Evolution of the Bat Suit

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 4 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #559 in Entertainment, #12,874 overall

Batman Costumes for small kids and big kids alike

Since Batman is mortal, he needs a little help with protection. So he made a suit that would not only scare the bad guys and protect his secret identity but protect him and help in fighting the bad guys as well. Actually Batman has a number of different suits and it depends on which bad guy he's fighting during whatever episode, which suit he wears. Such as his Scuba suit, his fire resistant suit for when he fought Firefly and a thermal insulated version for fighting Freeze. Altho the batsuit has changed immensely over the years there has always been certain consistency. The batsuit has always consisted of body suit, mask, cowl, cape, gloves, body armor, utility belt and boots. In this lens we'll have a look at what each part of it does and how different it became over the years of being on television and in the movies.

Evolution of the Bat-suit over the years 

powered by Youtube

Bat-mask and Cowl 

hiding the face of Bruce Wayne

Originally the mask basically only hid Bruce Wayne's real identity but he thought it was good to play on the superstitions of the bad guys and make himself look like a bat. Over time however the cowl was reinforced with added protection such as electric shock or stun gas so it can't removed. It's also reinforced with lead because some meta-humans have the ability to see thru solid objects. And eventually it was upgraded with all kinds of electronic gadgets and high-tech antennas. The basic design of it has always remained the same except the length of the ears, in some they're longer and more pointed.

The Cape and the Body Suit 

gotta have some protection for Batman

Batman's body suit started out just like the ones circus performers wear. Over time tho you learn that some version are fully bullet proof, while others are bullet proof on the chest and back. The costume is actually one full costume with the briefs sewn right into the body suit itself. Over the different Batman shows and animation it's changed from color to color. Eventually the suit also is reinforced with a full body electric shock delivery system, is insulated against electricity and is mildly fire resistant. Like the rest of the bat-suit, the cape also goes through changes depending on the artist. Some times the cape is long, while other times it's short. Some times it's depicted as being bulletproof and fire resistant while with other artists it's just like normal cloth that's easily torn. One thing that has been consistent is the scalloped edges of the wings that are lined with lead.

The Gloves and The Boots 

When Batman started out his gloves were just your normal every day wrist length gloves, nothing at all special about them, they didn't get the scalloped bat-wings sticking out from the side until 1940. Both his gloves and his boots were lined with steel as well in order to help make his punches and kicks stronger. Both articles were also excellent places for Batman to hide additional weapons. The gloves eventually also got little knives in the finger tips for added weapons in addition to the boots also getting small propellers put into the heels. In addition the left heal also had a bat sonar in it so Batman could summon bats to help in his get-away. The boots not only had propellers for underwater they could also turn into ice skates as well.

The Armor 

the original Batman was a lot tougher then the new ones

When Batman first came on the scene he didn't have any protective armor at all since the creators didn't want him to be seen as larger then life, after all Batman was human but then again the original Batman wasn't as violent as he is today. Eventually however, he was given a bullet proof chest plate with the Batman symbol on which they hoped would lure the bad guys to shoot at the strongest part of the armor. Over time the armor has been added to immensely with things such as knee guards, calf guards, leg armor, arm guards, full torso vest and a spine guard.

The Utility Belt 

where Batman hides his nifty gadgets

One of the funniest things from any of the Batman movies/episodes, whether it was the Adam West series or the Christian Bale era, was the fact that no matter what situation Batman is ever in, he always had something on this utility belt that was suitable for the crime at the time. All of Batman's enemies have always tried to snatch the belt from him over the years but the only one who ever was able to get it open was Luthor in Justice League. The utility belt has carried many things over the years such as coiled rope, batarang scaling equipment, re-breather device, flash and gas grenades, explosives and a detonator, lock picks, a signaling device for the Batmobile, electronic surveillance equipment, a forensic kit, a medical kit, a small toolkit, a cache of money and, in early days, a pistol in a holster, as well as a ring made out of Kryptonite in case he needs it with Superman.

Where it all begins 

everyone tends to forget who the first Batman actually was

Everyone tends to forget that Adam West was not the first Batman and despite the fact that Batman Begins shows Bruce Wayne's early life, his suit was not the first to make the big screen either. That title goes to Lewis Wilson (shown on the right in 1943) and the second Batman was Robert Lowery (in 1949). And you're probably asking yourself which is which here since their costumes look pretty much identical. But there are little differences. The first bat-suit (Wilson) had a lighter cape, smaller bat insignia, square buckle and "devil" horns and the second one (Lowery) had a darker cape, bigger chest insignia, round belt buckle and "bull" horns on the cowl. Otherwise they're pretty identical suits for the first two short lived Batman series on television. Their suits were gray tights with black briefs, cape and mask and the yellow utility belt, all very plain without all the bells and whistle. Guess it just shows that Batman used to be a lot stronger and more wiser. ;)

Adam West version 

a new look for Batman

Adult TM Muscle Chest Batman Costume

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)Buy Now

In the 1966 Batman movie and the series as well Batman went from black cape and cowl to it being more bluish instead over his gray body suit, the creators thought that it needed the bluish tinge for more definition and there was also white eyebrows painted on the cowl. The briefs and the boots were also changed to have the blue in it as well. They also changed the batman emblem to a having a yellow oval around the bat, the ears were shortened and the cape wasn't as long. In keeping with "campy" theme of this era the utility belt also carried a thermos of alphabet soup.

From Childhood to Teenagers 

dressing like their favorite Comic Book Superhero Batman

Michael Keaton definitely looked the best 

in both Batman and Batman Returns

Ahhhh Michael Keaton in the bat-suit, what a perfect picture. In Keaton's first Batman of 1989 his suit (the one on the left) was totally black except for the yellow oval of the bat insignia on his chest and the yellow utility belt. Now remember it's been over 20 years since Batman was on the big screen so the bat-suit was in need of some major overhauls. So they made the breast plate look more like a muscular body unfortunately it wasn't easy for Keaton to move around in so Batman's acrobatic movements were basically impossible for him to do. In 1992 when Keaton came back for Batman Returns they revised his suit a little, making it from a more light weight foam material so he could move around more altho it made him more vulnerable in some areas of the body. The insignia was changed back to what it was in the comics, the scallops on the gloves looked to be made from metal instead of rubber and the cape when expanded looked more like a glider.

Val Kilmer version 

the only blonde in a Bat-suit

On the left here is the first bat-suit that Kilmer wore in Batman Forever in 1995. It's been named the Panther Batsuit for it's almost predatorial panther like features and it's more focused on the anatomical design including having the first nipples on a Bat-suit. The insignia on the chest is more pronounced and they changed the light yellow on the background to a deeper gold. The utility belt has been changed from yellow to black and a new button on it which emits a spray that fireproofs the cape so Batman can use it as a shield in extreme fires. Like the other Batmen, Kilmer's also has numerous suits to pick from, the other one he used during Batman Forever was the Sonar Suit (pictured on the right). It is an iridescent silvery-black and more armor-like. It also has lenses that slide automatically over the cowl's eye holes to display a sonar-generated image of Batman's surroundings to him, allowing him to see with more accuracy in extreme darkness or glare.

The Animated Series 

BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES - BATMAN MAQUETTE

Amazon Price: $77.77 (as of 12/26/2009)Buy Now

In the 1997-1999 animated series The New Adventures of Batman, his appearance became darker as well, changing his cloak to completely black and using pouches on the utility belt. The scallops on his gloves have become longer and the cape itself extends over his shoulders more. Even the animated version of Batman has more then just one bat-suit. This one also has a completely black fireproof suit as well for when he's fighting The Firefly.

George Clooney 

the Bat-suit with nipples

I doubt George Clooney will ever live down the overly pronounced nipples on his Bat-suit in Batman and Robin (1997), although Kilmer's was the first suit to sport the nipples (guess maybe everyone's too busy ridiculing him over the penis shaped Batmobile). On the left is the main suit that he wore during the movie. It's been changed a little to have a more bluish color to it as opposed to the black of the rest of them and the the emblem on the suit is separated where the wings meet the body of the bat and changed the color of it again to black on black instead of having the normal yellow background. The other bat-suit Clooney wore (pictured on the right) is the suit Batman used in the final scene against Mr. Freeze. It's a more more silvery and elaborately detailed costume, it's suppose to represent more of an Arctic feel. It also sprouts ice skates.

Batman Beyond 

Child's Batman Beyond Halloween Costume (Size: Medium 8-10)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)Buy Now

The 1999-2001 Batman Beyond bat-suit was extremely different then all the rest of them as it appears that this bat-suit is one full black bodysuit and the bat insignia is red. This bat-suit was made for an aging Batman tho. This suit gave him increased strength, and was equipped with sophisticated built in gadgets. This one also has a set of retractable wings and jet boots which, together, allow for flight, an active camouflage system which renders him nearly invisible, and a two-way radio and surveillance system.

Justice League 

Justice League Unlimited animated series - BATMAN regular costume

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)Buy Now

From 2001-2004 the suit went thru a little change again in the animation of The Justice League. It was basically a combination of the previous two before it. The look of it is the same as in The New Batman Adventures but with a little added color to it. Including the lengthening of the "ears" on the cowl and the addition of heels on the boots.

Christian Bale brought some major changes 

and a new Bat-suit too

2005 saw a new Batman and with him came a brand new bat-suit with the help of Lucious Fox. The new suit was the basic black with the gold utility belt. The new bat-suit also has a built-in temperature regulators to keep Batman a comfortable temperature this covered additional armor and the entire thing is coated in a black latex material for camouflage and the body cool so he can't be detected with night-vision equipment. The cape is made from memory cloth but can become rigid when an electric current is sent to it thru the right glove. The scallops in the glove are also made of medal and the left boot heel holds a high frequency sonic "sounder" to summon bats or used on a lower frequency it can cause incapacitating headaches in humans. The belt also includes climbing harness and magnetized impact-resistant pouches and canisters. It also carries a magnetic gas-powered grapple gun, an encrypted cell phone, Batarangs, a medical kit, smoke bombs, mini explosives, periscope, remote control for the Batmobile (the Tumbler), mini-cam, money, and other unspecified equipment.

The Dark Knight 

Adult Grand Heritage Batman Costume

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)Buy Now

The bat-suit in the Dark Knight was upgraded even a little more, such as the cowl is no longer attached to the suit and it has a strong electric current runs through it that prevents anyone from removing it. The scallops on the side of the gloves are now retracable and can be ejected as weapons and an air-powered charge-firing rifle has been added to the utility belt. And the one thing that is similar to the Batman Forever bat-suit is the sonar-vision. Signals emitted by mobile phones are converted into images in a similar way to echolocation and in order to view them white lenses have to fold down to cover the eyes giving Batman the white-eyed appearance.

The Brave and The Bold 

a Batman's animated series

Rubies Costume Batman The Brave and The Bold Toddler Romper Costume

Amazon Price: $26.44 (as of 12/26/2009)Buy Now

The most recent animation of Batman is The Brave and The Bold. In order to get away from the darkness of The Dark Knight, the creators decided it might be better to go with the earlier looks in the bat-suit. So they changed the color to more of what the Adam West version was like but the difference being the array of gadgets this one has. This one contains multiple batarangs and other standard Bat-paraphernalia, but also a collapsible sword, wings, deep space gear, scuba equipment, and multiple rocket thrusters. The ears also become long blades with the push of a button and the bat emblem can become another batarang.

Have your own favorite Bat-suit 

let us know

Join SheToldMe.com with molly6342 as your referrer!



Stop by and let everyone know what your fav suit is or just stop by and say hi.

submit

A Night at the Movies in Niagara Falls 

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

The Actors Who Played Batman Characters 

better known as the Bat-Family

 

Batman's Toys 

in the words of the infamous Joker.....where does he get those wonderful toys?!?!

The Actors Who Played Batman's Enemies 

Batman's nemesis

 

If you can't see the Module Settings box here, try reloading the Lens Workshop...

ClickBank Ads Module »

by molly6342

Add this page to SheToldMe.com

Feel free to go rooting around in Batman's closet and pick whatever suit you'd like.







Tiny Miracles Hero In Training BATMAN Baby Boy Doll: Realistic Lifelike Vinyl Baby Doll

Dc Comics Batman Logo Detachable Cape Pajamas for boys


Dc Comics Batman Dark Knight Mask Boxers for men


Collectible DC Comics Batman Express Train Collection

Batman Shirt w/ Detachable Cape Pants Set for boys


Batman Belt Buckle Batwing Logo Black And Yellow


The Dark Knight Express Train Collection

Batman T-Shirt Hero Of The Shadows T-105


Comic Book Characters New Era Bigunder 59Fifty Batman Hat


Batman Bat Logo T-Shirts for men

(more)
Create a Lens!