakers.
j mtx
June 1, 2020 at 8:36 pm
Thanks for an awesome history lesson!
J Cataclism
June 1, 2020 at 9:14 pm
Man, what a freakin´ GOOD video! I´m pretty sure this is one of the very best “Batman stuff” related compendiuns I´ve ever saw. THANK YOU!
Varg Pack WAVSIII
June 1, 2020 at 9:56 pm
Nolan killed the Batman… Glad for Zack for bringing life back to the BATMAN.
Kadir
June 4, 2020 at 5:04 am
If batman is a murderer then sure Zack bringed him back.
Justin Carawan
June 2, 2020 at 2:58 am
10:15 This is where I come in! I was born in 1989, but this was my introduction to Batman! I immediately fell in love with the Tim Burton version on VHS, and I didn’t learn about the Adem West version until years later on “Huboom!”: “The Hub”‘s retro TV block before “The Hub” became “DiscoveryFamily”.
Justin Carawan
June 2, 2020 at 3:11 am
17:10 “At least tell me what it looks like!” (tank zooms by) “Nevermind.”
B-Ryan
June 2, 2020 at 5:02 am
Why does he like JL bat Mobile and not the bvs version they are the same just with bigger guns weird also why so much hate for Zack Snyder ?
Pritam Saha Keerthi
June 2, 2020 at 8:12 am
Should have included the batman arkham games batmobiles
Shawn Wavy
June 2, 2020 at 10:29 am
Bat mobile this and bat mobile that blah blah blah……… how bout you guys make a video on the different invisible planes flown by Wonder Woman
Maximilian B
June 2, 2020 at 1:46 pm
Batman games: *Am I a joke to you?*
Karan Singh
June 2, 2020 at 2:10 pm
*Nolan’s tumbler was , is and will the BEST.*
snakiest zulu
June 2, 2020 at 5:39 pm
Burton’s snm universe ?
Dr Brooklyn
June 2, 2020 at 6:38 pm
I’ve always believed the only point of the Snyder Batmobile was to show how impossibly strong Superman is. they just stuck fins on a battering ram and then made it plow through anything and everything you could think of with relative ease and then get crumpled like a tin can when hitting one man.
A.E. W.
June 2, 2020 at 8:41 pm
Here’s my take on the batmobile, more a batcycle really and yes the kids go crazy when they see it, some adults too. 🙂
Kris M Wallas
June 3, 2020 at 1:41 am
This is serious. This is manly. This is butched. This is no fun at all. This is Christopher Nolan.
God I felt that.
ReMeLa02_03
June 3, 2020 at 2:24 am
I really enjoyed this video, and I’m not a huge Batman fan. I’d love to hear more form this guy (maybe a Superman theme related episode?)
dub88acc
June 3, 2020 at 2:28 am
Titans batmobile is underrated…as soon as you see it you know what it was and where you were at
deej 8879
June 3, 2020 at 3:06 am
Delorean wasn’t mentioned as most iconic cars so I’m gonna fight him
Hiha Tageru
June 3, 2020 at 7:18 am
Uhh how about gtaV? “The Vingilate”
elmer r
June 3, 2020 at 6:54 pm
Why didn´t you count the arkam videogame series?
Ka Moa
June 3, 2020 at 10:53 pm
I came here for Batmobile breakdowns. Not some guy telling me his love/hate relationship with the Batman character
Steven Clark
June 4, 2020 at 2:58 am
I’m partial to season 1 The Batman. A big engine, some wheels, and a seat glued to the road with some sort of insane active traction control for maneuverability. It’s stylized but fit for purpose.
Marky 360
June 4, 2020 at 8:17 am
You skipped Batman Arkham Asylum 2009 and you also missed Batman Arkham Knight 2015
johan Ahmed
June 5, 2020 at 11:24 am
my srt8 looks more batmobile than the 2021 batmobile as my friends says after the modes i did fir it lool check it out at my instagram @shado1986 >> you will like it ^^
Roger Morales
June 6, 2020 at 1:22 am
the comment on Snyder’s batmobile was so biased even a blind person could tell.
M S Ram
June 6, 2020 at 8:16 am
Another idiot who just read the rotten tomatoes reviews and thinks MoS isn’t about hope. *facepalm*
trylobyte07
June 6, 2020 at 9:09 am
Isn’t the JL batmobile the same as BvS batmobile?
Charles Marty
June 16, 2020 at 11:06 am
Yeah, but the guy literally had a paycheck jutting out of his pocket that mandated him to trash BvS and applaud JL. Seriously the bias was so obvious even a blind man could see it.
Lee Pascoe
June 7, 2020 at 6:43 pm
Really interesting video – well worth watching
Interesting, intelligent, well written and well narrated
Recommended – I’m off to look for Glen’s book now 🤩
Cameron Fraser
June 7, 2020 at 7:35 pm
Could have done without the critique of BvS, it’s tired and cheap and the “fans didn’t like it” thing has been disproved at length.
Benjamin Burkhardt
June 7, 2020 at 8:51 pm
I think the new Batmobile looks like it’s a modified mid-rear engine muscle car.
spiderstealth
June 8, 2020 at 4:59 am
You say Ayn Rand’s name with the disdain of someone who has never read an Ayn Rand book.
Logan Hanssen
June 9, 2020 at 1:53 am
My Batmobiles are Christopher Nolan and Zach Snyder versions. I hated the Adam West version.
Umer The Clumsy Tube
June 9, 2020 at 9:13 am
Imagine in the future normal cars be having these abilities, or maybe they’re just sci fi like automatic cars
ShadowTech
June 9, 2020 at 11:35 am
Regardless of what everyone thought of BvS – I still think it was the best batmobile (and also loved the iconic batwing) and yes it was suppose to be a ‘racing car/ tank’
Danish Meman
June 10, 2020 at 7:41 pm
weirdly enough i feel like Ben Affleck’s Batman belonged in Batman Begins’ Tumbler.
kirby march barcena
June 11, 2020 at 2:07 am
BATMAN: I don’t use guns… it’s clumsy.
ME: Yeah, but you use machine guns in your Batwing and Batmobile
BATMAN: That’s because my vehicles have more accurate targeting system than I do…and because of this, I never directly shot someone.
ME: sigh!!!
TheRealKLT
June 12, 2020 at 7:11 pm
Lotta crybaby Snyder fans in the comments.
FabulousKilljoy917
June 13, 2020 at 2:17 am
He’s very polite, I enjoy that
Charles Marty
June 16, 2020 at 10:59 am
Eh, except when he takes the time to bash the DCEU for basically no reason when he’s supposed to talk about freakin Batmobiles …
Rav Singh````
June 13, 2020 at 6:55 pm
I love my BMW 😅
TRAPLORDAFRO
June 17, 2020 at 2:53 pm
you mean the vigilante. if you know you know.
Prajwal Lakhe
June 18, 2020 at 1:46 pm
Imagine being so rich that you build gotham city on a straight road so that you eleminate the chance of turining batmobile. Instead using any other car
The Wandering Aristotle
June 19, 2020 at 12:13 pm
Could have waited for Robert Pattinson the Batman.
Oliver Mendonca
June 20, 2020 at 2:23 am
i like the one in BvS the most
Thutmosis7
June 22, 2020 at 3:13 pm
The ben affleck is the true version of batman
Efrain Saldana
June 27, 2020 at 1:17 am
You had me until you started trashing Batfleck
Jason Sinn
June 29, 2020 at 8:19 am
Lol he threw some jabs in at Schumacher but when it got Snyder he didn’t hold back 😂