Batman

After Batman vs. Superman, Ben Affleck is only officially contracted to star as Batman in two more movies: the two-part Justice League film. (He also makes a cameo appearance in this summer’s Suicide Squad.) There have been rumors about Affleck directing himself in a Batman solo movie set for release in 2019 and now comes word that Affleck has already written the script...

There are a lot of different versions of DC Comics' characters out there in collectible form. From action figures to vinyl figures, from Hot Wheels to chess pieces, it's hard to find ways to stand out from the crowd. This is particularly troublesome for the Trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The tree pillars of the DC Comics Universe have had numerous entries in the toy catalog, and without delving into Radioactive Isotope with Night Vision Armor, there isn't much new that can be done that hasn't been done before. That's what makes these new XXRay vinyl figures from Mighty Jaxx interesting. Based on designs from Jason Freeny, whose spent a great deal of time creating the skeletal and internal organ features of numerous pop culture figures. This time he's teamed with Mighty Jaxx to bring the bisected DC Heroes to life in strange, fascinating fashion. I mean, who hasn't always wanted to see what Superman's skeleton would look like, caricaturized as it may be?

If you watched the DC Comics panel at last weekend's WonderCon in Los Angeles, then you saw the reveals of all the titles and most of the creative teams for the company's upcoming "Rebirth" event. Mixed in with those, though, was one more announcement about DC's upcoming plans: When Justice League #50 hits shelves next month as the climax to "The Darkseid War," Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok are planning to give the Joker a "real identity" that will presumably go beyond just being Gotham City's most notoriously murderous clown. It's a bold move, especially since it's happening in the company's flagship team book rather than in a solo Batman title. In the days since the panel, the news has got a whole lot of people --- myself included --- talking about the possibilities of what we're going to see in April. If the Joker's not just the Joker, then who is he?

Unlike Batman, whose origin story seems to be told again and again (and again in Batman vs. Superman), his arch-nemesis The Joker has remained a mystery. Despite some hints at his past, most notably in Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, comic readers have never definitively learned his true identity...

This is it. The moment you’ve waited nearly two hours (and technically more than two years, since the film was announced at Comic-Con 2013): Batman and Superman are going to square off. God versus man. Day versus night. Collateral damage ignorer versus criminal brander. Who will prevail? We’re finally going to know!

Whether you were a fan of Batman vs. Superman or not, we can all agree that The LEGO Batman Movie looks pretty amazing. Now there are Batman movies for fans of all tastes. If you want the mature, gritty Batman, you have the Batman vs. Superman movies. If you want fun, goofy Batman, you have The LEGO Batman Movie. And now, you have yet another LEGO Batman Movie trailer to get you even more excited for the next Batman movie.

DC Comics hosted a special livestream event at WonderCon in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon to unveil the creative teams behind its DC Rebirth event, which relaunches the entire DC Universe line with new issue #1s and multiple double-shipping titles. The relaunch will set the future course of DC Comics at a time when fans are wondering whether the company will embrace a new and diversifying audience or double down on serving a shrinking core audience. The event was introduced by DC All Access host Tiffany Smith, with DC co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio and chief creative officer and Rebirth chief architect Geoff Johns introducing and interviewing the creative teams as they joined them on stage at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

For some reason, everyone seems to be buzzing this week about Batman fighting people in the movies - even more so than usual, I mean. If that's the kind of story that's sparked your interest today, then friend, you could do a lot worse than spending the next six minutes watching Batman vs. Terminator, a stop-motion fan-film in which the Dark Knight returns in a future dominated by Skynet and its killer robots. Produced by YouTuber Captain McKay - who I think we can assume was bitten by a radioactive McKay at some point in the past - the project uses Mezco's Dark Knight Returns Batman figure and NECA's Terminator figure, and the results are pretty amazing. Give it a watch!

But Batmen can come in all shapes and sizes, from the bulky and gritty of the latest movie, to the vibrant and comical stylings of Batman in the ‘60s, or even the new costume that debuted in the comics just this week. Whether fans are going after that classic Adam West appeal, the dark and macabre visions of Tim Burton, or the more combat suit-oriented look, there’s plenty of variety to be had underneath that cape and cowl. Cosplayers around the world have shared their favorite visions of the playboy-turned-vigilante to produce some fantastic results. We’ve combed our archives to assemble an overview of our favorites. From specialized scene photos to conventions crawling with caped crusaders, this gallery brings Dark Knights from all walks of life together. We hope you’ll enjoy this gallery of the best Batman cosplays ever.

The hype surrounding DC Rebirth is quickly heating up as we approach the big announcement at WonderCon this Saturday. All we know so far is the titles of the comics, but DC Comics’ Twitter account has been uploading video hints at what we can expect, with split-second looks at some of the characters involved in the relaunch. Ahead of the big reveal this weekend, we’ve slowed things right down to get a glimpse of what we can expect from Rebirth.

This week saw the release of Batman #50, and as you might expect from that big round number, it's a pretty big deal. It's the final act of Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Danny Miki and FCO Plascencia's "Superheavy," in which former Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon took over the role of Batman with the help of a robotic bat-suit, and --- perhaps unsurprisingly --- it marks the return of Bruce Wayne to the cape and cowl. A slightly different cape and cowl. Yes, he might still be Batman, but this issue features the debut of a new costume for the Caped Crusader, and that means that it's time once again to go deep with an extremely thorough review of Batman's new costume.

A figure draped in black smashes through a skylight. With catlike grace, he descends into the room below. He is vengeance made flesh; the walking personification of the night and every fear of what lurks in the darkness. After a perfect landing, he speaks: “Hi Freeze...