Evolution of Batman's Costume
The Changing Of Batman Suits
In this lens we'll have a look at what each part of Batman's suit does and how different Batman's suits have changed over the years of being on television and in the movies. Since Batman is mortal and he needs a little help with protection and a way to hide his true identity. So he made a Batsuit 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 costumes and it depends on which bad guy he's fighting during whatever episode, which Batsuit he wears. Such as his Scuba Batsuit, his fire resistant Batsuit 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.
Batman Mask and Cowl
hiding the face of Bruce Wayne
Originally the Batman 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 he decided to 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 be removed. The Batman mask was 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.
Batman Cape and Batman Body Suit
gotta have some protection for Batman
Batman's bodysuit started out just like the ones circus performers wear. Over time tho you learn that some versions of Batman's bodysuit are fully bullet proof, while others are bullet proof on the chest and back. The Batman costume is actually one full costume with the briefs sewn right into the body suit itself. Over the different Batman shows and animation, the batsuit changed from color to color. Eventually the Batsuit 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 Batman cape also goes through changes depending on the artist. Some times the Batman 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.
Batman Gloves and Batman Boots
additions to the Batsuit
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 Batman's gloves and Batman's boots were lined with steel as well in order to help make his punches and kicks stronger. Both the Batman gloves and Batman boots were also excellent places for Batman to hide additional weapons. Batman's gloves eventually also got little knives in the finger tips for added weapons in addition to Batman's 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.
Batman 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 body 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, Batman 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 Batman armor. Over time the Batman 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.
Batman 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 needed to use it with Superman.
Batman Logo Shirts
DC Comics Batman Logo Youth T-Shirt
DC Comics Batman Beyond Logo Black Youth T-Shirt
Dc Comics Batman Dark Knight Logo T-Shirt
The Batman Emblem is probably one of the most recognized movie logos and just like everything else about Batman, the Batman logo has changed quite often as well. During the first two Batman television shows in the 1940s, they looked quite similar to each other. The first Batman insignia was smaller then the second one. The second time around for the Batman series they thought having a larger bat emblem on the chest would give a bigger target for the bad guys to shoot for which is where they have safety measures in place.
DC Comics Batman "Glow in the Dark" Logo Black T-Shirt
DC Comics Batman Inside Logo T-Shirt
DC Comics Batman Round Logo Large T-Shirt
DC Comics Batman Arkham Asylum Bat Logo T-Shirt
DC Comics Batman Cloudy Signal T-Shirt Sheer
Check out more info on the History of the Batman Logo in the DC Comics from
Todd Klein's blog page 1/page 2/page 3/page 4/page 5
The Original Batman Costume
the 1940's style
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 Batsuit 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 the Batman costumes look pretty much identical. But there are little differences. The original Batman costume (Wilson) had a lighter cape, smaller bat insignia, square buckle and "devil" horns and the second Batman suit (Lowery) 
had a darker Batman cape, bigger chest insignia, round belt buckle and "bull" horns on the cowl. Otherwise they're pretty identical Batsuits for the first two short lived Batman series on television. Their Batsuits were gray tights with black briefs, Batman cape and Batman mask and the yellow Batman 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. ;)
Batman Costumes for Newborns to Pre-School
Costumes for babies 0 - 9 months
Adam West's Batman Costume
a new look for Batman
Child's Toddler Classic Adam West Batman Costume (2-4T)
Amazon Price: $27.99 (as of 02/14/2012)
In the 1966 Batman movie and the series as well, Batman's suit went from the black Batman 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 Batman 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 Batman cape wasn't as long. In keeping with "campy" theme of this era the utility belt also carried a thermos of alphabet soup.
Batsuits for Children and Teenagers
Batman Costumes for boys 4 years to 10 years
The Best Batman Costume
Worn by Michael Keaton in both Batman and Batman Returns batsuits
Michael Keaton, in my opinion, had the best Batman costume. In Keaton's first Batman of 1989 his Batsuit (the one on the right) was totally black except for the yellow oval of the bat insignia on his chest and the yellow Batman 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 Batsuit 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 Batman gloves looked to be made from metal instead of rubber and the Batman cape when expanded looked more like a glider.
Val Kilmer version of the Batman Costume
the new Batman Sonar 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 Batman 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 also has numerous batsuits 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.
Batman's costume in the Animated Series
Batman the Animated Series - Batman Maquette
Amazon Price: $84.99 (as of 02/14/2012)
In the 1997-1999 animated series The New Adventures of Batman, his appearance became darker as well, changing the Batman cape to completely black and using pouches on the Batman utility belt. The scallops on the Batman gloves have become longer and the Batman cape itself extends over his shoulders more. Even the animated version of Batman has more then just one batsuit. This one also has a completely black fireproof suit as well for when he's fighting The Firefly.
George Clooney's Batman Costume
the Bat-suit with nipples
I doubt George Clooney will ever live down the overly pronounced nipples on his Batsuit 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 Batman 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 the Batsuits 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 Costume
for boys from 8 - 10 years old
Batman Beyond Infant Costume
Amazon Price: $20.00 (as of 02/14/2012)
The 1999-2001 Batman Beyond batsuit 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 batsuit 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.
Batman Costume in the Justice League
Justice League Unlimited animated series - BATMAN regular costume
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 02/14/2012)
From 2001-2004 the batman 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.
Batman Costumes for Adults
Replica Batman Costume for Adults
Batman's Costumes from Batman Begins
with Christian Bale
2005 saw a new Batman and with him came a brand new Batman suit with the help of Lucious Fox. The new suit was the basic black with the gold Batman utility belt. The new batsuit 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 Batman utility 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.
Batman Costume from the Dark Knight
for children 8 to 14 years old
Batman's costume in the Dark Knight
Replica Batman Costume from the Dark Knight
Batman Dark Knight - Batman Grand Heritage Collection Adult Costume Adult (Medium)
Amazon Price: $384.95 (as of 02/14/2012)
The batsuit in the Dark Knight was upgraded even a little more, such as the cowl is no longer attached to the Batsuit and it has a strong electric current runs through it that prevents anyone from removing it. The scallops on the side of the Batman gloves are now retracable and can be ejected as weapons and an air-powered charge-firing rifle has been added to the Batman 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 Batman Costume
Batman costume for toddlers
Batman The Brave and The Bold Toddler Romper Costume
Amazon Price: (as of 02/14/2012)
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 batsuit. 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 Batman gadgets, 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.
Which Batman Costume is your favorite?
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BradKamer Jan 31, 2012 @ 6:51 pm | delete
- Batman begins had the best costume. I don't think today's villians would be too intimidated by the Adam West Blue costume.
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Marko
Nov 1, 2011 @ 1:09 am | delete
- 1: Batman Beyond
2: Keaton's costumes
3: Bale's costumes
4: Classic Grey&Blue
5: Clooney's Arctic suit
6: Anything animated
7: Anything else with Bat-nipples.
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holidayjoy162
Oct 31, 2011 @ 11:22 pm | delete
- The modern one is much better. The old batman costume looks like pajamas.
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JoyfulReviewer
Oct 16, 2011 @ 4:35 pm | delete
- Thanks for the fun costume lens!
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Luke Garron (age 4)
Oct 15, 2011 @ 1:56 pm | delete
- happy birthday batman scary dark knight joker, joker riding batman.
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Batman Onesies For Infants
Batman T Shirts For Kids
Pimp Your Own Batcave
Dressed Like Batman
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