While there have been many generational live-action iterations of Batman, the character’s animated history is also vast. Starting from Super Friends, the vigilante superhero became a household name by the time Batman: The Animated Series came about, and the DCAU movies featuring the character have almost always been incredible.
In the 21st Century, there have been several animated movies featuring the Caped Crusader that are of varying levels of quality. The following list will rank all the solo Batman animated films released since 2000. The ranking methodology will consider how they work as Batman stories, animation quality, vocal performances, and standalone storytelling.
Here are all the Batman animated movies of the 21st Century, ranked.
16. Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
Released in 2003 near the end of the DCAU’s run, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman was a follow-up to the series, The New Batman Adventures. The movie followed Batman and Robin finding out the identity of Batwoman while dealing with other villains in the rogue’s gallery. While the premise is interesting, the team faltered in its execution.
Character designs are a step down from the show’s classic model sheets, and Kevin Conroy sounds like he’s phoning in a paycheck gig. It’s not offensively bad, just aggressively forgettable.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads), Rent on Amazon Prime Video
15. Son of Batman
Damian Wayne has had a fanbase of his own ever since his introduction in the comics. In Son of Batman, however, the 74-minute runtime does not do justice to his arc. Damian is the assassin-trained son of Bruce and Talia al Ghul, and is one of the most unpredictable Robins, matching the chaotic and morally grey energy of his father.
The animation is not too different from the DC Universe Movies, but it does not seem to have a singular vision behind it. Kevin Conroy’s voice is sorely missed in this, despite Jason O’Mara’s decent vocal performance as Batman. Fans will still get some great moments from Damian, but the movie overall is average at best.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads), Rent on Amazon Prime Video
14. Batman vs Robin
The sequel to Son of Batman, Batman vs Robin, partly adapts one of the best storylines of the New 52 era, The Court of Owls. However, the movie really needed to match the incredible aura of the original story, as the animation, storyline, and vocal performances are not up to the mark.
It’s marginally better paced than its predecessor, and the Owls’ Gotham-under-the-streets mythology adds welcome atmosphere. But Damian remains more grating than compelling here, and the plot leans hard on convenient reveals rather than character logic. In the overall franchise, it does not hold up well as a movie.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads), Rent on Amazon Prime Video
13. Batman: Bad Blood
The Damian trilogy’s finale swaps in Batwoman and a mysterious new Batwing pilot while Bruce goes missing, and it’s the strongest of the three, mostly because it finally lets Nightwing and Batwing carry real weight. Unfortunately, “solo Batman movie” is a stretch here.
Bruce spends much of the runtime absent, sidelining the character this list is built around. The mystery-villain reveal is a fun twist, and the action set-pieces are the trilogy’s best-choreographed. Still, its identity as an ensemble piece in disguise keeps it near the bottom of a ranking specifically about Batman as the central figure.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads), Rent on Amazon Prime Video
12. Merry Little Batman
The Christmas movie has very little in common with the brooding vigilante we know. It is a Holiday movie by definition and is tonally opposite to how Batman is generally portrayed. Merry Little Batman sees Damian wear the Bat suit and protect Wayne Manor from villains who have been let loose in Gotham while Batman is on a mission.
It is a fun movie and does what it promises. The only reason it is in the bottom tier is because of how tonally different it is from all other Batman animated movies. It is an outlier and is the perfect comfort watch during the holidays. But as a representation of Batman, it fails.
Where to Watch (USA) – Amazon Prime Video
11. Batman: Soul of the Dragon
Set in the 1970s with Bruce Wayne reuniting with his old martial-arts training cohort, this one leans into kung-fu movie pastiche more than superhero storytelling. Batman doesn’t even suit up until deep into the runtime, much like Batman Begins. That novelty is refreshing, and the animation captures grindhouse energy well.
However, the mystical MacGuffin plot feels borrowed from a different franchise entirely. It’s a fun genre experiment that occasionally forgets whose movie it’s supposed to be. Diehards who want to see Batman outside his usual gothic-noir sandbox will enjoy it; those wanting classic Bat-storytelling may find it a detour.
Where to Watch (USA) – Rent on Amazon Prime Video
10. Batman: Gotham Knight
Set between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Batman: Gotham Knight is an anthology of six short films and is a marketing release for Christopher Nolan’s movie trilogy. More than telling cohesive stories, it experiments with the art style.
The visual styles swing wildly, from moody watercolor-esque segments to sharp, kinetic action pieces, and the quality varies with them. There’s no single throughline story, which makes it feel disjointed as a movie, but individual segments rank among the more visually inventive Batman animations ever produced.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads), Rent on Amazon Prime Video
9. Batman Ninja
Batman Ninja does not go the subtle way at all. It is a maximalist anime movie and an American-Japanese co-production. The anime visuals are incredible, and the action choreography is unlike anything seen in a Batman movie. However, it falters in the storyline.
The plot logic is loose to the point of nonsense, and the tone whiplashes between comedy and spectacle. It’s a film best enjoyed for pure visual imagination rather than narrative rigor. It is a swing-for-the-fences experiment that mostly connects, even when it makes very little sense.
Where to Watch (USA) – Rent on Amazon Prime Video
8. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Set in Terry McGinnis’s future Gotham, this film brought real menace back to the Joker after the character’s TV-mandated softening, revealing a dark secret about his final confrontation with Bruce Wayne. It follows themes of abuse, trauma, and legacy that are unusually mature for a kids’ property, which is exactly why Warner Bros. initially censored it.
Mark Hamill delivers one of his most unsettling Joker performances here. The animation carries the moody Batman Beyond aesthetic well. It’s a genuinely upsetting, well-constructed thriller that still holds up as one of the era’s boldest Bat-stories.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads), Rent on Amazon Prime Video
7. Batman: Hush
The Hush storyline in the comics is a fan favorite, and the animated film was genuinely one of the most hyped projects in recent years. However, Batman: Hush does not entirely follow the legendary comic book series. It focuses on a romance arc with Selina Kyle, and it fits in really well with the overall storyline.
Jason O’Mara sounds more comfortable as Bruce here than in his earlier DC Universe Movies outings, and the rogues’ gallery cameos are well-staged even in abbreviated form. The mystery, however, loses some intrigue compared to the source material, with the reveal feeling rushed.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads)
6. Batman: The Killing Joke
Alan Moore’s incredible graphic novel finally got its adaptation and was polarizing. It is still a decent film and explores the Joker’s psyche more than any other work. The Batgirl-focused prologue was hated among fans and did not fit well with the overall story, but once it gets to the Joker’s storyline, it picks up.
It’s a disturbing, beautifully animated rendition, anchored by Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy’s incredible on-screen pairing as Joker and Batman. The huge issue is its prologue, which is not related to the original comic and put off fans, putting it in spot number 6.
Where to Watch (USA) – HBO Max
5. Batman: Year One
Based on the story by Frank Miller, Year One follows Bruce Wayne still in his nascent year as the vigilante and the rookie cop Jim Gordon navigating Gotham City’s corruption-ridden bureaucracy.
Bryan Cranston’s Gordon is a standout, arguably outshining Ben McKenzie’s serviceable but flatter Bruce. The muted color palette and grounded animation suit the material’s noir sensibility. It’s a quiet, confident film that trusts its source material, resulting in one of the most mature Batman origin stories put to screen.
Where to Watch (USA) – YouTube (Free with Ads)
4. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1
The atmosphere this movie creates has no competitors at all. Frank Miller’s seminal The Dark Knight Returns was already revolutionary in the comic book world. This adaptation gets the atmosphere right and shows a retired Batman returning to the game after many years. Gotham has taken a turn for the worse in terms of crime, and it needs him more than ever.
The mutant gang war and Bruce’s brutal reclamation of the Batman mantle land with real weight. As the setup half of a two-part story, it inevitably ends on a cliffhanger rather than a resolution, keeping it just below the more complete entries on this list, but its atmosphere and ambition are immediately gripping.
Where to Watch (USA) – Rent on Amazon Prime Video
3. Batman: The Long Halloween
The Long Halloween is another iconic storyline from Batman’s roster of stories, and the animated adaptation does justice to it. Split into two parts, it follows a holiday-themed serial killer and acts as a classic whodunnit, while also exploring Harvey Dent’s past and tragedy. The atmosphere it creates is incredible, and the adaptation is faithful.
Jensen Ackles’ vocal performance as Batman is really good, and Josh Duhamel brings tragedy to Harvey Dent. It occasionally feels stretched thin across two runtimes. Still, as a two-part epic, it’s the most novelistic Batman animated adaptation yet attempted, treating its source material with real patience and respect.
Where to Watch (USA) – Rent on Amazon Prime Video
2. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2
The concluding half of Miller’s opus delivers everything the first part set up, culminating in Batman’s mythic showdown with the Joker and his even more staggering confrontation with a government-controlled Superman.
Peter Weller’s world-weary Bruce reaches full, ferocious clarity here, and the film doesn’t flinch from Miller’s bleak, operatic vision of an aging hero refusing to be put out to pasture. The Batman-Superman fight remains one of animation’s great superhero set-pieces, both thematically loaded and viscerally satisfying.
Where to Watch (USA) – Rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
1. Batman: Under the Red Hood
Based primarily on the iconic comic book storyline Under the Hood (and featuring the tragic climax of A Death in the Family), the film shows the death of Jason Todd at the hands of the Joker and his eventual return as the Red Hood. It is an incredible story of grief, anger, and madness, posing a critique of Batman’s infamous no-kill rule.
Bruce Greenwood and Jensen Ackles both deliver career-best voice work in their respective roles, and the Joker flashback sequence remains one of the most gut-wrenching moments in animated Batman history. Tightly plotted, thematically rich, and confidently paced, it’s widely regarded as the gold standard for DC’s direct-to-video Batman era.
Where to Watch (USA) – Rent on Amazon Prime Video
Honorable Mentions
Apart from the mentioned films, there are some animated solo Batman films released since the 2000s. The Batman Unlimited film trilogy is decent but does not match the quality of some of the DCAU films, while the Lego Batman movies are much better and lean into comedy. The Batman vs. Dracula has a hint of horror, while Batman vs. Harley Quinn gives a formidable antagonist to the Caped Crusader.
Adam West returned to the role in Return of the Caped Crusaders and its sequel, Batman vs. Two-Face, which was the final performance of West. The ensemble film Batman: Assault on Arkham and the iconic Death in the Family are better films in terms of animation and quality. The franchise also got some experiments like the Victorian-era Gotham by Gaslight and the Lovecraftian Doom that came to Gotham.
| Rank | Movie Name | Rotten Tomatoes – Tomatometer | Popcornmeter (as of July 14, 2026) |
| 1 | Batman: Under the Red Hood | 100% | 92% |
| 2 | The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 | 94% (Popcornmeter) |
| 3 | The Long Halloween | 69% (Popcornmeter) |
| 4 | The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 | 100% | 93% |
| 5 | Year One | 89% | 79% |
| 6 | The Killing Joke | 35% | 50% |
| 7 | Hush | 84% | 71% |
| 8 | Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | 100% | 86% |
| 9 | Batman Ninja | 84% | 59% |
| 10 | Gotham Knight | 75% | 69% |
| 11 | Soul of the Dragon | 93% | 66% |
| 12 | Merry Little Batman | 97% | 72% |
| 13 | Bad Blood | 100% | 65% |
| 14 | Batman vs Robin | 100% | 78% |
| 15 | Son of Batman | 64% | 72% |
| 16 | Mystery of the Batwoman | 60% | 63% |
Which animated Batman of this century do you like the best? Comment below.
