Batman is a cultural icon.  From its beginnings as a comic through many incarnations on TV and in movies the Batman character is a perennial favorite for Halloween.  Some Batman costumes are based on the famous TV show from the 70s and are easy to identify as the TV Batman based on the costume style. But in the past few years there have been new, more modern Batman costumes created that were inspired by the Batman film character that has been shown in the recent Batman films.  Even the Batman films of the late 1990s had a slightly campy feel to them and the costumes of characters like Batman, Batgirl, Mr. Freeze, The Joker, The Riddler, and Poison Ivy seemed like costumes straight out of a comic and the characters themselves were never fully developed.

But the recent Batman Begins and Batman: The Dark Knight films were much darker and more action oriented than the Batman movies in the past.  In these films the Batman character is portrayed as much more conflicted emotionally. Batman’s dark side and the conflict he faces in being suave Bruce Wayne by day and Batman by night is more evident. In addition to a Batman with a dark side and a lot more depth moviegoers got to see several new villains like Ra’s Al Gul and The Scarecrow.  The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, stole the show in The Dark Knight with his riveting portrayal of the infamous villain.  The Joker as played by Heath Ledger remains an extremely popular Halloween costume.

The story of Batman is a story of loss.  Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered when he was just a small child, which left him a wealthy but lonely child looked after by a devoted servant and family friend.  He develops an alter ego, Batman, who fights crime and fights to make the world a safer place. Throughout his many adventures Batman fights with the darkness inside himself and his own emotional conflicts. He comes across many enemies in Gotham City who have been portrayed on TV and in movies by many different well known stars.  Some of those villains like The Riddler, Catwoman, The Penguin and Two Face have appeared in several movies being played by different stars.

Christopher Nolan, who directed both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, is in talks to direct a third installment of the Batman saga but he has not committed to doing another film just yet.  Even though no third film has been confirmed there have been rumors of a third installment featuring stars like Angelina Jolie playing Catwoman and Johnny Depp playing The Riddler, although British Doctor Who star David Tennant, who also made an appearance in a Harry Potter film, has expressed interest in playing the Riddler if a third film does take place.

Regardless of who directs the next Batman film it’s certain that there will be one. Batman remains one of the most popular characters of all time and is beloved by fans of comics, TV and movies all over the world.