Gallery: The 50 Most Iconic Batman Images Of All Time

Image via Complex Original

With his trademark pointy ears and flowing cape, Batman easily has the most iconic look out of all of his superhero contemporaries. The grim appearance of the world’s greatest detective might have been designed to scare criminals, but it has also been a source of great artistic inspiration for some of the best talent in the comic book industry.

Legendary artists like Bob Kane, Frank Miller, Dave Mazzucchelli, Jim Aparo, and countless others have all tried their hand at the Caped Crusader throughout the years, each adding to the character’s mystique. During the character’s evolution, Batman has gone from dark and brooding, to fun and lighthearted, and eventually back to dark again. But no matter which tone the character has assumed, there have always been artists there to redefine his look.

And during Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, the director has pulled inspiration for Batman’s look from countless artists. So as we prepare for The Dark Knight Rises to hit theaters on Friday, we’re counting down The 50 Most Iconic Batman Images Of All Time.

Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)

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50. Cover to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #121 by Glen Orbik

49. Interior page from Batman and the Monster Men #1 by Matt Wagner

48. Unused cover for Solo by Mike Allred

47. Interior shot from Batman #681 by Tony Daniel

46. Detective Comics #779 cover by Time Sale

45. Shadow of the Batman #4 cover by Marhsall Rogers

44. Batman by Tim Sale

43. Cover to The Batman Gallery #1 by Joe Quesada

42. Cover to Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 by Brian Stelfreeze

41. Detective Comics #583 cover by Mike Mignola

40. Black and white version of the cover to Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo

39. Cover to Batman #520 by Kelley Jones

38. The Joker dies in The Dark Knight Returns #3 by Frank Miller

37. The death of Jason Todd from Batman #428 by Jim Aparo

36. Interior page from The Dark Knight Returns #1 by Frank Miller

35. Cover for Batman #700 by David Finch

34. Batman by Eduardo Risso

33. Cover for Superman/Batman #3 by Ed McGuinness

32. Detective Comics #31 cover by Bob Kane

31. Batman vs. Superman from New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke

30. Batman: Ego and Other Tails cover by Darwyn Cooke

29. Cover for Batman: Gotham Knights #32 by Brian Bolland

28. Batman #1 cover by Bob Kane

14. Interior page from Batman: The Long Halloween #4 by Tim Sale

26. Batman Secrets #1 cover by Sam Keith

25. No Man’s Land trade paperback cover by Alex Maleev

24. All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #1 cover by Jim Lee

23. Batman: Streets of Gotham #1 by Dustin Nguyen

22. Batman #9 cover by Jack Burnley

21. Batman confronts Ra’s al Ghul in Batman #244 by Neal Adams

20. Batman #451 cover by Norm Breyfogle

19. Batman #665 cover by Andy Kubert

18. The Untold Legend of the Batman #3 cover by Jim Aparo

17. All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #10 variant cover by Frank Quitely

16. Splash page from Batman: War on Crime by Alex Ross

15. Batman and Carrie Kelly from The Dark Knight Returns #3 by Frank Miller

14. Batman #251 cover by Neal Adams

13. Batman pursues the Joker by Marshall Rogers

12. Interior page from Batman: The Long Halloween #3 by Tim Sale

11. Bruce Wayne examines his war wounds courtesy of Alex Ross

10. Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories cover by Bruce Timm

9. Bane breaks the Bat in Batman #497 by Jim Aparo

8. Batman #608 cover by Jim Lee

7. Batman #465 cover by Norm Breyfogle

6. Batman by Alex Ross

5. Batman reveals himself to the mob in Batman #405 by Dave Mazzucchelli

4. Batman defeats Superman in The Dark Knight Returns #4 by Frank Miller

3. Interior page from Batman #251 By Neal Adams

2. Batman #404 cover by Dave Mazzucchelli

1. Detective Comics # 27 cover by Bob Kane