Batman is one of the most popular and enigmatic characters in comic books, and his specific character and personality have led to some of the most memorable quotes in comic books.
Batman may be the most quotable movie character in recent years. People have been screaming, “I’m Batman!” for nearly 40 years now, celebrating a line that nearly wasn’t even in the movie.
But before that, he was incredibly quotable in Batman comics, too. It helps that Batman is usually the coolest person in every room he’s in, giving him prime opportunities for biting comments and dramatic reveals.
To celebrate the long history of the character across comics, graphic novels, and more, here are the best Batman quotes you can find in DC Comics stories.
The best Batman quotes in DC Comics
From his earliest stories to his greatest battles, these are the best Batman quotes from DC Comics.
“It took a seventy-thousand dollar sliver of meteor to stop the one in Metropolis. With you, all I need is a penny for a book of matches.”
There just really aren’t words for what a joy The New Frontier is to read, even today. The story follows the in-universe transition from the hopeful and childlike wonder of the Golden Age into the paranoid, terrifying Silver Age in the shadow of multiple wars.
The book depicts a Batman just starting to accept he can’t be terrifying all the time, but his first interactions with Martian Manhunter really drive home just how paranoid he is. He’s only met J’onn once before their encounter, but the next time they speak, he’s already figured out the weaknesses of the entire Martian race.
“Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You’ve eaten Gotham’s wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on – none of you are safe.”
Batman: Year One is one of the most iconic and important Batman stories of the modern era, updating and reimagining Batman’s origins for new readers. It’s influenced a lot of the Batman movies you’ve loved, which is why it’s a shame this pivotal moment has only ever been adapted in animation.
Batman’s debut as a costumed vigilante doesn’t go great, but he kicks things off with a bang, at least. Blowing out the wall of a mobster’s dining room, Batman delivers a haunting warning, putting all of Gotham’s criminals on notice.
“They need to be inspired. And let’s face it, Superman, the last time you really inspired anyone was when you were dead.”
By the time of Infinite Crisis, DC’s heroes are in a dark place. The betrayal of the Justice League in Identity Crisis, the death of Blue Beetle, and the reveal that Maxwell Lord was manipulating events drove the heroes to their breaking points.
Identity Crisis, in particular, had a bleak fallout, driving Batman further into paranoia by the time its story was done. That paranoia drives him to lash out in the opening moments of Infinite Crisis, setting the stage for a fractured Trinity and the near destruction of the DC Universe.
“Every night. Over and over and over. For so many years. ‘This is the end, Batman!’ Every. Damn. Night. And yet…I’m still here.”
Tom King’s Batman focused a lot on the concept of Batman and what it meant. Stories like I Am Gotham and I Am Suicide reimagined the idea that Batman was a necessity not just for Gotham but for Bruce himself.
And yet, the story still had some of the most badass Batman moments in recent memory. Batman’s defiant fight with Bane early on in the run may have just been setting the stage for the ultimate showdown in City of Bane, but it’s hard to deny just how tough Batman looks in these early encounters.
“I want him dead. Maybe more than I’ve ever wanted anything. But if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place…I’ll never come back.”
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All They Do Is Watch Us Kill was the white-knuckle conclusion to the Under the Red Hood saga, where Batman learned the former Robin, Jason Todd, had somehow survived the Joker’s attempted murder. The story comes to a head when Jason, having assumed the Red Hood identity, takes Joker hostage and threatens to kill him.
Batman’s plea with Jason not to follow down that road is an incredibly powerful one, as he bares his soul to his former sidekick. The story is an incredible exploration of how far Batman is willing to go to protect his own soul and, for readers at the time, ends on a wild cliffhanger as the universe begins changing around them as a result of Infinite Crisis.
“Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot, so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts! I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible, a…a…a bat! It’s an omen! I shall become a bat!”
Before Spider-Man had great power and great responsibility, Batman had his fairly narrow-minded opinions of criminals. Batman #1 establishes Bruce’s reasons for choosing the guise of a bat, following in the grand tradition of pulp heroes like The Shadow.
Sure, Year One does a much more dramatic take on this moment, with Bruce contemplating his own mortality and impatience. But it’s hard to deny just how powerful and iconic the original take on this moment, where Bruce resolves to embrace a gothic bat identity to fight crime, remains to this day.
“You’re wrong! Batman and Robin will NEVER DIE!”
Is this one cheating? Maybe. It’s a Batman quote, but the man in the cloak is Dick Grayson, having taken on the mantle after Bruce seemingly died following Final Crisis (he was, in fact, just displaced in time).
This moment, a flash-forward before the story Batman R.I.P., does a lot to set the tone of what would come. This first glimpse at Dick as Batman and Bruce’s son, Damian, as Robin was a huge surprise at the time, and the declaration of Batman and Robin’s immortality was a hell of a rallying cry at a period when most of DC’s big heroes were briefly benched for new heroes.
“A long time ago, I fell through that opening. I haven’t really ever stopped falling. Maybe it’s time to go the other way. Time for both of us to leave the dark.”
It’s kind of odd that Knightfall isn’t remembered more fondly. It’s a massive Batman event that sees Bruce’s back broken, resulting in Jean-Paul Valley taking over as Batman. But the emotionally traumatized Jean-Paul becomes increasingly more violent, leading to a final showdown in the Batcave over the right to be the one, true Batman.
It’s fitting that the final fight takes place in the cramped, claustrophobic caves where Bruce first fell as a child. The final fight is won not through brute force but strategy, knowledge, and a willingness to step into the light. It’s a surprisingly hopeful finale, which is a little odd considering what would happen in the comics in the years that followed.
“I’ve been thinking lately. About you and me. About what’s going to happen to us, in the end. We’re going to kill each other, aren’t we?”
The Killing Joke is fairly controversial today for how it treated Barbara Gordon, something even writer Alan Moore has expressed regret over. But the series is still lauded for the quiet moments between Batman and Joker and the realization of the path they’re on.
It’s hard to ever forget those opening lines, as Batman pleads with Joker to stop the madness they’ve both succumbed to before it’s too late. Sure, it winds up not being The Joker, but Batman’s heartfelt plea is a beautifully written thing that will stick with readers, much like the rest of The Killing Joke.
“I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in your most private moments…I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”
The Dark Knight Returns ends with a shocking, no-holds-barred brawl between The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. Superman, working as a government stooge, gets his ass kicked all over Gotham thanks to Green Arrow’s kryptonite arrow and a Batman throwing punches connected to the city’s power grid.
It’s a hell of a fight, and Batman technically gets the win, though he doesn’t seem to relish it. The story does end with Superman standing tall, but only because Batman staged the fight to fake his death.
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